Harry Fitzglen is a journalist who is less than excited when
he's assigned to cover the opening of a ritzy new art
gallery. Then he meets Simone Anderson. Her pictures are
dark and captivating, and her personality is equally
intriguing. He is immediately drawn to her, especially when
he learns of her past. She once had a twin, Sonia, but no
one knows where she is or what's happened to her.
This story is interwoven with another, equally compelling
story. Nearly one hundred years ago, another set of twins
was born to Charlotte. This story is told through
Charlotte's diary entries. Charlotte's twins are conjoined,
a fate that her husband meets with total scorn.
As Harry starts digging in to Simone's past and following
her story, he discovers Mortmain House, which is a house
that Charlotte once visited. This house has a sad, haunting
history, and it helps reveal how the stories of Simone
and Sonia and Charlotte's twins are intertwined.
To say much more would be to completely spoil the story,
which reveals itself layer by layer, like an onion. Every
time I thought I had a handle on where the story was going,
a new layer would be revealed. There were Charlotte's diary
entries, Harry's investigation, and then the sections from
Floy's (Charlotte's friend) book. At times, it could get a
little confusing, if I wasn't reading very carefully.
I found the book a little difficult to get into, but once I
found a rhythm with it, this was a difficult book to put
down. I especially enjoyed reading Charlotte's diary
entries, although Floy's book was equally interesting. The
contemporary story (Harry's investigation into Simone) was
also interesting, although Harry's personality sometimes
annoyed me because he was so determined to remain cynical
despite his clear inclination to NOT be cynical (anyone who
needs to constantly remind himself to remain cynical needs
to just let it be)!
The connection between the sets of twins was one that I did
not see coming, and it was shocking! This is also a story
made up of a strong, independent women, and that needs to be
recognized, as well. Overall, this was a solid book, an
intriguing mystery, and a wonderful read.
Journalist Harry Fitzglen is less than thrilled to write up
the opening of some glittering new art gallery. But the
boredom falls away when he meets Simone Anderson, whose
oddly compelling photographs are on display. Harry loves a
girl with a past, and Simone's is a doozy: What exactly
happened to her long-disappeared twin sister? And what is
her connection to another pair of twins, born nearly 100
years ago? Every question points to the Welsh border and a
ruined mansion called Mortmain House. As Harry delves into
Mortmain's grim history, he finds himself drawn into a set
of interlocking mysteries, each more curious - and
disturbing - than the last.
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