Penhallow is considered the last of Heyer's mysteries, though it isn't actually a mystery! At first I didn't like the book. The first half is a story of unrelenting grimness. Adam Penhallow is a tyrannical lord of the manor. He psychologically abuses and browbeats his clan. As he is bedridden and getting sicker, he gets worse and worse so that he seems almost insane. He has 7 sons and one daughter. The oldest is Raymond, tough, taciturn, a workaholic who has always felt rejected by his father and jealous of the brother just younger than him. He is a great estate manager though and keeps things afloat and his great passion is breeding horses. All the Penhallow men are rough, tough and completely absorbed by sport and hunting. Ingram is the son who seems more favored. He escaped the manor to fight in WWI where he injured his leg. He also met and married Myra. Eugene somehow escaped for a few years, earned some living as a writer, met and married Vivian. But Eugene got sick, returned home, and is now incapable of leaving his father's sphere. Vivian passionately devotes herself to her husband but hates living at Penhallow.
Bart and Conrad are twins that live at home. Bart is definitely the best of the lot, the most human and least warped by his father's toxicity but still he has a violent temper. He still has the Penhallow character flaws. His twin is consumed with jealousy because Bart has fallen in love with their butler's niece, Loveday, who is the personal maid and companion to their stepmother.
Aubrey has moved away from home but has gotten into debt. Penhallow is threatening to bring him home. He wants all his sons under his control so he can lord over them. But Aubrey is gay and much prefers living in London and living a wastrel life. He is effeminate, manipulative and cattily cruel. He's really just as abusive as his father. No one else in the family can stand him. Though they all fight among themselves constantly, there is a familial and filial bond underneath all the ugly sibling infighting.
Charmaine is the only daughter. She is manly and openly lesbian. She is the only one who is independent financially from her father. She had an aunt who felt sorry for her being the only girl in a family of brutes, so she left her money. It's enough to live fairly simply in London.
The youngest son is Clay. He is the only child of Penhallow's second wife, Faith. Faith is 22 years younger than her husband. She can never live down Rachel, the first wife. She is a timid creature who has been chafing under her husband's brutality for 20 years. She is desperate to keep her only son from his influence.
Once I realized this was going to be a completely different Heyer book, I let go of my expectations. The book is really grim and there is no satisfying moral catharsis. Evil begets evil and those caught in the trap are pretty much helpless. However the book is extremely well written and realistic. I found that I could really appreciate the story and the character development.
I'm glad I read it. It gives a lot of food for thought.
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