KJ Charles is a new author for me. It seems she has written more than 30 books, most of which are historical romance or fantasy romance, but I’ve never come across them until now and probably wouldn’t have been drawn to them anyway. One of her recent novels, All of Us Murderers, looked and sounded like more of a Gothic mystery and something I might enjoy.
The book is set in Edwardian England and begins with Zebedee Wyckham arriving at Lackaday House, the home of his cousin Wynn. Zeb has met Wynn only twice before in his life and was surprised to receive an unexpected invitation to visit the house along with several other relatives. Soon after arrival, however, Wynn explains exactly why he has summoned them all there.
Due to a family curse which he believes will cause his death before the age of fifty, Wynn has been thinking about the future of his vast fortune and has decided to leave his money to the man who marries his young ward, Jessamine. This news comes as a particular shock to Zeb’s older brother, Bram, who had always expected to inherit and is inconveniently already married. Zeb himself has no interest in marrying Jessamine – he’s gay, although the others don’t know it – but that doesn’t stop Wynn from making it clear that he’s his preferred choice. With their slimy, blackmailing cousin Hawley also one of the party and Zeb’s bitter ex-lover Gideon newly employed as Wynn’s secretary, the whole thing seems a recipe for disaster.
I have to be honest and say that I didn’t enjoy this book as much as I’d hoped to. The title made me expect a murder mystery but there is no murder until late in the book and I felt as if I was just spending a lot of time waiting for something to happen. There was a lot of focus on the relationship between Zeb and Gideon, but as their initial romance and break-up had taken place before the book even begins, it was hard to get emotionally invested. There are also a lot of sex scenes, which aren’t really my thing, and I found myself skimming those.
The Gothic elements are well done and I did enjoy that aspect of the book. We have a large, isolated country house surrounded by high walls and locked gates, a heavy mist descending over the Dartmoor countryside, sightings of ghostly apparitions, and a series of bizarre events that mirror the novels of Walter Wyckham, the cousins’ grandfather, a Gothic novelist based on the real life William Beckford. There’s plenty of atmosphere, although I found it difficult to get a sense of the time period (it’s the Edwardian era but could easily have been earlier). Something else that was interesting was the author’s portrayal of Zeb as an adult with ADHD. As she explains in her author’s note, she can’t refer to the condition by name as it wasn’t recognised until much more recently, but she shows it through his actions and the way other people describe him.
Although I found this book entertaining at times, I’m not sure if Charles is an author for me. She clearly has a very large and loyal fanbase, though, so if you’ve enjoyed any of her books let me know and maybe I can be tempted!
Reviewed for RIPXXI hosted by @perilreaders
