Really enjoyed this. Very unusual but gripping thriller. Read it in 2 days over a lovely big bank holiday weekend. Highly recommended. 5 stars on goodreads

In The Vines by Shannon Kirk is a gothic thriller. The minute I hear “gothic thriller” I immediately feel chills up my spine because I think of darkened hallways and chilly staircases, creepy maids, and butlers, dusty bookcases, and empty rooms.

I am super excited to read this one!

Here’s what you need to know:

Mary Olivia Pentecost, known as Mop, was born into one of the wealthiest families in the country—and one of the most guarded. Now, two years after her mother’s mysterious death, Mop is seeking closure on the disquieting tragedy by returning to the New England seaside estate of her cloistered Aunty Liv—once her closest relative and confidante.

But behind the walls of the isolated estate, the shadows of the past are darker than Mop imagined. The puzzles of the family history are not to be shared, but unearthed. With each revelation comes a new, foreboding threat—and for Mop, the grave suspicion that to discover Aunty Liv’s secrets is to become a prisoner of them.

How well do we know the people we love? How well do we want to know them? The answers are as twisted as a tangle of vines in this throat-clutching novel of psychological suspense.



Throat clutching suspense? Sounds like something I am going to be staying up late to read!

As much as I wanted to like this book, I just couldn't get into it. The premise sounded interesting, but ok couldn't get into it right from the start.

I honestly wasnt sure if I liked this book at first. I was halfway through and just kind of tired of all the descriptions, constant questions, and flashbacks. Very back and forth. But it really picks up in the second half, and I think that is what redeemed it for me. Theres still that thick, descriptive gothic-type writing, and flashbacks but the plot had so many twists and turns I found myself gasping out loud as I read.
I didnt really connect to the characters until near the end, in the midst of all the action.
I really really enjoyed the ending as well.
Id recommend this to a friend if they were interested in gothic thrillers.

This was a great book. It was dark and full of suspense. And the cover is so pretty!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own

An excellent psychological suspense novel in which the suspense just keeps coming . . . . and coming. Wow

Mop (Mary Elizabeth Pentecost) has returned to the New England ocean side compound owned by her aunt Liv. She’s seeking answers about the unexplained death of her mother two years earlier. But she finds more questions than answers as her family’s dark secrets roil beneath the surface of their picture perfect lives. Kirk presents a modern Gothic masterpiece. If you loved Victoria Holt or Phyllis Whitney, you’ll love this 21st century equivalent