Series: Rachel Savernake #2
Release Date: April 2nd 2020
Publisher: Head of Zeus
Pages: 416
Find it on: Goodreads. BookDepository. Waterstones.
Source: The publisher kindly sent me a copy of this book to review
Rating: 4/5 stars

Synopsis

“You died once,” Rachel Savernake whispered. “Tell me who arranged your resurrection, or before the day’s out, you’ll be dead forever.”

1930. At her remote coastal estate of Mortmain Hall, enigmatic heiress and amateur sleuth Rachel Savernake is hosting a gathering – at the bequest of an eccentric criminologist – of people who have cheated the gallows. But the house party culminates in tragedy when a body is found beneath the crumbling cliffs.

The verdict is accidental death, but Rachel determines to foil an ingenious plot to get away with murder. She encounters an eclectic mix of suspects and victims, including a radical publisher risen from the grave, a fake medium with a sinister past, and a cricketer mauled to death by an escaped lion.

Rachel sets out to uncover the labyrinthine secrets of Mortmain Hall, but her relentless quest might just bring down the British establishment…

Who can we turn to, if justice betrays us?

Review

Mortmain Hall is the second instalment in the Rachel Savernake series, following amateur crime solver Rachel Savernake. This time Rachel is hosting a gathering at her estate, however the party culminates in a death. The death is ruled to be accidental, but Rachel soon uncovers there is much more going on under the surface – but who can she trust?

I really enjoyed this fun and exciting tale of murder and mystery. Set in the 1930s, I loved the vivid characters and gorgeous setting of Mortmain Hall. The story has a really interesting cast of characters and offers multiple points of view to allow you to get to know the different characters and their motivations. I really liked our main protagonist Rachel, she’s a well fleshed out and complex character and I enjoyed seeing her attempt to unravel the mystery.

Set in the Golden Era of crime, Mortmain Hall is full to the brim with atmosphere and mystery. It very much gave me Agatha Christie vibes and had plenty of surprise twists that I didn’t see coming. I really enjoyed Edwards’ writing style, the story is beautifully told and definitely makes you want to turn pages faster and faster to find out how it’s going to end. Although this is the second instalment in the series it can definitely be read as a standalone – I haven’t yet had the chance to read Gallows Court but I am absolutely planning on picking it up.

Mortmain Hall is an exciting tale of suspense, that will have you up past bedtime reading. If you’re a fan of historical crime fiction, Mortmain Hall is a must read.