The Premonition at Withers Farm by Jaime Jo Wright

About the Book:

The voices of the past cannot stay silent forever.

In 1910 Michigan, Perliett Van Hilton is a self-proclaimed rural healer, leaving the local doctor convinced she practices quackery. It doesn't help that her mother is a spiritualist who regularly offers her services to connect the living with their dearly departed. But when Perliett is targeted by a superstitious killer, she must rely on both the local doctor and an intriguing newcomer for assistance.

In the present day, Molly Wasziak's life has not gone the way she dreamed. Facing depression after several miscarriages, Molly is adapting to her husband's purchase of a peculiar old farm. A search for a family tree pulls Molly deep into a century-old murder case and a web of deception, all made more mysterious by the disturbing shadows and sounds inside the farmhouse.

Perliett fights for her life, and Molly seeks renewed purpose for hers as she uncovers the records of the dead. Will their voices be heard, or will time forever silence their truths?

You can read an excerpt here.

My Review:

Wright is known for her spooky novels and this one is no exception. It is a dual time novel with the historical aspect in 1910 and the other aspect current day. A murder and other scary events are revealed alternately with a contemporary woman trying to understand her own spooky experiences. We readers see the connections between the two eras. Wright does a good job of revealing historical events as current events demand it.

This novel explores that thin border between the spiritual world and the life we live here. Perliett's mother is a spiritualist during a time when interest in spiritualism was at an all time high. That border is thin and curiosity in that area could be dangerous, a friend of Perliett says. (2620/5814) And so it is.

Christian readers might be put off with the spiritualism. We are not to delve into such practices and the danger of it does become clear in this novel. There is one character in the novel who maintains the Christian viewpoint, offering many warnings to the dangerous practice.

Readers of her novels know that Wright usually comes out in the end with a good explanation for spooky events and this novel is no exception. I enjoyed the novel and was glad to see how almost everything ends up to our understanding. In the end there is a little mystery left because, after all, we do live near that thin border of the spiritual realm.

My rating: 4/5 stars.

About the Author:

Jaime Jo Wright (www.jaimewrightbooks.com) is the author of six novels, including Christy Award winner The House on Foster Hill and Carol Award winner The Reckoning at Gossamer Pond. She's also the Publishers Weekly and ECPA bestselling author of two novellas. Jaime lives in Wisconsin with her cat named Foo; her husband, Cap'n Hook; and their littles, Peter Pan and CoCo. To learn more, visit www.jaimewrightbooks.com.

Bethany House Publisher, 384 pages.

I received a complimentary egalley of this book from the publisher. My comments are an independent and honest review.

(My star ratings: 5-I love it, 4-I like it, 3-It's OK, 2-I don't like it, 1-I hate it.)