As I was reading this book, I wasn't too sure where the plot was going to lead. I was intrigued by Nora spying on the supposedly cheating opera singer. But there was going to be a lot more to this story. It turns out that Nora grew up nearby and has a dark past, with a secret that she bears. There is a plot twist that I didn't see coming.

'Hokey Pokey' follows Nora, a psychoanalyst who is on a secret mission. She checks into the Regent Hotel, Birmingham, in 1929 to follow a famous opera singer and hopefully find evidence of her infidelity. However, when a snow storm floods the streets of Birmingham, cutting the hotel off from the world, and another guest goes missing, Nora's agenda begins to change. Will she be able to stay focused on the reason she is there or is her past going to catch up with her before she can complete her mission?
As you might know from my other reviews, book set in the 1920s are absolutely my bag. The parts of this novel set in the hotel, with jazzy scenery, costumes and cocktails galore, were my favourite bits by far. This was where the writing really dazzled in my opinion! The flashback sections - which actually take up a large amount of the story - were less compelling to me, but essential to understanding the development of Nora's character, so I think Mascarenhas struck a decent balance there.
The story itself took some very unexpected turns. After a while, it became obvious there was more to this mystery - something darker and more supernatural. Now, while that's no bad thing, it's not even hinted at in the blurb! If you were reading this based on the blurb, probably hoping for an eerie mystery set in a hotel in the 1920s, you could fine yourself confused, shocked and maybe even a little disappointed. Luckily, I didn’t mind the change in direction!
All in all, superb 1920s imagery and plot-twists galore!

Birmingham, 1929. Welcome to the luxurious Regent Hotel, where guests can dine on sumptuous cuisine, sip absinthe in the glamorous cocktail bar, and have their every need catered to by an army of discrete and smartly dressed attendants. While the facade of the uber-stylish Regent may seem highly respectable, this is a place of contradictions, much like its clientele. For some, rules can be bent to accommodate more lascivious tastes, and misdemeanours can be overlooked, if the guests are wealthy enough - or know how to trade in secrets.

As a winter storm closes in, psychoanalyst Dr Nora Dickinson checks in. Her secret mission is to spy on Berenice Oxbow, the famous opera singer from Zurich, on behalf of her psychiatrist husband, but Nora's motives are clouded. When the hotel gets cut off from the outside world in a mighty blizzard, the evil that stalks the corridors of the Regent comes out to play, and Nora might just be the only one that can stem the tide of murder and mayhem that threatens to disrupt her plans.

Hokey Pokey is the third glorious novel from Kate Mascarenhas, and it offers an intriguing extension of the themes she has explored in her earlier books, The Psychology of Time Travel and The Thief on the Winged Horse.

In many ways this is a classic locked room mystery, which Nora finds herself bound to solve when murder raises its ugly head, but this is not your normal golden age crime story. The setting of the Regent Hotel may be straight out of the 1920s, with deliciously described sights sounds and smells that conjure up the delights of the era for your sensuous pleasure, right down to the absinthe laden cocktails available in the bar - but here there be monsters.

Drawing on fable and folklore, Mascarenhas blurs the lines between reality and imagination, moving between events at the Regent, Nora's childhood in the woods of Alspeth, and her life in Zurich. She brings alive visions from your nightmares in true horror fashion, but she incorporates psychoanalytical aspects of the motivations and experiences of the characters too, so you can never be quite sure how much of the story is intended to be taken literally, or metaphsyically - until the truth becomes shockingly clear.

There is a veritable feast of themes running throughout this novel, and Mascarenhas weaves them through compelling scenes thrumming with taut emotion, passion, suspicion, and violence. Identity, control, power and desire are deftly explored; notions of illusion and mimicry are used to perfection; and there are recurring motifs that beautifully link all the parts of the story together. Nora's evolution across the novel, as she comes to understand herself, and what is going on around her, is spellbinding.

I am a big fan of Mascarenhas' writing, especially when it comes to her female characters. I have loved all her novels, and Hokey Pokey is my favourite one yet. I am already craving more.

Sadly this book defeated me. It started off well enough and held my interest until part 2 when it started to wane. By the time part 3 arrived, I had lost the plot completely and so, by a 4 chapters into part 3, I gave up in frustration and moved on to the next book on my very long reading list.

This book was not really as I expected. I am now into horror in any way, including the mildest forms. This came in the category for me, although I can see the imagery of feeling born out of your right family. This crops up a couple of times. This was more vampire than thriller for me, however, I’m grateful to the publisher, author and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this. All opinions are my own and in no way influenced by the fact that I received this ARC in exchange for a review.

Most of the time I had no real idea where this book was going. Initially it really felt like a murder mystery set up, with great descriptions of the hotel and the decorations. Although that murder mystery feeling continued underneath the surface, the main story soon veered off into many other strange and weird directions. I’m unsure why everyone was obsessed with the opera singer, but she was clearly the catalyst for many of the things happening in the hotel. The last couple of chapters were especially surprising. I’m not sure what to make of the end and it left me oddly on edge and unsatisfied.

