First impressions - the cover drew me in it screams 1920’s drama. The blurb grabbed my attention as it’s exactly my favourite genre, a murder mystery whodunnit. I love 1920’s as it’s always portrayed as an exciting fast paced era full of intrigue, partying and a lot of shenanigans so I was excited to start this book.

Was my first impression accurate? Not entirely, here is why - yes it is a murder mystery set in a 1920’s posh hotel however I was not expecting a supernatural twist so when this element suddenly appeared I was a little disappointed as it is not really something I would read. I did however continue to read and I am glad I did as I did enjoy the storyline albeit a little weird. It had enough of the murder mystery element to keep me interested and I always wanted to read just a little more to see what happens next. It was quite dark with a few rather gruesome scenes scattered throughout, horror/supernatural meets drama.

All of the characters were quirky and gave their own interesting addition to the story, the lead character, Nora, was well portrayed and the writer gave us enough about her to get a feel for her displacement in life.

Overall I’d rate this as 4 out of 5 because the supernatural element appears to be concealed and it’s not my cup of tea, however it was an intriguing read and I did enjoy it.

I’m rarely negative about the books I choose to read but I’m puzzled by this book – or should I say, by the odd marketing of this book.
The cover design and publicity blurb lead you to expect a glamorous jazz age style murder mystery – but what you actually get is a very dark and gruesome supernatural fantasy horror story.
Now there are plenty of people who like the horror and fantasy genre, so I’ve no idea why the publicists went out of their way to attract readers who prefer an Agatha Christie style romp, because like me, those readers are really unlikely to enjoy this book.
If you like supernatural stuff then I’m sure you will like this, it’s just that unless it is better marketed at the target audience, you’re unlikely to realise that’s what it is.
With thanks to the publishers and NetGalley for an ARC in return for an honest review.

DNF at 40%

This book just really wasn’t for me - the blurb was inaccurate, the characters didn’t feel particularly well developed and I just really struggled to figure out what the protagonists motives were in this. There were so many different things going on and unfortunately I just wasn’t interested in any of it.

I hate to be so negative but I reeeeeeally didn’t enjoy this book at all.

Firstly and most importantly (and probably the reason why I didn’t get on with it) is because the blurb is so far from the what the majority of the actual story is about. If it had actually been described as what it was, then I might of enjoyed it more, but I feel like the blurb made it out to be kind of like historical fiction/crime thriller, and it wasn’t really any of those it was just more like a supernatural horror vibe. I was so close to DNFing this after the first few chapters because I was like hold on have I got the right book?

I didn’t like any of the characters at all, so I didn’t really care what happened to them. The setting is cool and that’s what attracted me (working in Birmingham, I thought I might enjoy reading about the city, and I find it’s not represented in that many books) but Birmingham isn’t actually the main setting of the book, a lot is set in flashbacks in Zurich.

There are SO many plots and subplots going on, yeah they do kind of weave together in the end but it is so hard to keep track. Particularly when the elements are supernatural and leave you completely bewildered. I was just so so shocked that it was a supernatural/horror story when the intro was giving me more 1920s plush art deco hotel mystery.

When the truth of the mystery is uncovered I just felt like it was wrapped up so quickly at the end and that 75% of the story was flashbacks, backstory etc that could’ve been really condensed. And the mystery doesn’t seem to impact anyone emotionally in any way at all, which is just bizarre.

If I would’ve known what the story really was I wouldn’t have read this book as I just don’t like horror/supernatural. If that’s your thing then you might really like this. But pleeeeeease can the publisher/editor change the blurb pre-publication??? SO many reviews say the same thing.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book.

Not my type of book. Gruesome in parts but I never got on with the mythical elements. Probably shouldn’t have downloaded it

Hokey Pokey wasn't what the cover or indeed the blurb suggested and it certainly isn't my usual genre but I am glad I had the chance to read it. It's not for the faint hearted and you 'll have to suspend your disbelief but it's most definitely a truly unique story.

Agatha Christie meets horror in the twenties. The book takes place at The Regent Hotel in Birmingham in February, 1929. Behind its six-storeyed façade, you're being transported to the glamour of the twenties. During a snowstorm everybody gets stuck in the hotel: an opera-star, a psychoanalist, a guy who lives at the hotel, the staff... The perfect setting for a something that's not right...

Psycholanalist Nora followed the famous opera singer, Berenice Oxbow from Switserland to Birmingham, to spy upon her. A request from her 'friend' Leo, Berenice's husband. Berenice has visions, one even about Nora's tattoo, which Nora tries to hide.

