More than a decade ago, the body of eighteen-year-old Sarah Grove was found floating among the water lilies in the pond at Castle Vyne. The case was never solved. Now her sister Natalie is determined to finally uncover the truth.
But when Natalie appears publicly to discuss Sarah’s murder, she never expects it to unleash a deadly chain of events. Within hours, bodies start turning up in the nearby village of Calahurst… it
seems someone will do anything to keep the past buried.
As Natalie delves deeper into her family’s history – with the help of mysterious castle gardener Bryn Llewellyn – she finds that nothing is truly what it seems. Behind the charming castle walls and chocolate-box cottages, the respectable villagers of Calahurst are hiding some very deadly secrets indeed.
When another young woman is found dead in the very same lily pond where Sarah died, Natalie realises the killer has returned to finish what they started. But in a village where everyone has something to hide, who can she trust? And will she become the next victim of Castle Vyne’s deadly legacy?
Set in the world of Raven’s Edge, this standalone gothic cosy mystery will have you up all night!
Perfect for fans of Clare Chase, Fiona Leitch and Agatha Christie.
This book was previously published as Nemesis and has since had significant rewrites.
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Most of my stories are set in small villages filled with quirky characters. These are partly inspired by the places I’ve lived in over the years, although the characters are straight out of my imagination!
I currently live in Wales, close to a famous library and two ruined castles. My husband thinks we moved here by accident.
My first published novel was Smoke Gets in Your Eyes, which was a finalist in Poolbeg’s Write a Bestseller competition. As well as nine novels, I’ve written short stories for women’s magazines such
as Take a Break and My Weekly. Before becoming a full-time writer, I worked as an administrative officer for the police.
When I’m not writing, I enjoy visiting big old houses, which I use as inspiration for the houses in my novels, and reading other people’s books when I ought to be writing my own…
Website Raven’s Edge Bluesky
My thoughts: Another excellent mystery thriller from Louise, I really enjoyed her previous books and this was just as good.
Natalie’s sister Sarah was murdered over ten years ago, and now a crime novelist herself, she’s determined to find the killer. During a TV interview about her latest book, she mentions a diary her sister wrote, hoping to lure the killer out. Instead she unleashes chaos. Her home is broken into and ransacked, her dad’s care home goes up in flames and she’s nearly killed herself.
With the help of Welsh landscaper Bryn, she carries on, someone in the small town knows something and the killer might just be closer than she thinks.
With lots of twists and turns, a genuinely unpleasant mother (if Cruella DeVil was a parent), some rather dodgy suspects (all of the men in her life up till now are a bit…odd) and a very determined protagonist, this was a really fun read, clever and compelling.
*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in this blog tour, but all opinions remain my own.
ramblingmads 