The Last Heir to Blackwood Library by Hester Fox (2023)

 

Ivy Radcliffe is a young woman living hand to mouth in post Would War I London when she is summoned to Yorkshire where she learns she is the new Lady Hayworth, the last living heir to the Blackwood Library and a large estate, which began life as an abbey. Ivy knows nothing about this line of Radcliffe’s or the house. At Blackwood Abbey, Ivy is met by an uninviting staff who obviously know something they are not sharing, but is determined to make the best of things in her new home.

A book lover at heart, Ivy is delighted to find the house contains a library that has been neglected for years.  She sets out to catalog the vast library’s collection but the more times Ivy spends in the room, the worse her headaches become and she fears she is losing her memory when staff members tell her she is asking the same questions over and over.

In the local village, Ivy meets Sir Arthur Mabry, to whom Ivy is immediately drawn to Arthur because of his interest in books and the library. She learns he is the member of a mysterious club whose members are very interested in restoring the library to its former glory and opening it up to the public. Misunderstanding Arthur’s meaning and his true intentions, Ivy begins lending some of the library’s books to the local villagers, only to learn that the title of the books lent out seem to be a prophesy of events to follow.

What is the relationship of the library to the nun mentioned in the first chapter who was walled up inside the abbey centuries ago?  Why is the chauffer continuously begging Ivy to leave the estate?  Why is Arthur so interested in the library? You’ll have to read The Last Heir to Blackwood Library to learn the answers. This book hits all the elements of the gothic novel.

This is only Hester Fox Book owned by Eastpointe.  If you are interesting in reading other titles by her, a reference librarian can get them for you from an area library.

3.45 stars on Goodreads, 3.9 on Amazon