My first read of the new year is a romantic suspense by fellow Wisconsinite and Sister in Crime, Jaime Jo Wright. The House on Foster Hill is the story of two women bound together by an abandoned house in the small town of Oakwood, Wisconsin.

Ivy Thorpe lived in the early 1900s. Still reeling from the death of her brother, she becomes focused on keeping alive the memory of others who died. When her childhood friend Joel Cunningham returns to Oakwood after abandoning her in her grief, she must relive both her brother’s death and the night Joel failed to meet her at her brother’s grave.

Picture take from: http://amzn.to/2AqXwRB

Set in current day, Kaine Prescott is on the run from her husband’s murderer. Though the police think she’s crazy, she knows the stalker is real. She buys the Foster Hill house since it once belonged to her family stumbles into discovering its secrets with the help of the handsome Grant Jesse.

Jaime Jo Wright did a fabulous job winding the two stories together, weaving the histories together without giving too much away. The House on Foster Hill is on the darker side since it deals with abuse, but hope winds its way through the character’s lives. And the suspense kept me turning the pages to the end.

I would recommend The House on Foster Hill with the caveat that it could be a trigger for a woman who has been abused. Wright does an excellent job of addressing the issue of abuse through character development rather than direct message. Finally, a reader will find the same hope Ivy and Kaine discovered in the course of their own stories.

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Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Bethany House Publishers in order to provide an honest review. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”