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A Marshall House Mystery #4
Sweet Asylum
Unable to shake the oppressive atmosphere of the city after a life changing case, Dr. Peter Ainsley retreats to his family’s country estate near Tunbridge Wells to find asylum and perhaps forgiveness. The discovery of a strange girl in the back woods introduces him, and his sister, Margaret, to the peculiar Owen family with a questionable reputation in town rooted in nefarious gambling activities and a long family history of discord amongst townspeople.
Soon Margaret discovers her unexpected new friend, Ivy Owen, who talks to herself and is prone to angry outbursts, is with child and the question of the unborn baby’s paternity lingers. When a catastrophic barn fire leads to a man’s death Ainsley is forced out of his refuge and back into the work that once toyed with his sanity.
Haunted by ghosts of his past and forced to relive moments that scar him still, Ainsley begins to piece together a disjointed puzzle of family strife, loose morals and questionable sanity. One thing is clear, however, he must find the killer and bring him to justice before they all end up in the asylum.
Soon Margaret discovers her unexpected new friend, Ivy Owen, who talks to herself and is prone to angry outbursts, is with child and the question of the unborn baby’s paternity lingers. When a catastrophic barn fire leads to a man’s death Ainsley is forced out of his refuge and back into the work that once toyed with his sanity.
Haunted by ghosts of his past and forced to relive moments that scar him still, Ainsley begins to piece together a disjointed puzzle of family strife, loose morals and questionable sanity. One thing is clear, however, he must find the killer and bring him to justice before they all end up in the asylum.
- GenresHistoricalMystery
252 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 24, 2015
9 people are currently reading
53 people want to read
About the author
Tracy L. Ward
13 books83 followersA former journalist and graduate from Humber College's School for Writers, Tracy Ward has been hard at work developing her favourite protagonist, Peter Ainsley, and chronicling his adventures as a young surgeon in Victorian England. Her first book featuring Peter Ainsley, titled CHORUS OF THE DEAD, was released in 2012. Since then the series has grown to include six books with a seventh, a Christmas mystery, set for release in Fall 2018.
Her website can be found at www.gothicmysterywriter.blogspot.com. Tracy Ward is currently working on a new Victorian series set in Toronto. She lives near Barrie, Ontario with her husband and two teenagers.
Her website can be found at www.gothicmysterywriter.blogspot.com. Tracy Ward is currently working on a new Victorian series set in Toronto. She lives near Barrie, Ontario with her husband and two teenagers.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
December 15, 2016
Well, a bit more of the Margaret, Ainsley's sister, that I fell in love with in the first book, came back towards the end.
Ainsley's change - with ghosts and guilts and endless inner thought - was confusing for me. The last chapter in which the story was wrapped up, and the epilogue, were the best.
I am headed for Prayers For the Dying but I must admit I am getting a bit tired of the characters. The story was quite good in this but Ainsley and Margaret didn't come up to where I felt their character development should have gone.
Ainsley's change - with ghosts and guilts and endless inner thought - was confusing for me. The last chapter in which the story was wrapped up, and the epilogue, were the best.
I am headed for Prayers For the Dying but I must admit I am getting a bit tired of the characters. The story was quite good in this but Ainsley and Margaret didn't come up to where I felt their character development should have gone.
November 9, 2020
Interesting historical mystery but with a possibility for a much better sequel
-Peter Marshall aka Dr. Ainsley is still in a depressed state after the incidents in the last book. His only solace is his clandestine relationship with his sister’s head maid, Julia. His sister, Margaret, meanwhile, still is in love with Peter’s friend, Dr. Jonas. The family is staying in the country home which was formerly lived in by their recently deceased mother, with their father being away on business.
-Joining them is their aunt Louisa Benedict, their father’s sister, who recently arrived back from India with her three sons. Since their sudden arrival back to England, their own home has not been made ready, and they ask Peter if they could impose on him until their own home is made ready.
-Peter is plagued by remorse because of the remembrance that he had to take someone’s life, although by accident. That person had almost killed his sister, Margaret, and she now bears a scar on her neck as a token of that episode, though she is unaware of what Peter had done to save her. While the two of them were together looking out the window, they saw a young woman running in the rain not far from where they were. They ran out and bring the young girl, who is almost freezing from the rain and cold. She’s revived and, little by little, Margaret coaxes her to reveal that her name is Ivy and she’s from a nearby estate. What she had been running from is a puzzle, but Ivy seems especially reluctant to go back.
