The Poisoned House by Michael Ford

Description:

The year is 1856, and orphan Abigail Tamper lives below stairs in Greave Hall, a crumbling manor house in London. Lord Greave is plagued by madness, and with his son Samuel away fighting in the Crimea, the running of Greave Hall is left to Mrs Cotton, the tyrannical housekeeper. The only solace for the beleaguered staff is to frighten Mrs Cotton by pretending the house is haunted.

So when a real ghost makes an appearance - that of her beloved mother - no one is more surprised than Abi. But the spirit has a revelation that threatens to destroy Abi’s already fragile existence: she was murdered, and by someone under their very own roof. With Samuel returned to England badly wounded, it’s up to Abi to nurse him back to health, while trying to discover the identity of the killer in their midst. As the chilling truth dawns, Abi’s world is turned upside down.

This is a mystery book I really enjoyed. Abi is a strong character despite the horrors she has had to endure when her mother died and she had to be under the instruction of Mrs. Cotton, the horrible head of the housekeeping staff. Mrs. Cotton has decided that Abi will bear the brunt of her anger and abuse physically and emotionally. As Abi failed in her attempt at escape, she is almost immediately besieged by another horror, this time in the form of a angry spirit. This spirit has targeted Abi and she doesn't know why.

After Abi figures out who the ghost really is, she now has a murder mystery to solve. One that points to one person in particular, but of course, proving it is something different. Although we figure out who the culprit is and why before Abi, it does not deter us from following Abi to the same conclusion. It also makes sense as to why she didn't come as quickly to the same conclusion. We are not in the wake of her emotional state.

Ah, but I do not want to give anything away. After all, that is the fun with a mystery. So, I will say that I give this book 4 stars. You will enjoy Abi and the rest of the staff except for Mrs. Cotton. For her, I have a boot with the name of her butt on the bottom of it. ;) Oh she was a perfect villan and I really couldn't stand her (if you couldn't guess). So, if you are wanting a fun and interesting YA mystery, pick up this book. I think you will enjoy it.
I received this book from NetGalley and the publisher and no compensation for my review was given.