Emeline's guardians are hoping to find a suitable match for her from among the social elite. Emeline, however, is in love with handsome Lieutenant Fletcher. She dreams of the day when he will return from his tour of duty and sweep her off her feet. When he does return, things don't go as planned, and she finds herself in terrible scandal. To escape getting shipped off to a nunnery, she accepts an offer to marry a reclusive widowed sea captain on a creepy island in Halifax. When she arrives, she discovered that his current wife, (wife #2) though very ill, has not actually died yet. The mansion on the island is full of dark secrets and it is hard to tell friend from foe. Emeline decides her best hope is to try to keep the sick wife alive long enough for her beloved Lieutenant to come and save her, but to do that she needs to uncover the dark secrets of Faraday House.
This is a very gothic historical mystery. I must admit is was almost too scary for me. I had to stop and take a break from it a couple of times while I was listening to it. I had to keep telling myself that it was likely to turn out alright in the end. The characters are well written and the author does a great job of giving clues without giving away the solution. One interesting element is that through most of the book the reader doesn't know if something supernatural is going on or if it is a trick someone is playing on Emeline. It is also unclear until nearly the end if this character or that character is the bad guy. For those who like gothic novels, it is a pretty good choice. (2024, 352 p.)
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