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A review by al_monaghan
The Secret Rooms: A True Gothic Mystery by Catherine Bailey
3.0
2.5 stars rounded up
I was impressed with the way the author pieced together the timeline and events of this narrative from the letters catalogued in the family archive. The gaps in the epistolary history were intriguing in theory (the lack of resolution about the death of John's brother was a letdown). I thought there would be more focus on Belvoir Castle from the way the book was described on the dust jacket so the focus on John's military career was a bit ehhhh for me (not really my area). In the end, it almost felt like the author set up a straw man. She takes great pains to differentiate John from his terrible parents but with the book's conclusion, she undoes all of that work.
I was impressed with the way the author pieced together the timeline and events of this narrative from the letters catalogued in the family archive. The gaps in the epistolary history were intriguing in theory (the lack of resolution about the death of John's brother was a letdown). I thought there would be more focus on Belvoir Castle from the way the book was described on the dust jacket so the focus on John's military career was a bit ehhhh for me (not really my area). In the end, it almost felt like the author set up a straw man. She takes great pains to differentiate John from his terrible parents but with the book's conclusion, she undoes all of that work.