'It gripped me for a week. Incredible!' JANICE HALLETT, author of THE TWYFORD CODE An endlessly inventive murder mystery' ALEX PAVESI, author of EIGHT DETECTIVES 'Mind-bendingly brilliant. Agatha Christie on steroids!' TIM GLISTER, author of RED CORONA A LOCKED ROOM. A BRUTAL MURDER. AND A KILLER WHO CAN UNWIND TIME... In the former mining town of Black Lake, there is an old story about a shipwreck with only one survivor. His descendants have a unique ability: once in their lives - and only once - they can unwind the events ...
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'It gripped me for a week. Incredible!' JANICE HALLETT, author of THE TWYFORD CODE An endlessly inventive murder mystery' ALEX PAVESI, author of EIGHT DETECTIVES 'Mind-bendingly brilliant. Agatha Christie on steroids!' TIM GLISTER, author of RED CORONA A LOCKED ROOM. A BRUTAL MURDER. AND A KILLER WHO CAN UNWIND TIME... In the former mining town of Black Lake, there is an old story about a shipwreck with only one survivor. His descendants have a unique ability: once in their lives - and only once - they can unwind the events of the previous six hours. More than two hundred years later, part-time police constable Ella Manning is attending a party at Black Lake Manor, the cliff-top mansion belonging to the local billionaire. When a raging storm sweeps in from the Pacific, she and several other guests find themselves trapped. And when their host is discovered brutally murdered in his study the next morning, the door locked from the inside, they turn to her to solve the crime. Pushing her detective skills to the limit, against the odds Ella is sure she has identified the killer... but then someone undoes time. With no memory of what she discovered before, her investigation begins again, with very different results. Which of her suspects is guilty? And is there something even more sinister she is yet to uncover? Can she solve the mystery before time runs out... again? A must-read for fans of The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle, The Sanatorium and And Then There Were None, Black Lake Manor will keep you feverishly turning the pages all night long!
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Add this copy of Black Lake Manor to cart. $4.17, like new condition, Sold by Wyemart Limited rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from HEREFORD, HEREFORDSHIRE, UNITED KINGDOM, published 2022 by Viper.
Add this copy of Black Lake Manor to cart. $4.20, very good condition, Sold by Wyemart Limited rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from HEREFORD, HEREFORDSHIRE, UNITED KINGDOM, published 2023 by Viper.
Add this copy of Black Lake Manor to cart. $4.20, very good condition, Sold by Wyemart Limited rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from HEREFORD, HEREFORDSHIRE, UNITED KINGDOM, published 2022 by Viper.
Add this copy of Black Lake Manor to cart. $6.99, very good condition, Sold by Brit Books rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Milton Keynes, BUCKINGHAMSHIRE, UNITED KINGDOM, published 2023 by Viper.
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Very good. Simply Brit – welcome to our online used book store, where affordability meets great quality. Dive into a world of captivating reads without breaking the bank. We take pride in offering a wide selection of used books, from classics to hidden gems, ensuring there's something for every literary palate. All orders are shipped within 24 hours and our lightning fast-delivery within 48 hours coupled with our prompt customer service ensures a smooth journey from ordering to delivery. Discover the joy of reading with us, your trusted source for affordable books that do not compromise on quality.
Add this copy of Black Lake Manor to cart. $6.99, very good condition, Sold by Brit Books rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Milton Keynes, BUCKINGHAMSHIRE, UNITED KINGDOM, published 2022 by Viper.
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Seller's Description:
Very good. Simply Brit – welcome to our online used book store, where affordability meets great quality. Dive into a world of captivating reads without breaking the bank. We take pride in offering a wide selection of used books, from classics to hidden gems, ensuring there's something for every literary palate. All orders are shipped within 24 hours and our lightning fast-delivery within 48 hours coupled with our prompt customer service ensures a smooth journey from ordering to delivery. Discover the joy of reading with us, your trusted source for affordable books that do not compromise on quality.
