The Sticklepath Phantom

Title: The Sticklepath Phantom

Author: Ali Simpson

Rating:4/5

Info: 272 pages, first pub by Troubador 06/28/2026

Genre: Mystery, Fiction

Set in England during the autumn of 1931, twins Kitty and Nora Markham have another mystery on their hands. Their new friend, Lady Evelyn Underhaye, is linked to a series of murders that mimic different ghost stories from her ghost tour. The twins rush to figure out who is behind it, and why, before they strike again.

This was a fun, quick read. Kitty, Nora, and the rest of their household are all fun characters. I enjoyed seeing two women who were feminine and capable. They didn’t sit around and wait for the men to figure things out. They were alongside the police, helping solve the case every step of the way. When they had to sit something out, it was because they weren’t police officers, not because they were women. While I’m not sure how historically accurate the portrayal was, it was fun nevertheless.

There were some twists I didn’t see coming, but they never felt like they came out of nowhere, which I always appreciate. I did raise an eyebrow at the motivation of the killer. Other than that, it was a fast, fun mystery that I’d happily recommend to mystery fans.

A big thank you to NetGalley and Troubador for providing me with this ARC.

The Curse of the Saltmarsh Girl

Title: The Curse of the Saltmarsh Girl

Author: Clare Marchant

Rating:3/5

Info: 296 pages, first pub by Boldwood Books 08/07/2026

Genre: Historical Fiction

Two different time periods, two different women, the same spooky place. The story follows Margery, a young woman in 1665 searching for her missing mother, and Angel, a woman in the present day grappling with the mystery of her birth family. Margery’s mother headed to the village of Saltmarsh to visit her eldest daughter and never returned. Angel heads to Saltmarsh to stay with her brother after learning she might have finally found her biological family. While Margery searches the village, a mysterious illness sweeps through the town, killing everyone it touches. Angel has some big decisions to make quickly as the woman who may be her biological mother is dying.

I enjoy historical fiction in general. I especially enjoyed Margery’s storyline. The villagers of Saltmarsh are either hostile or dismissive of her search. People are getting sick and dying, and they blame Margery for bringing the illness to their village. A demon dog, ghosts floating around in the marsh, what isn’t to love?

For me, Angel’s storyline didn’t work. Angel dealing with finding her birth family, learning why she was abandoned, and navigating the emotions that came with it was interesting. However, her attempts to solve the mystery of Saltmarsh were less exciting. She discovers mysterious markings in the church and tries to figure out what they mean. The problem was that I already knew who wrote them and what they meant because I was also following Margery’s story. So, Angel’s mystery didn’t really do anything for me. There was creepy stuff happening in the marsh, sure, but I was not invested in her uncovering the mystery.

Now, a moment about the setting, which is where I think the novel really shines. I love love love the setting of Saltmarsh. It is isolated, filled with creepy fog, surrounded by ghostly ruins of a village abandoned during the Black Plague, and threatened by the ever-present possibility of flooding. Yes, yes, and yes. This setting checked every box for me. I think as far as setting goes, Marchant hit a home run with this one.

The reason I am rating this 3 out of 5 stars is that I could have done without Angel’s storyline. I found myself rushing to get through her chapters to get back to Margery and would have preferred this to be a full Margery story instead of the dual-protagonist structure.

Overall, this is a book that fans of female-focused historical fiction will probably enjoy.

A big thank you to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for providing me this ARC in exchange for my honest review.