Susan Elizabeth Phillips (The Great Escape), loved by fans for her trademark sense of humor and brusque heroes, goes a shade darker in this modern-day gothic delight.
Down-on-her-luck puppeteer Annie takes refuge at Moonraker Cottage on Peregrine Island, planning to gather her thoughts over the long Maine winter in the remote home her mother left her. However, her plans are quickly upset by Theo Harp, bestselling horror author and owner of Harp House, the mansion that looms over Annie's cottage. After a dangerous and demented prank Theo pulled on her when they were teens, Annie will never believe he's anything but a psychopath. Theo wants Moonraker Cottage as his studio, so when Annie finds the place trashed, Theo's her first suspect. But when he tries to protect her as the incidents escalate, Annie's accusations lose steam and her attraction to him grows. The question of whether Theo has changed (or has a different perspective on their long-past conflict) is wrapped up in a more frightening problem: if Theo isn't the one attacking her, who is?
Phillips serves up a contemporary Jane Eyre with a helping of Daphne du Maurier's Rebecca. Her keen eye doesn't miss the elements that make both stories perennial favorites: the struggling but plucky heroine, the powerful man who might be hero or villain, the secret tragedy waiting at the core of the story. She balances these heavier components with her usual humor, largely provided by the puppets, from which Annie imagines running commentary. Phillips's hot winter nights will have readers happily anticipating the cooler seasons ahead. --Jaclyn Fulwood, blogger at Infinite Reads