Unfortunately this was a DNF book. It started off ok but then became very weird about a 3rd of the way through.

You might enjoy this if you’re into dark supernatural horror but this wasn’t for me.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for giving me a copy of this book in exchange for my review

Found it a strange book - a mix of historical fiction with gothic horror, paranormal and murder mystery thrown in.
Nora is a complicated character and you never knew what was real and what wasn’t.
However I did love the descriptions of the Art Deco Regent Hotel - very decadent with glitz and glamour.
Thanks @katemascarenhas @HoZ_Books & @netgalley for the eARC

As a child Nora grows up isolated with a father who appears to care little about her and a mother who tells her nightmarish tales and encourages her to mimic and spy on people. As an adult Nora is following an opera singer Berenice, under the orders of her jealous husband Leo looking for evidence of an affair. Yet Nora is still a skilled mimic and enjoys spying on Berenice and replicating her words and songs. When the hotel in Birmingham where they are staying becomes a crime scene is Nora going to become a victim or is she the murderer or something else entirely?

It's not often that I think a book is too weird for me but this might be it. I can cope with none of the characters being likeable but one minute it's a jealous lover story, then it's blackmail and murder, then it's cannibalistic monsters in the forest. At one point I wondered if the whole thing would be some terrible delusion of a psychiatric patient as that would make sense. Certainly worth a read as I like this author and the Birmingham hotel setting but not my cup of tea

Nora enters a Birmingham hotel with a clear goal but events from Nora's past start to bleed into the present when a blizzard descends.

This is a fearless novel, it does not shy away from taking characters down paths you don't expect and embracing the strange.

Really enjoyable.

Hokey Pokey might be the first book I've read set in 1920s Europe, or atleast that I can recall.
Mascarenhas does a superb job of setting the scene, everything from architecture to dinner felt thematically perfect. Described in enough detail to picture the moment and maintaining the story pace without unnecessary verbiage, I'm pleased to have encountered this author.

I absolutely hated Oxbow which was obviously the authors intent. I physically recoiled in disgust on several occasions, so well written was this arrogant, pompous character.
For the better half of Hokey Pokey I was not a fan of the main character Nora either, her cold outlook was at odds with her motives and it wasn't until her entire history had unfolded that I found a reason to root for her.

Instead I was engulfed with the mystery of the vanishing Hotel guests, possible ghost sightings and lore of the 'Hyring'. I'd not heard of such a creature before and an (admittedly not extensive) internet search leads me to believe this is a fantasy of Mascarenhas creation. If so kudos, I very much enjoyed it and recommend you read Hokey Pokey if not only for this.

It was interesting to read from a woman's perspective in 20s Europe where the cultural etiquette strictly forbade women from drinking alone or travelling without business priorities or escort companions.

I will forgive Mascarenhas the one clumsy reveal- a cheap plot tie that left me somewhat disgruntled, for the majority of Hokey Pokey was intriguing and the ending vindicated my reaction to the collection of bad seeds comprising the characters.

There is unexpectedly grim body horror to be found in this novel, scoring extra points for an altogether fun read

On the face of it, this is a glamorous Golden Age murder mystery - but that conceals a darker truth and this develops into a fantasy gothic horror. Not at all what I expected and having enjoyed The Thief on the Winged Horse immensely, this didn't quite hit the spot for me, though it is still very well written I wasn't absorbed on the same way.

Firstly, let me say that this is not my kind of read. I completely missed the 'horror' part in the description which is solely down to me.

As befitting the roaring twenties, Birmingham's Regent Hotel is rather opulent; just the kind of place to sip evening cocktails. Nora Dickinson has booked in, but under a pseudonym which is completely unlike her, but she's on a mission. secretly shadowing a famous opera singer. When a snow storm confines everyone to the hotel and isolates them from the outside world, Nora's grip on reality loosens and darkness descends.

Now, this wasn't one for me at all, and I take full responsibility for choosing it. Having said that, I didn't realise until some way through and started off full of enthusiasm. What I think was the 'horror' part of the book didn't bother me too much but I really struggled to stay with the story. I had to force myself to keep reading and it didn't really do anything for me - in fact, I reached the end with a feeling of relief. While it wasn't for me, I couldn't fault the author's succinct writing and so I'll give this one 3*.

My thanks to the publisher for my copy; this is - as always - my honest, original and unbiased review.

Enjoyable slow-burn mystery.
The first half (third?) of the book felt all together too long for me, as I almost decided to DNF. In the end, the way the story is set up works really well, but while reading it made for a very confusing experience.

I expected a, closed-room, Agatha Christie-like cosy crime book and this was more supernatural mystery.

This is a wonderfully clever story that starts out as a fairly run of the mill mystery set in a 1920s hotel but it soon develops in to something, very, very unexpected. A fun read with original ideas and great characters.