Then a first person disappears. What happens from then on bring back surpressed memories from the past for many guests. Reality and horror start to blend. The supernatural is never far away, yet it doesn't take the plot over entirely, which is something I loved!

The fast pace and the athmosphere of this book are great. If you like a good murder mystery that is skirting on the edges of the surreal, this book is definitely for you. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

Wow what a great read I enjoy this style of writing had me gripped it was not what I thought I was thinking it a murder mystery read but it not more supernatural we I loved it good keeps you hook the cover I have to say drawed me into the book I loved it a very good book I not want to keep any plot away but want to read more

It's going to be difficult to review this book without giving away major plot points. In fact I think the major issue about this book is that it's advertised in a very misleading way.

I had previously read and enjoyed "The psychology of time travel", I love time travel stories and it was a little bit gay, so it got 5 stars from me. But this one was very different.
You have a main character who can perfectly mimic anyone else's voice which is already a very odd quality requiring suspension of disbelief. As the book progresses we learn exactly where this ability comes from. Along the way, there is some murder and some cannibalism!
The pace is also very slow for the first half, which made me contemplate not finishing it at all. It only really picks up from the moment we see a flashback into the MC's childhood.

Overall, although well written it was a disappointment and I can't help but wonder who exactly this was for? I can't imagine any subset of the audience who'd find meaning in this kind of story. I think it needs better marketing and perhaps transparency around which genre it actually sits in.

The blurb for this book leads you to believe that it is a glamorous 1920’s locked room mystery. The beautiful cover supports this view. The story starts well but rapidly descends into a supernatural/gothic horror story which I would never have chosen to read. Although this is a well written book I feel that the marketing may prevent it from reaching a more appreciative audience. Not for me but I’m sure it will be enjoyed by others.

This was such a good book. I love historical fiction, especially when it is about eras/ situations that I previously knew nothing about and this was definitely one of those books. It was so well researched and so compelling in its narrative that not only did I love reading it but I felt that I learned too. A really enjoyable read and perfect for any fans of historical fiction. This is a first for me by the author and one I enjoyed and I would read more of their work. The book cover is eye-catching and appealing and would spark my interest if in a bookshop. Thank you very much to the author, publisher and Netgalley for this ARC.

The blurb for this book made me think it was going to be a 1920s murder mystery. It isn't, at least not in the way fans of the genre might expect! It's more of a take on the vampire trope than a murder mystery novel, and it owes more to gothic horror than to Agatha Christie, so be warned, if that's not your thing, this isn't the book for you. From the title, I genuinely thought the cocktail Nora drinks would have more of a role, given that absinthe has a reputation for being hallucinogenic, but that aspect was never fully explored in the book, which was a surprise to me given that psychoanalysis was also a main character, and I felt it was a missed opportunity. Overall, the book is well written and very readable, but the ending was lacking for me, and didn't deliver on all the set up, hence only 3 stars.

mingham, the UK’s unofficial ‘Second City’, features surprisingly little in contemporary thriller writing, so I was interested in how Kate Mascarenhas would use the city as a setting. I was not disappointed. We meet the novel’s heroine, Dr Nora Dickinson, in the 1920s and as soon as her job as a psychoanalysist is mentioned, we know we are in for a good read as this profession was highly unusual for women of the 1920s. When it becomes clear that Nora operates a sideline as a private investigator, the novel gets more exciting still. What will Nora find when she starts to shadow hedonistic opera singer Berenice?
An unexpected snowstorm finds both women holed up in the opulent Regent Hotel and the atmosphere is becoming more and more gothic, with people disappearing, a huge dog that appears in Faustian fashion to Nora but then fades away, and a ramping up of the threatening atmosphere. As other readers have commented before me, what makes this thriller so excellent is its precise prose combined with the acute psychological insights into the main characters. There are some passages that are overly long (the passages on Nora’s childhood and her prior links to Berenice’s husband, for example) but the overall effect is a fantastic gothic thriller that brings to life a fictional portrait of the 1920s and that deserves a wide readership. Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for the free ARC that made this book review possible.

Normally I would start off my review with a brief overview of the story I've read but, as this book is so unique, I actually think that it's something that needs to be experienced firsthand. Therefore, I'm going to skip my take on the story lest I ruin Hokey Pokey's mystique. Onto the review...

First off, I would just like to say WOW. This book truly was something special. I love a story with magical realism, and this was exactly that. At some parts gross, at others beautiful, Hokey Pokey made me feel all the emotions. Kate Mascarenhas' writing style was beautiful and I loved every second of it.

