Deep in the woods, something is stirring...
When Miss Catherine Symonds arrives to take up a position as governess at remote Locksley Abbey in the foothills of the Black Mountains, where England bleeds into Wales, she is apprehensive.
It is not the echoing, near empty house with its skeleton staff that frightens her, nor the ancient woods that surround the Abbey or even the dogs that the owner, Sir Rowland, encourages to stalk the grounds, baying for blood. It is Catherine herself who fears scrutiny: her reference and very identity are fraudulent. She is travelling in disguise to investigate the fate of the last governess at the house, who took her own life out in the woods. For that governess was Catherine's own sister, but until now she had believed Emily had died many years before, when they were just children...
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To Mr Drake, Abingdon, Oxfordshire: 16 May 1852, Hereford: It is with regret that I write to inform you of the death of your wife's sister, Miss Emily Murphy, in April of this year.
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(Raven Books, 9 May 2024, e-galley, 456 pages, ARC from the publisher via NetGalley)
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I'm a fan of the author's novel The Leviathan so was really looking forward to reading The Puzzle Wood. I enjoyed this book but not as much as I expected. This book has two story threads which I enjoyed and you really need to keep reading to see how the two stories connect. The first thread is Catherine who takes over as governess from her dead sister because she wants to find out the truth about her death. The second thread is the local miners who are not happy the mine is falling behind production and the Puzzle Wood of the title which may or may not be destroyed and is a place of rumours and sinister secrets. I liked the atmosphere of fear and suspicion created in the book. However, I felt the Welsh folklore than runs through the story could have been developed more. I like the plot twists which did take me by surprise. I'd recommend this.
