Goodreads Blurb:
In the summer of 1895, when Brenton Grey rolls into the industrious little town of Carmallow Crown, he knows not the sordid secrets that live there—nor what murderous mysteries fidget restlessly beneath its soil.
Haunted by a comical apparition, shocked by a vicious murder, and confounded by puzzles wrapped up in riddles, the unlikely detective finds himself on a hunt for not one, but three different killers. As he questions his own sanity, and wrestles ageless moral dilemmas, he is taken on an emotional journey that will change him forever.
My Thoughts:
This was a really fun read! There was a cast of interesting characters, all with their own motives and secrets! Plus a great setting, a house in the little haunted town of Carmallow Crown – perfect for a murder mystery!
I enjoyed following the detective Brenton Grey through the strange circumstances of him being hired, to him unravelling the mysteries of the house and it’s inhabitants (especially the more ghostly ones). I found Mr Grey’s narration engaging, especially his quizzical thoughts on the world around him. Sometimes I did find him to be quite judgemental, but the more he learned, his judgements softened throughout the course of the novel. This sometimes made him quite unlikeable as a character, but I think it worked with who he was as a character. A product of the time his story is set.
I found all the characters to be well fleshed out with intriguing motivations. Though with quite a few, both within and beyond the main house, I found them all a little difficult to keep track of at first. The further I got into the novel, however, the more I got my head around it. As found it easier to follow the mystery.
I found the writing of this novel kept me interested, and curious to know the ending. Plus Buckley can really paint a vivid picture with his words. I could easily conjure what was happening from the descriptions, both of the characters and the story.
Overall this was an enjoyable, and entertaining read. This had some fun characters flung into an intriguing, somewhat spooky mystery that had me guessing until the end!
Thank you to the author sending me this free eARC (eAdvanced Reader Copy). I am leaving this review voluntarily. This title was published 1st March 2022.
Writing(s) by Anna 