One of my favourite things about this story was the fact that I had no idea what was going on and what was real at any point, in the best possible way. I also found it interesting, reading this, that all of the characters should have been unlikeable - being selfish, deluded, obnoxious, etc - but for some reason, I adored them all.

Overall, I loved everything about this book and would recommend it highly.

In Hokey Pokey, Mascarenhas has written a novel that is somewhat difficult to categorise. The advertising would have it that this is a locked room type mystery, set in a snowed-in hotel in Birmingham with the usual catalogue of players / suspects. However, the reality is somewhat different. the book is more of a gothic horror, albeit lacking in any real feeling of horror or suspense - the atmosphere does not convey the right level of suspense, horror or malevolence that was surely intended.

Readers who come to the book expecting the former will be disappointed - there is a mystery aspect to the book, but it is secondary to the rather supernatural content. On the other hand, the correct market for the book may well not find it due to the thrust of the advertising.

Characters are reasonably well drawn, although the main protagonist seems to be something of an unreliable narrator, and it is difficult to empathise with her or indeed any of the other characters in the book.

Aimed at the right market, this could be a good seller but at present there is something of a disconnect between the pitch and the target.

I enjoyed this book, I was attracted by the unusual description of it. Set in 1929, in the Regent Hotel in Birmingham, a psychoanalyst checks in to the hotel under a false name. Although this is fictional history, there is a glamour about it. The book is very atmospheric.
The story is a mixture of crime, magic and romance. The two main characters are women. In many ways they are typical of that time. As I settled into reading this book I realised it was not going to be straightforward, it took twists and turns from an everyday setting to magical events and mythical plots. It was however easy to follow, that is important to me when the story changes so much.
This was an unusual read, something that I appreciated for a change to my usual reading.
I look forward to more books by this author.

Not your standard murder mystery!

The book opens with a sumptuous description of the hotel - it takes the reader straight into the setting, following Nora as she moves through the building and it sounds exquisite - Art Deco opulence at its finest. The style reminded me a little of the opening to programmes like Downton Abbey, where the camera follows someone through a building, picking up all the little details that identify the set as that of a period drama.

From the blurb and the front cover, I'd been expecting a straightforward crime novel, something that lay somewhere between cosy and proper crime but with a 1920s twist, perhaps akin to an Agatha Christie whodunnit, but perhaps a little darker in tone. However, it quickly became apparent that this book was anything but that! It was much more supernatural in tone and became extremely dark in places. I think the supernatural element may put some readers off, as it isn't mentioned specifically in the blurb, however, I loved it because it's what gives the book its unique character. It's a very unusual concept, but it's utterly compelling and it is this which leaves the reader never quite sure where they are and what's going on. In this instance, this is a good thing because it keeps them engaged and reading on in an attempt to find out what on earth is going on.

Reading the book is an experience in itself - just when you think you have a handle on it, something happens to throw you off balance again. Slowly the disparate elements begin to come together to form a cohesive story and as the pieces fall into place, it all begins to make a horrible sort of sense. Bordering on the macabre in places, this is not a book for the faint-hearted, but if you have the stomach for it, it's well worth a read. It defied every pre-conception I had about it and I absolutely loved it. At times it left me shaking my head, feeling a little nauseous and none of the characters are particularly likeable, but there's something about the whole package that is magical and the ending left me anxious for their future in so many ways.

Hokey Pokey has established Kate Mascarenhas as an auto-buy author for me. I have really enjoyed all her books so far, if enjoyed is the word for something so disturbing and addictive.

Stepping into The Regent is stepping into a world that is both dazzling and hazy, understated and dark.

Nora is a psychoanalyst, who has followed her friends wife from Zurich to England, in an attempt to discover her affair. But when a snowstorm traps everyone from travel, and disappearances and murders begin, you find a lot more to this story than a 20s murder mystery.

This book had me questioning whether the psychological side of this story was more disturbing than the Brothers Grimm style violence, and had me gripped from start to finish. Thank you so much netgalley for the e-arc of this book.

This book was well written and I am sure would be enjoyed my many people. However, it’s not a genre which I enjoy. If I had realised that it was supernatural- a genre which I have never enjoyed, I wouldn’t have applied to read it.

Having said that, I found Nora and Berenice intriguing and enjoyed their blossoming relationship.

If you enjoy supernatural books then this is for you.

100% not what I was expecting at all….this is not a bad thing as it meant I went into the book pleasantly surprised and this continued throughout! A beautiful cover from the debut from this author, I am looking forward to reading more from this author. A great story related to the supernatural - I would recommend!