Today’s team review is from Noelle, she blogs here http://saylingaway.wordpress.com
Noelle has been reading The Curse Of Arundel Hall by J. New
Book Review: The Curse of Arundel Hall by J. New #RBRT #Vintage Murder Mystery
The Curse of Arundel Hall is a cozy, the second in the Yellow Cottage, Vintage Mystery series. There is a lot to like about this book, but it does have its drawbacks.
Ella Bridges, following the death of her husband, is the recipient of a strong suggestion from his boss, the British Home Secretary, that she forget about him and move away. She decides to live on Linhay Island and take up residence in a refurbished cottage that was once a part of the Arundel Hall estate. There is a ghost living in a secret dining room that Ella discovers behind the kitchen, and she visits her friend, Harriet, the local librarian, to find out more about her cottage and its history in relation to Arundel Hall. Her friend tells her a curse was placed on the hall by its first owner. Ella discovers a secret stairway from the hidden dining room to the cottage’s upper floors, and a century-old skeleton of a woman at the bottom of the stairs. The skeleton gives evidence she was murdered. Ella is invited to the manor hall for a celebration dinner of the engagement of the elderly owner to a much younger woman who claims to have been a stage actress. The evening takes a shocking turn when one member of the dinner party is murdered. Ella again joins forces with Scotland Yard’s Police Commissioner, her uncle, to find and catch the killers, both old and new.
The author creates a colorful world in Linhay Island, with wonderful, well-drawn characters, and after I got into the book, I found it very entertaining. Her descriptions convey the life on an island, the charm of Ella’s cottage and the menace and gloom of Arundel Hall exceedingly well.
I did struggle for a while, to recognize that Ella saw ghosts, of which one was her cat, Phantom, possibly because I haven’t yet read book one in the series. Some added detail for other readers without the benefit of the first book might be helpful. Chapter one was written with beautiful detail about Ella’s childhood, but for me it slowed my introduction to the main action which I was eager to get my teeth into. The era in which the book was set did not register until a closer inspection of the book cover, which got me back on track. I did enjoy the author’s style and would like to read another by this author, but for me, there were a few areas which needed a little tidying, perhaps a final polish from a copy edit. Nevertheless, I will read this author’s next in the series.
Book Description
One ghost, one murder, one hundred years apart. But are they connected?
Ella has discovered a secret room in The Yellow Cottage, but with it comes a ghost. Who was she? And how did she die? Ella needs to find the answers before either of them can find peace. But suddenly things take a nasty turn for the worse.
Ella Bridges has been living on Linhay Island for several months but still hasn’t discovered the identity of her ghostly guest. Deciding to research the history of her cottage for clues she finds it is connected to Arundel Hall, the large Manor House on the bluff, and when an invitation to dinner arrives realises it is the perfect opportunity to discover more.
However the evening takes a shocking turn when one of their party is murdered. Is The Curse of Arundel Hall once again rearing its ugly head, or is there a simpler explanation?
Ella suddenly finds herself involved in two mysteries at once, and again joins forces with Scotland Yard’s Police Commissioner to try and catch a killer. But will they succeed?
‘Miss Marple meets The Ghost Whisperer’ – Perfect For Fans of Golden Age Murder Mysteries, Cozy Mysteries, Clean Reads and British Amateur Sleuths
About the author
J. New Haas been a voracious reader and writer all her life. She took her first foray into publishing in 2013 with An Accidental Murder, the first in her Yellow Cottage Vintage Mystery series. Originally from a small picturesque town in Yorkshire, she relocated in 2007 and currently resides with her partner and an ever-expanding family of rescue animals. She particularly loves murder mysteries set in past times, where steam trains, house staff and afternoon tea abound, and surmises she was born in the wrong era. She also has an impossible bucket list: to travel on the Orient Express with Hercule Poirot, shop in Diagon Alley with Sirius Black, laze around The Shire with Bilbo and Gandalf, explore Pico Mundo with Odd Thomas and have Tea at the Ritz with Miss Marple.
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Thank you.
Rosie Amber 
Reblogged this on Anita Dawes & Jaye Marie.
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Good lucky Rosie wishing you all the best 💖
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Thanks, Noelle. It’s good to know when books in a series work well independently or perhaps not so much.
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