A Brush with Shadows (A Lady Darby Mystery) by Anna Lee Huber

Anna Lee Huber writes a tight, compelling mystery with Gothic overtones. The dark, brooding, landscape sets the tone for a grim Manor and a clutch of forbidding relatives. It has been fifteen years since the last visit. Gage's Grandfather has sent for him to investigate the disappearance of his cousin. But the visit has an eerie turn that night, when a mysterious figure, watches from the foot of the bed. The next morning- the windows were open... when they had been closed... and a rope has been attached to the building allowing access.

Alfred, the missing Cousin, went for a walk on the Tors and never returned. His Mother and Brother are both determined nothing has happened, yet, there is a definite mystery here. Why is someone determined to hinder the investigation with missing trunks and footwear laces that have been cut? Then his Grandfather is acting strange. The Villagers have no idea Alfred is missing, threatening letters have been sent and there is a supposed witch. Add all this, to the brooding landscape, and the places a man may get lost on the moor, and believe me you will start and finish this Book in one night.

I found the scenery, with its beauty and deadliness, added to the story line. The characters intensified the dramatic undertones and fast pace. I will definitely be picking up the books I have not read yet. Huber has a winner with this Series. I gave it five stars.

Blurb:
Sebastian Gage returns home to battle the ghosts of his past and prevent them from destroying his future with Kiera in the latest exciting installment in this national bestselling series.

July 1831. It's been fifteen years since Sebastian Gage has set foot in Langstone Manor. Though he has shared little with his wife, Lady Kiera Darby, about his past, she knows that he planned never to return to the place of so many unhappy childhood memories. But when an urgent letter from his grandfather reaches them in Dublin, Ireland, and begs Gage to visit, Kiera convinces him to go.

All is not well at Langstone Manor. Gage's grandfather, the Viscount Tavistock, is gravely ill, and Gage's cousin Alfred has suddenly vanished. He wandered out into the moors and never returned. The Viscount is convinced someone or something other than the natural hazards of the moors is to blame for Alfred's disappearance. And when Alfred's brother Rory goes missing, Kiera and Gage must concede he may be right. Now, they must face the ghosts of Gage's past, discover the truth behind the local superstitions, and see beyond the tricks being played by their very own eyes to expose what has happened to Gage's family before the moors claim yet another victim...