Set in the 1920's in England, this story begins with 3 siblings returning home to attend their father, Sir Lawrence Linwood's funeral.
Alan, Richard and Caroline were once close as siblings, even though they were all adopted by Sir Linwood . Sir Linwood was a strict, demanding and emotionally cold man with high ambition for his children. Lady Linwood, their mother, was largely absent from their lives!
Now as adults, their paths have diverged. Alan is an archaeologist, Richard , an engineer, and Caroline, a journalist. What they still have in common, is their fondness and love for Linwood Hall, their home!
On arrival, they learn the shocking fact that their father was brutally murdered! Even more shocking is the clause in Sir Linwood's Will which says that Linwood Hall would pass on to whichever of the three solved the mystery first and brought the murderer to justice!
And just like that, they seem to be transported back to their childhood, caught in one of their father's games! Soon they begin to realise that the answer to the mystery might also lie in their childhood and the circumstances surrounding their birth!


What I loved:- This was a wonderful, atmospheric cozy mystery that had all the ingredients I love ; a perfect setting in the Yorkshire countryside, a grand estate with concealed passages, crumbling towers and big secrets! I really enjoy the 'reading of the will' and its aftermath in mystery stories and this book got that part just right - the shocking announcements, the bequests and the dreaded 'Clause'!
I really enjoyed this book and it kept me hooked right to the end!

What I did not like :- While I enjoyed most of the 'reveals' in the book, the ultimate 'reason' for the crime did not impress me much! Fortunately, it was easy to ignore the Why because how they got to the solution was very interesting, eventful and action packed!

I struggled with finishing this as the constant jumping between all the characters was too much. I was intrigued by the premise and wanted to find out who was the murderer. I almost gave up half way thru when the story took an unexpected turn. The setting was good, the backstory of each child was interesting but I didn’t really like any of them enough to be invested in the outcome.

If you are looking for an absorbing and unpredictable historical mystery, you need look no further than Unnatural Ends by Christopher Huang. Set in the moors of Northern Yorkshire in the 1920s, you will be transported to Linwood Hall and invited to solve the murder of Sir Linwood with his three grown children leading the pursuit.

Called back home upon the news of their father’s death, Allen, Roger and Caroline, learn about the new will that contains an unexpected clause: in the event of Sir Linwood’s unnatural death, the sibling that solves the murder will become the sole heir to Linwood Hall. Each one reluctantly pursues the mystery, feeling as if their father is still using his manipulative tactics to turn them against one another. The situation at hand leads us into the past, where each character explores their childhood and relationship with their parents as they try to reconcile who their father expected them to be with who they really are.

Huang wraps us in a twisty story, braiding three storylines that come together in neat, yet unexpected ways. His characters are well-developed with pleasing literary references tucked in throughout. One has to pay attention to keep up, but the ending is satisfying and worth taking care. Due to the formality of the era and the erudite writing of Huang, one might not feel as emotionally invested in the individual characters, but the strong storyline and multiple points of view makes the reader reluctant to put it down.

Publication date for Unnatural Ends is January 17, 2023. Thank you to NetGalley and Inkshares for the ARC of this literary mystery in exchange for my honest review.

I was drawn to the book by its blurb. The initial part was very slow that I almost closed it. Later on the pace picked up. The story is quite long that made it easier for me to guess the suspense. A shorter and succinct presentation like Ms Christie would be better appreciated.

Unnatural ends is a book about three siblings who were already on their own path had to go back to their home in rural English setting in the 1920s for their father’s death that turned out to be caused by murder. Their family was very respectable in their land and that also come with consequences of having an enemy. Their father, before his death, seemed to already foresaw this awful event beforehand. He decided that whoever found his killer would get their home, which was more like a mansion called Linwood Hall. The three siblings were trying to unravel the truth, either for the sake of his father’s and family’s dignity or their own motives.

But things don’t always end with your desires. Twists and turns happened and more of unspeakable truth of their own identities and the cold-hearted upbringing of the siblings by the father came out. A mystery over another mystery over another mystery unravels themselves in such delicate manners, which makes this book an enjoyable read throughout.

