Scan barcode
yvo_about_books's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
4.25
Finished reading: March 31st 2024
“And the wolf ate time.”
I was blown away by this author's debut Five Minds when I read it back in 2022, and I've been meaning to read this second book ever since it was published that same year. I'm not sure why it took me this long, especially since I have a weak spot for locked room thrillers... But better late than never right? I'm glad I finally did read Black Lake Manor though! While it didn't quite hit the spot as his debut, there was still a lot to love in this story. There are three main timelines in Black Lake Manor: 1804, 2023-2025 and 2045-2046. The main focus seem to be on the last two though, as the majority of the story switches between those timelines. In fact, I kind of wish the 1804 timeline would have been developed more, because as it is it mostly felt like an afterthought... That said, I absolutely loved the time travel angle with everything it entails including its history. The fact that the characters only go six hours back in time makes the time travel subtle, but it was interesting to see the little changes. Certain parts of the story were a lot slower than expected though, and as a result it took me longer to actually finish this story. The building up of suspects in this locked room thriller is well handled, and it was interesting how Ella reacted to the shifting situation. Could I have done without the love triangle vibe? Most definitely. Were there cliches involved that distracted at times? Again yes. But as a whole Black Lake Manor is a cleverly constructed sci-fi thriller that takes you on a journey that will become more apparent (and more powerful!) over time. I also loved Ella's connection with the octopus Scarlett! All in all a solid second book, and I will be looking forward to read whatever this author will come up with next.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Confinement, Death, Drug abuse, Gun violence, Infidelity, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Grief, Cannibalism, Medical trauma, Murder, Cultural appropriation, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
michelles_book_nook's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
⚠️ CW: murder, cannibalism, gun violence and animal death ⚠️ If you're looking for a mind boggling murder mystery with a techy sci-fi twist then you need to read this book. Part time constable Ella Manning never thought she'd have to investigate her ex-fiance's murder, but that's exactly what happens when tech entrepreneur Lincoln Shan is found dead in his study the morning after a controversial product launch. Trapped inside Lincoln's mansion above the remote town of Black Lake, it's up to Ella to catch the killer. But Black Lake is no ordinary place and its strange history will make this the most baffling murder case of her career, because some of the town's inhabitants have the power to rewind time and someone is using it to protect a murderer. And just as Ella is sure she has identified the culprit, the last six hours are undone. With no memory of what she discovered before, her investigation begins again with very different results. But which conclusion was true? The race is on to find the killer before they strike again, and time is not on her side. This book had me absolutely baffled until the very end but I was so hooked that I would have happily read it in one sitting. Just when you think you know what is going on something else happens and makes you question everything you thought you knew about all of the characters. This story has a few different timelines ranging from 1804 to the books present day in 2045 that all have their own stories but they equally help feed you small breadcrumbs of information that help you piece together the puzzle of this murder mystery and it is done so well. Overall, I really enjoyed this one and I highly recommend it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Cannibalism, and Murder
Minor: Animal death
outsmartyourshelf's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
In 1804, the Pride of Whitby, is shipwrecked on the treacherous shores on the west coast of Canada. Only seven men originally survive, making it to shore in a lifeboat, with three making it into the labyrinthian caves, but ultimately only, Captain Ross, made it out alive. His descendants are said to have inherited the power to just once in their lives, wind time back six hours & relive it over again, even changing the outcome.
Over two hundred years later, Ella Manning, marine biologist and part-time police constable with the RCMP, is invited to a party at Black Lake Manor, the cliff-top mansion of Lincoln Shah. Shah, a billionaire, was one of Ella's closest childhood friends, alongside Noah Diaz, & is her ex-fiancé, although Lincoln wants to change that. Ella is invited there to witness the unveiling of new technology from Lincoln's company, involving hard light, a technology that allows people to remotely control facsimiles of themselves that are hard to distinguish from the real thing. The party goes off fairly smoothly, except for a powerful storm which brings down communication to the mainland for at least 24 hours, The next morning, Lincoln is dead, murdered, & one of few flesh-and-blood guests to attend is the guilty party. Ella has to navigate old friendships, rivalries, & new technology to try & find the killer, but just as she thinks she has identified the guilty party, time is rewound, & her investigation begins again with different conclusions.