-Ivy’s family nearby has the vocation of raising horses on their land, and those horses are known for being excellent racehorses. One of her brothers, Garrett, seems very affable, but the other, Samuel, keeps to himself and seems very odd. He had a limp, and it’s found out that a year before he and someone else had fallen off a high cliff on the property. Samuel suffered a broken leg while the other person lost his life. -Jonas had joined Peter and Jonas’ reputation as an excellent surgeon was becoming more and more known. Because of that, Garrett and his brother passed to Peter’s home and revealed that Ivy was depressed because she was with child, but she didn’t want to reveal the identity of the father. They asked, for their sister’s sake, if Jonas could do something to remove the child.
-Things get more complicated when a fire suddenly breaks out in the barn on Garrett’s property and everyone in the Marshall household comes to help. Afterwards, though, they find that Garrett’s father, who had taken to heavy drinking several years before, was found dead not far from the fire. But Peter quickly realizes that his death was not due to the fire, but due to someone who had killed him and then dragged him into the position where he was found.
-Another nearby family, that of Lady and Lord Thornton, is introduced to the story. As children, Peter and Margaret were friendly with Lord Thornton’s sons, Brandon and Blair Thornton, and Blair now takes an interest in Margaret, to the delight of both Lady Thornton as well as aunt Louisa.
-While trying to determine the killer of Garrett’s father, as well as the identity of the lover of Ivy, Peter starts to hallucinate more and more, and fears that he himself is beginning to lose his mind. The secret that he’s been harboring is now affecting him greatly and he can no longer tell what’s real and what’s imaginary.
-Though Peter started out as an interesting main subject, and one to be admired, he continues now to have lost the feeling, for me, at least, of someone that I want to follow. His disdain for others and lack of interest in coming to aid of those in need, contrast sharply with the original Peter that we were introduced to. The writing, too, is not as well done as the original books, which was also apparent in the last book, book #3. There is hope, though, that the next and possibly last book in the series, will be better, as the story line at the end of the book has the lives of both Peter and Margaret changing dramatically and possibly for the better, with Peter likely to regain his love of life and doing good for others.
-Peter Marshall aka Dr. Ainsley is still in a depressed state after the incidents in the last book. His only solace is his clandestine relationship with his sister’s head maid, Julia. His sister, Margaret, meanwhile, still is in love with Peter’s friend, Dr. Jonas. The family is staying in the country home which was formerly lived in by their recently deceased mother, with their father being away on business.
-Joining them is their aunt Louisa Benedict, their father’s sister, who recently arrived back from India with her three sons. Since their sudden arrival back to England, their own home has not been made ready, and they ask Peter if they could impose on him until their own home is made ready.
-Peter is plagued by remorse because of the remembrance that he had to take someone’s life, although by accident. That person had almost killed his sister, Margaret, and she now bears a scar on her neck as a token of that episode, though she is unaware of what Peter had done to save her. While the two of them were together looking out the window, they saw a young woman running in the rain not far from where they were. They ran out and bring the young girl, who is almost freezing from the rain and cold. She’s revived and, little by little, Margaret coaxes her to reveal that her name is Ivy and she’s from a nearby estate. What she had been running from is a puzzle, but Ivy seems especially reluctant to go back.
-Ivy’s family nearby has the vocation of raising horses on their land, and those horses are known for being excellent racehorses. One of her brothers, Garrett, seems very affable, but the other, Samuel, keeps to himself and seems very odd. He had a limp, and it’s found out that a year before he and someone else had fallen off a high cliff on the property. Samuel suffered a broken leg while the other person lost his life. -Jonas had joined Peter and Jonas’ reputation as an excellent surgeon was becoming more and more known. Because of that, Garrett and his brother passed to Peter’s home and revealed that Ivy was depressed because she was with child, but she didn’t want to reveal the identity of the father. They asked, for their sister’s sake, if Jonas could do something to remove the child.
-Things get more complicated when a fire suddenly breaks out in the barn on Garrett’s property and everyone in the Marshall household comes to help. Afterwards, though, they find that Garrett’s father, who had taken to heavy drinking several years before, was found dead not far from the fire. But Peter quickly realizes that his death was not due to the fire, but due to someone who had killed him and then dragged him into the position where he was found.
