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Jess Armstrong’s The Curse of Penryth Hall was a nice murder mystery wrapped in gothic clothing, and it was clear at the end that more was coming. I was happy to read this second book featuring Ruby Vaughn. (And the end of this indicates there will be yet more to come!)
Ruby Vaughn, an orphaned American heiress who’s in her late twenties, lives with and works for an octogenarian rare bookseller, Mr. Owen. They have a companionable relationship, with them bantering and poking at each other a bit like family.
In the first book, Mr. Owen sent Ruby to the Cornish countryside to deliver a trunk of books to a folk healer, Ruan Kivell. She learned Ruan is a Pellar, someone who can use some particular kinds of magic.
In The Secret of the Three Fates, Mr. Owen takes Ruby to Manhurst Castle in Scotland, supposedly to pick up some illuminated manuscripts. But right away, she finds out any manuscripts are long gone, so it’s a mystery why the two of them are on this trip.
Annoyed with Mr. Owen, Ruby soon learns there’s a séance taking place that night. And Mr. Owen has ties to at least one of the women (the Three Fates) acting as mediums. He also wants to speak to his son, who died in the Great War. His son doesn’t make an appearance, but a young woman who died under suspicious circumstances in the area certainly does.
That’s just the beginning of the turbulent week or so Ruby and Mr. Owen spend in the area. Right after the séance, one of the mediums is killed, and Mr. Owen’s connection to the area becomes apparent. Both he and Ruby become suspects in the murder, and while Ruby doesn’t think he could do something like that, she knows he’s keeping a lot of secrets that certainly connect to it.
Ruan Kivell comes up to Scotland, and Ruby asks him to help investigate all the goings-on and clear their names. Of course, digging up all this old dirt puts them in danger. And while Ruby has been fighting the pull she feels toward Ruan, she finds it more and more difficult.
I actually enjoyed The Secret of the Three Fates even more than the first. The mystery is solid, and it’s interesting to find out a lot about Mr. Owen and to be introduced to some little mysteries connected to Ruby. My interest is further piqued, and I’m curious to see what comes in the next in the series.
Rated: Moderate. Profanity includes 2 uses of strong language, around 20 instances of moderate profanity, about 30 uses of mild language, about 30 instances of the name of Deity in vain, and about 15 uses of British profanity. Sexual content includes kissing and a closed-door scene. References to a woman being raped, though no details. Violence includes several murders and attempted murders, with some bloody injuries.
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*I received an ARC in exchange for my honest review.
