Release: April 6th, 2021
Format: Paperback
Publisher: darkstroke books
Source: HFVirtual Book Tours
Find it at Goodreads, Amazon, Kindle
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Moonlit alleys, shadowy tunnels, and buried secrets…
Summer of 1929.
Of supposed unsound mind without a penny to her name, Blanche Magruder lies alone in a home for the aged and infirm.
Meanwhile, her house, a crumbled ruin in the heart of Georgetown, Washington, D.C., is pillaged nightly by thieves looking for a treasure rumored to be hidden there.
A distant niece, Margaret O’Keefe, is tapped as executor and soon becomes embroiled in the hunt for recovering monies, taking it on as a welcome escape from her financial and marital woes.
As Margaret discovers caches in unlikely spots throughout the house, family mysteries begin to unravel. She questions whether Aunt Blanche is an insane fool or a daring genius, yet Margaret must also wrangle with her own hidden truths.
Pressed towards a convergence of their pasts and presents, the two women must ultimately face down a fateful discovery in order to rectify their lives.
Shrouded in gothic undertones and dark artifice, THE SPINSTER’S FORTUNE is a tale that takes the reader on a strange journey through tangled webs of family deceit. But where does it end?
About the Author:
Mary Kendall lived in old (and haunted) houses growing up which sparked a life-long interest in history and story-telling. Moreover, she earned degrees in history-related fields and worked as a historian for many years. Her fiction writing is heavily influenced by the past which she believes is never really dead and buried.
Fueled by black coffee and a possible sprinkling of Celtic fairy dust, she tends to find inspiration in odd places and sometimes while kneading bread dough.
The author currently resides in Maryland with her family (husband, three kids, barn cat and the occasional backyard hen) who put up with her mad scribbling at inconvenient hours.
THE SPINSTER’S FORTUNE, a mystery set in Georgetown, Washington DC, is her debut novel and is a twisty, tangled dive into a web of family deception murky with gothic undertones.
The Spinster’s Fortune Review:
Secret tunnels, Hidden treasures, and family secrets made “The Spinster’s Fortune” a delightful book to read.
This book was a short one but so effective. I loved the mystery element behind what Blanche was hiding. Initially, the story felt a bit procedural. We would get a chapter on Blanche hiding the treasure, and later Margaret trying to uncover it. But as the story progressed, it became complex and intriguing. I enjoyed how the chase impacted the characters and how the treasure interconnected between the past and the present.
Blanche was my favorite in the story. She is quirky, mysterious, and had a lot of secrets. You never really know if Blanche is senile or acting to get her way. She surprised me quite a few times with her antics. The author also adds humor to the story, especially when Jesse finds her and thinks she’s a ghost.
Margaret is excellent in the role, and I enjoyed watching her using her intuition to help recover the treasure. I also enjoyed the bond that Margaret forms with Judith over the story. It may be a minor thing, but it shows how Margaret wants to bond with her family before it’s too late. The author also did an excellent job with Margaret’s relationships. Lilli exasperated me with her personality, and I laughed out loud with Robert and Margaret when she accused them of their friendship.
Overall, I thought “The Spinster’s Fortune” was a delightful debut by the author and would love to see more such books in the future. Moreover, I would love to see Margaret back in another story and revisit some of the characters from this one.
Book Tour Schedule
I am thrilled to be hosting a spot on The Spinster’s Fortune by Mary Kendall Blog Tour hosted by HFVirtual Book Tours,
