Reviewed by annieb123 on
The Murder Dance is the 6th Phineas Fox mystery by Sarah Rayne. Released 4th Jan 2022 by Severn House, it's 256 pages (in print edition), and is available in hardcover, paperback, and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout. I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats lately.
This is such a creepy and atmospheric history/mystery with overtones of Gothic horror and a slight Shirley Jackson vibe. Although it's the 6th book in the series, it works well enough as a standalone, with the codicil that the ongoing characters' development in this installment will spoil some earlier interactions in some ways.
Told through parallel timelines, it's a convoluted and oddly constructed story with taints of madness, creepy settings, a malevolent half ruined manor house, and elements of horror. Fans of the author's oeuvre will find much to appeal here.
Four stars.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
Reading updates
- Started reading
- Finished reading
- 13 October, 2022: Reviewed