#puzzleofblackstonelodge #NetGalley
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an E-Arc copy of this novel.

I am temporarily DNFing this book. It was not clear from the description that this was the third in a series, and I didn't read the reviews before I requested it.

I started reading it and I'm intrigued by the events so far, but I think I will put it on pause until I read the others in the series. I do think that you could read this without having read the previous ones as the mystery is self-contained, but I felt I was missing too much backstory for the characters.

Two murders occurred 300 years apart in the small English hamlet of Blackstone Fell. Disgraced journalist Nell Fagan is out to solve this puzzle, as she’s sure the two incidents are connected. Feeling in over her head, Nell reaches out to her fellow writer, Jacob Flint, and London sleuth Rachel Savernake for help. But when new murders start happening in Blackstone Fell, will the mystery be solved before it’s too late for these amateur detectives?

I loved the small town characters Mr. Edwards created for Blackstone Fell. From an angry rector and curmudgeonly old man to a bubbly barmaid and friendly physician, the people in the village are entertaining and endearing. Each person has a rich, complex history that makes them a possible suspect in the current crimes, and the layers of their overlapping pasts make it fun to try to figure out who is up to no good.

I learned that this is a cluefinder book, which means there are little clues sprinkled throughout the book that help point the reader to the solution. The author even lays out the clues at the end of the book. Knowing that this is the third book in the Rachel Savernake series, I look forward to reading the first two. This was such a fun read!

Martin Edwards has done more for both the history of British crime writing and the current mystery set in England than any other author. He has an astounding range: prefaces to the British Library of Crime Classics, editing anthologies, writing non-fiction on crime fiction and true crime, and several mystery series, notably the Harry Devlin novels, the Lake District novels, and the Rachel Savernake novels. This volume is the third in the Savernake series, a classic "locked room" mystery that cleverly juxtaposes two missing people in two different periods, key moments of tension in British history: 1606 and 1930. Both disappear in the same place, Blackstone Lodge, within sight of Blackstone Tower, while the ravine of Blackstone Fell provides a mystery itself, seemingly simple to cross, a Yorkshire river deceptively fatal as the moors and marsh. Yet the murders begin to multiply, and the plot lines thicken. The reader encounters "variations on a single theme"; "an attempt to commit the perfect crime... murder disguised as happenstance." Edwards is skilled enough to keep these lines untangled: the locked room problem, followed by the practices at Blackstone's questionable Sanitarium, then journalist Jacob Flint's investigation into the falsehood of séances and mediums, topping it off with village gossip about who's having an affair with whom, who might be penning the poison letter, how many skeletons are in the closet. I hadn't read the previous Savernake novels, which I think would be an advantage, knowing the background of some of the characters close in her household. Yet enough material about their shared history filled in the gaps, so it isn't a necessity. Edwards also raises some interesting points on how people thought of issues at the time which we now currently dismiss; for example, why were séances so popular between the wars? Taking advantage over the vulnerable or providing a public service, giving those grieving a few moments of bliss? In a meta-argument, in a fictionalized novel, a character states,"Is fiction of Dickens or Austen any better?" "Fiction supplies a gift of happiness when cruel reality drives us to despair." True. I read this during a rough period, dealing with medical problems, and Edwards' mystery provided a welcome break. An extra bonus: the resurrection of the Cluefinder at the back of the book, a device from the "Golden Age of Murder" that helps the reader put the pieces of the puzzle together. Not in one fell swoop, but carefully plotted, stone by stone.

This book was sent to me electronically by Netgalley for review. Thanks to the publisher and author. Mystery and mayhem keep this story quirky moving. This author is talented at writing a novel that reads like nonfiction but is fiction. The time period is fascinating, and the characters realistic. I liked this book. Enjoy

Great mystery. A little slow at times and definitely think it could have been quite a bit shorter but overall this is a great reading experience with plenty of surprises to keep the reader engaged and turning those pages!

Thank you for allowing me to receive an arc of this book!

The premise of this book is intriguing - I love locked room mysteries, especially with female leading characters! I wanted to read this especially for the historical element, it's a sub-genre I don't dip my toes into often but after reading this, it's something I'm really keen to incorporate more into my TBR. I enjoyed the sub-plots as it helped to keep things intriguing, and I liked the writing style too. The humorous elements sprinkled throughout really kept me entertained, and I will definitely be checking more out from the author.

Set in the Golden Age, several deaths and disappearances, one 300 years ago, in the small, lonely hamlet of Blackstone Fell capture the attention of Nell, a female journalist working in a man’s world, and Rachel Savernake, an independent young woman who likes to see justice done. As the stories begin to weave together I needed to pay careful attention to the characters and the clues the author placed throughout the book. The vivid description of the village and its inhabitants, the attempt to out a famous physic, the many red herrings and questionable identities made for a great mystery set very convincingly in the 1930. The Lake District series by the same author is a favorite of mine, thank you to Poisoned Pen Press and NetGalley for the ARC that introduced me to this one. The Puzzle of Blackstone Lodge can definitely be read and thoroughly enjoyed as a stand alone, but I’ve already downloaded the first two, and am eagerly looking forward to hear more of Rachel’s adventures.