-Another nearby family, that of Lady and Lord Thornton, is introduced to the story. As children, Peter and Margaret were friendly with Lord Thornton’s sons, Brandon and Blair Thornton, and Blair now takes an interest in Margaret, to the delight of both Lady Thornton as well as aunt Louisa.
-While trying to determine the killer of Garrett’s father, as well as the identity of the lover of Ivy, Peter starts to hallucinate more and more, and fears that he himself is beginning to lose his mind. The secret that he’s been harboring is now affecting him greatly and he can no longer tell what’s real and what’s imaginary.
-Though Peter started out as an interesting main subject, and one to be admired, he continues now to have lost the feeling, for me, at least, of someone that I want to follow. His disdain for others and lack of interest in coming to aid of those in need, contrast sharply with the original Peter that we were introduced to. The writing, too, is not as well done as the original books, which was also apparent in the last book, book #3. There is hope, though, that the next and possibly last book in the series, will be better, as the story line at the end of the book has the lives of both Peter and Margaret changing dramatically and possibly for the better, with Peter likely to regain his love of life and doing good for others.
December 16, 2017
I truly like this series. The characters are vivid and interesting. They are fully fleshed out and every time I finish a book, I look forward to another book.
August 6, 2019
Can't wait to read the next one. :)
November 3, 2019
A somewhat confusing story.
July 31, 2015
Good story, mid Victorian gentleman "forensic" pathologist
Lord Peter Marshall is the second son of a Earl in London society but went to medical school with his mother's help against his father's wishes. His private persona is Dr. Peter Ainsley (he uses his mother's maiden name) and he works as a "morgue" doctor because he wants to know WHY people have died - also because he is so slow and methodical his instructor told him his patients would die before he completed their surgeries! Then too, having grown up in a contentious household as a sensitive young man, he finds it difficult to deal with the
pain and suffering of live patients.
This is the fourth book in the series. I bought the first and then bought and binge read them all ! I hope the author hurries to bring further of Peter's cases to life. Her website says knowing she would be self publishing, she believed she should have four books finished before the first was on sale so as to be able to build a following for the series by being able to release the books in a timely manner. Although you can read each book as a stand alone, I believe you would be better served reading them in order to get the best understanding of the evolution of the recurring characters and their relationships. Peter's younger sister and his best friend (and grave robbing partner) from medical school are his sometimes reluctant and or accidental partners in solving murders he discovers when investigating suspicious deaths.
He is not an altogether nice character which makes him more interesting than a purely good protagonist might be, even if at times the reader might get as irritated with his attitude as his sister often does. Each of the books ends with a bit of a cliff hanger, which is why I binge read them and am looking forward to the next one. In the earlier books he worked with a Scotland Yard Inspector, but in this book, they are in the country rather than in London. The local inspector here is more interested in keeping his uniform clean than investigating suspicious fires and deaths. In spite of his personal problems at the time, Peter finds he can't follow suit and dismiss the evidence. He conducts his own investigation with the help of his friend Jonas and sister Margaret. There is also a bit of the supernatural in this series as Peter sometimes sees or feels the presence of some of his current or past patients.
Altogether I find this series a very good read.
Lord Peter Marshall is the second son of a Earl in London society but went to medical school with his mother's help against his father's wishes. His private persona is Dr. Peter Ainsley (he uses his mother's maiden name) and he works as a "morgue" doctor because he wants to know WHY people have died - also because he is so slow and methodical his instructor told him his patients would die before he completed their surgeries! Then too, having grown up in a contentious household as a sensitive young man, he finds it difficult to deal with the
pain and suffering of live patients.
This is the fourth book in the series. I bought the first and then bought and binge read them all ! I hope the author hurries to bring further of Peter's cases to life. Her website says knowing she would be self publishing, she believed she should have four books finished before the first was on sale so as to be able to build a following for the series by being able to release the books in a timely manner. Although you can read each book as a stand alone, I believe you would be better served reading them in order to get the best understanding of the evolution of the recurring characters and their relationships. Peter's younger sister and his best friend (and grave robbing partner) from medical school are his sometimes reluctant and or accidental partners in solving murders he discovers when investigating suspicious deaths.
