I was provided a complimentary copy of this book by Bethany House, NetGalley. I was not compensated for this review and all thoughts and opinions expressed are my own. I was not required to write a positive review.
The Curse of Misty Wayfair by Jaime Jo Wright Published by Baker Books on January 22, 2019
Genres: Christian, Fiction, Romance, Suspense
Pages: 352
Source: Bethany House, NetGalley
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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?
It takes a special talent to write a very faith based ghost story. Like super special! It takes a special talent to write a suspense story that really trails over into thriller-ish-ness with a smidge of action-y-ness and keep it solidly grounded in faith. I don’t have that talent. Fortunately, I know someone who does. If you want to pick up a book that you aren’t sure reading at bedtime is a good idea but that will continually draw you deeper toward God then pick up anything by Jamie Jo Wright and you can’t be disappointed. ‘The Curse of Misty Wayfair’ is her most recent (she has three now!) book and there’s not a misstep about it. She kept me guessing until the absolute last second (I might have re-read just to make sure I read it right guessing), kept me engaged in the subtleties of real life, and gave me nuggets of wisdom to dwell on. I even loved the sideways, oh so subtle, and thank the gravy it wasn’t insta, romance.
This book, though, was more than just a ghost story. I mean, that was pretty awesome but. . . Remember the subtleties of real life mention? So, about that. If you have never heard of Nelly Bly I need you to copy and paste her name into Google. I’ll wait. . . . . done learning all the things? The way we deal with even the slightest hint of mental illness has changed dramatically in the last century. It’s ever evolving and changing, hopefully for the better. At one time even something as benign as a seizure disorder was grounds to be locked away for life, often times experimented on searching for a *cure*, and sometimes so much worse. Remind me someday to tell you the story of my dad. He could have been one of these situations. Seizures weren’t the only thing that could land you in permanent lockup or in polite society the sanatorium. Our understanding of human nature, the human brain, and how we all relate to each other has grown by leaps and bounds. Our definitions of ‘mental illness’ have changed even in my adult lifetime. There were marked changes between Thea’s time and Heidi’s. However, I feel like Heidi felt herself limited by stereotypes. Go figure right? The thing is, follow me here, while this book really brought forth the boundary of how we view (and treat) those that are different than us in some way it didn’t feel one iota of what this book was about. It was just life happening to two women in two different time periods from two different perspectives. shouldn’t that be how life really is?
There are so many little things that pop up for me when I think about this book. So mind tidbits I want to share with you. So many profound thoughts and silly moments. But to share all that’s in my head I’d first have to master that thought to word thing (words hard!) and I’d have to write a book about a book. And Jamie did that, well the book part not the about. You know what I mean. When I said earlier about how you can’t be disappointed with this book. I absolutely meant it, it goes so far beyond won’t because won’t leaves wiggle room. The times jumps dance seamlessly between Thea and Heidi. The relationship are grounded and well developed without being too insta- (I mean we know how I feel about insta-). Somethings felt like they might be too easy, but they weren’t. If I told you all the things I want to share I’d be here for days and you know that battery does die on the laptop. Outside of my mother, who loves a good mystery but not a slight fright, I can’t think of anyone who this book is not perfect for. There are so many nuances and subtleties that I can assure you it’s a re-read classic.
About Jaime Jo Wright
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.
Jaime lives in dreamland, exists in reality, and invites you to join her adventures at jaimejowright.com!
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