The Twice Dead Man: A Ruby Vaughn Mini Mystery

Ruby Vaughn #3.5

by Jess Armstrong

In Jess Armstrong’s The Twice Dead Man, American heiress Ruby Vaughn heads back to the ancient Cornish countryside that started it all for this series. A great entry point into the world, this short story takes place between The Devil in Oxford and The Lost Souls of Saint Oda's.

January, 1923: Ever since the occult came into American heiress Ruby Vaughn’s life, it’s as though she’s had no moment of murders involving curses, mediums, and antiquities. Ruby no longer resents the incursion of the arcane into her world, because it also brought her Ruan Kivell. The folk healer Pellar is her partner in both sleuthing and romance, and they are spending a few weeks in his Cornish village of Lothlel Green. Relaxing with Ruan and her books, in the place they first met, is the perfect remedy for a girl who cannot help but find herself in tight scrapes.

But Ruby soon realizes that peace and quiet can be boring. And when a storm hits Cornwall, it brings a dead body to Ruan’s door. Ruan recognizes the dead man as Iwan Richards, someone who supposedly died over a decade ago. Someone Ruan helped bury. Iwan’s first death in 1912 was a mining accident. . . but this time it’s murder. Ruby and Ruan must untangle the mystery of the man who died twice, before a killer strikes again.

Genres: Mystery, Historical, Fiction

101 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 21, 2026

About the author

Jess Armstrong is the USA Today best selling author of the Ruby Vaughn Mysteries. Her debut novel, The Curse of Penryth Hall, won the Mystery Writers of America/Minotaur First Crime Novel Competition. She has a masters degree in American History but prefers writing about imaginary people to the real thing. Jess lives in New Orleans with her historian husband, two sons and an ever growing number of pets and plants. And when she’s not working on her next project, she’s probably thinking about cheese, baking, on social media or some combination of the above.

Reviews

[Jeannine · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s nice to get a little taste of Ruby and Ruan to tide us over until the next book comes out.

[Liza (LitLifewithLiza) Armstrong · Rating 5 out of 5]

A bite-sized mystery to keep the Ruby Vaughn fans fed until the release of The Lost Souls of Saint Oda's! I'll always say yes to more Ruby and this short story was a perfect atmospheric return to Lothlel Green with more bodies piling up and the crime-solving duo we love most.

[Rosemary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ruby's back for a short interlude at Ruan's cottage. And if you know this couple, you'll know this means a dead body will drop into their laps momentarily. Which it does, except Ruan has met this corpse before (see "twice dead" in title). What it means is a lovely, twisty romp across rain-soaked countryside. There's certainly enough plot for a longer tale, but this is an nice novelette to satisfy the fans until the next big novel drops.

[Robin · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.25/5 stars

As a novella, this one was obviously quick but a nice little addition to the series overall.

I liked that it added a bit more time for Ruby and Ruan as a couple (short though it was), and the mystery itself had a unique plotline if not all that suspenseful.

I'm loving this series and am looking forward to the next full-length novel from Armstrong.

[Nico · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the first time I've consumed this series work as opposed to audiobook. I do prefer the latter but still had a lot of enjoyment with this one. I love these two whatever they are. Obviously I wish it was longer, but I'll happily grab anything with Ruan and Ruby.

[Callie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Perfect little mini-mystery between book releases! I simply cannot get enough of Ruby and Ruan and their little adventures. Thank you, Jess! 🖤

[Jen · Rating 5 out of 5]

super fun mini mystery with nice little snapshot of Ruby and Ruan's relationship

[Robin · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bite sized Ruby Vaughn story. It felt a bit underdeveloped and a little rushed, but still entertaining.

[A Reader's Reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ruby and Ruan always deliver. A bite-size snack between books.

[Erika Franzon · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn’t realize this was a novella so I was super disappointed it was only 100 pages. Having said that, it as a very good story.

[Taylor · Rating 3 out of 5]

A sweet short story in the Ruby Vaughn series! Really only ~70 pages, but well done!

[May · Rating 2.75 out of 5]

Jess Armstrong loves us