Do you love Stalking Jack the Ripper, Gothic or Victorian settings, murder mysteries, and/or giveaways? Then you’re totally in the right place!
Welcome to the Girl at the Grave blog tour!
Today I have a post straight from the awesome author about ten mystery novels or TV shows you’ll love if you loved Girl at the Grave (but this works both ways! If you love these, then you HAVE to check out Girl at the Grave!) as well as my review of this awesome Gothic murder mystery.
It revolves around a girl, Valentine, living in America in a small town during the 1800s. Small towns rarely forget, and Valentine’s mom murdering another townsfolk has left its legacy.
So when a string of murders rises up, the signs all point to Valentine. Yet, one person believes her: Rowan Blackshaw, the son of the man Valentine’s mother murdered. Valentine must uncover the horrifying truth and face her own dark secrets to find the true killer.
Top Ten Books or TV Shows You’ll Love If You Loved Girl at the Grave
(and vice versa!)
1. I should say Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte, but I have a problem with Mr. Rochester.
2. Book – Stalking Jack the Ripper by Kerri Maniscalco
3. Book — In the Shadow of Blackbirds by Cat Winters
4. Book — The Flavia de Luce mystery series by Alan Bradley, which starts with The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie
5. Book — A Curious Beginning by Deanna Raybourn which begins a series
6. Book – A Beautiful Blue Death by Charles Finch which begins a series
7. TV Series – Shetland (My latest favorite, set in the Shetland Islands. You get used to the lovely Scottish accent in no time.)
8. TV Series – Endeavor (love so much)
9. TV Series – Grantchester
10. TV Series — Foyle’s War (set in Great Britain during WWII)
If you love any of these, you know you’re going to have to pick up Girl at the Grave. You just know it. (Don’t resist the temptation…)
But, if you insist on punishing yourself like that, hopefully my review will convince you to cave and just accept that this book is something you’ve been dying (like some of the characters) to read!
4 stars
This was such a solid debut and I wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone who loves Stalking Jack the Ripper. It’s literally the best comp title for this novel, and so accurate.
The novels share a lot of similarities, but Girl at the Grave still remains very distinct and unique.
It’s a gothic romance murder mystery and it’s set in America (not London) and definitely has a lot of mystery involved in the past as well as the present.
I thought the atmosphere was very similar to Stalking Jack the Ripper, which I enjoyed immensely. There’s just something about that 1800s time period that you can’t help but feel nostalgia about.
Valentine was definitely a cool character and seeing her struggles to unearth the truth were interesting and something I did feel invested in. I wanted her to find out about her mother and the circumstances that she died under. The human mind can be deceiving, and seeing it trick Valentine led to this mystery being twisty.
My main critique is that I felt like it took a very long time for us to get the “present day” murders to happen. It was about halfway when people were actively being murdered by a killer and Valentine was hunting them down, and I feel like if that element was introduced earlier, I would have been a little more hooked.
But I ended up totally not expecting the killer and was definitely taken by surprise! (Although it doesn’t say much because I’m pretty easy to surprise & deceive.)
So even though the active murder plot didn’t start until kind of late, I did think Black filled up the first half well with the exposition and hinting at different occurrences and building character relationships.
I liked Valentine but I wasn’t super into the romance. I always feel bad about these sort of love triangles (and it is a love triangle) where the nice, good boy always gets left in the dust. Oof. I definitely think we didn’t get enough resolution with this storyline, but I didn’t completely oppose Valentine’s decision. I opposed it on the basis that the good boy should get picked more often, though I admit Valentine and Rowan (the mysterious boy) were a good match.
Black did a really good job of just building up the character relationships and the backstory in the first half. Valentine’s backstory is super important for the novel, and I think Black did a good job of establishing that and integrating the backstory in.
Plus, the blackmail sort of element was so fun. It created a lot of tension that really hooked me until we got to the physical murders. Valentine is in the middle of a web of lies and I loved reading how she tried to navigate her way out of it without hurting the other people in the web.
Overall, I really enjoyed reading this and if you are a fan of Stalking Jack the Ripper and other 1800s set novels feat. murder mystery, I definitely recommend you check out Girl at the Grave! It might not be identical, but it’s very strong and stands out in its own way.
More About the Book
Valentine has spent years trying to outrun her mother’s legacy. But small towns have long memories, and when a new string of murders occurs, all signs point to the daughter of a murderer.
Only one person believes Valentine is innocent—Rowan Blackshaw, the son of the man her mother killed all those years ago. Valentine vows to find the real killer, but when she finally uncovers the horrifying truth, she must choose to face her own dark secrets, even if it means losing Rowan in the end.
Praise for GIRL AT THE GRAVE
“With its vibrant, atmospheric setting and lush, captivating prose, Girl at the Grave is a searing Gothic story of love and murder that will burn in readers’ hearts and minds long after reading.” ―#1 New York Times bestselling author Kerri Maniscalco
“Girl at the Grave kept me up late at night with its non-stop secrets, twists, and scandals. An entertaining homage to classic Gothic romances that will keep readers guessing until the very last chapter.” ―Cat Winters, author of Odd & True
Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Book Depository
More About the Author
Teri Bailey Black grew up near the beach in Southern California in a large, quirky family with no television or junk food, but an abundance of books and art supplies. She’s happiest when she’s creating things, whether it’s with words, fabric, or digging in the garden. She makes an amazing chocolate cherry cake—frequently. She and her husband have four children and live in Orange County, California. Girl at the Grave is her debut novel.
Website | Twitter | Goodreads | Instagram
Giveaway!
Want to try your luck and see if you can win a copy of Girl at the Grave by Teri Bailey Black? Click the Rafflecopter button below to be entered in a giveaway where six lucky winners will receive a copy of Girl at the Grave! (INTL; 13+)
Thank you so much to Tor Teen and Jean Book Nerd for providing me with an advance reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review! Don’t forget to check out the rest of the stops on the tour!
AUGUST 10th FRIDAY Wishful Endings REVIEW & TENS LIST
WEEK TWO
AUGUST 14th TUESDAY JeanBookNerd INTERVIEW
AUGUST 15th WEDNESDAY Nazish Reads EXCERPT
AUGUST 15th WEDNESDAY eBookNerd Reviews EXCERPT
AUGUST 16th THURSDAY The Cozy Reading Corner TENS LIST
AUGUST 16th THURSDAY Sabrina’s Paranormal Palace REVIEW
AUGUST 17th FRIDAY BookHounds INTERVIEW
AUGUST 17th FRIDAY Vicky Who Reads REVIEW & TENS LIST
Vicky Who Reads 
Awesome list and review, this definitely sounds like an awesome read!
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It is! I definitely recommend if you’re into murder mysteries & Gothic novels!
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