This is a gothic murder mystery set on--surprise--Block Island off the coast of Rhode Island. The setting of Block Island in the winter is a character in itself--isolated, beaten by the rain, and filled with secrets. In a nutshell, Thalia returns to the island where she grew up after receiving a letter from a woman, Blake, who claim she is Thalia's sister. When Thalia learns of a mystery at a historic home on Block Island, she seeks to find the answers at the spooky house. There's a lot going on in this book, and the author does a great job with descriptions of the gothic mansion and of all the suspects Thalia encounters. The character of Thalia is very well drawn, and how she deals with the murder as well as with her own feelings about returning to Block Island makes for a very compelling story. This book is very creepy--probably a bit too creepy for me, even though I like a good gothic story--but if you have a high creepy tolerance this book could be a good fit for you!

Thalia Mills returns to Block Island after receiving a letter from the sister she didn’t know she had, shortly before the woman was found murdered. Blake is not the first person to die on the island under mysterious circumstances and Thalia is determined to get to the bottom of the mystery. Blake, she learns had come to the island looking for her birth mother and found herself caught up in the gothic glamour of White Hall, the old mansion filled with ghosts and secrets. Had she come too close to uncovering those secrets, and is Thalia going to follow in her footsteps, right into the grave?

This was eerie and unsettling and atmospheric. I love a good gothic read and this was immersive. I loved the pacing and the writing style and I finished this in a couple of sittings.