Some places are steeped in mystery. And sometimes danger is just drawn to them.
In this intense story, Magda Trudell is willing to risk her life to save a bit of Florida history. Even if it means staying put in the middle of the hurricane of the century. But that is just the beginning of her fight for survival.
What I Liked
I love the main character. With emotional baggage from a past relationship and a need to prove herself, Magda is woman after my own heart. This book had plenty of twists and turns and so many edge-of-my-seat moments…and then we got to the really juicy stuff. The action never stops.
Magda is a strong, intelligent, independent woman who isn’t afraid to get dirty and get things done. It’s a wonderful contrast to her affinity for history and bittersweet affection for a young poet who lived and died over a century before.
There are some very adult themes in this book, but the author handled them with grace and purpose.
For its ability to keep me glued to the page, its incredible yet relatable female lead, and the ultimate triumph at the end, this book earns 4.5 stars…
Book Details
Genre: Mystery/Thriller
Release Date: 7 December 2021
Book Blurb:
Magda Trudell is the present-day caretaker of Whimbrel Estate, the Key West home of the famous poet Isobel Reyes. Isobel’s suicide at the residence in 1918 has nearly overshadowed her creative legacy–but Magda, a botanist and avid historian, is determined to protect it. Over the past decade, Magda has lovingly restored the house to the exact condition Isobel would have known. And even though a fierce October hurricane is headed straight for the Keys, she isn’t about to abandon her life’s work to evacuate.
As the mighty storm makes landfall, the dangers mount. First, a fire and flood threaten to destroy the house. Then the storm claims most of Magda’s supplies. When part of the house collapses, she unearths an old steamer trunk in the rubble that contains a woman’s remains. Is there more to Isobel’s story than Magda knows?
The unexpected appearance of a teenage girl and her father seeking shelter from the storm poses unnerving new questions. Are they really who they seem? And could they have a connection to the house’s shadowy past? As the storm rages, Magda desperately tries to solve the real mystery of Isobel’s death–and keep the living in one piece.