While I enjoyed Jess Armstrong’s second Gothic mystery featuring Ruby Vaughn, I think I would have enjoyed it more if I had read her award-winning debut, The Curse of Penryth Hall. If you’re interested in The Secret of the Three Fates, I’d suggest you start with the first in the series.
After Ruby Vaughn’s parents packed her off to Europe when she was a young disgraced debutante, and she lost her entire family in the sinking of the Lusitania, she became an ambulance driver during the war. Now, she runs a bookshop in Exeter, England, but it’s her octogenarian mentor’s name on the bookstore. Mr. Owen sent her to Cornwall once, on an errand that turned deadly. Now, once again, the pair are off on a trip to Scotland. While Ruby thinks they’re to look at illuminated manuscripts, it turns out Mr. Owen wants to communicate with his long-dead son at a seance conducted by three mediums, known as the Three Fates.
Even after her dealings in Cornwall, Ruby is unwilling to acknowledge the occult. But, the group may have actually called up a ghost that night, and the seance is followed by the death of one of the mediums. Unfortunately, Ruby finds the woman, and tries to save her, but it’s too late. Now, she’s a suspect in the woman’s murder.
Owen’s past from forty years earlier is slowly revealed, along with part of Ruby’s own story. But, ghosts and mediums, a White Witch, and Ruan Kiwell shake everything Ruby believes. She met Ruan in Cornwall, and she has an unusual connection to the Pendar, a folk healer and witch. He can read her thoughts, and she’s attracted to him in a way that seems to come from the past. The White Witch warns her, but also acknowledges that their connection is too deep for her to destroy.
Gothic mysteries are usually centered on a distant and strange house, and there are several that fit the bill in The Secret of The Fates. Manfort Castle, Lord Harwick’s estate, and property on an island all serve as eerie settings in this story.
While The Secret of the Three Fates is wrapped up, there are still secrets in Ruby’s own past. Who is she, and how is Mr. Owen connected to Ruby’s dead mother? And, the relationship between Ruby and Ruan remains unresolved. If I’d read The Curse of Penryth Hall, I would have had the background needed to read this one, but there are still secrets to uncover in the next book.
Jess Armstrong’s website is https://writingjess.com/.
The Secret of the Three Fates by Jess Armstrong. Minotaur, 2024. ISBN 9781250909886 (hardcover), 336p.
FTC Full Disclosure – I received a galley through NetGalley to review for a journal.
I listened to The Curse of Penryth Hall last December. Gothic isn’t my preferred choice, but the characters were memorable and the plot twisty.
And, the characters are memorable and the plot twisty in this one as well, MM.
I had The Curse of Penryth Hall on my list to read a few months ago, but I haven’t managed it as yet. Good to know that it’s probably best to read it before this new one. That being said, I’m a bit picky about series reading and order – ha! This one sounds interesting as well. And I do like Gothics. 🙂
I don’t know that I’ve found Gothics I love as much as the old ones by Phyllis A. Whitney and Victoria Holt, Kay.
The title The Curse of Penryth Hall sounded familiar so I looked back at my reading list and I did read it last year but can not remember it at all. Not sure if that means I should skip book two or if my memory is going
Thanks for the review Lesa.
Well, you can pick this one up, Susan, and see if the beginning reminds you of the last book, and whether you liked it or not!
I’ve had The Curse of Penryth Hall on my reading list for a long time. Thanks for the preview of the sequel and the tip to start with the first in the series!
Oh, I’d start at the beginning if possible, Kate. I wish I had.