1930, journalist, locked-room-mystery, rural, Northern-England, cold-case, reclusive, relationships, relatives, friction, frenemy, friendship, frustration, Yorkshire, disappearance, atmospheric, attempted-murder, murder, amateur-sleuth, secrets, lies, suspense*****

A very intricate and sneaky whodunit with more than the usual sidetracks and red herrings. One to read when fully awake and ready to engage but not one to listen to as background while doing a crossword!
The location is a remote area with a former sanitarium and some rather reclusive characters and unexplained disappearances, and the publisher's blurb is a good start.
Challenging and rewarding!
I requested and received an EARC from Poisoned Pen Press via NetGalley. Thank you!

In 1606, in the remote Yorkshire village of Blackstone Fell, a man vanishes from the locked gatehouse of Blackstone Lodge. In 1914, history repeats itself.
Now, investigative journalist Nell Fagan thinks that solving this 300 year old puzzle is the scoop that will get her back on Fleet Street. But she’ll need Rachel Savernake’s help to do it. Unfortunately, her last interaction with Rachel ended very badly. Nell’s going to have to provide more than inexplicable disappearances to pique her interest.
In this, the third in the series featuring Rachel Savernake, Edwards has written a fascinating story. As with the previous books, he introduces several additional elements (including spiritualism, eugenics, and even a little religious history) into the story, making it more than just a murder mystery. There are also at least three separate plot lines, involving multiple characters, going on simultaneously. It’s a lot of balls to keep in the air, but Edwards does it with style, and weaves it all together nicely.
His characters, both old and new, are so well done. Rachel is one of the most interesting characters I have ever met. A woman of intelligence, she pushes boundaries, and takes risks. She is not always likable, but she continues to surprise and amaze. The usual cast of characters remains strong and engaging, especially Martha, who has become something of an enigma herself. But for high drama the Reverend Quintus Royle is just the ticket.
“The Reverend Quintus Royle had a hooked nose and wild, shaggy eyebrows. Stern and cadaverous in his long black cassock, he marched towards the pulpit, footsteps echoing on the stone flags. He subjected his flock to a cold and penetrating stare, as if gazing into the villagers’ souls. From the curl of his lip, he didn’t like what he saw. His sermon was a doom-laden lament for the sins of the unrighteous, spiked with ominous quotations from the Book of Isaiah.”
And finally, Edwards again pays homage to the novels of the “Golden Age of murder” with a Cluefinder, offering the reader the ability to see just how many clues they picked up on. Needless to say, I missed most of them.
All in all, an intelligent story and a highly enjoyable read. One that I very much recommend.

I'm so sorry to say despite the kindness of NetGalley and Sourcebooks for the preview and a chance to read this before it's officially published, I really disliked this book. I was lost from page one and felt like I had started the book in the middle, missing all kinds of important details. From the start I was confused and bored. This book was so bad for me that I actually stopped reading entirely rather than slog through to the finish. To be far, I did NOT finish this book. I couldn't get beyond the pointlessness and drudgery of it. Who are these people and why should I care? I didn't. Better luck to you with this one.

Thanks to Poisoned Pen Press for the advanced copy. Well, I just can't resist a classic mystery with the word 'puzzle' in the title! This is the third in a series but I was able to just jump in with this one. This had a lot of elements I like including a female protagonist who likes solving puzzles, a 'locked room' mystery, an English village setting around 1930, and lots of suspects. But overall I have to say I didn't really connect with this one and it just didn't have the charm of Agatha Christie novels that I love so much.

Review in progress and to come.

I received a free copy of this book via NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving a review

The mysterious Rachel Savernake is back in “The Puzzle of Blackstone Lodge”, the exciting third book in the throwback series from Martin Edwards.

The year is 1930. We are introduced to Nell Fagan, a journalist who is a bit too fond of the bottle and looking for a big story to make her way back into the limelight. She finds her way to Blackstone Fell, a dark village with a creepy tower, a hush-hush sanitorium, and a 300-year-old mystery of men vanishing from a locked gatehouse. As Nell starts to nose her way into the village secrets, a close call makes her realize that she may be in over her head, that maybe she can use some help.

She turns to Jacob Flint, a fellow journalist who’s close to Rachael Savernake, a judge’s daughter with her own hidden past and a penchant for solving mysteries. Jacob gets Rachael to listen to Nell, but Nell doesn’t give her the whole story and Rachael walks away. When Nell goes missing, Rachael realizes that something is happening here and she needs to get to the bottom of the secrets of Blackstone Fell, before her and Jacob are the next victims.

Mr. Edwards checks all of the boxes in his loving homage to the golden age of British mystery. We have a creepy village on the moors, a vicar’s meddling wife and her holier-than-thou husband, a mysterious stranger who lives in the tower and is rarely seen, a sanitorium with its own secrets, the local pub with its charming lass behind the bar, phony psychics, mysterious deaths, hidden affairs, anonymous notes, and a grumpy ex-military man harrumphing at the modern age. And in the end all of the strands and mysteries are wrapped up in a single denouement with all of the suspects present. Following the rules of fair play, Mr. Edwards also provides a listing of the clues that would have allowed us to solve the mystery along with Rachael. This is a complicated mystery that rewards one for paying attention, quite enjoyable if one approaches this for what it is: a 1930s setting with a modern feel in terms of pacing and sensibility.

