Book Review: The House on Foster Hill by Jaime Jo Wright

I passed over The House on Foster Hill three times before the staircase and it’s intriguing back cover copy convinced me I had to read it! A haunted house type story is really not my cup of tea but curiosity got the better of me. How was Jaime Jo Wright going to work God into this kind of story?

I doubted my choice upon reading the opening line: “Death had a way of creeping up on a soul, and Ivy Thorpe was determined that when it visited her, she would not be surprised.” and at the house description I just about put the book down: “Cavernous windows opened in a silent scream on the face of the Gothic house that tilted on the crest of Foster Hill. Its gables towered as if to mock her, and balconies curved in permanent, evil grins. The front door gaped open with a black shadow, evidence that somewhere, at some time, it had been opened and never closed. Abandoned.” The writing is compelling though, snuggled under my duvet and my large German Shepherd near to hand, I flipped the electronic pages swiftly!

The hook that ensured I wouldn’t stop until the last page wove the past, Ivy’s story, and the present, Kaine’s story, together just before Chapter Ten. To share it would break the weaving of an intricate mystery, but, it is a wonderful line that just kept me reading…late into the night! God is throughout the book, whilst a difficult storyline full of fear and pain, the overarching sense is hope and love prevailing. The twists are surprising but well-thought out – it’s a five out of five for me and I can’t wait to see more from Jaime Jo Wright.

From the back cover:

Kaine Prescott is no stranger to death. When her husband died two years ago, her pleas for further investigation into his suspicious death fell on deaf ears. In desperate need of a fresh start, Kaine purchases an old house sight unseen in her grandfather’s Wisconsin hometown. But one look at the eerie, abandoned house immediately leaves her questioning her rash decision. And when the house’s dark history comes back with a vengeance, Kaine is forced to face the terrifying realization she has nowhere left to hide.

A century earlier, the house on Foster Hill holds nothing but painful memories for Ivy Thorpe. When an unidentified woman is found dead on the property, Ivy is compelled to discover her identity. Ivy’s search leads her into dangerous waters and, even as she works together with a man from her past, can she unravel the mystery before any other lives–including her own–are lost?

With thanks to NetGalley and Bethany House Publishers