This book grabbed my interest from the blurb and held it all the way to the end. I had planned to read this book in a few sittings but once I picked it up there was no chance of that - I had to read it all in one go. There was no putting it down.

What I loved about this story: it's a locked room mystery with gothic horror vibes. A group of friends and acquaintances arrive at an old manor for a party by way of a mysterious invitation. But everything is not what it seems. What happens after is thrilling and satisfying.

I liked the interspersal of ghost stories as framework for the overall story and thought it worked really well. The novella could use a little polish, but it did not stop me from devouring it nor will it stop me from recommending it to like-minded readers. It is a great read for any spooky season - whether it be Summerween, Halloween, or just an overcast day - and definitely worth picking up.

For those who wish the regency socialite atmosphere of Bridgerton’s ton had a book-baby with stories from Simone St. James and Ruth Ware, this fast-paced novella is for you!

“It was all of it horrific, all of it monstrous.”

7 members of Society gather for a party in this locked-room mystery. I loved that we got glimpses into everyone’s mind, which is tricky to do with so few pages and not feel overwhelming. The final twist was great and made me want to go back and find all the breadcrumbs.

The Ghost of Hightower Pond
By Alice J Ryan
Copy provided by Alice J Ryan via Netgalley

You are cordially invited to the party of the season, hope you survive.

Mrs Cordelia Delacroix, her elderly husband having died and with a dwindling fortune, is invited to a party being held in Hightower Castle, away from the plague-ridden city.
While there she intends to woo an eligible suitor, Henry, and fend off the advances of rivals for his affections. What she and the other guests find is an increasingly fraught situation, trapped in a haunted house where a killer is stalking them one by one…

This is a pitch-perfect mystery horror, with gothic overtones, set in the late Georgian/early Victorian period, complete with all the foibles and mannerisms of the English upper class of the time. Before the peril of their situation becomes apparent the guests decide to play a game where they each have to come up with a story as to the circumstances of the haunting. Their tales are incorporated periodically into the book, and help to flesh out the storyteller’s own backstory, personality and goals. It’s a clever device, and helps invest the reader in the story’s events.

Cordelia’s a fascinating protagonist, a woman who’s trying to make her own way in a world that doesn’t look kindly on widows and the unmarried. She’s scheming, manipulative and judgemental, but I warmed to her.
Throughout the story there are sections where we have the point of view of the other characters, dreams and events that reveal more of what is really going on, and each are distinctive in their personalities.
Everyone has something to hide, and the details are drawn out, one by one.

The tension slowly ramps up as the characters are killed in creative ways, but the pace is very good, drawing the reader on to the conclusion as increasingly bizarre and supernatural events take place.
It builds to a reveal that I felt was a little bit of a rug-pull, which I’m not going to spoil here. There’s logic as to why it went in that direction, and the puzzle pieces revealed throughout slot together very well to this conclusion, and book-ends the whole story. My one complaint is that it makes a character into an extremely unreliable narrator, but it would be very difficult to have been handled any other way.

All together, I loved this book, and will be looking to add it to my collection when it’s out. The style and voice kept me captivated and enthralled, and I read this in almost one sitting.
My one gripe aside, I would highly recommend The Ghost of Hightower Pond.