Mrs. Edwards has a fine collection here of Victorian spook and mystery. The supernatural is barely visible here except as a plot device but there are still enough atmospherics to make for a pleasant diversion. Edwards' forte is a sense of place and her locations and scenes are particularly vivid and expressive. The stories are blessedly free of the sameness that mars so many Victorian ghost collections.

Solid three stars for this slim volume. ( )

Amelia B. Edwards’s All Saints’ Eve is an anthology of twelve Victorian murder mysteries - some intriguing and tightly written, others dull and tedious. There is nothing groundbreaking here, but the best of these tales - “The Four-Fifteen Express”, “Number Three”, “In the Confessional”, “The Tragedy in the Palazzo Bardello”, and “Was It an Illusion?” - are quite entertaining. ( )

Although this is part of 'Wordsworth's Tales of Mystery & The Supernatural' series, I would describe this particular book as 'Tales of Murder & Madness'. The two best stories,are by coincidence,both concerned with the railways. These are 'The Four-Fifteen Express' and ' A Railway Panic', in which a passenger is trapped in the carriage of a fast-moving,non-stop train with an homicidal maniac. The story starts with the words -"Do you think I look like a madman ?". 'The Tragedy in the Palazzo Bardello' is a splendid story of Italian murder and 'Was it an Illusion ?' a most atmospheric tale,well told. The final and the longest story in the book is 'All Saint's Eve'. Although quite an exciting tale of love,hate and again murder,it has such an obvious killer,that the ending is rather spoilt.
Nevertheless a worthwhile book to read and own. ( )