Synopsis

Kristen Perrin is back with the second novel in her Castle Knoll series. Annie Adams is caught in a new web of murder that spans decades, returning us to the idyllic English village that holds layers of secrets.

Present day: Annie Adams is just settling into life in Castle Knoll when local fortune teller Peony Lane crosses her path and shares a cryptic message. When Peony Lane is found dead only hours later inside the locked Gravesdown Estate, Annie quickly realizes that someone is out to make her look guilty while silencing Peony at the same time. Annie has no choice but to delve into the dark secrets of Castle Knoll in order to find out just what Peony Lane was trying to warn her about, before the new life she’s just begun to build comes crashing down around her.

1967: A year has passed since her friend Emily disappeared, and teenage Frances Adams finds herself caught between two men. Ford Gravesdown is one of the only remaining members of a family known for its wealth and dubious uses of power. Archie Foyle is a local who can’t hold down a job and lives above the village pub. But when Frances teams up with Archie to investigate the car crash that claimed the lives of Ford’s family, it quickly becomes clear that this was no accident—hints of cover-ups, lies, and betrayals abound. The question is, just how far does the blackness creep through the heart of Castle Knoll? When Frances uncovers secrets kept by both Ford and Archie, she starts to wonder: What exactly has she gotten herself into?

Amazon * B&N * Bookshop * Kobo

Review

This is the second book in the Castle Knoll series, set in a small village in the UK. Annie is back, trying to solve another murder that involves friends and family.

The book is told in dual timelines. The past is told from Frances’ point of view. We learn some interesting facts about her, what life was like for her in 1967, and some details about a terrible car crash that killed three people. The present is Annie trying to uncover the truth, especially when Peony Lane is found dead in her home.

I loved the first book in the series, but this book seemed to move at a slower pace until closer to the end, as everything was coming to a head. I never suspected the killer, and the reasoning made sense once the truth was revealed. There is also a fair amount of family drama with Annie’s mom. I don’t blame Annie for how she responded to what her mom did and her recent revelations.

This book cannot be read on its own. You need to read the first book to understand the characters and their relationships with one another. The book does leave you hanging regarding the relationship between Frances and Ford. I’m sure more about that will be forthcoming in future books.

We give this book 3 1/2 paws up.

About the Author

Kristen Perrin is originally from Seattle, Washington, where she spent several years working as a bookseller before moving to the UK to do a master’s and PhD. She lives with her family in Surrey, where she can be found poking around vintage bookstores, stomping in the mud with her two kids, and collecting too many plants. Her middle-grade series, Attie and the World Breakers, was published in German, Dutch, and Polish. How to Solve Your Own Murder is her adult debut.

X * Instagram