Publication Date: September 2, 2025
A celebration at a turn-of-the-century manor takes a deadly twist, and everyone becomes a suspect.
Twin brothers Easton and Weston are both in love with their childhood best friend Eloise. But headstrong Eloise prefers the younger brother, Wes, which is why she is heartbroken when, unexpectedly, Wes proposes to an heiress, and Eloise finds herself engaged to Easton—the twin she cannot stand. Then, during a week of celebration, Wes is poisoned. Murmurs of nightshade slip through the manor, and everyone seems to have a motive.
Was it Della Drewitt—the heiress reluctant to marry Wes? Or did Easton decide killing his brother was the only way to secure Eloise’s affections? Or was it the housemaid Violet, Wes’s previous lover?
As guests turn into suspects, attempts to kill Wes become more relentless than the storms churning the estate—who wants him dead, and why?
An engagement party turns deadly in A Rather Peculiar Poisoning by Chrystal Schleyer.
Twin brothers Easton and Weston are celebrating their engagements with a lavish weekend at their estate. Della Drewitt, a wealthy heiress, is betrothed to Weston, money for him and a well-established name for her.
Easton, on the other hand, is engaged to Eloise. Eloise grew up with the brothers, but she has a secret of her own. Eloise is in love with Weston, only agreeing to marry Easton to protect their little sister.
All is going well with their first night at the estate until Weston is poisoned, not for the first time. Weston seems to be living on borrowed time, and no one knows who could be seeking his death. With suspects at every turn, the past comes back to life, and more questions are found. Can the attacker be discovered before they complete their goal of killing Weston?
Historical mysteries are some of my favorite books. I love stepping back in time to solve the mysteries, without the benefit of today’s technologies. Schleyer’s writing was amazing. Easy to read while still keeping you steeped in the time period. It was very interesting to read the multiple perspectives in the book, allowing the reader to put more of the puzzle pieces together while still keeping you guessing.
I was surprised by how much this story relied on relationship drama. At times, it almost felt like it was more of a soap opera than a mystery. I also struggled with the timeline jumps. First, you would be in the present, then three months prior, then present, then three years prior. It made it very hard to follow the character’s feelings and their knowledge. However, Schleyer is such an excellent writer that he overcame some of these problems I found in the novel.
A Rather Peculiar Poisoning is a twisting and turning historical mystery that keeps you guessing long after its ending.
Chrystal Schleyer lives in South Carolina with her husband and children. Tucked away in a little black house on an old hay field, she happily lives in the middle of nowhere. When not writing or reading, she can be found outside with her ever-growing number of animals or scouring the shelves of the nearest thrift store.
