The novel is fast paced and interesting, because readers will want to discover the rewards each of the guests are hoping to receive, as well as who is behind the offers and who actually owns Bleakly Manor. I loved this gothic holiday tale! I am a huge Agatha Christie fan and this book is reminiscent of And Then There Were None, but also with homage paid to Bleak House by Charles Dickens. When Clara and Ben come face to face again, each has a strong negative reaction to the other, but it soon becomes apparent that they will need to work together in order to make it through and out of the situation unscathed. No one present, not even the staff, seems to know who their host is, and the host does not appear to be among the group. When Clara arrives at Bleakly Manor, she finds other guests who received their own invitations with their own secret promises should they stay the course. Benjamin Lane, imprisoned for nearly a year due to his fiancee Clara’s setting him up as a thief, is also offered a similar opportunity to go to Bleakly Manor for 12 nights, his reward would be his freedom. The verse inside says that if she stays at the manor for the entire 12 nights, she will receive five hundred much-needed pounds that would help to get her life back on track.

As she is destitute after being left at the altar by her fiance and abandoned by her father, she feels she has nothing to lose and much to gain by accepting the offer. In December, 1851, Clara Chapman receives a mysterious invitation to travel to Bleakly Manor over the Christmas holidays. This post contains affiliate links, see disclosure statement for details. Agatha Christie lovers should take notice, because this novel is reminiscent of her books. If you enjoy getting into the Christmas spirit by reading holiday themed books, 12 Days at Bleakly Manor by Michelle Griep, the first book in the Once Upon a Dickens Christmas series, will fit the bill with its combination of mystery and Victorian-era holiday setting.

12 days at bleakly manor