Author: Wendy Webb
Publisher: Lake Union Publishing
Year: 2017
Genre(s):historical fiction, suspense, mystery, some romance
Part of a Series: No
Rating:
Why I read it: Once Upon a Book Club selection
Summary: After suffering a setback in her career as a journalist, Eleanor Harper agrees to become the new director at Cliffside Manor, a renowned retreat for artists. Its previous director, Penelope Dare, greets Eleanor and prepares her for the incoming artists chosen to spend a couple weeks at Cliffside Manor. Eleanor looks forward to what she expects to be a stress-free job…until Penelope Dare commits suicide hours after Norrie’s arrival, leaving behind an ominous note.
Though shaken, Norrie pushes ahead and welcomes the next group of artists, including dashing British photographer Richard Banks. Weird things begin to happen around Cliffside and Norrie soon realizes that everyone gathered at Cliffside has a connection to it. Its past as a sanatorium for tuberculosis patients has dark secrets and Norrie needs to solve the mystery of Temperance Dare if she and the artists want to survive their time together.
Review: This was a pretty spooky book and I wouldn’t recommend reading late at the night if you spook easily, like me.
Webb builds the mystery very well. Everything seems normal at Cliffside but there’s always something that feels off, both to Norrie and the reader. She then adds more and more layers to it, heightening the readers unease as the characters start to realize something is really wrong. There certainly was a point I was yelling at them to get out of the house as if I were watching a horror film, but something conspired to keep them trapped. It creates a claustrophobic and imprisoning atmosphere, especially given how isolated the manor is and how it is surrounded by treacherous terrain. The reader definitely feels as trapped as the characters.
We see everything from Norrie’s POV as the story is written in first person. It helps with the mystery because we only get clues as she does, trying to piece them together along with her. We also experience the characters through her—from the household staff to Dr. Nathan Davidson to Richard Banks. The last two are important because she ends up having romantic overtones with both of them, though romance doesn’t really drive the story—the mystery does.
However, I don’t think Norrie ended up with the right person. There is a really good reason why she can’t be with the other one, but nothing really justified her ending up with the one she does. Especially after it’s revealed that her feelings may not have entirely been her own. It almost feels like she’s with him out of a sense of obligation and I didn’t really like that.
(I hope wasn’t too spoilery there. I’m trying to be vague).
Webb expertly weaves in the history of Cliffside as a sanatorium very well, adding to the mystery and the eerie feeling, including the strange experiences Norrie and the others have in the book.
Bottom line: A very good and spooky read.
Sex: Mentions but nothing graphic
Moonlight Musing
Have you ever gone somewhere and just felt unsettled about it?
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