annieb123's Review of The Curse of Penryth Hall

by Jess Armstrong

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.

Originally posted on my blog Nonstop Reader.

The Curse of Penryth Hall is the first book in a gothic mystery series by debut author Jess Armstrong. Released 5th Dec 2023 by Macmillan on their St. Martin's Press imprint, it's 336 pages and is available in hardcover, audio, and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links throughout.

This is a creepy/atmospheric mystery set in Cornwall in the interwar period. It's a fusion of genres: mystery, dark broody gothic tale, even a dash of romance, and it manages to coalesce them into a thoroughly enjoyable read. There is some lack of depth in some of the characterization, but especially for a debut work, it's surprisingly cohesive, well constructed, and with a moving gravitas.

Although it's not derivative at all, fans of cerebral academic mysteries will find a lot to like here. There are hints of Shirley Jackson, Daphne du Maurier, and Diane Setterfield, though again, it's its own creature and should be appreciated as such.

The unabridged audiobook has a run time of 10 hours 40 minutes and is very capably narrated by Emma Love. She has a beautifully nuanced voice and manages a credible job of the extremely varied accents (American, West Country, RP, etc) with no discernable hiccups in the dialogue. Her voice is light with bright tonals and isn't obtrusive at all, letting the prose take center stage. Sound and production quality are high throughout the read.

Four stars. Well worth a look. The second book in the series is due out late 4th quarter 2024 from the same publisher. This would be a good choice for public library acquisition, buddy read, or bookclub selection.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

Reading updates

3 February, 2024: Started reading

3 February, 2024: Finished reading

3 February, 2024: Reviewed