Rating: 4 ♥’s
Published: October 26, 2021
Genre: Historical Fiction/Mystery
Pages: 382
Book Description: Solicitor Vaughan Springthorpe knows perfectly well that Sir Peter Spencer’s offer of employment seems too good to be true: he hires her sight unseen, offering a suspiciously large salary to prepare the sale of Morton Abbey, his crumbling Yorkshire estate. But few people in late-Victorian England will entrust their legal affairs to a woman, and Vaughan is desperate to prove herself.
Once at Morton, Vaughan discovers that someone is determined to drive her away. An intruder tries to enter her bedroom at night, gunshots are fired outside her window, and an eerie crying echoes from the uninhabited second floor. Even Netherton, the nearest village, seems odd: the picturesque houses and perfect-looking families are haunted by dark secrets connected to Morton Abbey itself.
To complete her work and solve the mystery at the heart of Morton, Vaughan needs the help of Joe Dixon, the handsome gardener, and Nicholas Spencer, her employer’s irascible invalid brother. But with her questions diverted, her progress thwarted, and her sleep disrupted by the crying, will Vaughan escape Morton Abbey with her sanity intact or be cursed by the secrets within?
I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
This story intrigued me because I was in the mood for a good spooky mystery/gothic tale. I thought that it was an overall good read, however, I wanted it to be just a little more creepy and gothic. I did think that the mystery part had some twists in it that I enjoyed and it definitely kept me intrigued because I wanted to know what was going to happen.
The characters were good. I thought that Vaughan was a good character and we got to see her develop and also just learn how her disability and life shaped who she was. I liked that she never gave up and stuck to what she believed and also that nothing scary that happened scared her away. Nicholas, I also liked it because we really got to see his character change as the story went on, especially the more time he spent with Vaughan. We don’t really learn that much about the secondary characters, which was alright. It would have been interesting but it didn’t take away from the story.
I thought the plot was well done and that it flowed nicely. I thought the romance was done in a nice way that kind of kept you guessing, but also enhanced the story as well. There was some creepiness to it and some twists that were well-timed. I liked the build of the book, it almost started out slow, and then just took off. But, that works for this book because you are learning stuff that you don’t really think about and then later in the book you go oh yeah and it enhances the story.
I definitely think this book is worth a read and is a good slightly creepy mystery/gothic novel.
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