Excellent historical mystery.
Although this is the 17th in a series, this is only the second one I have read. Now I find that I want to go back and start from the beginning. I love the character of Lady Emily and her husband, Colin Hargreaves, as well as their extended family and friends. The 3 sons are a lot of fun and make for some humorous moments in the story.
In this installment, in the summer of 1905, the family visits an old friend Jeremy, Duke of Bainbridge, at Cairnfarn Castle in the Scottish Highlands. After a welcoming Ceilidh that lasted into the wee hours, the Duke's gamekeeper, Angus Sinclair, is found dead along the banks of the loch. Although the women of the village wanted to marry him, he certainly had some secrets and at least one enemy. Some strange clues are found during the investigation that lead back to 1676 when the madness of witchcraft trials reached the castle and a previous occupant, Lady MacAllister. Told in alternating points of view and shifting in time periods 1905 and 1676, the secrets and lies are revealed.
I like the writing style and the characters in this novel and the plot was complex but interesting. There were some surprises along the way as Lady Emily and her husband talk with the villagers and try to find the truth. I listened to the audiobook that I got from my local library while also reading along in the e-book ARC provided by the publisher and I liked the narrator very much, especially the Scottish accent and proper pronunciation that enhanced the atmosphere and setting of the story.
I'd recommend the series and I plan to continue reading additional installments.
This is the 17th in a series which was OK as a standalone but probably should be read in order.
Genre - historical fiction, mystery, witchcraft, murder
No comments:
Post a Comment