Pearl has lead a pretty boring existence. There's always been just her and her emotionally unavailable father after her mother died in childbirth. Pearl's life has been nothing short of mundane, turning her into a shy and retiring young woman, afraid to take chances or change her life in any way. Her days set to the routines dictated by her father and her strange relationship with time and time pieces, each one set to 10.04. 

Unexpectedly, an invitation to attend a gathering at Highcliffe house arrives and her usually predictable father insists they step outside the norms of their existence and attend. They haven't so much been invited as been warned they'd better come.  Pearl has little experience of life outside her home with her father and is naturally apprehensive, particularly as not all is as it seems. However, nothing could have prepared her for the discovery she makes while swimming in house's private cove and how it will turn time and indeed her life, on its head. Suddenly, Pearl finds herself caught in an endless loop trying to solve the mystery of her own and the other guests deaths and fears she will be destined to repeat the same day over and over again forever. Time now has an altogether new meaning, but will it be her undoing or the making of her?

Well, what can I say except to shout loudly about how much I loved this book! Jenni Keer has really outdone herself yet again with such an intriguing plot. As another reviewer has rightly said, 'Rebecca meets Agatha Christie meets Groundhog Day.' When I saw this on X (Twitter) I did laugh as the whole way through the book that's exactly what I was thinking! And given that Rebecca is my most favourite novel of all time, the book had me hooked from page 1. Its really hard not to draw the comparisons when At the Stroke of Midnight brings exciting elements of mystery, dark and brooding thriller and some supernatural elements into the story. I read the book and also listened to it on Audible in the car and I kept thinking about how it would not look out of place as an old black and white movie. It just had that sort of vibe about it. Jenni Keer has managed to capture the essence of the period with the wonderful language and the relationships of the main characters. I kept expecting someone to jump out of a wardrobe and shout, 'THE BUTLER DID IT IN THE LIBRARY WITH THE CANDLESTICK!' I changed my mind many times about what I thought was the answer to the different mysteries within the story and was wrong on so many levels. I absolutely love a book that keeps me guessing and guessing. 

Throughout the book, I could not help but be Pearl's greatest cheerleader as she evolved from a shy and easily intimidated young woman into a feisty amateur sleuth and discovered so many things about herself. Reliving the same day and your death over and over again must be exhausting! 

At The Stroke of Midnight is a fantastic read that will keep the reader enthralled, pique their imagination and curiosity and become as desperate as Pearl to get to the bottom of this unusual mystery.  Highly recommended.