The Curse of Penryth Hall (Ruby Vaughn #1)
Jess Armstrong
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.
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0The Curse of Penryth Hall follows Ruby Vaughan, an American heiress who, after a scandal back home in America, now works at a rare bookstore in England. Ruby is given an assignment to deliver some books to a man in Cornwall who happens to be a healer. This journey leads her to the doorsteps of Penryth Hall where Ruby reconnects with her once dear friend Tamsyn and her husband Sir Edward Chenowyth.
Overall, this book was very atmospheric and gothic. It feels cozy in a way, though I wouldn’t really characterize this as a cozy mystery. The writing style is very simple and easy to read, and I really enjoyed Armstrong’s writing style. It’s also very descriptive
I loved the main character Ruby. However, I did feel that there could have been some more development in her storyline. There is lots of talk about her previous experience (i.e. war and her exile from her parents) but it’s very brief and didn’t really satisfy my want to know about her background. Although this does focus on her time at Penryth Hall, I would love another story that delves more into her background.
I also loved many of the other characters in the books, and there were some fun little side characters as well, like Mrs. Penrose! I also loved that Ruby’s cat kept popping up throughout!
There were also lots of suspenseful twists and turns throughout the book. When it came to the suspects, I kept guessing throughout even as the number of suspects dwindled.
I would definitely recommend this book for those looking for a paranormal, murder-mystery, kind of cozy in a way book!
Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, and Minotaur Books for the eARC in exchange for an honest review!
0Intriguing ideas poorly executed made this Gothic-leaning historical mystery a muddied mess. The historical setting, an ancient aristocratic curse, the Gothic atmosphere and touch of witchcraft, mingled with more traditionally cozy mystery elements, could have made for a fun read. Unfortunately, the story jumps all over the place, on both an immediate sentence-by-sentence level and the larger scale of the overall plot, and the end result was just too sloppy for me to enjoy as I'd hoped I would.
Thank you to the publisher for the advance review copy.
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