All of us murderers

A young man's visit to his cousin's gothic mansion turns deadly in this solid Edwardian mystery from Charles (the Doomsday series). After losing his job, Zeb Wyckham agrees to visit his cousin, Wynn, at Lackaday House, his Dartmoor country estate. When Zeb arrives, he learns that his ex-lover, Gideon Grey, is Wynn's secretary, and his cousins Hawley and Dash--plus his brother, Bram--have all recently taken up residence at Lackaday. Then Wynn announces he's leaving the estate to his cousin Jessamine, and whichever male relative marries her will obtain the inheritance. Hawley makes a play for the girl, and Bram proposes to back Zeb as a marriage candidate and split the inheritance with him, since Bram is already married himself. Zeb, who still pines for Gideon, wants nothing to do with the scheme and attempts to flee Lackaday. On his way out, misty conditions on the moors trap him at the property, where he finds someone dead. As the tension ratchets up, Zeb tries to find an escape before he and Gideon become the next victims. Twisty, atmospheric, and more than a little indebted to Agatha Christie, this satisfying whodunit with a queer twist will keep readers up all night. Agent: Courtney Miller-Callihan, Handspun Literary. (Oct.)

In this Edwardian gothic, a kind man succumbs to a family visit and barely escapes with his life. Zebedee Wyckham is not close to his family, but his cousin Wynn Wyckham has been pressing him to visit remote Lackaday House. Disaster strikes when he's greeted by Wynn's confidential secretary: He's shocked to realized that it's Gideon Grey, who was once his boss and lover before they both got fired for having a sexual encounter in a supply closet. Also shocking is the fact that the rest of his family is there: Jessamine, a cousin he never knew existed; his brother Bram, and sister-in-law, Elise; another cousin, Hawley; plus a more distant cousin, Wyckham Dash. Wynn, who believes in the family curse that none of them will live longer than 50, wants one of them to marry Jessamine, who comes from an illegitimate branch, and will leave his fortune to whoever wins her hand. Zeb could certainly use it: Because he has trouble focusing and tends to forget things, his father considered him incapable of managing money and left his to Bram, with the proviso that he take care of Zeb, which he never did. Nonetheless, although no one believes him, Zeb has no interest in Jessamine or the money. The others are willing to fight for the inheritance in whatever mean-spirited underhanded way is necessary. Zeb is smart enough not to fall for the nasty tricks being played, although having his room filled with spiders nearly pushes him over the edge. Gideon becomes the only one he can trust as they rekindle their romance and work together to uncover a shocking truth. Enjoyable gothic mystery with plenty of suspects and a sly sense of humor. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.