This is somewhat different than The authors books, I’m fact it is billed as a stand alone, but it still a fabulous book in its own right. Whilst it is a brilliantly written crime book, it is character driven, so much so that the characters take centre and every other part of the stage. The story uses multiple points of view with the three main characters being, Megan, her sister Mellissa and her friend Carla, both historically and contemporary. It is testament to Ramsay’s skill as a writer that, this works extremely well and the reader is not confused. With characters that lift of the page and a plot that entices and excites, this is a must read for all fans of Scottish Crime Fiction. I look forward to the next one already.

Caro Ramsey's latest book is a dark psychological family drama that had me thinking of Poe's gothic masterpiece "The Fall of the House of Usher" as both include themes of madness, family, and isolation. Set on a west coast Scottish Island near the Clyde Estuary the story is told via two corresponding first person narratives. The first narrator is Megan Melvick who returns to the family estate after a three year absence to be at the bedside of her dying sister Melissa. The past haunts the Melvick family who's history has been permeated by tragedy and an inordinate amount of suicides. Indeed a terrible tragedy occurred on the night of Melissa's wedding which will form a central part of the plot.

Adding to the list of Melvick woes is the recent disappearance without trace of Megan's mother. The second narration is from Carla. I will not say too much about Carla for fear of spoiling the readers enjoyment but just to add that the use of Carla to tell her story gives the plot an added depth and dimension that leaves some interesting questions at the end. The page turning tension builds up to a drawing room/library setting revelation of the culprit resonant of Agatha Christie. This is a well written and crafted work with interesting characters that for me had that unputdownable quality that I think will satisfy readers who like mystery and crime.

Never know what to expect with Severn, usually average at best, but this time a pleasant surprise. A mystery novel from a new to me author that was a thoroughly enjoyable read. Not cheap, not cheese. In fact it had an almost old timey Agatha Christie ambiance to it and was adorably aware of it. Toward the end when everyone’s gathered in a grand suite to find out the truth…that was just such a lovely pastiche. But before you get to that, first you have to meet the Melvick family, wealthy Scots in a stately manor, who have money, good looks and genetic propensity for suicide. When the most recent one occurs, their eldest daughter starves herself to death (what a way to go), the youngest daughter comes back and soon all the ugly memories are dredged up and new dangers are encountered. So what was up with the mysterious explosion at the wedding a few years prior? Where did the lady of the manor disappear to? Why is Megan sleepwalking? Read and find out. If it sounds corny, rest assured, it really isn’t. It’s a well written, character driven, slow boiling suspense mystery that reads very enjoyably and not just owning to its classic structure and premise. Plus y also works nicely with the upstairs/downstairs premise, utilizing social divides and status differences for tragic outcomes the way Downton Abbey (can you believe they’re making a movie of it now?) does for happy ones. So yeah, a very entertaining mystery, read slower than page count might have suggested, but worth the time. Thanks Netgalley.

Oh my! What a puzzle this was. A true mystery of Why?, When?, Who? What??

Set in Scotland on a huge estate bordering the Brenbrae and the Tentor Woods, dark, dangerous fairy pools that will suck you in and never let go. The rumors in town are that the family is all mad. Maybe too much inbreeding in the past. There are so many suicides there is always a rope on the hanging tree.

For the Melvick's life has been good. They have a mansion and all the money in the world. But they are all just a bit off.  Megan is deaf from some mysterious thing that happened to her as a child. So we think. Melissa is out of control crazy. Her mother left when Megan was 17 and hasn't been heard from since.

Megan left for the city and a job her father set her up in and a shrink he also set her up with.  Now she must return home. After three years because her sister, Melissa, is dying. Her sister manages only one word before she passes. Sorry. But for what? Being a horrible sister and all around jerk? Or for something more sinister.

This tale has more secrets than a priest! You could feel the tension from page one and it didn't let up. I was late for an appointment because I couldn't stop reading.

Told in Megan's voice as well as Carla's voice. Carla was Megan's only friend as well as a protector. And on Melissa's wedding night she was killed.

There was a lot of gaslighting going on here and I wasn't sure if any of them were stable! Is Megan truly losing her mind in the family tradition? Or is someone making her believe she is?

Full of chilling secrets, backstabbing, murder, child abuse and some magic this was one I will read again!

Very Well Done!

NetGalley/ Severn House Publishers October 1,2019

5 stars

This book is told in two voices. Megan in the present day and Carla's, a close friend of Megan's. The two are very different young girls and as they age their voices become more mature.

There are strange things going on at the Melvick family home in Scotland.

Megan Melvick returns home reluctantly at the imminent death of her elder sister Melissa. She does not want to go back after her three year absence for there are too many bad memories there. Some people say the family is cursed and past events sure seem to bear this out. Suicides, abandonments, murder and mental illness are just some of the things that befall the unlucky family. But all is not as it seems in this stately mansion. There are things boiling beneath the surface about which none of the Melvick's are aware.

There was the suicide of Megan's grandfather, the tragedy that closed Melissa and her husband Jago's marriage party five years earlier, the disappearance of Beth, Megan and Melissa’s mother three years ago and the introduction of Carla, Megan's friend into the family. Along with a host of other characters, these people inhabit the novel as if they were all present and vying for attention.

I stayed up way too late reading this engrossing story. It surely kept me guessing as to what was going on. Was the Melvick family really cursed, or is there a more human source of their troubles?

After a bit of a confusing start, this novel took off. I really enjoyed it. It is extremely well written and plotted. The reader learns about Megan and Carla's friendship, but not quite enough to give out the answers! (That comes at the end.) This book has great character development and I found most of them to be likable. I was suspicious of some of them - some rightly and some wrongly. I can't believe that I missed reading Caro Ramsay before, but I will surely correct that now.

I want to thank NetGalley and Severn House for forwarding to me a copy of this absolutely wonderful book for me to read, enjoy and review.

Thank you NetGalley and Severn House for the eARC.
Megan Melvick has come home after three years because her sister, Melissa, is dying. She's uneasy about it, her growing up with the family had been uneasy, to say the least. Her sister seemed to be the favorite and her feelings and memories of the way she was treated by Melissa are conflicted. She's deaf and prefers to be cloistered in her room, left alone with her dog, her books and her thoughts. Her best and only friend of her youth was killed in a fire before she left home and she misses her terribly, constantly thinking of the comfort she felt in her company.
This is a fantastic psychological thriller, I love all of Caro Ramsay's books and this one is right up there with the best. It's hard for me to say more about the story, I don't want to give anything away! But believe me, it's a corker, unputdownable! The ending was so good, finally explaining all the mysteries that kept me reading furiously late into the night. Highly recommended, 5+ stars.