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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!
Reviews with the most likes.
DNF @25%
Not a terrible book, just not my jam.
ARC Via NetGalley
I was very lucky to read Five Minds last September and was completely blown away by his genius in creating a story so utterly unique and enjoyable. Black Lake Manor is Murpuss' second book and believe me it is another stonker of a novel.
Black Lake, a former mining town is steeped in history. According to folk law there was one surviver of the wreck of the Whitby, his descendants are believed to have the special gift of unwinding time of the previous six hours, yet they can only use this power once in their lives.
Now more than two hundred years later Ella Manning finds herself trapped at the Black Lake Manor, where her former fiance has been found brutally murdered. With only six suspects, Ella sets about trying to solve the murder but someone undoes time, leaving Ella with no memory of what she has discovered previous and having to start her investigations again, leading to different results.
This locked room mystery was unlike any I've read before. It was thrilling from the start and I loved how the chapters alternated from the different time frames. I knew I would not be able to make any predictions as to who the murderer was so I just fully immersed myself in the novel. And what a bloody good read! Guy Morpuss has proved yet again that he is the master of Sci-fi and can completely captivate his reader. Highly recommend for all mystery fans, especially for those who love twists of the mind-blowing variety. Bravo Morpuss.