Evil at Alardyce House

This is the fourth book in the Alardyce House series. It was just published on June 30, 2023. I love this series and couldn't wait for June 30 to roll around so it would appear on my Kindle. Please note this is an updated and extended version of the previously published The Ancestral Tides.

The publisher's summary:  

THE HISTORY OF THE ALARDYCE FAMILY IS FRAUGHT WITH SCANDAL AND INTRIGUE.

But after her eldest son Robert leaves the country, finally Amy Alardyce can enjoy some peace. Robert is wanted by the police for some unspeakable crimes, and his family hope he has run far enough and never looks back.

A decade after his disappearance, Robert has forged a successful life for himself, making his fortune from the diamond and gold mines of Africa. But when he sees a death notice in the newspaper, the call to go home to Scotland grows ever louder.

At Alardyce House, there are big changes too, and the fragile peace the family have enjoyed for so long is feeling more fragile than ever. And as the past comes back to haunt Amy and her children, will she have to finally accept that the curse of the Alardcye family can never be outrun…

I read somewhere recently that this was the last book in the series. I hope this is false because it has been wonderful to read these four books. The ending of Evil at Alardyce House was shocking and I cannot tell whether the author intended it to be final or not. Perhaps it will be spun off into another series as she has done in the past.

The intricate plot certainly notched up the suspense level. There were many, many twists and turns in the second half of the book. Everytime I thought that I had a handle on where the story was going, another unbelievable twist occurred. The twists came faster and faster as the plot progressed and they all were shocking. When the story finally ended I was stunned at what had happened. To say it was unexpected is an understatement.

I enjoyed reading about the estate setting. You can never go wrong with a Downton Abbey type home for a novel. At one point a character went missing and we found out that some parts of Alardyce House had not seen anyone enter for several months. I cannot imagine a house that big but I'm willing to live in one of them! 

If you haven't had a chance to read the series, I can highly recommend it to you. The first 2 books were published in 2022 and the last 2 this year. Check it out.

5 out of 5 stars.