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A review by maeclair
The Premonition at Withers Farm by Jaime Jo Wright
5.0
Thank you to Bethany House Publishers and NetGalley for my ARC.
Wow, W-O-W, WOW!!!! I was totally unfamiliar with author, Jamie Jo Wright, but I am now an avid fan. I requested an ARC of this title because I’m addicted to dual timeline mysteries, and I loved the idea of the early twentieth century setting (for the past timeline) and the hint of spiritualism woven into the plot. Although the start (in the present timeline) was a little bleak, it didn’t take long for plot and characters (in both timelines) to grab me. It got to the point, I couldn’t flip pages fast enough and was annoyed when interruptions drew me from the book.
In the present, Molly Wasziak and her husband buy an old property known as Withers Farm. Neither are in a good place, going through the motions of marriage but behaving more like strangers. Molly has experienced several miscarriages leaving her haunted by children who might have been, her husband unsure how to combat her lingering depression. Both hope moving to the farmhouse will be a new start for them.
But when a distant relation, who was investigating members of the Wasziak family tree, is murdered near their property, Molly dives into the past—specifically 1910, when a killer known as the Cornfield Ripper claimed the lives of two young women with connections to Withers Farm.
With alternating timelines, building past and present mysteries, the story held me spellbound. It’s hard to say which timeline I enjoyed better. In the past, Perilett Van Hilton, is a rural healer whose mother is an in-demand spiritualist. Perilett is a strong, determined woman though not without doubts about her mother’s vocation. She’s engaged in a test of wills with the local doctor, George Wasziak, who accuses her of quackery. He and another (mysterious) gentleman, had me waffling back and forth as to their motives. All the characterizations are exquisite, though I was particularly enamored of those in the past.
Goosebumps abound! From the descriptions of carriage rides and nighttime walks on country roads lined by towering corn stalks, to the eerie use of the nursery rhyme Cock Robin, my skin prickled. In the present, every time Molly ventured into the basement—built with gravestones, no less—I held my breath. When the tension grew too strong, I could always count on the diversion of Molly’s chicks and chickens to warm my heart. I fell in love with those birds!
This is a superb book, among my top reads of the year, if not, my favorite to date. After finishing, I immediately looked up the author, signed up for her newsletter, and ordered more of her previous books. I can’t recommend The Premonition at Withers Farm highly enough. Thank you again to Bethany House Publishers and NetGalley for my ARC. I couldn’t put this one down!
Wow, W-O-W, WOW!!!! I was totally unfamiliar with author, Jamie Jo Wright, but I am now an avid fan. I requested an ARC of this title because I’m addicted to dual timeline mysteries, and I loved the idea of the early twentieth century setting (for the past timeline) and the hint of spiritualism woven into the plot. Although the start (in the present timeline) was a little bleak, it didn’t take long for plot and characters (in both timelines) to grab me. It got to the point, I couldn’t flip pages fast enough and was annoyed when interruptions drew me from the book.
In the present, Molly Wasziak and her husband buy an old property known as Withers Farm. Neither are in a good place, going through the motions of marriage but behaving more like strangers. Molly has experienced several miscarriages leaving her haunted by children who might have been, her husband unsure how to combat her lingering depression. Both hope moving to the farmhouse will be a new start for them.
But when a distant relation, who was investigating members of the Wasziak family tree, is murdered near their property, Molly dives into the past—specifically 1910, when a killer known as the Cornfield Ripper claimed the lives of two young women with connections to Withers Farm.
With alternating timelines, building past and present mysteries, the story held me spellbound. It’s hard to say which timeline I enjoyed better. In the past, Perilett Van Hilton, is a rural healer whose mother is an in-demand spiritualist. Perilett is a strong, determined woman though not without doubts about her mother’s vocation. She’s engaged in a test of wills with the local doctor, George Wasziak, who accuses her of quackery. He and another (mysterious) gentleman, had me waffling back and forth as to their motives. All the characterizations are exquisite, though I was particularly enamored of those in the past.
Goosebumps abound! From the descriptions of carriage rides and nighttime walks on country roads lined by towering corn stalks, to the eerie use of the nursery rhyme Cock Robin, my skin prickled. In the present, every time Molly ventured into the basement—built with gravestones, no less—I held my breath. When the tension grew too strong, I could always count on the diversion of Molly’s chicks and chickens to warm my heart. I fell in love with those birds!
This is a superb book, among my top reads of the year, if not, my favorite to date. After finishing, I immediately looked up the author, signed up for her newsletter, and ordered more of her previous books. I can’t recommend The Premonition at Withers Farm highly enough. Thank you again to Bethany House Publishers and NetGalley for my ARC. I couldn’t put this one down!