
A rather peculiar poisoning
A clever and atmospheric debut set at a turn-of-the-century manor where a week-long engagement celebration takes a deadly twist.
Available September 2nd, 2025
Park Row Books/Harper Collins

A celebration at a turn-of-the-century manor takes a deadly turn, and everyone becomes a suspect.
Twin brothers Easton and Weston are both in love with their childhood best friend Eloise. But headstrong Eloise prefers the younger brother, Wes, which is why she is heartbroken when, quite unexpectedly, Wes proposes to an heiress, and Eloise finds herself engaged to Easton—the twin she cannot stand. Then, during a week celebration, Wes is poisoned. Murmurs of nightshade slip through the manor, and everyone seems to have a motive.
Was it Della Drewitt—the heiress reluctant to marry Wes? Or did Easton decide killing his brother was the only way to secure Eloise’s affections? Or was it the housemaid Violet, Wes’ previous lover?
As guests turn into suspects, attempts to kill Wes become more relentless than the storms churning the estate—who wants him dead, and why?
Praise for A RATHER PECULIAR POISONING:
“A Rather Peculiar Poisoning is a masterpiece of expertly woven moving parts, gorgeous prose, and deliciously complex characters. It’s a mystery that will haunt your thoughts long after you close the book.”
— Ande Pliego, USA Today bestselling author of You Are Fatally Invited
“I couldn’t put this book down. A beautifully written upstairs/downstairs whodunit where everyone is in danger and everyone is suspect! Kept me guessing to the very end.”
— USA Today bestselling author Molly Fader
“Chrystal Schleyer’s A Rather Peculiar Poisoning is hauntingly atmospheric and completely immersive—a gorgeously wrought, twisting labyrinth of a mystery that kept me guessing right up to the final page.”
— Emily Bain Murphy, author of Enchanted Hill & The Ivory City
“A fun, twisty, gothic mystery. Readers will be left mystified, intrigued, and dazzled as they travel through this lush, poison-laced tale.”
— Autumn Krause, acclaimed author of Grave Flowers
“A particularly satisfying mystery of manners, deceits, star-crossed lovers, and upstairs/downstairs intrigue, all offered up in a smart voice that brings to life an engagement party gone deliciously (and murderously) awry in the 1900s at an English manor house. Bravo!”
— Sharon Short, author of Trouble Island
“A delicious mystery packed with atmosphere, memorable characters, and twists you won’t see coming. A Rather Peculiar Poisoning feels like Downton Abbey meets Agatha Christie. Kept me guessing all the way up to the last page!”
— Chelsea Iverson, author of The Peculiar Garden of Harriet Hunt

About Chrystal
Chrystal Schleyer lives in South Carolina with her husband and children. Tucked away in a little black house on an old hay field, she happily lives in the middle of nowhere.
When not writing or reading, she can be found outside with her ever growing number of animals or scouring the shelves of the nearest thrift store.

For rights inquiries, please contact:
Sophie Cudd
The Book Group
Sophie@thebookgroup.com
For publicity, please contact:
Laura Gianino
Laura.Gianino@HarperCollins.com