About the Book
Left at an orphanage as a child, Thea Reed vowed to find her mother someday. Now grown, her search takes her to Pleasant Valley, Wisconsin, in 1908. When clues lead her to a mental asylum, Thea uses her experience as a post-mortem photographer to gain access and assist groundskeeper Simeon Coyle in photographing the patients and uncovering the secrets within. However, she never expected her personal quest would reawaken the legend of Misty Wayfair, a murdered woman who allegedly haunts the area and whose appearance portends death.
A century later, Heidi Lane receives a troubling letter from her mother–who is battling dementia–compelling her to travel to Pleasant Valley for answers to her own questions of identity. When she catches sight of a ghostly woman who haunts the asylum ruins in the woods, the long-standing story of Misty Wayfair returns–and with it, Heidi’s fear for her own life.
As two women across time seek answers about their identities and heritage, can they overcome the threat of the mysterious curse that has them inextricably intertwined?
Excerpt
“Would you tell me what you see in this picture?” Heidi rested her finger on the face of the corpse’s photograph.
Connie frowned, studying Heidi’s face before dropping her gaze to the picture. “I don’t understand,” she murmured. “Did something—oh!” Surprised eyes flew up and met Heidi’s.
“You see it too?” Heidi pressed. A cold sensation came over her, not unlike a skeletal hand curling around her throat and starting to squeeze. She swallowed, feeling the pressure from the unseen hand. A ticklish curdle in her stomach. The one that hinted of panic before the actual panic set in.
Heidi swallowed again, this time accompanying it with a big breath. She faked a flippant smile to fool not only Connie but herself.
“This isn’t something you find every day in an antique store!” She framed it with a chuckle, but Connie’s eyes narrowed, her attention still on the photograph.
“Well, I’ll be.” She reached and turned the album. Connie leaned closer to the photograph, then pulled back. Her voice held the same disbelief that Heidi had coursing through her body.
“That is remarkable.”
“She looks exactly like me,” Heidi breathed.
“Exactly like you,” Connie echoed her affirmation.
Their eyes met over the photograph. It wasn’t much different, Heidi assumed, than the fictional stories of time travel, having your photograph snapped, and then discovering it when you landed back in present time. Evidence of your time machine, your jaunts into the past, and the manipulation of the future by visiting days gone by.
Heidi closed the album. “I’ll take it.”
She had to. She possessed no such time machine, and H. G. Wells was a science-fiction novelist, not a scientist. Heidi hadn’t traveled to the past and yet—she dug in her leather shoulder bag for her wallet—there she was, in the sepia-toned picture, complete with the tiny mole above the corner of her lip.
Connie took the credit card Heidi offered her. Silent, she wrapped the old album in tissue paper before sliding it into a brown paper gift bag.
Heidi slipped her fingers through the bag’s handles as Connie gave it to her.
A ghost had risen from the album’s pages, beckoned to her, and begged to have her story told.
Review
The Curse of Misty Wayfair makes three from three for Jaime Jo Wright, as far as I’m concerned, and this one could just be my favourite yet, for a number of reasons. To begin with, it’s another deliciously thrilling mystery. I mean, imagine discovering a photo album with pictures of dead people in it. That would be creepy enough. But then imagine one of those dead people you’re looking at is your doppelgänger. Seriously creepy! And it gets creepier still, if you can believe that!
Secondly, I love the way mental illness plays such a central role in this story, both historically and in the lives of some of the key characters. Mental illnesses such as anxiety and depression have not been well understood in the past, and even with all our awareness today, it can be difficult to understand what it is like for those who live with it. Heidi was a fantastic character for this reason. Not only did she give the reader great insight into what anxiety can be like, but I loved the way she grew throughout the story in her view of herself and the way she responded to confronting situations.
And since we’re speaking of brilliant characters: Rhett. I’ve enjoyed Jaime Jo Wright’s atypical heroes in the past, but Rhett has rocketed ahead to steal first place. He’s grouchy, extremely taciturn, and more than a little Hulkish, but talk about a man of hidden depths. He definitely made those times he decided to talk count, and boy did his actions speak loud and clear. I found myself continually anticipating the next time he would appear in a scene, and that anticipation only became more acute as I got further through the story!
And goodness, I’ve barely even scratched the surface of this story, not to mention the historical parts with Thea and Simeon! It, too, held plenty of mystery and chills as well as the beautiful message that regardless of the tragedy and the sorrow, there is a design to our lives. That even if we are deemed “different” or “cursed” or “afflicted” in some way, we have been created for a purpose.
If that all sounds like a lot for one story, you’re probably right! But somehow Jaime Jo Wright has woven it all together into a story that’s perfectly paced, eminently readable, and thoroughly satisfying.
I received a copy of this novel from the publisher. This has not influenced the content of my review, which is my honest and unbiased opinion.
About the Author
Professional coffee drinker & ECPA/Publisher’s Weekly best-selling author, Jaime Jo Wright resides in the hills of Wisconsin writing spirited turn-of-the-century romance stained with suspense. Coffee fuels her snarky personality. She lives in Neverland with her Cap’n Hook who stole her heart and will not give it back, their little fairy TinkerBell, and a very mischievous Peter Pan. The foursome embark on scores of adventure that only make her fall more wildly in love with romance and intrigue.
Connect with Jaime: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest
Leave a Reply