Katherine Stansfield

1845 Boscastle, Cornwall. Shilly Williams (the book is from her point of view) and Anna Drake have formed a detective agency and reside with their newest member, also an investor, Mathilda. On being approached by Captain Frederick Ians they travel to the Morwenstow coast to determine the identity of a recently found body, and who is guilty for his death,
On starting the book I was unaware that it was part of a series, it is obvious that the reader is missing the background story of these characters which would have be useful in knowing. The ending leaves some loose ends, unfortunately. Also I really didn't take to the two main characters.
A NetGalley Book… (más)

Loved the atmosphere of this story. It created a dark and macabre atmosphere that any spooky mystery lover could appreciate. The woods are dark and mysterious and the sounding of a bell when danger arises could be that of the long dead St. Nectan...or simply the warning bell from the nearby slate quarry that blasting is about to take place. Beautiful descriptions throughout as we follow Anna and Shilly to a hidden valley where magic has spirited away a child. The story draws heavily on folk tales and your vivid imagination. The only thing I found a bit taxing was the use of Cornish phrases that were unfamiliar to me. This is the second book in the Cornish Mystery series and I am off to find the first book.… (más)

Let me put it this way: as soon as I finished the ARC of The Mermaid's Call that I'd received via NetGalley, I got online and ordered the two previous books in the series. Not only did I enjoy The Mermaid's Call, I was eager to get to know the central characters better, to see the evolution of their relationship—and to anticipate where the fourth volume in the series (there will be a fourth, I hope) will take them.

Set in the mid-1800s, this novel is a cross between a mystery, a piece of regional (Cornwall) fiction, and a lesbian romance along the lines of Patience and Sarah. And it succeeds as an example of each of these genres.

A sea captain, who has dreamed of his brother's death and raced home to find an unknown sailor has died exactly as he dreamed, engages the two-woman detective company of Williams and Williams to determine if the dead man is his brother and who is responsible for the man's death.

Anna and Shilly, who compose the detective business are an unusual pair. Anna is closed off, rigid, prone to creating false selves (which comes in handy in detecting), and well-educated. Shilly is just learning to read—Anna has promised to teach her, as long as Shilly avoids alcohol—and is clairvoyant, not just seeing what isn't there, but seeing things present that others easily miss. Anna finds the suggestion that the sailor was killed by a mermaid ridiculous. Shilly has seen a mermaid and has been hearing them as well, calling her to throw herself into the ocean.

The book's characters include a highly unusual pastor, both self-indulgent and generous, who lives surrounded by animals, his wife, and a man reviled by his neighbors who believe he steals their luck. There's also the issue of the theological influence of Wesley, "the fornicator."

The book is narrated in Shilly's voice, which works quite effectively both because of her "extra" senses and because of the challenges she faces trying to "read" a world when she can't read. Give yourself the pleasure of reading this title. I'm pretty sure you'll wind up wanting to read the entire series.

I received a free electronic ARC of this title for review purposes. The opinions are my own.… (más)

This second novel in the Cornish Mysteries series by Katherine Stansfield is a bewitching read that transported me straight to the tangled woods of Saint Nectans Glen. As in Stansfield's other novels, the landscape of Cornwall is the real protagonist and is embodied by Shilly, one half of the detective duo. Shilly is the one has all of the insights, revealed to her by a sympathy with folklore and human nature but is hampered (or, as she thinks, illuminated) by a dependence on alcohol which we hope by the end of the novel that she may overcome. Anna, on the other hand starts out the novel believing in common sense, a practical explanation for everything and scoffs at her partners revelations. I look forward to some character development for Anna in the future and to finding out what secrets make her so unbending and, frankly, unlikable. Whilst I did guess the culprit early on, there are startling revelations that no-one could have predicted. I'll say no more, you wouldn't believe me!… (más)