Summary: Ruby Vaughn survived the rigours of WWI and the deaths of her parents to live in Exeter, England with her elderly employer. He asks her to deliver a box of valuable antique books to Ruan Kivell in Cornwall. When she does so, Ruby decides against her better judgement to pay a visit to her old friend (and apparently, lover) Tamsyn who lives in Cornwall with her aristocrat husband and small child. Ruby feels ill at ease in the creaking old mansion, and she awakes from a terrifying nightmare to find the master of the house gruesomely murdered in the orchard. Despite their love/hate relationship, Ruby and Kivell work together to uncover who actually murdered Sir Edward.

Thoughts: This was a relatively quick read for me, and I enjoyed the gothic undertones as I knew I would. The setting in the countryside and the atmosphere of superstition and occult folklore adds to the overall tension and sense of gothic thrill. However, Ruby’s backstory was revealed piecemeal over the course of the book, which was rather confusing. I enjoyed the friction between Ruan and Ruby, but it felt unnecessary to try to develop this into a love affair. I feel it is better as a prickly and reluctant partnership. However, I really enjoyed the dynamic between Ruby and her employer, which was amusing and sweet. Given that the novel is described as a Cornish mystery, I felt that the author could have done much more to “set the scene” and make the reader feel like they were visiting Cornwall. Really the mystery could have taken place anywhere. Overall it is a good debut effort which could develop into an interesting series. Thanks to Minotaur and NetGalley for the digital copy.