The Devil in Oxford: A Ruby Vaughn Mystery

By Jess Armstrong

Book Overview

Set after the Great War, Jess Armstrong's USA Today bestselling and award-winning series is historical gothic murder mystery at its best, and Ruby Vaughn returns in The Devil in Oxford.

If someone were to ask American heiress Ruby Vaughn how exactly the occult came to play such a large role in her life, she would immediately point to her octogenarian housemate and employer, Mr. Owen. Together, the pair run a rare book shop in Exeter. Mr. Owen's penchant for arcane, unusual--and occasionally illegal--books has been known to get Ruby into her fair share of trouble. And after the last year, she is looking forward to spending a quiet holiday in picturesque Oxford while Mr. Owen attends the annual meeting of his antiquarian society. Secretly, Ruby is also looking for a holiday from her confounding feelings for Ruan Kivell, the intriguing folk healer Pellar that she met in Cornwall.

When Mr. Owen secures two tickets to an upcoming exhibition of artifacts amassed by disgraced scholar Julius Harker, Ruby reluctantly agrees to attend. The evening turns out to be more eventful than either of them bargained for. Harker's dead body is discovered amongst the collection, his business partner is hastily arrested, and Ruan arrives...wanting to speak with Ruby. It seems both the arcane and her Pellar have followed Ruby to Oxford.

The murder case is suspicious at best, but the last thing Ruby wants is another investigation. That is, until an old friend comes begging for Ruby's help. It soon becomes painfully clear that there is more going on in Oxford than meets the eye. Ruby and Ruan will have to uncover the dark secrets of the competitive world of antiquities while trying to understand the peculiar force that keeps drawing them back together.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1250374650
• ISBN13: 9781250374653
• Release Date: November 2025
• Publisher: Minotaur Books
• Length: 336 Pages
• Weight: 1.16 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.2" x 6.6" x 9.4"

Customer Reviews

Ruby Vaughn is amazing!

Third times the charm? Well, I enjoyed this first two with the mysteries, some supernatural occurrences and always bumping in to the handsome, intriguing Pellar, Ruan Kivell who seems to show up in the nick of time and help out Ruby before she lands in too much trouble to handle on her own. And this third time was just as exciting in both it's case in Oxford and the continuation of the dancing around of feelings between Ruby and Ruan. This time the amazingly capable and clever Ruby Vaughn gets to deal with possible Egyptian curses attached to artifacts that may be fake or hold other secrets, missing historians who end up dead, a friend in need with with suspicious deceits, and of course the reappearance of Ruan to help Ruby break into museums, use his healing skills, and finally hash out a bit more of the confusion of feelings between them. I loved the whole story! It is fast paced, interesting, especially with all the Egyptian artifacts and history (which gives the tale a nicely different flair from the previous two books), though it got a heck of a lot darker and had some very unexpected twists which were wonderful because it related back to Ruby's experiences during the war and gave the story extra depth. It was well titled The Devil in Oxford and I was on the edge of my seat because it seems to me to be the most danger Ruby, Ruan, and the others have ever been in. Yes, this could almost be read as a standalone, but I would not recommend that because all of the books so far in the Ruby Vaughn series are absolutely cracking and I cannot wait to see what Ruby is going to do after that surprising revelation at the end! Great book and wonderful historical gothic mystery series with a strong female character and lots of other great characters that love her and help her, even with the darkest twisty mysteries.

Enjoy!

Good choice read for the spooky season. I requested and received a temporary uncorrected digital galley from St. Martin's Press | Minotaur Books via NetGalley. ****review pub date Nov 4, 2025 #TheDevilinOxford by @jessl_armstrong #RubyVaughnBk3 @stmartinspress @minotaur_books #academicrivalries #gothicthriller #Fiction #darkacademia #historicalmystery #witch #postWW1