NIGHT FALLS ON PREDICAMENT AVENUE by Jaime Jo Wright, Reviewed by Rebecca Maney

"It was terrible, truly, that moment when you stared at a behemoth in the dark and knew you'd beheld a monster."

What in the world had possessed Effie James to go along with her sister's nonsense? . . . kissing the iron door knocker's lion head at 322 Predicament Avenue in the middle of the night, traipsing through the small cemetery bordering the back yard, imagining all sorts of things about the old, abandoned property . . . and then that life altering, blood-curdling scream!

Having inherited the Predicament Avenue property (turned-bed-and-breakfast) brought no peace to Norah Richman's anxiety-riddled soul. The old house had been part of her sister's dream for the future, not hers . . . Naomi, just the thought of her; a bright personality whose unsolved murder had turned as cold as the bodies buried in the secluded graveyard barely visible out the back window. . . much like Isabella Anderson's death over a century prior. The two could not be connected could they? It was impossible . . .wasn't it? Crime podcaster and house guest Sebastian Blaine isn't so sure.

Death, and all that surrounds it, is a delicate subject to explore. Even more challenging is the quest to bring hope when it seems that all is lost, life when it seems that all is dead, but this author accomplishes the seemingly unimaginable. Richly populated with her signature twists and turn-arounds, roundabouts and dead-ends, her characters emerge fully and completely whole . . . a testament to immeasurable grace. "Grace is costly. But it is ours. And in receiving it, we find our weakness infused with His strength. His hope. His future. Live it."

Quite a fascinating story!
*I purchased this book and was under no obligation to provide a positive review.
4.5 stars

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BackCover Blurb:
As the walls of the house at Predicament Avenue reveal their hidden truths, two women--generations apart--discover that fear and foreboding are no respecters of time.

In 1910, Effie James is committed to doing anything to save her younger sister, who witnessed a shocking murder, leaving her mute and in danger of the killer's retribution. Effie must prove what her sister saw, but when a British gentleman arrives, he disrupts Effie's quest with his attempts to locate his wife, Isabelle Addington, who was last seen at the supposed crime scene in the abandoned house at 322 Predicament Avenue. Just as Effie discovers what she seeks, she finds that the blood staining the walls will forever link her to a scandal she couldn't imagine, and to a woman whose secrets promise to curse any who would expose them.

A century later, Norah Richman grapples with social anxiety and grief as she runs her late great-aunt's bed-and-breakfast on Predicament Avenue. But Norah has little affection for the house and is committed only to carrying out her murdered sister's dreams until crime historian and podcaster Sebastian Blaine arrives to investigate the ghostly legacy of the house's claim to fame--the murder of Isabelle Addington. When a guest is found dead, the incident is linked to Isabelle's murder, and Norah and Sebastian must work together to uncover the century-old curse that has wrapped 322 Predicament Avenue in its clutches and threatens far more than death.

Bethany House Publishing, April, 2024

Available in digital ebook, paperback, hardcover, and audiobook:

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