The Vanishing at Loxby Manor
In this Regency Noir romantic mystery, Loxby Manor is supposed to be a place of comfort for Charity Halliwell. After being suddenly whisked off to Ceylon five years prior, where an assault changes her forever, all she wants is to return to the comfort she knew in childhood: cavorting with her friend Seline and Seline’s older brothers, Piers and Avery. But upon arrival, she finds much changed. Piers no longer lives at home, an accident has left the patriarch bedridden, and the house lacks the carefree life it once had. Considering Piers had broken her heart, his absence is for the best. But then Seline goes missing, and circumstances don’t add up. Piers returns home, and while his presence is a comfort, it is also a distraction as Charity tries to figure out if Seline has run off, or perhaps something more sinister has occurred.
This gothic mystery hits all the buttons: handsome brothers, invalid father, unpredictable mother, sinister butler, strange noises, abandoned ruins, jilted marriage pacts, and secret societies. I would recommend it to anyone who loves Regency romance with a bit of eerie foreboding.
