MY REVIEW:
The Curse of Misty Wayfair is one of those books that grabs hold of the reader and won’t let go. With a dual timeline, the stories of both Thea Read and Heidi Lane, two women from two different centuries. It is a story of family secrets and a legend that has lived on in Pleasant Valley, Wisconsin for over one hundred years.
Wright has woven a haunting tale of two women, each searching for her own identity. The narrative does move a bit slowly at first as it builds layer upon layer of the foundation that becomes the story that the reader doesn’t want to put down. It is a book that I was eager to reach the conclusion but yet I did not want it to end. It’s gothic atmosphere, vivid portrayals of mental illness and dementia, and the descriptions of the mental asylum, and Thea’s work as a traveling photographer all contributed to create a wonderfully spooky book. Despite the mysterious vibe, The Curse of Misty Wayfair has a strong spiritual message of finding one’s identity in the Lord.
I highly recommend this book and look forward to many more by this author.
I voluntarily reviewed a copy of this book provided by Bethany House. A favorable review was not required. All views expressed are my own.
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 turn-of-the-century Pleasant Valley, Wisconsin. When the clues she finds lead her to a mental asylum, Thea uses her experience as a postmortem 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 haunting 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, they must overcome the threat of the mysterious curse that has them inextricably intertwined.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Jaime Jo Wright is the Christy Award-Winning author of The House on Foster Hill. She’s also the Publishers Weekly and ECPA bestselling author of two novellas. Jaime works as a human resources director in Wisconsin, where she lives with her husband and two children. To learn more, visit www.jaimewrightbooks.com.
