Touted as a historical gothic mystery thriller, The Curse of Penryth Hall, is a debut novel that has already won an award. Ruby Vaughan is an American heiress in Exeter, working as an assistant to a rare books dealer. She travels back to Cornwall and the scene of painful memories to deliver books and gets sucked into a murder, family curse, an old love affair and a new one. 

I loved the atmosphere and setting and thought Armstrong did a really good job of creating that. I also enjoyed the mystery part of it and Ruby's amateur investigation to try and unravel the curse. 

However, I didn't feel it quite hit that gothic note. Historical mystery thriller is how I would describe it. I also found the complicated romantic aspects a bit out of context and some of them unnecessary. The resolution was a tad far-fetched and unbelievable. 

Overall though it was an entertaining read that I would recommend to wile away a happy afternoon.