Book Review: Trip the Light Phantasmic by Judith Sterling

I could not read this book fast enough! It’s such a great idea for a gothic cozy mystery series. Gwyn Camm has inherited an old house in Salem Massachusetts from her Aunt Ethel, an avid fan of gothic mysteries. On the quiet, snowy winter’s night, missing her beloved aunt, Gwyn cozies up with one of those mysteries. Before we know it, we are swept with Gwyn into the novel. One moment we are in the old house in Salem and the next, to quote the book, we are standing “on a sloping lawn in front of a Gothic Revival mansion hewn from somber gray stone”, on the banks of the Hudson River in upstate New York.
 
Judith Sterling manages the transition with infinite finesse. The writing is fabulous.
 
I loved Gwyn from the start. She’s smart and sweet, pragmatic but also open-minded, and just a little bit lost. You can’t help but care about her, and she’s the perfect heroine for this series.
 
And it’s SO CREEPY! The author has the Gothic chill factor down to an art. I was both tense and relaxed the whole time I was reading, completely absorbed in the story. The twists and turns and finely-drawn descriptions hold you there. You are inside the novel, just as Gwyn is.
 
As for the mystery, I was shocked by the ending. I did not see it coming. Wow.
 
I can hardly wait to see where Gwyn finds herself next. Highly recommended for cozy mystery and gothic mystery lovers. Thank you for this wonderful new series, Judith Sterling!