Rather than a simple mystery, this book is also about identity, duty in a family, one’s own desires, manipulation, dictatorship, trauma, revenge, and history.

I’d say, this book started rather boring and unfocused, not until 30% mark that I felt more engaged with story and how various viewpoints giving me more sparks and perspectives of the characters. Though I’d say those don’t make me more sympathize with them, as they somehow were so flat, I don’t really care about any of them. Or maybe that was the point, considering how they were grown up with such a cold-hearted parents. But, it’s navigate the story well.

The story itself, even though was interesting and the settings that were built were so enchanting to imagine, I think it was easy to conclude off the main plot twist of it. There are many plot twists that keeping you on edge, but for me personally, I can already see why and how it happened.

However, this book is a really enjoyable read if you like mystery and historical setting which this book really portrayed it so well. I enjoyed reading it a lot and was glad that I gave it a try.

Synopsis:
Sir Lawrence Linwood was murdered - bludgeoned to a pulp - and that’s the least interesting thing about this case. In his will, Sir Lawrence dictates that whichever of his three adult children discovers who killed him shall inherit the whole of the family estate. With the Linwoods, “family” is a complicated word. It will take their combined intellect and a heavy dose of soul-searching to overcome the distance between them and uncover the truth of their father’s grisly murder.

Target Audience:
I would recommend this book for teens and adults who want an enjoyable pitstop on their way from Nancy Drew / The Hardy Boys to Agatha Christie. It’s a great introduction to the mystery and thriller genre with the added bonus of a beautiful setting in rural 1920’s England. It gives off Knives Out vibes for those who love a twists-and-turns film. From personal experience, I can attest to the fact that this book makes for stellar poolside reading!

Thoughts:
Overall, I enjoyed this book. The intrigue is served by the jumps in point of view between each of the three children as well as a hearty dose of flashbacks. The underlying themes of family, duty, nature vs nurture, and free will vs destiny are timeless. The back-and-forth whodunit is thrilling. In the middle, the pacing is a bit wonky with discoveries seeming rushed yet interim scenes seeming slow. However, the final act is well worth the investment! I read the last 30% in a binge speed read. I couldn’t put it down.

Favorite Quote(s):
“...(Y)ou know the importance of family. All the trappings of respectability and fashionable society can’t change who you love and what you owe them.”

“That wasn’t what I was made for.”

ABSOLUTELY COMPELLING book!!!

Great also for fans of Agatha Christie or Anthony Horowitz. This is the best mystery book I've read in over a year. I couldn't put it down and I stayed up late to keep reading! The writing alone is also just SO excellent. I enjoyed the beautiful prose as well as the story and characters.

Like many mysteries, Alan, Roger, and Caroline are summoned home to the funeral of their father in the early 1920s. When the will is read, it holds some surprises for everyone. However, that is where this books stops being like most similar stories and the complicated twists begin!

The book is part drama/character study, and part murder mystery. It is full of twists and turns and I loved every minute of it! I look forward to other books by this author, whom I had never heard of before.

Great for book clubs as well, because the characters were so interesting and lent themselves to discussion even apart from the mystery aspect!

I'm sure fans of historical mysteries and complex stories will enjoy Unnatural Ends. It reads like a puzzle, not an easy one. If you have the patience to stick with it, you'll appreciate how things gel together.

This book has an interesting premise - three adopted children tasked with solving their father's murder in exchange for inheriting the family estate. A beautiful English setting, multiple character viewpoints, and a lot of interesting stories. I had high hopes for this book. Unfortunately it just fell flat. I was so bored for most of the book, and honestly had a really hard time sticking with it until the end. I was uninterested, confused, and just generally not really connected to the characters enough to root for them. I'm sure some people will love it, but I just did not enjoy the reading experience on this one.

Thank you for NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC.

Unnatural Ends tells the story of three siblings that come back home after hearing of their father's death. The reader gets to meet Sir Lawrence through the eyes of his children: Alan, Roger and Caroline. Both with stories from their childhoods but also with the long-lasting effect that he has left on them. So far a typical murder-mystery story. However, this story is far from typical.

