An Inquiry into Love and Death

By: Simone St. James

Narrated by: Billie Fulford-Brown

A young woman searches for the truth behind her uncle’s mysterious death in a town haunted by a restless ghost in this gripping novel by the New York Times bestselling author of The Book of Cold Cases.

Oxford student Jillian Leigh works day and night to keep up with her studies—so to leave at the beginning of the term is next to impossible. But after her uncle Toby, a renowned ghost hunter, is killed in a fall off a cliff, she must drive to the seaside village of Rothewell to pack up his belongings.

Almost immediately, unsettling incidents—a book left in a cold stove, a gate swinging open on its own—escalate into terrifying events that convince Jillian an angry spirit is trying to enter the house. Is it Walking John, the two-hundred-year-old ghost who haunts Blood Moon Bay? And who beside the ghost is roaming the local woods at night? If Toby uncovered something sinister, was his death no accident?

The arrival of handsome Scotland Yard inspector Drew Merriken, a former RAF pilot with mysteries of his own, leaves Jillian with more questions than answers—and with the added complication of a powerful, mutual attraction. Even as she suspects someone will do anything to hide the truth, she begins to discover spine-chilling secrets that lie deep within Rothewell…and at the very heart of who she is.

©2013 Simone Seguin (P)2023 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

“I thoroughly enjoyed it!...Simone clearly relishes and is steeped in the traditions of gothic fiction—in the best way. She conjures that secretive, hushed atmospher perfectly, and the story kept me turning pages from beginning to end. At once an intriguing mystery and an eerie ghost story, it had more than enough spine-tingling moments to keep me gripped.”—Katherine Webb, author of The Unseen

Lovely mystery

This is a romance wrapped in a ghostly mystery set between the world wars. Not my usual flavor.

Very dramatic

I like the supernatural. I didn’t care for the mystery in this one. I thought the main character was irritating.

worth listening to

You are transported to England in the 1920's before October 1929. Into a mystery of who am I and what do I do.

Was the death an accident or something else?

Though slow to start, the mystery of what the residents of this small village might be hiding is worth exploring. With a local, restless ghost in residence near a cliff facing the sea and dense woods behind, we find an insular populous of post-war characters in this story. It’s not until a young college student finds herself dealing with her dead uncle’s effects that the story truly begins! A fascinating story and worth reading!

Interesting take on a Ghost story!

I struggled a bit with the start. I fought through it and the mystery of the ghost won me over. Lots of twists and turn. The performance was great. I loved the how she bright the character to life.

The ending was great

Great ending, tough book to get into. I had a lot of trouble caring about this main character. She was just uninteresting to me. I didn’t really care about any of the characters, really. It was hard to get through. But the ending was very good. This one also had more sex scenes in it than her later books. I think there is only 1 but it has a lot of other romantic scenes that act like they will be a sex scene. There might be 2 in there. I’m not sure. I check out mentally when they start.

Excellent

This author has become a favorite. This was my last book by her, now I’m sadly all caught up. This one like others was so good. I love how the author combines history and paranormal and strong fierce women. Can’t wait for more!

Outstanding as always.

I am such a big scaredy cat, but I love Simone’s books. Her writing is just spectacular, especially her historical novels, and I can never turn them off once I start. Her ghost stories are the best, and I freaking love her leading ladies.

a fun ride

a (mostly) light hearted novel with fun twists & turns at every corner. a true moden gothic.

Fun story

A decent mystery that kept me interested. Narration was pretty good if not a bit too posh in ways.