Dr Nora Dickinson, psychoanalyst, is spying on Berenice Oxbow, opera star, in a Birmingham Hotel where they are snowed in. Is this doctor-patient or something more sinister? Nora’s former lover, Leo, is married to Berenice, so perhaps this is a revenge-persecution-murder story? But Nora is there at Leo’s behest, seeking to find out if Berenice is unfaithful. Why would he do that? Partly this is just because he can coerce Nora into doing things for him, but primarily it is because Nora is a consummate, in fact quintessential, mimic and possessed of total recall. She is a human Dictaphone capable of reciting complete conversations in the voices of the participants. An ideal spy. This talent, it transpires, is due to her being a “Hyring”, a mythical being that can take on human form (an aspect of its mimicry) and eats people. Perhaps this is a love triangle story? But, putting all the pieces together, what we have is a bunch of people trapped in a location with a killer on the loose, which is a classic trope in the murder-mystery genre.
The first section of the book covers the setup described above. It is February 1929, in the English Midlands, and the writing style is quite evocative of that period. It is a bit slow, or perhaps just a bit indulgent. It cuts away from there to describe Nora’s childhood, filling in details about the “Hyrings” and her family connection to them. It has elements of a horror story but doesn’t really get its teeth into it (to coin a phrase). Returning to the Hotel, the pace picks up and a nice twist is revealed. The events are logical within the plot and the ending is satisfactory. However, although there is an element of mayhem, it never rises to the hoped for thrilling level of horror. Overall, it is an intriguing read, and quite entertaining.
I would like to thank NetGalley, the publishers and the author for providing me with a draft proof copy for the purpose of this review.

(review contains spoilers)
I went into this book pretty blind purely on the basis of having loved 'The Psychology of Time Travel. Even if I'd studied the blurb though, there's no way it could have prepared my expectations.

The author's writing style is once again a perfect balance of easy to read and lush with detail letting you paint a picture of the strange Birmingham hotel and the guests within.

I loved being tricked by the early unreliable narration of Nora and where it all led as the book suddenly changed pace and tone when the truth was revealed to the reader. Even then I was doubting what was real and what was delusion. The ending left me with a smile as Nora found her true self and wasn't afraid to ask for what she wanted anymore. The 'monster' wins in a way but so she should!

Hokey Pokey by Kate Mascarenhas
Publication date: 8 June 2023
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4 stars
Thank you to NetGalley and Head of Zeus for providing me with an e-copy of this book in exchange for an honest review
~~~~~
February, 1929. The Regent Hotel in Birmingham is a place of deception and glamour. A psychoanalyst checks in under a pseudonym: Nora Dickinson. Though she doesn't see herself as a liar, she is following the famous opera singer, Berenice Oxbow, to spy on her. But when a terrible snow storm isolates the hotel – and its guests – from the outside world, the lines between nightmare and reality begin to blur...
~~~~~
I was expecting murder mystery in an isolated hotel. Instead, I got gory and bloody supernatural horror... It took me by surprise but I can't say I minded!
All of the main characters are unpleasant, selfish and of dubious morality, which I loved. The writing was really evocative and I loved the hotel setting, with secrets behind every door. It felt creepy, claustrophobic and dark.
But there is another timeline when we flash back to Nora's childhood and early adulthood, where we come to understand how she became who - and what - she is now. I wish there had been more development of the lore and background to flesh out the supernatural elements of this book.
And I also wish the pacing had been better balanced, because the ending felt a little bit rushed.
But all in all, I had a great time reading this and I flew through it. I'd already read The Psychology of Time Travel from this author and I'm looking forward to picking more of her books.
~~~~~

Thanks to Netgalley and Head of Zeus for the e- ARC.

This books starts as a murder mystery/thriller as we follow Nora Dickinson, young psychoanalyst, sent on spying the famous opera singer Berenice Oxbow. Well the beginning was quite slow, I was confused at some point what I am actually reading. Then we came to part, which is about the childhood of our main character and oh man I was hooked. I could not stop reading.
This twisty story made me surprised at the end. It was really unique and interesting read.
4 stars from me, it would be 5 if the beginning would not be that slow

Based on the blurb, and the first few chapters of the book, you might be forgiven for thinking you were about to read a ‘Golden Age’ mystery so you will be surprised – as I was – to find yourself embarking on a quite different journey into something dark and macabre. The author’s debut novel The Psychology of Time Travel, which I read in 2018, had elements of mind-bending fantasy but Hokey Pokey takes the reader into the realm of horror. It becomes clear that evil stalks the Regent Hotel.

Part one of the book introduces us to Nora who, as well as being a psychoanalyst, has a remarkable ‘gift’ but one which can be used for good or ill. (No prizes for guessing which in this case.) The origin of this gift the reader learns more about in part two of the book which takes us back to Nora’s childhood and has a fairytale quality reminiscent of the Brothers Grimm allied with a real sense of the macabre. Although set in a village near Birmingham, Nora’s home deep in the woods wouldn’t be out of place in Transylvania. This section includes a particularly gruesome scene which, if you’re squeamish, you may find disturbing although I guess no more than watching one of Shakespeare’s more bloody plays.

Part three of the book fills in more of the background to Nora’s mission and her rather disturbing motivation for embarking on it whilst the final section of the book provides just about everything fans of Gothic horror could desire. Personally, if I’d known what was in store I’d have checked out of the Regent Hotel soon after arrival.