Introduction

Grace Alban has spent more than twenty years avoiding her childhood home, the stately Alban House on the shores of Lake Superior, for reasons she would rather forget. But when her mother's unexpected death brings Grace and her teenage daughter back, she finds more is haunting the halls and passageways of Alban House than her own personal demons. Long-buried family secrets, a packet of old love letters, and a lost manuscript plunge Grace into a decades-old mystery about a scandalous party at Alban House, when a world-famous author took his own life and Grace's aunt disappeared without a trace. The night has been shrouded in secrecy by the powerful Alban family for all of these years. Her mother intended to tell the truth about that night to a reporter on the very day she died--could it have been murder? Or was she a victim of the supposed Alban curse? Grace soon realizes her family secrets tangle and twist as darkly as the mansion's secret passages. With the help of the disarmingly kind--and attractive--Reverend Matthew Parker, Grace must uncover the truth about her home and its curse before she and her daughter become the next victims.

Editorial Review

No editorial review at this time.

Excerpt

Chapter 1

People were gathering at Alban House for the family’s annual summer solstice party, a happy occasion. At least it was supposed to be.

Fate Alban had come running down into the garden that morning wearing the delicate floral-print dress she used to like so much, her wispy cornsilk hair fluttering behind her as she ran. She was laughing, a big, throaty laugh that seemed impossible to come out of a girl as small as she. Adele had been sketching on the cool marble bench next to the fountain when Fate flopped down beside her, breathless, and said: “Draw me, why don’t you?” ... view entire excerpt...

Discussion Questions

• When you were reading the novel, how many times did you think you had figured it out but then had to change your assumptions? What did you originally think happened to Adele? What did you originally think happened at the party so long ago? • Grace came from a family of extreme wealth. Were you able to relate to her despite that? Why or why not?

• Is there any part of Mercy’s storyline that made you feel sympathetic toward her?

• Redemption is a theme of this novel. Who is redeemed, and who isn’t?

• Did the romance provide a welcome distraction from the suspense?

• Discuss the significance of the characters’ names.

• This novel includes a book-within-the-book. What did you think of that?

• Wendy Webb mixes real-world danger with paranormal intrigue. Did that work for you?

Weblinks

»	Author Wendy Webb's web site
»	Publisher's Book Info
»	Wendy Webb's Huffington Post Feed

Book Club Recommendations

Recommended to book clubs by 4 of 7 members.

by salindac (see profile) 08/19/13

Member Reviews

Rate this book