THE GOBBLIN SOCIETY, by James P. Blaylock

The latest in the Langdon St. Ives series, this is great, graphic fun! An enticing set of characters both living and dead, a charming yet sinister setting on the English coast with appropriate weather conditions, and a diabolical plot. A seaside estate, long tied up in litigation, finally reverts to Alice St. Ives who decides to visit her new property, which she remembers fondly from childhood visits when she and her cousin ran wild on the shore. But the property is occupied, by a flashy gentleman named The Baron, who pushes to stay in residence longer. Denied, he leaves with false good humor.
The house is crammed with graphically gruesome paintings and books; the long-deceased owner was an abusive brute. While cleanup operations ensue, an exploration turns up a cache of gruesome objects in the cellar, which has sea access and floods with the tides.
.No spoilers here: we'll have to leave the enticing story with the caution that evil abounds, as does cannibalism, mesmerism, betrayal, theft, and murder. This is #11 of the Narbondo series.
The novel shows the strength of a long-accomplished author in its characters, description and plot, and richly deserves a five. Now...out to buy the rest of James P. Blalock's books!