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Black Rabbit Hall: The enchanting mystery from the author of The Glass House
As seen:
By Eve Chase
avg rating
2 reviews
A secret history. A long-ago summer. A house with an untold story . . .
THE SPELLBINDING MYSTERY FROM THE WINTER 2020 SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLING RICHARD & JUDY PICK, THE GLASS HOUSE
‘Completely swept me away. Glorious, beautifully written . . . I absolutely loved it’ LISA JEWELL
‘Utterly gorgeous, atmospheric and spellbinding’ 5***** READER REVIEW
‘Black Rabbit Hall’s beautifully crafted mystery is a delight I want to experience again and again’ STYLIST
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The hours pass differently at Black Rabbit Hall.
For the four Alton children, it’s the perfect summer escape where not much ever happens – until one stormy evening their idyllic world is shattered.
Decades later, Lorna is drawn to a crumbling Cornish manor house she hazily remembers from childhood – feels a bond she does not understand.
But a disturbing message left by one of the Alton children tells her that Black Rabbit Hall’s history is as dark and tangled as its woods.
And much like her own past, it must be brought into the light . . .
A spellbinding story of two women, separated by decades, but inextricably linked by their connection to the beautiful and mysterious Black Rabbit Hall.
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‘Black Rabbit Hall’s beautifully crafted mystery is a delight I want to experience again and again’ Stylist
‘Beautifully written and evocative . . . A delight’ 5***** Reader Review
‘Atmospheric, with echoes of du Maurier, this haunting novel enchanted me’ Woman & Home
‘Beautifully, poetically written and reminiscent of everything from I Capture The Castle to Hansel And Gretel’ Daily Mail
‘Enchanting and moving . . . I loved this beautifully poetic book’ 5***** Reader Review
’There’s something about tales of mysterious old buildings that have the ability to set hairs on end . . . Perfect’ Red TweetReviews
An entertaining, undemanding holiday read with cliché expressions, situations and characters ( such as the wicked step-mother and step-children antagonism). The interest is kept up throughout with present situations alternating with past ones. The atmosphere of mystery and suspense is sustained. The Cornish scenery and the crumbling manor house add a sense of a remote bygone era far from the bustle of city life.
The writer presented an evocative sense of Cornwall, but otherwise I found this a rather predictable tale, which read like a book suitable for young adults. Full of stereotype characters especially the second Mrs Alton - the wicked stepmother. Told in two timelines, the late 1960's and 30 years later, although for some strange reason they are both narrated in the present tense. I found it slow to get going and thought Lorna irritating. The only character, who appeared interesting was the first Mrs Alton, who unfortunately didn't last long. The writer tried to inject drama into the story by having 'cliffhangers' at the end of some chapters, but these soon fizzled out to nothing. The ending seemed trite and wrapped up too quickly especially after the slow plod through the rest of the novel.
Jill Mcdonald
