by Jess Armstrong
Publisher: Minotaur Books
Pub Date: December 5, 2023
Genre: Mystery, Historical, Gothic
Format: eBook
Source: Publisher
Book Links: Goodreads Bookshop Amazon
An atmospheric gothic mystery that beautifully brings the ancient
Cornish countryside to life, Armstrong introduces heroine Ruby Vaughn in her
Minotaur Books & Mystery Writers of America First Crime Novel Award-winning
debut, The Curse of Penryth Hall.
After the Great War, American heiress Ruby Vaughn made a life for herself
running a rare bookstore alongside her octogenarian employer and house mate in
Exeter. She’s always avoided dwelling on the past, even before the war, but it
always has a way of finding her. When Ruby is forced to deliver a box of books
to a folk healer living deep in the Cornish countryside, she is brought back to
the one place she swore she’d never return. A more sensible soul would have
delivered the package and left without rehashing old wounds. But no one has
ever accused Ruby of being sensible. Thus begins her visit to Penryth Hall.
A foreboding fortress, Penryth Hall is home to Ruby’s once dearest friend,
Tamsyn, and her husband, Sir Edward Chenowyth. It’s an unsettling place, and
after a more unsettling evening, Ruby is eager to depart. But her plans change
when Penryth’s bells ring for the first time in thirty years. Edward is dead;
he met a gruesome end in the orchard, and with his death brings whispers of a
returned curse. It also brings Ruan Kivell, the person whose books brought her
to Cornwall, the one the locals call a Pellar, the man they believe can break
the curse. Ruby doesn’t believe in curses—or Pellars—but this is Cornwall and
to these villagers the curse is anything but lore, and they believe it will
soon claim its next victim: Tamsyn.
To protect her friend, Ruby must work alongside the Pellar to find out what
really happened in the orchard that night.
My Review: The book starts off fun and playful. Ruby having another lovely evening of fun and entertainment is just having a casual chat with Mr. Owen. Who is kind and just lets Ruby live her life. All is going well until Mr. Owen asks Ruby to deliver some books to someone who lives in the very place she planned never to return to.
Welp, suppose it won't be too bad. Drop of the books, turn around and
then forget about it. Well, this trip turned into seeing an old friend that
invites her over for dinner and stay the night. It'll be like old times. Ruby
spends more time angry at Tamsyn's husband for how Tamsyn looks and has all
these thoughts. But that's all it was right? So why is it that suddenly the man
is found horribly murdered, Tamsyn seems lost in worry over this curse and Ruby
has to no promise to keep her son safe.
Oh, and all of that is merely just the start of everything.
However, that's kind of where it ends for me.
The entire book could’ve been faster paced, more in-depth characters and well, more interesting.
While the ending may have saved it for me enough to consider the next book, I'm going to go with caution. I love a good mystery and gothic read and hoping the next book will give me all I'm looking for.