I requested and received a free advanced electronic copy from Poisoned Pen Press via NetGalley. Thank you!

A delicious murder mystery reminiscent of the fabulous Golden Age of crime fiction and the second title in a very smart series featuring the crime-solving talents of Rachel Savernak and her very faithful gang.

An absorbing "clue-finder" set in Yorkshire at the beginning of the Great Depression, cleverly plotted, gorgeously written and exquisitely choreographed with a colorful cast of highly determined amateur-sleuths lots of unforgettable misfits and some violent and rather bloody murders...

This terrific whodunit needs to be slowly savored if you really want to resolve its rather complex shenanigans.
Clues are everywhere and anything which throws some light on who the criminal might be must be carefully examined. Last but not least, it is also a very compelling fictional tapestry of English provincial life and customs in the early 30's.

Teeming with lots of terrific historical details and full of great verbal pyrotechnics, this highly entertaining and often humorous criminal romp really deserves to be discovered and enjoyed without any moderation whatsoever!

Many thanks to Poisoned Pen and Netgalley for this wonderful ARC

The Puzzle of Blackstone Lodge (or Blackstone Fell as it was published in the UK) is the third book in Martin Edwards’s Rachel Savernake series. Although it helps to have read the earlier books in the series, I don’t think it’s essential. Rachel is a rich young woman who craves excitement and loves solving puzzles, especially those involving murder. Martha, Hetty and Cliff are her devoted staff and Jacob Flint is a journalist who she has befriended.

Nell Fagan is a journalist whose career is in decline. She’s desperate for a big story and thinks that she will get one by investigating a mystery in the hamlet of Blackstone Fell. A man went into Blackstone Lodge in 1606 and disappeared. The same thing happened in 1914; Alfred Lejeune, the owner, was seen entering the Lodge. He locked the door behind himself and was never seen again.

Nell tells Rachel that she went to Blackstone Fell to solve a murder. This must have rattled someone because a huge rock rolled down the mountain, nearly crushing Nell – it surely can’t have been an accident. Rachel declines to help Nell unless Nell tells her everything, holding nothing back. Unfortunately, Nell is secretive and mendacious and alienates Rachel. Then Nell returns to Blackstone Fell and disappears.

This is a superb book and repays very careful reading. The book is set in the 1920s – the Golden Age of Detection – when Agatha Christie, Dorothy L Sayers and others were flourishing. The author respects the traditions of the GAD, such as ensuring readers can solve the mystery by seeing / hearing the same clues. (Oh, and there’s a denouement with all the suspects gathered together!) At the end of the book, Martin Edwards (no relation to me, as far as I know) has given the reader a Cluefinder that tells us what clues he’s offered on which pages. I’m too embarrassed to admit how many I missed. After the opening pages, the book is mostly dialogue. Martin Edwards is very good indeed at each character’s “voice” – their pace of speech; their vocabulary; etc.. The book has various sub-plots: the disappearances from the Lodge; a medium who exploits vulnerable clients; the behaviour of the Fell’s residents; the deaths of patients at the local sanatorium. As one might expect, these strands are all resolved by the end of the book, but not how the reader might anticipate.

Just to address a point I've seen in other reviews: this is not a satire and is not meant to be funny. It pays homage to Golden Age mysteries, e.g. by including a map, but doesn't try to send them up. Please don't buy the book expecting laughs.

#BlackstoneFell #NetGalley

I loved this. I was hooked from the first page till the last word. This was so good!
I just reviewed The Puzzle of Blackstone Lodge by Martin Edwards. #puzzleofblackstonelodge #NetGalley
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Appallingly fatphobic and bigoted. How do things like this get published, much less win prizes? The characters are flat and dull, the plot predictable and boring, and have I mentioned the fatphobia?

Such a good traditional mystery! I highly enjoyed this romp. This series is a great read for traditional and historical mystery lovers alike. I'll be putting this on the list for my book club.

With all my heart, I wanted to love everything about this book. Not one, but TWO strong female protagonists! A locked room mystery! Northern English hamlets! Questionable spirit mediums! Brooding moors! Adventure! Laughs! But what starts out with all the right ingredients ends up feeling a little overdone. The prose, while intended as satire, skewers less than it wilts. The characters are dry and flat, and the plot fails to pique in the important ways a mystery should. The reader ends up wading through trite frippery, propelled forward by just enough wit to get them between the punctuated moments where the story's intended effect succeeds in breaking through. What could have been a raucous send-up ends up feeling... well tired, but not, in the end, a total failure. In a genre that has seen more than its fair share of outings, both stellar and lackluster, this cozy-ish mystery has enough bright bits to make for a reasonably entertaining rainy-day read, but probably not a whole lot more.