In The Secret of the Three Fates, Jess Armstrong reintroduces readers to Ruby Vaughn, the plucky American heiress who solved a string of supernatural murders in The Curse of Penryth Hall. Armstrong’s newest installment in her mystery series finds Ruby visiting Manhurst Castle with her octogenarian employer, Mr. Owens, to appraise and acquire illuminated manuscripts for their bookshop. Ruby soon finds out that Mr. Owens has brought her to the borders of Scotland under false pretenses. He has always had a keen interest in the occult, and when he hears The Three Fates, a trio of mediums who claim they can speak with the dead, will be at Manhurst Castle for a séance, he hopes to get in contact with his son who passed away during the Great War. When one of the fates is found murdered, Ruby must solve the crime to clear her name and the name of Mr. Owens, and she encounters plenty of supernatural and human secrets along the way.
Jess Armstrong’s new story also reintroduces readers to Ruan Kivell, the Pellar who helped Ruby solve her first case in Cornwall. Like Mr. Owens, whose wife mysteriously disappeared many years ago, and Ruby, who was the object of a great social scandal, Ruan has secrets, and details from his past are slowly revealed throughout the novel. The romantic tension that ignited in The Curse of Penryth Hall is elevated to a sizzle in The Secret of the Three Fates as Ruan and Ruby navigate a world filled with danger.
Armstrong’s main characters are the backbone of her writing; Ruby, Ruan, and Mr. Owens are interesting and compassionate people who possess both gifts and flaws. Although readers will be titillated by the twists and turns of the mystery at the heart of the novel, it is the characters who will stay with them long after the mysteries have been solved.
I loved both The Curse of Penryth Hall and The Secret of the Three Fates, and I can’t wait to read the next installment in the series which will no doubt delve even more deeply into the relationships between Ruby, Ruan, and Mr. Owens. Each novel in the Ruby Vaughn mystery series also explores the folkloric beliefs and superstitions of remote locations like Cornwall and Scotland, and the Gothic settings will sweep readers away on a journey through early 20th century Britain. Jess Armstrong’s writing is perfect for those who love historical fiction, murder mystery, and a touch of occult magic. You can find it here.
Thank you to NetGalley for a free copy of the book in exchange for a fair review.
Kelly Jarvis works as the Assistant Editor for The Fairy Tale Magazine where she writes stories, poems, essays, book reviews, and interviews. Her poetry has also been featured or is forthcoming in Blue Heron Review, Mermaids Monthly, Eternal Haunted Summer, Forget Me Not Press, The Magic of Us, A Moon of One’s Own, Baseball Bard, and Corvid Queen. Her short fiction has appeared in The Chamber Magazine and the World Weaver Press Anthology Mothers of Enchantment: New Tales of Fairy Godmothers. You can connect with her on Facebook (Kelly Jarvis, Author) or Instagram (@kellyjarviswriter) or find her at https://kellyjarviswriter.com/
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