It’s a busy time for postmen. In addition to the usual weighty padded envelopes sent to us by publishers, at this time of year presents and Christmas cards are arriving by the dozen. This particular delivery was quite small, and didn’t threaten our postman’s hernia too much, but when I opened it, it looked more like an invitation to something more macabre and doom-laden than Star Wars toys and robins sprinkled with sparkly snow… What could it be?

Investigate, investigate, investigate – the three cardinal rules for any crime solver worth their salt. So, off came the black crepe and the sinister silky ribbon.

A gentle but relieved sigh. It’s not a body part, at least. Nope, it’s a rather intriguing little book entitled Abigale Hall and it’s from Black and White Publishing. Now the wrapping paper makes more sense.

Author Lauren A Forry hails from Pennsylvania and after studying in London she won the Faber & Faber Creative Writing MA Prize for her dissertation, which has been transformed into her debut novel, Abigale Hall.

It’s 1947, and 17-year-old Eliza and her little sister Rebecca have been forced to live and work in an isolated Welsh mansion which is reputedly haunted by the ghosts of previous staff at the house. The mansion is something of a gothic horror in its own right, and there’s even a sinister housekeeper something along the lines of the terrifying Mrs Danvers from… what was that book… Ah yes, Rebecca! Priced at £7.99, Abigale Hall is due out on 29 February, which is a bit spooky in itself, but watch out for a full review on Crime Fiction Lover in due course. You can pre-order your copy here.

By strange co-incidence, we recently reviewed Dead White, another mystery set in Wales in 1947.