This story flips back and forth between 1950, when Idlewild Hall was open as a boarding school for girls, and 2014, which is present day.
Fiona is the main narrator for 2014, and she has a completed history with the Idlewild property, because 20 years ago her older sister was found murdered there. She just can’t seem to come to terms with everything, even though the main accused of killing her sister was tried and convicted, and is spending the rest of his life in prison.
She starts to question whether is he is really guilty, and wants to find the answers to questions that have troubled her and broke her family apart. Then she finds out that someone has bought the land, and wants to restore Idlewild to its former glory.
As a journalist, she decides to write a story about the history of Idlewild Hall, hoping it will lead to the answers she seeks. When the story flips back to 1950, it rotates points of view of four roommates who attended Idlewild Hall: Katie, Roberta, CeCe, and Sonia.
As Fiona is getting a tour of the property from the current owner’s son for her story, a skeleton is found in a well on the property. It is determined that the body is that of Sonia, who disappeared in 1950, and was never seen again.
Fiona is compelled to find out what happened to her as well. There is also a supernatural component to the story; a ghost story regarding Idlewild Hall, and a spirit known as Mary Hand. I wasn’t sure how this would play into the overall vibe of the story, but I think it blended nicely, and wasn’t anything that made the story outlandish.
I was pulled in to both mysteries pretty quickly, and really enjoyed Fiona as a main character. There is also a historical component to the story that I really enjoyed, that centered around the Holocaust. I found both the past and current storyline well developed and engaging. This was my first St. James book but I’ve already checked out another one.
I gave this one ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 stars.
-Amy :)
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