“As I opened the door I stumbled, the walls seeming to fade, and I thought I heard a soft voice echoing down the corridor. It sounded like someone whispering a word: ‘Kuwitap’.
And the wolf ate time.”
“Black Lake Manor”, by Guy Morpuss
The story:
A locked-room murder mystery, but not as you know it…
On the same night tech entrepreneur and multi-millionaire Lincoln Shan launches a revolutionary new product, he is found brutally murdered, locked in his own study.
The last thing his ex-fiancée Dr Ella Manning wants is to become involved in the investigation. But as a Special Constable in the RCMP, and with Black Lake Manor, Lincoln’s remote mansion, cut off by storms, she has little choice.
But Ella is up against more than even she bargained for. Because some of the manor’s guests are determined to prevent her from finding out the truth. And they have the power to turn back time…
My thoughts:
Having enjoyed the brilliant sci-fi mystery “Five Minds” by Guy Morpuss, I was keen to read his latest novel “Black Lake Manor”. This time the story is slightly less fantastical, but still a leap into the future and the way technology might be harnessed, for good or evil.
Once again, time plays a big part in the story, with certain protagonists possessing the ability to re-wind the clock 6 hours — but may only do so once in their lifetime. This leads to all sorts of problems for marine scientist / special constable Ella Manning as she tries to track down the killer. Just as she’s on the brink of a solution, time is re-set and she must start again, with no memory of her previous inquiries.
In classic murder mystery style, we have a small number of guests in an isolated location, one of whom must be the killer. Is it childhood friend-turned-eco warrior Maquina, jilted girlfriend Rebecca, or could it be the slimy lawyer Kleber (painted in a very unflattering light, and presumably inspired by the author’s previous profession!)?
The time-rewinding scenario allows us, and Ella, to consider different suspects in turn — although sadly for Ella, she doesn’t get to remember it! This was a really great way to get to know the different characters, all with plausible motives for the killing.
The author does an excellent job of keeping all the timelines straight, and also throws in some extras — in 1804, exploring the founding of the Akaht (a First Nations band of Vancouver Island), and in 2023 showing Ella, Lincoln and Maquina’s childhood friendship. The conclusion, as with the author’s debut novel, is extremely clever and manages to neatly wrap up all the various strands of the story, which is no mean feat!
Once again, a great read for all mystery fans looking for a really original plot and a hugely satisfying solution!
“Black Lake Manor” is released in paperback on 13th April 2023. Many thanks to NetGalley, the publishers, and of course the author for providing an eBook copy.
Pages: 464 (Viper paperback edition)
Published: 8th September 2022 (Paperback: 13th April 2023)
Rating: /5
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Interesting review, thanks for sharing! I considered reading this book as I thought Five Minds was very unusual and accomplished but I’m not really a fan of locked room mysteries so I thought I’d give it a miss.
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Thanks! It might be worth a go – it’s less about the locked room element, and more about the time loops 🙂
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