The Bookshop of 99 Doors by Jaime Jo Wright Book Review

About the Book:

In 1888, Minnie Tipton finds herself beset by the dark superstitions that envelop the Pennsylvania mansion her father bought. Convinced the vengeful spirit of a Civil War captain haunts the house and worried by her father's rapidly worsening illness, Minnie delves into the home's fraught past in an effort to bring him peace. Yet the lingering impact of the war and the gruesome tale of murder she uncovers only foster more fear and threaten to unravel Minnie's own sanity.

In the present day, Triss Bellamy eagerly steps into the role of bookshop manager in the mansion-turned-museum boasting ninety-nine doors. But Triss's dream job turns into a nightmare when havoc breaks loose with the arrival of her brother's team of self-proclaimed paranormal investigators. Their determination to find a rumored one-hundredth door--a dangerous portal to the madness long said to plague the mansion--results in calamity, leaving Triss no choice but to hunt down the truth or watch her brother slip forever beyond her reach.

My Review:

Wright is a master of the dual time novel, creating a spooky mystery in the past influencing events in the present. The historical story is always suggesting ghosts or some other nefarious beings, this time including agony from the Civil War. I always appreciate the contemporary story and how it satisfies the spookiness of the historical one.

I was happily surprised to see actual dialogue between characters about how the paranormal can be a distraction from what is real and uplifting. The contemporary heroine, Triss, is on her own faith journey, having alienated her family by refusing to continue in their paranormal work. Triss's discussions about spiritual hunger are good for those who may be drawn to feeding that hunger in unhealthy ways. There is also a good exploration of greed in the contemporary story.

This is another entertaining spooky novel from Wright with an ultimate uplifting spiritual lesson.

My rating: 4/5 stars. 

About the Author:

Jaime Jo Wright, is a coffee-fueled and cat-fancier extraordinaire who has entwined her life with her pirate, Captain Hook, and two side-kicks who think they're adults. They're not. She resides serenely in Wisconsin's rural woodlands with her six cats, an axolotl, and too many houseplants to be reasonable.

Her literary vocation involves penning Gothic tales with a strong preference to the master of dark, Edgar Allan Poe. She prefers her literary passages through dark hallways ends with a spark of hope, and some have compared her hauntings to Scooby-Doo endings.

Bethany House Publishers, 352 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.)