Estella Ecker had accomplished much. She had a PhD and had escaped her toxic father and home life. She had hoped to never return to Rockfall House, the scene of so many awful memories. Just one phone call brought her back to the house. Her father had died, and her mother was missing and she needed to settle their debts as well as eke out a living. In spite of her credentials, she worked at the same college her father had, but not as a professor. After all, she was a woman. Most of the male staff had gone off to war. Still, she was denied a better office and position, and suspicious substitutes had been brought in. There was so much Estella didn't know about her parents. Her father had been famous for his art collection, but even more so for his home library. Only when she discovered the secrets of the room did she begin to learn the truth about her father, and it wasn't pretty.
THE DARK LIBRARY, by Mary Anna Evans, is a dark story that focuses on the deeply buried secrets within a family. Estella is the narrator and she is quite conversational. She is often witty and wry about her situation. More than anything, she is a realist, analytical and methodical. As for the rest of the characters, they are a varied group, and readers have reason to eye them warily.
THE DARK LIBRARY is a cleverly plotted, suspenseful tale. It is full of mystery, suspicion and danger. What I found especially fascinating about this psychological thriller is the unique way the author ties up all the loose ends at the story's conclusion, leaving the best for last. Highly recommended.
Estella Ecker has returned to Rockfall House, the last place on earth she wants to be. Years after she ran away from her overbearing father, she has been forced back home to walk in his footsteps, teaching at the college he dominated and living in the fabulous home where he entertained artists and scholars for decades—and perhaps she owns it now, because her mercurial mother has disappeared. At the center of everything—the whispers, the rumors, the secrets—is her father's library of rare books, which she had been forbidden to touch while he was alive to stop her.
Everyone in town is watching Estella, with her dead father's name on their lips, and no one seems to care about her missing mother. Who were her parents, really, and is the answer hidden somewhere in the depths of Rockfall House? And who will Estella be, if she gathers enough courage to find that answer? What she will discover is that no one can escape the secrets hidden in this dark library.
Suspenseful and unsettling but ultimately triumphant, The Dark Library by acclaimed author Mary Anna Evans is a compelling tale of mystery, family secrets, and the quest for truth.
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