I always know I’m gonna have fun with a McManus title, even if it doesn’t capture my memory as easily as it does my attention. I love stories about family drama and the decadence of the wealthy falling into disrepair and ruin (hello, Gothic undertones to the theme!), and this story had just enough of that at the core of it to keep me turning pages. Aubrey and her uncle (easily the moral centers of the story), and Milly (easily the shit stirrer who makes things happen) are my favorite members of the family by far, and I’m a big fan of Jonah’s snarky attitude

(at least, fake Jonah, who isn’t a cousin but has the financial incentive from the real one to come to the island for the summer)

. The kids didn’t do much actual investigating into the Odd Circumstances surrounding their invitation to the island and the weird things they find out when there, which is disappointing as I prefer my thriller NS mystery protagonists to take a much more active role in figuring stuff out, but the dual timelines and the more inquisitive side characters giving info to them (my least favorite method of revelations) kept me reading. The ending twist was over the top and very fun, and the post-ending twist

revealing that the impersonators had spent all the family money and there wasn’t any inheritance left

was super satisfying in that schadenfreude way. The real wealth was the new family ties built along the way. 
Not one I’ll be revisiting, but a super fun way to spend a day.