• Doors of Gold and Rust
5
Doors of Gold and Rust: A Supernatural Gothic Mystery Book Cover Doors of Gold and Rust: A Supernatural Gothic Mystery
Byrne House
A.N. Willis.
Mystery Thriller
Observatory Books
August 18, 2020
eBook
302

In a long-forgotten room, something evil is waiting. All she has to do is open the door.

It’s been four months since Evelyn Ashwood escaped from the tunnels beneath Byrne House, and nothing about her life is the same. Alex Evans still hasn’t returned to Castle Heights. She’s spending more time with Jake—her former enemy—whose macabre sense of humor conceals a darker affliction. And she’s plagued by disturbing visions of the past that she cannot control, much less explain.

When Evelyn is forced to return to Byrne House, she discovers another murder in the mansion’s history. The victim is someone with close ties to her family, someone who supposedly left Castle Heights years ago. As Evelyn tries to uncover what really happened, she must face not only her family’s true history, but the darkest truth about Byrne House itself. Because the mansion hasn’t yet given up all of its secrets…In a long-forgotten room beneath the gardens, something malevolent is waiting. All Evelyn has to do is open the door.

We All Go a Little Mad Sometimes…

We return to Byrne house in the Doors of Gold and Rust by A.N. Willis! In the first book Under Glass and Stone we met Evie as she works to understand her strange obsession with the mysterious house across the street and figure out who is behind the disappearances and attacks that have been targeting her friends.  After discovering underground tombs and tunnels that run throughout her town she stumbles upon the secrets of the previous owners that are both tragic and horrifying. Though it is the ghosts of past tragedies that has her hypnotized it is the present day evil that she must confront to end the terror being raised around her. 

Four months later Evie is trying her best to move past the suffering she experienced at the hands of Byrne house residents both past and present. Her boyfriend Alex is reluctantly estranged as he deals with family issues out of state and in his absence she finds some comfort commiserating with her fellow Byrne House trauma survivor Jake. Their friendship is a co-dependent method of survival that is less than healthy. A mysterious letter and the reappearance of her boyfriend Alex throw her head-first back into the mystery of Byrne House which has more secrets to be revealed.

I was thoroughly impressed with A.N. Willis’ ability to return to the same setting and characters and create a story that was just as enthralling as the first book. I do not think this would be as enjoyable without having read Under Glass and Stone first as it gives you the background to really help you feel the connection to the characters. Despite being centered around a creepy and mysterious mansion filled with shadows of the deadly past the scariest part of this story was the secrets of the people around our leading Lady Evie. It seems that at every turn she is met with a new betrayal and must face the realization that she may be the only person she can count on. 

 

This was a successful sequel in the Byrne House series that continues to take a deep dark look into how the sins of the past can affect present day. It was just creepy enough to keep you on your toes without needing to invest in a new nightlight. If you are looking for a fast paced mystery I highly recommend!