Thank you Minotaur Books, #partner for the advanced copy of The Secret of the Three Fates in exchange for my honest review. I borrowed the audiobook from the library.
Publisher: Minotaur Books / Dreamscape Media
Published: December 3, 2024
Summary:
Following the atmospheric and award-winning gothic historical mystery debut, The Curse of Penryth Hall, USA Today bestselling author Jess Armstrong’s heroine, Ruby Vaughn, returns in The Secret of the Three Fates, where the Scottish Hills hold ghosts of the past that threaten Ruby’s present.
American heiress Ruby Vaughn still hasn’t entirely forgiven her octogenarian employer and housemate Mr. Owen for bringing the occult into their lives during her recent trip to Cornwall. He claims their journey to Manhurst Castle in the Scottish Borders is simply to appraise and acquire illuminated manuscripts for their rare bookshop, however when Ruby discovers there are no manuscripts and receives news of a séance to be held that very night, she begins to grow suspicious about the true reason why they have come.
The Great War left grieving families willing to sacrifice anything for the chance to say goodbye to a lost loved one. Mr. Owen is no exception. He is desperate to speak to his son, but he doesn’t want to face the spirits alone. When the séance—hosted by a trio of mediums billing themselves as The Three Fates—goes awry, Mr. Owen’s secrets begin to unravel, threatening to reveal a history that he has been running from for half his life. Something Ruby knows all too well how to do.
When Ruby finds one of the Three Fates murdered the night of the seance, she and Mr. Owen quickly become the prime suspects. To clear their names, Ruby enlists the help of Ruan Kivell, the folk healer Pellar who helped her weeks before in Cornwall. As their investigation progresses Ruby and Ruan realize someone is determined to prevent them from uncovering the truth about what happened to the dead medium.
My thoughts:
This is the second book in the Ruby Vaughn series and this is quickly becoming a favorite history mystery series. I am loving the Gothic vibes, the strong main character and the atmosphere that Armstrong has created here.
This book picks up about six weeks after the first one ends and I felt that this one really allows us to dive deeper into the characters here, especially Mr. Owen. He’s very much in the background in the first book, but in this one, we learn quite a lot about him, his family and what drives him to be the way he is. This is one of my favorite things about reading series – that continued character development and we get it in spades here. We also start to learn a bit more about Ruby, our fierce, determined main character.
This is a perfect read for anyone who loves a locked-room mystery, some supernatural elements and family drama in their mysteries, lots of suspense and a little romance thrown in. Once again, Ruby is someone to root for time and again and I love watching her slow-burn relationship with Ruan develop. This one for sure kept me guessing all the way through, starting with its intriguing opening of that seance to all the twists it ends up taking. I’m most definitely a fan!!
Audio thoughts:
I was thrilled to see that Emma Love was back as the narrator for this installment. She narrated the first book and her consistency with the voices was perfect.
Books in this series:
- The Curse of Penryth Hall
- The Secret of the Three Fates
- The Devil in Oxford
- The Lost Souls of Saint Oda’s
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