The brand-new book in the award-winning, NYT bestselling Castle Knoll Murder Mystery series, in which Hollywood comes to Castle Knoll, and Annie Adams and her great-aunt Frances team up across decades to solve two interlocking murders
1970: The cast and crew for the supposed film of the year descends on Castle Knoll to begin production, and the influx of famous faces has the town abuzz. Newly married to the Lord of Gravesdown Hall, Frances Adams can’t help but get swept up in the glamour of it all. That is, until the lead actress has a breakdown, sabotage plagues the set, and rumors of hastily covered-up scandal abound. When the screenwriter tragically falls to his death from the cliffside paths, production is finally shut down. It’s obvious that the film is cursed.
Present day: Half a century later, the same film company is returning to Castle Knoll with fresh funds and a new cast and crew. Annie Adams knows the dark history of the previous production and is on her guard. When a body turns up in Castle Knoll cemetery, her instincts are proven right. She has long stopped believing in coincidences, so when her investigation uncovers links to the cold case that’s haunted Detective Rowan Crane for years, she knows she’s got to find the culprit before they strike again, and this time much closer to home.
Luckily, Annie is not easily rattled, and she’s got a secret weapon that puts her one step ahead of the mastermind at the center of this devious plot: her great-aunt Frances’s diary from the spring of 1970. But this time, Frances proves an unreliable narrator. Annie must figure out what exactly Frances is hiding in those pages, and who she felt was worth protecting, in order to stop history from repeating itself.
The series
In the village of Castle Knoll, secrets aren’t just whispered—they’re buried beneath the surface, waiting to be unearthed. This is a place where time seems to stand still, yet the past clings to every corner, shaping the present in ways no one expects. The Castle Knoll Files series invites readers into this atmospheric world, where every mystery is a tangled web of forgotten history, cryptic prophecies, and deeply buried truths.
Read full series description
The story begins with How to Solve Your Own Murder, where the chilling prediction of a local fortune teller sets the stage for a centuries-old mystery. Frances Adams, forewarned of her untimely demise, spends decades attempting to rewrite her fate, only to find herself caught in the unsettling aftermath of her death. The investigation that follows uncovers more than just a murder—it reveals a village where every seemingly innocent encounter could be hiding a dark secret.
As the series unfolds, the mysteries of Castle Knoll only deepen. With each new installment, new layers of deception, betrayal, and long-forgotten events come to light. In How to Seal Your Own Fate, the stakes are raised as the present and past collide once more, with characters pushed to confront the consequences of long-buried sins. With its mix of suspense, subtle horror, and intricate character arcs, this series keeps readers on the edge of their seats, questioning everything they think they know about fate and memory.
Set against the backdrop of a picturesque village that hides its share of shadows, the series blends moody atmospherics with complex characters who must face the ghosts of their pasts—whether they like it or not. In Castle Knoll, nothing is quite as it seems, and no one is ever truly safe from the pull of their own history. Fans of slow-burn mysteries and character-driven thrillers will find themselves captivated by this hauntingly addictive series, where every new revelation is a step deeper into the shadows.
Don’t miss this book’s release
Add this book to your To Read or Wishlist list and we’ll automatically notify you when it is released.