Add this copy of Black Lake Manor to cart. $8.83, very good condition, Sold by Greener Books rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from London, UNITED KINGDOM, published 2023 by Viper.
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Very good. **SHIPPED FROM UK** We believe you will be completely satisfied with our quick and reliable service. All orders are dispatched as swiftly as possible! Buy with confidence! Greener Books.
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Fine. B-format paperback. In Stock. 100% Money Back Guarantee. Brand New, Perfect Condition, allow 4-14 business days for standard shipping. To Alaska, Hawaii, U.S. protectorate, P.O. box, and APO/FPO addresses allow 4-28 business days for Standard shipping. No expedited shipping. All orders placed with expedited shipping will be cancelled. Over 3, 000, 000 happy customers.
Add this copy of Black Lake Manor to cart. $8.89, very good condition, Sold by Greener Books rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from London, UNITED KINGDOM, published 2022 by Viper.
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Very good. **SHIPPED FROM UK** We believe you will be completely satisfied with our quick and reliable service. All orders are dispatched as swiftly as possible! Buy with confidence! Greener Books.
Add this copy of Black Lake Manor to cart. $12.56, like new condition, Sold by GreatBookPricesUK5 rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Castle Donington, DERBYSHIRE, UNITED KINGDOM, published 2022 by Viper.
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Fine. In Stock. 100% Money Back Guarantee. Brand New, Perfect Condition, allow 4-14 business days for standard shipping. To Alaska, Hawaii, U.S. protectorate, P.O. box, and APO/FPO addresses allow 4-28 business days for Standard shipping. No expedited shipping. All orders placed with expedited shipping will be cancelled. Over 3, 000, 000 happy customers.
Add this copy of Black Lake Manor to cart. $322.51, like new condition, Sold by Reuseabook rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Gloucester, GLOS, UNITED KINGDOM, published 2022 by Viper.
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Fine. Dispatched, from the UK, within 48 hours of ordering. This book is in mint condition. Both the pages and the cover are completely intact, without zero sign of previous usage.
If, like me, you're a fan of 'The Seven and a Half Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle' by Stuart Turton then Black Lake Manor is the book for you. A wolf that can eat time and a murder to solve all on a remote island full of expensive technology - it's certainly an intriguing premise!
The book is narrated from the perspective of Ella, a woman with a lot of jobs and secrets who openly prefers animals to people. I must admit I found Ella's character to be a little jumbled: she's a marine biologist, she's a cop, she's the ex-fiance of the victim and she's ex-best friends with one of the suspects - it all seemed a little too convenient to be that realistic. I think the cop angle was only really thrown in to give her a reason to want to solve or take the lead on the case but she didn't really seem to have that much experience in that role so it could have been taken out.
The book presents a locked room mystery and the cast of characters is quite small - there's Ella, her ex-fiance Lincoln, an old friend who has recently been sent to jail, a lawyer, the new girlfriend, the head of security and a young helper. Each character as well defined though and had distinct personalities, there's also a lot of room for red herrings in here and my mind was racing for all angles as I tried to work out what was going on. We also jump backwards in time at various points which the main character is unaware of. These leads to some repetition in events but the author does well to keep each time around feeling fresh and new. If you've read a few books of a similar nature though you will notice something straight away which is a big spoiler to the end of the book!
The novel also has a few flashbacks, and I particularly enjoyed the story of Ella and Maq in the caves during their teenage years. I found the imagery to be really claustrophobic and the descriptions made the experience feel real. There were also a few flashbacks to a crew onboard the Pride of Whitby in the distant past, and although these started off interesting, it was hard to see how they linked to the present-day narrative, even later in the book, which became frustrating when you just wanted to work out who the killer was. There is a lot going on in this narrative and even when how the person died is explained it seemed quite confusing in places.
Overall, Black Lake Manor is a fun locked room mystery with a time-rewinding twist. Thank you to NetGalley & Serpents Tail/Viper/Profile Books for the chance to read the ARC in exchange for an honest review.