This is a spin on the 'locked room' trope where six people are cut off from the rest of the world for a period of time with a killer amongst them. The difference here is the technology & the myths & legends that may or may not be true. Set in 2045 the technology is certainly intriguing. It takes a little getting into - for the first few chapters I wasn't sure what has happening - but when the story settles into the whodunit, it's so good. Ella is a main character whose personality type would probably be classed as INTJ (Myers-Briggs): emotionally unavailable, logic driven, & is said to have a great capacity for empathising with animals but not so much with humans. Girl, same! The other characters/suspects include Lincoln's current squeeze, Rebecca, his shady lawyer, two of Lincoln's employees, & former friend, Noah Diaz. The book was reminiscent to me of The 7 & 1/2 Lives of Evelyn Hardcastle, but here the case is examined from several different angles/timelines, rather than different characters. Readers who like 'locked room' mysteries with a slightly futuristic twist would probably enjoy this. I did & will probably re-read it at some point.
My thanks to NetGalley & publishers, Serpent's Tail/Viper/Profile Books, for the opportunity to read an ARC. I am voluntarily giving an honest review.
Over two hundred years later, Ella Manning, marine biologist and part-time police constable with the RCMP, is invited to a party at Black Lake Manor, the cliff-top mansion of Lincoln Shah. Shah, a billionaire, was one of Ella's closest childhood friends, alongside Noah Diaz, & is her ex-fiancé, although Lincoln wants to change that. Ella is invited there to witness the unveiling of new technology from Lincoln's company, involving hard light, a technology that allows people to remotely control facsimiles of themselves that are hard to distinguish from the real thing. The party goes off fairly smoothly, except for a powerful storm which brings down communication to the mainland for at least 24 hours, The next morning, Lincoln is dead, murdered, & one of few flesh-and-blood guests to attend is the guilty party. Ella has to navigate old friendships, rivalries, & new technology to try & find the killer, but just as she thinks she has identified the guilty party, time is rewound, & her investigation begins again with different conclusions.
This is a spin on the 'locked room' trope where six people are cut off from the rest of the world for a period of time with a killer amongst them. The difference here is the technology & the myths & legends that may or may not be true. Set in 2045 the technology is certainly intriguing. It takes a little getting into - for the first few chapters I wasn't sure what has happening - but when the story settles into the whodunit, it's so good. Ella is a main character whose personality type would probably be classed as INTJ (Myers-Briggs): emotionally unavailable, logic driven, & is said to have a great capacity for empathising with animals but not so much with humans. Girl, same! The other characters/suspects include Lincoln's current squeeze, Rebecca, his shady lawyer, two of Lincoln's employees, & former friend, Noah Diaz. The book was reminiscent to me of The 7 & 1/2 Lives of Evelyn Hardcastle, but here the case is examined from several different angles/timelines, rather than different characters. Readers who like 'locked room' mysteries with a slightly futuristic twist would probably enjoy this. I did & will probably re-read it at some point.
My thanks to NetGalley & publishers, Serpent's Tail/Viper/Profile Books, for the opportunity to read an ARC. I am voluntarily giving an honest review.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cannibalism and Murder
Minor: Animal death
mybookscape's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
My review in one word: WOW!
Let's start with the blurb shall we before I give you my thoughts...
'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 6 hours.
More than 200 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.
When their host is brutally murdered in his study the next morning, the door locked from the inside, they turn to her to solve the crime...'
There's more to the blurb but I feel it hints at info in the book and I don't want to use too many characters up so that I can't write my review 🤣
This book was so good, it's not like anything I've ever read before and was a great mix of crime and fantasy. I really enjoyed the concept of the book and how it was set in the past, 1805, and the future, 2045. The novel is very much a whodunnit with a twist and one that certainly keeps you guessing - I was hooked right from the start!
Guy Morpuss' use of description is fantastic, especially when it came to the caves, I was claustrophobic just reading about it, and his character development is excellent. I honestly think this book would make a great film!
Black Lake Manor is due out on the 8th September so make sure you get those pre-orders in because this isn't one to be missed!
Let's start with the blurb shall we before I give you my thoughts...
'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 6 hours.
More than 200 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.
When their host is brutally murdered in his study the next morning, the door locked from the inside, they turn to her to solve the crime...'
There's more to the blurb but I feel it hints at info in the book and I don't want to use too many characters up so that I can't write my review 🤣
This book was so good, it's not like anything I've ever read before and was a great mix of crime and fantasy. I really enjoyed the concept of the book and how it was set in the past, 1805, and the future, 2045. The novel is very much a whodunnit with a twist and one that certainly keeps you guessing - I was hooked right from the start!
Guy Morpuss' use of description is fantastic, especially when it came to the caves, I was claustrophobic just reading about it, and his character development is excellent. I honestly think this book would make a great film!
Black Lake Manor is due out on the 8th September so make sure you get those pre-orders in because this isn't one to be missed!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cannibalism and Murder
Moderate: Gun violence
Minor: Animal death
More...