Jess Armstrong's latest mystery, THE SECRET OF THE THREE FATES, continues the story of Ruby Vaughn, a transplant from New York to England. Ruby is no young simpering ingenue; she spent several years in the First World War helping wounded soldiers and facing the blood and trauma of battle. Now she calls Exeter home and lives with Mr. Owen, an octogenarian whose bookstore she runs.

Ruby's family died when they were traveling home on the Lusitania, which sunk after being hit by a German torpedo. Ruby is the only one left, and the family's fortune is now hers. But all she wants is to live a quiet life. She's not interested in romance after she was taken advantage of by an older man when she was just 16 and a society debutante. There was a scandal, and she left town.

"There is tons of gripping action, tragic betrayals, gruesome deaths, vengeful ghosts, paranormal phenomena, terribly venal men abusing their powerful positions in society, and many people hiding from their pasts, all with a soupçon of romance."

The first book in the series, THE CURSE OF PENRYTH HALL, takes Ruby to Cornwall where she meets Ruan Kivell --- a Pellar, a kind of witch --- and magic ensues. It's worth reading the opening installment before diving into this one to understand all the backstories of the main characters. There's a lot, although Armstrong does an admirable job providing some of the information in this sequel.

Ruby and Ruan have a strange connection, and their relationship continues to develop in THE SECRET OF THE THREE FATES. Ruan's special abilities include "hearing" Ruby's thoughts. He also is able to break curses and make healing potions. Mr. Owen shows Ruby a telegram indicating that some rare manuscripts are going to be sold at a Scottish castle. But once they arrive there, Ruby realizes that the telegram was a fake. Mr. Owen wanted to go to Manhurst Castle because a séance is scheduled there. He tells her that someone contacted him and said he needed to come; his deceased son, Ben, has a message for him.

Ruby had more interactions with the supernatural during her stay in Cornwall several weeks before (in the first book), but she reluctantly agrees to attend with Mr. Owen because of her affection for him and his obvious emotional distress. However, the séance is more than Ruby expected. While she doesn't believe in ghosts, what happened seems real. The three women who run the séance call themselves "The Three Fates," but one of them is murdered that evening. Ruby finds the body, and very quickly she and Mr. Owen become prime suspects. She is determined to find out what is going on before either of them is incarcerated.

What we come to find out is that Mr. Owen is not who he appears to be. In fact, that is also the case for many people at the castle. Mr. Owen's wife might have been the ghost who appeared during the first séance. She mysteriously disappeared one night after an argument, and he has never been able to figure out what happened to her. He was suspected of killing her, but Ruby sees the sadness in his eyes and believes that he loved her dearly.

Ruby is not someone to be underestimated. She is strong, clever, passionate and quite intelligent. A generous and caring person, she is determined to protect those she loves no matter the cost. Ruby also has a special kind of magic that she is just learning about. Those who enjoy a touch of the supernatural in their mysteries will appreciate Ruan's ability to read Ruby's mind and hear, in a general fashion, the thoughts of those around him.

There is tons of gripping action, tragic betrayals, gruesome deaths, vengeful ghosts, paranormal phenomena, terribly venal men abusing their powerful positions in society, and many people hiding from their pasts, all with a soupçon of romance. It makes for a delightful read, and we look forward to another Ruby Vaughn mystery in the future.