4.5 stars! I loved reading this book; I was totally sucked in and intrigued by the mystery, and even the supernatural elements didn't bother me. (I'm usually not much for supernatural stories.) I considered dropping this book down to four stars because I thought the big "mystery" was pretty obvious and I was practically shaking the book trying to get Charlie to PAY ATTENTION to the clues, but there was enough else going on that even though I knew what was going to happen, I still couldn't turn the pages fast enough. Also, as Gabrielle Zevin once wrote: "Is a twist that you can't predict symptomatic of bad construction?" I think the fact that I would still recommend this book despite its predictability speaks to how good it is! I will definitely be reading the next novel Hester Young publishes. :)

I'll tentatively give it 4.5 and round it up to 5...
I loved this book. Maybe there are issues with it, maybe there are people who'd find it predictable, but it was the right book for me at the right time.

Read my review here.

http://mwgerard.com/books-for-september-2015/

Bit disappointing. It was a perfectly competent mystery, but I got it off a list of best southern gothic mysteries. It didn’t have the prevailing feel of dread and the weight of history that you get would a good southern gothic. I was not surprised by the few “twists “ , but that is because the author was fair. Will be willing to try another

Charlotte (Charlie) Cates is grieving after the death of her 4 year old son. So when she starts having dreams about children who are dead or in danger she at first dismisses them as part of the grieving process. But, after agreeing to go to Louisiana to do a book about a wealthy family and a 30 year old mystery of a missing child, she has reason to believe her visions are actually a gift – a way to help children and their families. A dying matriarch who has always been quiet about the kidnapping of her son, three siblings who may or may not have the best interest of their mother at heart, a handsome outsider who is hiding something and new clues about things that happened 30 years ago all build to an exciting and satisfying conclusion. This great debut novel has all of the elements of a modern southern gothic, and is not to be missed.

Oh my, what a book! I actually figured out part of the mystery way before it's told in the book (which never happens to me so it was pretty exciting). I blew right through the last half of the book. Great mystery story with a bit of romance and scandal.