He is not an altogether nice character which makes him more interesting than a purely good protagonist might be, even if at times the reader might get as irritated with his attitude as his sister often does. Each of the books ends with a bit of a cliff hanger, which is why I binge read them and am looking forward to the next one. In the earlier books he worked with a Scotland Yard Inspector, but in this book, they are in the country rather than in London. The local inspector here is more interested in keeping his uniform clean than investigating suspicious fires and deaths. In spite of his personal problems at the time, Peter finds he can't follow suit and dismiss the evidence. He conducts his own investigation with the help of his friend Jonas and sister Margaret. There is also a bit of the supernatural in this series as Peter sometimes sees or feels the presence of some of his current or past patients.
Altogether I find this series a very good read.
March 26, 2025
“You saw them, as I did....You can’t hide from them. You can’t. They found me and they will find you.” -Tracy Ward, "Sweet Asylum"
“I see dead people” is what I kept thinking at the onset of this novel. I am not implying that it was funny or that the author was copying the well-known movie, rather that she did an excellent job of setting the mood of the book… as she always does. "Sweet Asylum" starts up where book three left off, with Peter running from his demons and Margaret recovering from her traumatic injury. But it is immediately evident that escaping to their family's summer home out in the country isn't going to be an escape from anything. A strange girl appears, unexpected visitors arrive, a fire and a death... all forcing Ainsley out of hiding and into the thick of a new mystery in spite of his resistance.
I have to say I found the asylum particularly interesting-- I had never before considered that an epileptic would be considered to be “doing it on purpose for attention"-- and I had hoped we would spend a little more time there. In fact, for a moment, I thought Peter had found his next calling and would be soon turning the family’s summer home into a psychiatric facility. He seems very much the type to be intrigued by the mind and its workings... but it does not appear that this will be the case and I digress.
My only problems with this entry into the series were that things moved so quickly (don't get me wrong, I like a quick pace in my reading) that a couple of huge (in my opinion) issues were given very little page time:
**POTENTIAL SPOILERS**
1- the solution to Ivy's "delicate condition" and the aftermath (ie, the problem was there was really no aftermath) to such a trauma--
2- the hidden room at Ivy's house with the family dinner party (I mean, it was never even discussed later and I really wanted a discussion! It merited some discussion!!!)
***END SPOILERS***
But, these aren't things that ruined it for me in any way-- just areas I would have loved Ms. Ward to further explore.
And, of course the ending was perfect, wrapping up the case at hand but leaving us with a family catastrophe that may alter all the sweet bows that we readers had thought were so well tied up for our beloved characters. I look forward to the next book and only hope the wait isn't too long!
“I see dead people” is what I kept thinking at the onset of this novel. I am not implying that it was funny or that the author was copying the well-known movie, rather that she did an excellent job of setting the mood of the book… as she always does. "Sweet Asylum" starts up where book three left off, with Peter running from his demons and Margaret recovering from her traumatic injury. But it is immediately evident that escaping to their family's summer home out in the country isn't going to be an escape from anything. A strange girl appears, unexpected visitors arrive, a fire and a death... all forcing Ainsley out of hiding and into the thick of a new mystery in spite of his resistance.
I have to say I found the asylum particularly interesting-- I had never before considered that an epileptic would be considered to be “doing it on purpose for attention"-- and I had hoped we would spend a little more time there. In fact, for a moment, I thought Peter had found his next calling and would be soon turning the family’s summer home into a psychiatric facility. He seems very much the type to be intrigued by the mind and its workings... but it does not appear that this will be the case and I digress.
My only problems with this entry into the series were that things moved so quickly (don't get me wrong, I like a quick pace in my reading) that a couple of huge (in my opinion) issues were given very little page time:
**POTENTIAL SPOILERS**
1- the solution to Ivy's "delicate condition" and the aftermath (ie, the problem was there was really no aftermath) to such a trauma--
2- the hidden room at Ivy's house with the family dinner party (I mean, it was never even discussed later and I really wanted a discussion! It merited some discussion!!!)
***END SPOILERS***
But, these aren't things that ruined it for me in any way-- just areas I would have loved Ms. Ward to further explore.
And, of course the ending was perfect, wrapping up the case at hand but leaving us with a family catastrophe that may alter all the sweet bows that we readers had thought were so well tied up for our beloved characters. I look forward to the next book and only hope the wait isn't too long!
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews