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Essex Witch Museum Mystery #4
Strange Tombs
The fourth instalment in Syd Moore's spooktacular witch detective series
Halloween in Essex and the Mystery and Suspense creative writing course at old Ratchette Hall is off to a satisfyingly creepy start. But things take a turn for the worse when the course administrator is discovered dead, clutching a marble finger to his chest. For why would anyone, undead or alive, want to kill mild-mannered Graham?
Luckily Rosie Strange and Sam Stone are on the case. Soon, however, they are digging up more questions than who are the unearthly howls emanating from neighbouring Witch Wood every night? How has a stone crusader, on display in the church, managed to lose a finger? And, more sinister yet, why is one of the tombs missing a corpse?
Halloween in Essex and the Mystery and Suspense creative writing course at old Ratchette Hall is off to a satisfyingly creepy start. But things take a turn for the worse when the course administrator is discovered dead, clutching a marble finger to his chest. For why would anyone, undead or alive, want to kill mild-mannered Graham?
Luckily Rosie Strange and Sam Stone are on the case. Soon, however, they are digging up more questions than who are the unearthly howls emanating from neighbouring Witch Wood every night? How has a stone crusader, on display in the church, managed to lose a finger? And, more sinister yet, why is one of the tombs missing a corpse?
400 pages, Paperback
First published November 13, 2018
17 people are currently reading
396 people want to read
About the author
Syd Moore
19 books203 followersBefore embarking on a career in education, Syd worked extensively in the publishing industry, fronting Channel 4’s book programme, Pulp. She was the founding editor of Level 4, an arts and culture magazine, and is co-creator of Super Strumps, the game that reclaims female stereotypes.
Syd has also been a go go dancer, backing singer, subbuteo maker, children’s entertainer and performance poet, She now works for Metal Culture, an arts organisation, promoting arts and cultural events and developing literature programmes.
Syd is an out and proud Essex Girl and is lucky enough to live in that county where she spends her free time excavating old myths and listening out for things that go bump in the night.
Syd has also been a go go dancer, backing singer, subbuteo maker, children’s entertainer and performance poet, She now works for Metal Culture, an arts organisation, promoting arts and cultural events and developing literature programmes.
Syd is an out and proud Essex Girl and is lucky enough to live in that county where she spends her free time excavating old myths and listening out for things that go bump in the night.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 42 reviews
June 13, 2021
I adore this series. Rosie and Sam are decidedly becoming some of my comfort characters but this one made me a bit sad for Rosie. She feels a bit broken which makes her so relatable but also sad.
And what about Sam's family history?????
And what about Sam's family history?????
May 6, 2019
3.75🌟
Another much anticipated return to Essex and creepy goings on with Rosie and Sam.
Syd Moore's Essex Witch Museum series is a great favourite of mine and I always eagerly look forward to the next book. This adventure left me slightly disappointed though. There is less spooky-ness and creepy feels as the story is a definite homage to Agatha Christie and the thriller\mystery genre. There are still paranormal elements but they feel less at the fore. Coupled with a more introspective, less spiky Rosie, it all felt a bit flatter than usual. Don't get me wrong, I still enjoyed Strange Tombs, just not quite as much as the previous 3 books.
Another much anticipated return to Essex and creepy goings on with Rosie and Sam.
Syd Moore's Essex Witch Museum series is a great favourite of mine and I always eagerly look forward to the next book. This adventure left me slightly disappointed though. There is less spooky-ness and creepy feels as the story is a definite homage to Agatha Christie and the thriller\mystery genre. There are still paranormal elements but they feel less at the fore. Coupled with a more introspective, less spiky Rosie, it all felt a bit flatter than usual. Don't get me wrong, I still enjoyed Strange Tombs, just not quite as much as the previous 3 books.
May 4, 2019
I'm grateful to the publisher for a free advance copy of Strange Tombs.
Syd Moore's Essex Witch mysteries go meta in this fourth instalment, with Rosie Strange and Sam Stone called in when a body is discovered on Hallowe'ent at a mystery writers' workshop being held in a lonely mansion out in the Essex countryside.
(If you haven't read any Essex Witch Museum Mysteries before then here is a brief, spoiler-free summary: Rosie Strange is a Benefit Fraud inspector who unexpectedly inherited the Essex Witch Museum from her Uncle Septimus. Initially meaning to shut down and sell the place, instead she falls under its spell and is soon working alongside the fascinating Sam Stone, curator of the Museum, to investigate crimes and strange goings-on which have a possible supernatural bent. And discovering more about her family along the way...)
With plenty of scope in Strange Tombs for bickering between authorial egos, resentments over publication (or not) and the general suggestiveness of the setting, Moore could have been forgiven for going full Agatha Christie or even Cluedo (there are some knowing hints in that direction). In fact she doesn't do that. As with the previous books in this series, Strange Tombs is focussed on Sam and Rosie, whose evolving and well observed relationship is now firmly established and a joy to watch develop further. While so far the books have only taken up a single summer of fictional time, a great deal has changed. The two know and trust each other much better, but there's a still a lot which isn't said, still a lot of avoiding certain areas and topics and even new mysteries concerning (this time) Sam's background. And with the cycle now moving into winter, Rosie is feeling a sense of darkness, a blunting of her insight, that may - I think - be due to more than seasonal affective disorder.
Ordered to look into the mystery surrounding Ratchette Hall by Sam's Intelligence contact Monty (Rosie insists on referring to him as Agent Walker which suggests a whole layer of X-Files like skullduggery) Rosie and Sam have a kind of semi-legitimate interest in a death (that may, anyway, not be a murder) which means their particular lines of enquiry are, at least, tolerated by the assembled writers and the villagers of Damebury. And there seems plenty for them to uncover, what with strange noises in the woods, rumours of witchcraft, pagan temples, mutilated animals, and a desecrated tomb. It's obviously time for the classic Essex Witch Museum blend of an open mind and a steely scepticism - so why is Sam suddenly convinced that he's seen a ghost? And what does happen to Rosie in the woods?
This is a rattling good story that operates at a number of levels: the immediate mystery, its rather odd background in local lore, and an ongoing thread surrounding Rosie in particular, who seems to have inherited more from her family background than a decaying museum. While the events of Strange Fascination told her a lot about that background, there's clearly further stuff to discover here with Moore ratcheting up the tension and, in some particularly eerie passages, deftly replacing the characteristic humour of these books with a genuinely creepy tone (not the first time she's done that, of course - but here it especially made the back of my neck prickle...)
In this fourth book (with some short stories as well) the series shows no sign of flagging, indeed with the season of walking ghosts and the looming darkness of Winter it appears to be heading for new revelations and a chillier tone. Still great fun, and with some sharp messages besides (Rosie is an Essex girl, and feels the prejudice this entails: "Being a blondish blandish chick from Essex with more than a bit of natural bounce in the chest area and a nice rounded accent too, that kind of attitude came at me form snooty people all over the place...") I'd strongly recommend.
Syd Moore's Essex Witch mysteries go meta in this fourth instalment, with Rosie Strange and Sam Stone called in when a body is discovered on Hallowe'ent at a mystery writers' workshop being held in a lonely mansion out in the Essex countryside.
(If you haven't read any Essex Witch Museum Mysteries before then here is a brief, spoiler-free summary: Rosie Strange is a Benefit Fraud inspector who unexpectedly inherited the Essex Witch Museum from her Uncle Septimus. Initially meaning to shut down and sell the place, instead she falls under its spell and is soon working alongside the fascinating Sam Stone, curator of the Museum, to investigate crimes and strange goings-on which have a possible supernatural bent. And discovering more about her family along the way...)
With plenty of scope in Strange Tombs for bickering between authorial egos, resentments over publication (or not) and the general suggestiveness of the setting, Moore could have been forgiven for going full Agatha Christie or even Cluedo (there are some knowing hints in that direction). In fact she doesn't do that. As with the previous books in this series, Strange Tombs is focussed on Sam and Rosie, whose evolving and well observed relationship is now firmly established and a joy to watch develop further. While so far the books have only taken up a single summer of fictional time, a great deal has changed. The two know and trust each other much better, but there's a still a lot which isn't said, still a lot of avoiding certain areas and topics and even new mysteries concerning (this time) Sam's background. And with the cycle now moving into winter, Rosie is feeling a sense of darkness, a blunting of her insight, that may - I think - be due to more than seasonal affective disorder.
Ordered to look into the mystery surrounding Ratchette Hall by Sam's Intelligence contact Monty (Rosie insists on referring to him as Agent Walker which suggests a whole layer of X-Files like skullduggery) Rosie and Sam have a kind of semi-legitimate interest in a death (that may, anyway, not be a murder) which means their particular lines of enquiry are, at least, tolerated by the assembled writers and the villagers of Damebury. And there seems plenty for them to uncover, what with strange noises in the woods, rumours of witchcraft, pagan temples, mutilated animals, and a desecrated tomb. It's obviously time for the classic Essex Witch Museum blend of an open mind and a steely scepticism - so why is Sam suddenly convinced that he's seen a ghost? And what does happen to Rosie in the woods?
This is a rattling good story that operates at a number of levels: the immediate mystery, its rather odd background in local lore, and an ongoing thread surrounding Rosie in particular, who seems to have inherited more from her family background than a decaying museum. While the events of Strange Fascination told her a lot about that background, there's clearly further stuff to discover here with Moore ratcheting up the tension and, in some particularly eerie passages, deftly replacing the characteristic humour of these books with a genuinely creepy tone (not the first time she's done that, of course - but here it especially made the back of my neck prickle...)
In this fourth book (with some short stories as well) the series shows no sign of flagging, indeed with the season of walking ghosts and the looming darkness of Winter it appears to be heading for new revelations and a chillier tone. Still great fun, and with some sharp messages besides (Rosie is an Essex girl, and feels the prejudice this entails: "Being a blondish blandish chick from Essex with more than a bit of natural bounce in the chest area and a nice rounded accent too, that kind of attitude came at me form snooty people all over the place...") I'd strongly recommend.
September 8, 2019
Another enjoyable instalment, I am enjoying seeing Rosie and Sam's partnership develop (very slowly!). Rosie's past gets pushed to the background again for most of the book, only really popping up at the beginning and end which means it gets largely forgotten against the action in the middle, it's beginning to feel like it either needs resolving or moving on from in favour of new, unconnected storylines. Still a really enjoyable series though with good characters.
October 31, 2023
Not as spooky as the last two. A little sluggish in the middle but still witty . I craved more of the historical occult lore. It was there but I felt no excitement in Sam or Rosie in the investigation and the outcome. The reference to Inspector Poirot setting was just how I felt it was turning out. Also still looking for more answers so I will continue with more in the series. I will revisit the quirky creepy and cooky Essex Witch museum again.
June 11, 2019
audiobook version
Rosie and Sam get up to their usual capers in Essex after a spooky death at a local writers conference. More deaths follow, but I really struggled with this one as it feels like a repeat.
The sexual tension between Rosie and Sam stays at the same level. The mysterious Monty arrives to move the plot (and the greater arc of Rosie's past) on. Rosie has a spooky experience that Sam doesn't see.
It's too much like a re-run of the X-files, set in Essex and, while I appreciate the local geography, language and humour, it's starting to wear thin to me. I get the episodic nature of the series, but I wish Syd Moore would up the pace with the overriding arcs - get Rosie off her investigative arse and pursue Monty with a vengeance, declare for the Witch Museum and either close down or open up the relationship with Sam.
I look forward to reading the reviews of the next one before deciding to invest any more time in the series.
Rosie and Sam get up to their usual capers in Essex after a spooky death at a local writers conference. More deaths follow, but I really struggled with this one as it feels like a repeat.
The sexual tension between Rosie and Sam stays at the same level. The mysterious Monty arrives to move the plot (and the greater arc of Rosie's past) on. Rosie has a spooky experience that Sam doesn't see.
It's too much like a re-run of the X-files, set in Essex and, while I appreciate the local geography, language and humour, it's starting to wear thin to me. I get the episodic nature of the series, but I wish Syd Moore would up the pace with the overriding arcs - get Rosie off her investigative arse and pursue Monty with a vengeance, declare for the Witch Museum and either close down or open up the relationship with Sam.
I look forward to reading the reviews of the next one before deciding to invest any more time in the series.
April 5, 2020
This is my absolute favourite Rosie Strange novel yet. I just can't wait for the next installment.
April 20, 2019
I've read every single book in this series and I feel like they're getting better every time. Full of real-life facts mixed in with half truths taking their inspiration from actual happenings, plus a dose of pure fiction, and they create the perfect balance of humour, suspense and a little dash of creepiness. I can never wait for the next book to come out - I'm eagerly waiting!
October 13, 2019
Not quite up to her usual standard but still enjoyable.
June 2, 2021
Rosie and Sam at Halloween! What could go wrong?! When a creative writing course is held at Ratchette Hall and there's a murder, who else can help investigate but the witch museum duo!
This is a really intriguing whodunnit, and with the added element of it being held amidst a writers' retreat, it allows the story to throw in a few curveballs! Just why was the murder victim clutching a marble finger to his chest?! It's all very Agatha Christie as they start trying to put the pieces of the puzzle together. And then there's another victim......
Add to the mix a wolf heard in the local woods, a python missing from the local zoo and some weird things caught on camera, and you really do get caught up in the drama of it all and wondering where the plot will take you next!
This book was less about Rosie and Sam as the case takes centre stage, but we still get to enjoy their unique approach to investigating the supernatural world and I found it to be another fun story that entertains from start to finish!
This is a really intriguing whodunnit, and with the added element of it being held amidst a writers' retreat, it allows the story to throw in a few curveballs! Just why was the murder victim clutching a marble finger to his chest?! It's all very Agatha Christie as they start trying to put the pieces of the puzzle together. And then there's another victim......
Add to the mix a wolf heard in the local woods, a python missing from the local zoo and some weird things caught on camera, and you really do get caught up in the drama of it all and wondering where the plot will take you next!
This book was less about Rosie and Sam as the case takes centre stage, but we still get to enjoy their unique approach to investigating the supernatural world and I found it to be another fun story that entertains from start to finish!
June 6, 2019
Having already read the very enjoyable first book (but not the 2nd or 3rd in the series), I was keen to read this when the opportunity came up. I whizzed through it, finding it a fun, easy read while including interesting aspects of truth about Essex supernatural legends and history. Syd Moore is a very knowledgeable author and mixes the history with fiction very well - and all is explained at the end so you know which is which!
Strange Tombs is a mystery with comedy elements, well written but I felt it was a little more clunky than the first book. Also it revealed a lot of info on the Strange family story that must have come out in the two books I have not yet read - so I would advise reading the series in order to maximise enjoyment! I am definitely still looking forward to reading the two books I skipped though.
3.5 ⭐ from me
Strange Tombs is a mystery with comedy elements, well written but I felt it was a little more clunky than the first book. Also it revealed a lot of info on the Strange family story that must have come out in the two books I have not yet read - so I would advise reading the series in order to maximise enjoyment! I am definitely still looking forward to reading the two books I skipped though.
3.5 ⭐ from me
June 11, 2019
Although this is the 4th book in the series, it is the first I have read, and although it did read ok as a standalone I felt I missed a lot of the backstory from previous books. Nevertheless I really enjoyed reading about Rosie Strange and Sam Stone, who are called in by the mysterious Monty from MI5 or MI6 (not sure which!) to investigate strange goings on at a writers retreat.
I loved the characters of both Rosie and Sam, though Rosie is definitely my favourite. She’s totally hilarious! And there was also a host of other interesting characters, all well written and realistically portrayed. The story was captivating and I loved the mix of murder mystery and Essex folklore and legend.
Now I really, really want to read the other books in the series to find out how Rosie came to inherit the witch museum.
I loved the characters of both Rosie and Sam, though Rosie is definitely my favourite. She’s totally hilarious! And there was also a host of other interesting characters, all well written and realistically portrayed. The story was captivating and I loved the mix of murder mystery and Essex folklore and legend.
Now I really, really want to read the other books in the series to find out how Rosie came to inherit the witch museum.
May 24, 2019
Syd Moore writes brilliantly and with such richness and detail. I did slightly prefer the previous novels but only as I had trouble for ages differentiating the rather over-populated cast of ‘mystery writer’ characters, despite their vivid descriptions, so it was a slower read. But nevertheless it was brilliantly plotted and her use of metaphor is fantastic! I do wish Rosie would shut up about her claim to be working-class and her accompanying inverted snobbery. She doesn’t appear to be working class by her relationship to culture, her background, her family heritage, her job, her ambitions or her financial assets. What does she consider those without her reach?? Rosie, you’re a classic lower-middle - like most Brits.
June 6, 2019
The fourth book in the Essex Witch Musem series. In this one our dynamic and intrepid duo are called to investigate the demise of the curator at a writers’ retreat, who appears to have been frightened to death.
This series is imaginatively and humorously written, and this particular episode definitely has things which bump in the night! It reminded me of an Agatha Christie mystery meeting a game of Cluedo with a bit of hocus pocus thrown in. There is still the ‘will they, won’t they’ scenario with the main characters but I’m forever hopeful for them.😊. If I’m to be picky, I thought it did get a little long winded at times. Even so, it’s still an entertaining story.
All in all a fun and quirky read and a great addition to this enchanting series.
This series is imaginatively and humorously written, and this particular episode definitely has things which bump in the night! It reminded me of an Agatha Christie mystery meeting a game of Cluedo with a bit of hocus pocus thrown in. There is still the ‘will they, won’t they’ scenario with the main characters but I’m forever hopeful for them.😊. If I’m to be picky, I thought it did get a little long winded at times. Even so, it’s still an entertaining story.
All in all a fun and quirky read and a great addition to this enchanting series.
June 8, 2019
Recap: Rosie and Sam are asked to investigate a murder at a crime writers writing retreat.
Review: As always you are given glimpses of the supernatural that are never quite explained fully away. We're given a smidge more information on Rosie's parents but not enough, we need more! I really hope there's a full reveal planned for the future. The writer characters at the retreat were amusing and as always I had no idea whodunit - I never do lol. Really liked the Dorcus character - will we learn more about him? I hope so. Rosie and Sam's interplay feels more natural and we got a kiss! Just not quite that kind lol. Less witches but lots of local lore and history which is very interesting.
Review: As always you are given glimpses of the supernatural that are never quite explained fully away. We're given a smidge more information on Rosie's parents but not enough, we need more! I really hope there's a full reveal planned for the future. The writer characters at the retreat were amusing and as always I had no idea whodunit - I never do lol. Really liked the Dorcus character - will we learn more about him? I hope so. Rosie and Sam's interplay feels more natural and we got a kiss! Just not quite that kind lol. Less witches but lots of local lore and history which is very interesting.
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December 1, 2025You know what ? I will not rate this book because it is entirely my fault. I brought it fully for the cover and the sinopsis and started reading it without knowing that it was one of the middle books from a series. It had potential , it fit the spooky season when I started reading it, but I feel like I lost a bunch by not starting with the first book of the series. Even though the book kept me entertained and it kept me reading continuously, I’m a mood reader, so having started it around Halloween, then taking a long break and finishing it on the 1st of December took me out of the story. All good vibes tho!!
June 15, 2019
This was the single most atmospheric novel that I have ever run across. It was beautifully written, intricately detailed - but without being too heavily worded - and the tone of the entire work managed to convey the mysterious horror while maintaining an easy read. This is one of the very, very few novels that the bad guy reveal totally took me by surprise! In the end it all made sense, but at the time I had to sit back and read through parts of it again! Extremely well done, and thank you for the opportunity to review this gem!
May 22, 2019
I received a copy of this book from TBC Reviewers request- Thank you
This is the 4th book in the series, but the first one I’ve read it works perfectly as a stand alone but it’s hooked me in to the extent the others are on my to be read list.
I absolutely loved the quirkiness of the characters and the situations that they were involved in
A lovely read that kept me engaged right until the end
Thank you
This is the 4th book in the series, but the first one I’ve read it works perfectly as a stand alone but it’s hooked me in to the extent the others are on my to be read list.
I absolutely loved the quirkiness of the characters and the situations that they were involved in
A lovely read that kept me engaged right until the end
Thank you
June 4, 2019
I read the 3rd book in this series recently, so was excited to read the 4th book. It didn't disappoint.
Sam and Rosie are recruited in by Monty (MI6) to investigate strange goings on and murder(?) in a nearby town. As usual, events don't seem to have a straight forward explanantion, and get stranger the more Rosie and Sam investigate. I really enjoyed this follow up to previous stories, and was very pleased to be given the chance to read it.
Sam and Rosie are recruited in by Monty (MI6) to investigate strange goings on and murder(?) in a nearby town. As usual, events don't seem to have a straight forward explanantion, and get stranger the more Rosie and Sam investigate. I really enjoyed this follow up to previous stories, and was very pleased to be given the chance to read it.
March 15, 2021
Another good offering from Syd Moore and The Essex Witch Museum. Rosie Strange and Sam Stone are off investigating another mystery but this one isn’t connected to the museum except by them.
I find the stories rather implausible (why are the police allowing civilians, even ones who specialise in witch history, investigate murder?) but its an easy read and the characters are entertaining enough to smooth you over the implausibility gaps.
Enjoyable fluff.
I find the stories rather implausible (why are the police allowing civilians, even ones who specialise in witch history, investigate murder?) but its an easy read and the characters are entertaining enough to smooth you over the implausibility gaps.
Enjoyable fluff.
December 28, 2021
Rosie Strange visar lite mindre drag av trope och lite mer djup. Kul omväxling att hon får driva på handlingen så mkt utan intendenten, men det vore också uppfriskande med en enda bok i serien där hon inte nosar på dödsrikets dörr och blir räddad plus bortförklarad av Sam/Monty/någon med högaffel. Kommer jag hinna läsa ut serien innan året är slut? Vi får se!
August 29, 2024
I’ve enjoyed these so far! They are light reading and I like the humour and references as well as the little details which appear to annoy other readers 🤣. I suspect the main character may be an acquired taste and I’m not sure how long I can tolerate the love interest that seems to always be on the horizon.
They’ve kept me hooked for now!
They’ve kept me hooked for now!
May 8, 2019
It took me longer to get into this than I did the previous three books, but it was still really enjoyable, with a lot of the same humour. The ending was great, and sets up the next book very nicely (even if it was a bit of a tease!).
May 27, 2019
A house full of mystery writers and a mystery to solve! Rosie works at the Witch museum and has been called in to investigate. The characters are strongly written and come to life. Some are likable, others not so much. But who is guilty? What really happened? Are more people going to die?
August 17, 2019
Channeling a Christie-esque plot, full of writers, pickled knights, ancient gods and a little botany, this book was an autumnal treat. My only regret is reading it in Summer... but I couldn’t wait. Recommend highly.
January 17, 2021
A great novel in an interesting series.
This book significantly focuses on the mystery and has a very Christie feel to it. It felt fresh in its approach, though it certainly contained less of the supernatural than its predecessors.
This book significantly focuses on the mystery and has a very Christie feel to it. It felt fresh in its approach, though it certainly contained less of the supernatural than its predecessors.
May 10, 2019
Well. What can I say? This latest installment did not disappoint. As usual, full of twists and turns from the outset. Absolutely loved it.
June 12, 2019
Strange Tombs by Syd Moore.
A fantastic read. Rosie and Sam are back. I love this series. I love how realistic they try to be with the museum. Cant wait for the next book. 5*.
A fantastic read. Rosie and Sam are back. I love this series. I love how realistic they try to be with the museum. Cant wait for the next book. 5*.
July 10, 2019
Brilliant as always
May 11, 2020
An suspense filled instalment in this creepy series. I love how the characters are developing and the subtle reminders that Essex girls aren’t all giggly, dim blondes!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 42 reviews