Carolyn Haines' The House of Memory - Review

The House of Memory by Carolyn Haines

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


The Pluto's Snitch Detective Agency investigate their first case of paranormal mystery.

Raissa James and her business partner Reginald Proctor have been called upon to assist a young woman, Camilla, in hope their skills in investigating the occult and the paranormal may prove decisive. Currently residing in the Bryce Hospital asylum, Camilla attacked her fiancé while they toured their new home, Roswell House, apparently under the influence of a delusion.

This is not the only strange and unsettling occurrence they encounter. Young women have been disappearing from the surrounding areas, while other patients from Roswell House seem also to have vanished without trace. Raissa has no doubt that Camilla is in grave danger; discovering from whom or what is paramount to averting a dangerous medical operation in only a few days' time.

Feeling the presence of a malign entity at Roswell House, Raissa is convinced it will be the route to unravelling the mystery. Whether Camilla is victim to a possession or if she truly is affected by psychosis, the danger that hovers around her threatens to pull others into its orbit with deadly consequences.

Picking up following the conclusion of 'The Book of Beloved', the newly formed Pluto's Snitch agency has received its first request for help by means of a letter from Zelda Fitzgerald, which launches a challenging case. After a slower-paced start introducing the cast of characters and various plotlines, the plot picks up speed, juggling the multiple mysteries and building suspense, practically hurtling into the final scene.

Following recent events and newly opening her business, Raissa's confidence in herself and her abilities is beginning to flourish. Despite expectations to conform to society's view of women, she is striving to fight these limitations and carve out her own place in the world. I particularly enjoyed finding Raissa in the thick of the action and not relegated to the observer that society deemed appropriate. Women's independence and wider prejudice and discrimination continue to be core themes of the series, while this novel also deals with themes of mental health - with a particular focus on the treatment of 'hysterical' women and 'mad' people during this period.

There are also elements of fun to the rebellious nature of the female characters and the decadence experienced by the upper classes during the inter-war period in certain scenes, both light relief and juxtaposition to some of the darker elements of the novel and the lives of the underprivileged, making the entire concoction a thrilling and immersive read that I thoroughly enjoyed. The novel ends with the pull of another case, to lead directly into the third in the series, 'The Specter of Seduction'.

A mix of mystery and detective fiction, gothic horror and ghost stories, 'The House of Memory' is a perfect blend of Southern Gothic cosy; which, like all the best cosies, beneath the surface isn't so cosy after all.



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