The will of Sir Lawrence establishes that if he died of unnatural ends then his inheritance will go to whichever of his children solves his murder.

The present time is set in the 1920s with flashbacks going back 20 years. This means that throughout the book, there are time jumps between past and present with several different characters' points of view. While I am a big fan of books structured this way, in my opinion, Unnatural Ends is not successful in this aspect, generating more confusion rather than providing necessary backstories. Please note that I received an advance reader copy and this aspect might be edited in the final copy.

What I found extremely interesting is that this book doesn't follow a standard murder-mystery structure. Many stories start with a murder and go backwards. Where was everyone at the time of the murder? Where were they the day or days before? and so on until finding the key clue to solve the mystery. Whereas this book starts with the murder of Sir Lawrence and goes straight to his children's childhood with him. How each one became a Linwood after their adoption as babies, more similar to their father than expected. And goes forward telling the story of each one.

The characters were well developed and the story was entertaining. With several twists and turns and even a couple of red herrings. I must admit that there were a couple of references to Shakespeare that I missed.

Another interesting aspect is that 2 of the siblings are of Asian background. Their stories tell how they were perceived in the 1920s. Eugenics is also discussed in this book. Representation matters and I loved the fact that two of the main characters were Asian in a story set in rural England in the 1920s.

Overall I would recommend Unnatural Ends. While the structure sometimes distracted me from the story, the story more than compensates for this distraction and I got used to it somewhere around mid-way.

Thank you NetGalley, Inkshares, and Christopher Huang for the ARC in exchange for my honest review. Unnatural Ends will be published in January 2023.

I received this book for free from NetGalley in exchange for a review.

Unnatural Ends has so many trappings of a classic mystery: a mysterious death, a disputed inheritance, and secrets that slowly bubble to the surface over the course of the novel. The plot concerns the three children of a tyrannical father whose depravity is uncovered as they try to solve his murder, It's a story that's clearly indebted to the golden age of the mystery novel, and it shows some promise in points.

But, I never felt as though it moved past imitation.

The voice of the era is just too obtrusive: it feels contrived and as though Huang is trying to borrow someone else's rather than developing his own. The three main characters, meanwhile, never felt fully fleshed out or truly distinct from one another. Without the chapter and section labels it would have been difficult to tell some of them apart. I also tripped up a little bit over some of the time jumps. It didn't feel as though the structure was well-planned out, sometimes using in-scene flashbacks and other times offset sections that includes a time reference in the title. It just made things a bit hard to follow. I think the novel might have benefited from a bit more editing. I might have moved the big twist to closer to the midpoint, for instance, as once it is revealed things wrap up just a bit too quickly.

None of this is to say I disliked the novel; I think there is certainly potential here. It just needed a bit more time in the oven and the steady hand of a good editor to sort out some of the issues with the structure and the voice.

I'm normally a huge fan of mystery and thrillers, but for some reason I really struggled with this book. The writing was very convoluted and overly complex to the point where I couldn't finish this book. I was looking forward to the novel due to the premise and some of the reviews I read, but ultimately this one just wasn't for me.

I appreciate the ARC from NetGalley/the publisher.

another dnf… i loved the premise of this book and even more i wanted to like this book but.. it just didn’t cut it for me. i already wanted to fall asleep during the prologue. the author put a lot of detail into this right from the get-go (a little too much if you ask me) and it just couldn’t keep me hooked. maybe mystery just isn’t for me!

Even though it's a little less gothic for my tastes, I'm giving this four stars since I believe the correct reader will find it to be worthwhile. The three main characters, adopted siblings Alan, Roger, and Caroline, were bizarrely defined and hard for me to connect with, but when it became evident how detrimental their upbringing had been, I guess it was on purpose. That was well-plotted because I figured out what was happening immediately before the author revealed it.

There were numerous hidden passages and plot twists and turns, but I found them to be overly theatrical and cerebral at the same time. However, after a rather slow start, it kept my interest the entire time.

Initially, I was expecting this to be a cozy mystery based on the first chapter. However, very soon it became apparent that there was a lot more to it than that with a darker storyline, complex relationships and detailed history that all came together very carefully by the end of the book. The pace of the unravelling of the story is perfect and I really enjoyed it. A great character-led mystery so I'll definitely be looking out for more of the author's books.

Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

3/5

thank you to netgalley and inkshares for providing a digital arc in exchange for an honest review.

Unnatural Ends is murder mystery thriller set in the 1920s England and follows three siblings as return home after having learnt that their father, Sir Lawrence Linwood, has been bludgeoned to death by a medieval malice. There they learn an important clause in their father’s will- whosoever will find his killer will be the sole inheritor of the entire estate, the sprawling Linwood Hall.

The characters are what made the story truly enjoyable for me, and I was left turning pages in order to find out what each of the Linwood siblings fate was. Each character is well fleshed out, the siblings and majority of the side ones so the single povs toward the end truly add more allure to the story. although you might confuse or forget a very minor character because of many of them but each hold their own place.

Alan, Roger and Caroline Linwoods past and present are laid out for the reader, threading along secrets and memories. Their manipulative, ruthless, arrogant and wrathful father influences every decision and move on their part despite being out of their lives. The siblings realization that they were victims too along with their Mother, and the only respite in their childhood was the watchtower of Linwood hall which they called Camelot, and where they return even as adults after discovering something deeply jarring.

Huang’s style of writing is precise, and easy to read though sometimes the descriptions of old England buildings tend to blend together a bit. The book’s pacing is relatively slow in first 30% but after that it starts picking up, and soon the twists and turns have you clinging to your seat. You *might* see the major plot twist coming, but it is still satisfying to sit back and enjoy it. The ending did felt a bit anti-climatic to me, but I also see no other way how it might have ended.

The only real complain I have of this book is the the number of times south asian features are described as “exotic” and even Japanese once. I had to check out the author and he was born in Singapore so idk. i mean it’s 2022, i feel like could be worded better. i mean this is one of the quotes:

“tall, soldierly Roger Linwood with that queer, exotic something about him that was not quite Chinese, not quite Indian, and certainly not entirely English.”
His unknown origin is part of the mystery though.

I loved the dynamic between the three siblings, how they still cared for each other and put eachother before Linwood Hall, despite having been taught the opposite. Iris Morgan was particularly interesting for me, and I loved her alot. I mean where would they have been without her help?

I didn't expect to enjoy this as much as I did! What really pulled me in wasn't the mystery itself but the characters. Alan, Greg, and Caroline came across as very distinct characters who jumped off the page. I enjoyed following their respective stories/backstories. The mystery itself wasn't too hard to guess but enjoyable all the same.

Sir Lawrence Linwood, a very wealthy man, has been savagely beaten to death in his own home by a medieval mace. Upon this discovery, his three grown children return home. Alan is an archeologist, Roger is an engineer and Carolyn is a journalist. Their mother has taken to her room and doesn’t speak with anyone. It’s clear that the grown children have intentionally stayed away and they don’t seem to have a good relationship with either parent. During the reading of the will, a “find my killer” clause is revealed. It is shared that in the event of an unnatural death, whomever can solve the mystery will inherit the estate. As we get to know each character, we see that even in death, the father is manipulating his children. The mother has very little to say about anything and remains a shadowy figure in the home.

This character-driven mystery is set in 1920’s England. We quickly find out that all three children are adopted. The story is told from different perspectives so we get to see how each child has reacted to the news and more importantly, to each other. Sir Lawrence had a very strict method of raising his children and didn’t believe in any emotion even toward family. As we learn more about each character, we see that things aren’t always as they seem.

This was a good mystery, although I felt it bogged down in the middle. And while this was a character-driven plot, I didn’t feel that I learned enough about all the characters, especially the mother. Overall, this was a good story and I would read more by this author.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

The three adopted Linwood children are called back home after the death of their adoptive father. They are then pit against each other to solve the murder- the prize, being the sole inheritor of the estate.

This book showed a lot of promise, a sort of gothic mystery.
But I struggled with it. The writing didn’t flow as I’d expected and because of the style of it also, it just was hard to follow. I’m not saying it was bad, not at all, just not for me I’m afraid.
Thank you to the author, publisher and Netgalley for my arc.