Kristen Perrin

Reviewed on 31st October 2026

For book three, Annie heads to London to stay with her mum after there's yet another murder that she feels drawn to investigate.

The London setting almost makes it feel more like a classic mystery than the country house setting of the first two novels, but possibly because that added a unique twist to the setting that isn't quite so present here.

The uniqueness of crossing two time periods persists though, as we continue to explore the diaries of Annie's great aunt in parallel with the modern day, with characters and events that cross through the span of time.

It's a good adventure, but I think maybe does more to develop the characters and their relationships than the plot. It was interesting to note from the end that book four will be the last in the series, and that has made me wonder how much of this book was about shuffling things into place for a finale.

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Reviewed on 8th November 2025

A super compelling sequel that I dived straight into and raced through - a refreshing change after the slow pace of what I was reading before.

We find ourselves back in Castle Knoll some time after the first novel ended, and learn that there's more to know - more prophecies to follow, more diaries to read, and more historical intrigue to uncover.

I find it hard to put my finger on what actually made this feel so compelling. It may have just been the distinct difference from the other book I had been reading, and that enabled me to rediscover something joyful and really appreciated.

I did feel like I maybe needed a bit of a refresher on the first book before getting caught up again - there are a lot of characters and they relate in different ways. I'm not entirely sure as a result whether the continuity is spot on, but that doesn't really matter.

An enjoyable mystery, although perhaps the first half stronger than the second. I'll be back for book three.

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Reviewed on 30th November 2024

An intriguing new mystery, taking a classic setup with a new twist. We find ourselves meeting Annie, whose great-aunt received a harrowing fortune sixty years ago, and has spend that time documenting everything in her life to solve her own murder.

We get the narrative both from Annie’s modern point of view, and a historical view from her great-aunt’s notes, which is a fascinating way to see all of the suspects in multiple lights. This provides a great range of characters to learn about and investigate, and multiple strands of story to be really engaged with.

The tone was a bit darker than I was expecting from cosy crime, but this doesn’t detract from the enjoyment of reading, just meant I needed to look for something lighter to read next.

A very cleverly plotted story, and I’ve already pre-ordered the sequel to find out what the next adventure will contain.

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