I've been a fan of Carol Goodman for years and I was excited to read her new book. It was good -but having read her books before, I definitely guessed the twists before they were revealed. That's also because other authors like Riley Sager are doing similar plots. It wasnt creepy like I thought it would be, and that was fine and I still enjoyed the story and ride. But I felt like I might have read this story before .

Return to Wyldcliffe Heights is a slow burn of a gothic thriller, ever-so-slightly reminiscent of Jane Eyre. And it's obvious that the author was inspired by the Charlotte Brontë classic, as there are multiple mentions of the “madwoman in the attic” and even a character named Ja(y)ne. That's not to say that this is a retelling, however – it's a very different story overall, but the references and similarities are definitely there.

The things I enjoyed about this book: first and foremost, it's very, very gothic. I mean, it basically has gothic oozing from it's pores (or would if books had pores, anyway). There's the remote manor house with a dark history, the mysterious and reclusive invalid, eerie happenings, and a heroine with a tumultuous past in the form of our main character, Agnes. And not only that, but there's a gothic novel within this gothic novel, which is rather, um … novel (sorry, I couldn't resist).

The plot itself is also pretty decent – it's not anything especially innovative, but I loved how the different timelines come together to solve the all of the mysteries of Wyldcliffe Heights. There are a few major twists and turns and I absolutely did not see any of them coming. Certain aspects of the plot aren't overly realistic, but, eh, it's a gothic thriller so it's probably to be expected.

Also, Agnes, Jayne, and Veronica are all compelling characters and Goodman did an excellent job bringing them to life. They're all complex and multi-faceted individuals, and I enjoyed reading about how Wyldcliffe Heights affected the course of each of their lives.

Oh, and there's no real romance to be found in this book. Thank you, Carol Goodman – as someone who isn't a huge fan of the lovey-dovey stuff, I salute you.

The thing I didn't enjoy as much about this book: Oh my gosh is it a slow burn. I don't normally mind slow reads, but this one kind of took it to an extreme. I mean, there's a lot of backstory and some book excerpts and a few eerie scenes that are all important to the plot, but this is certainly not an action-packed novel … at least not until the climax, where everything happens at warp-speed and crazy events and big reveals are being thrown at you left and right. Despite the slow start to the book, however, Goodman manages to keep you reading, so I guess I can't really complain too much.

Overall rating: 3.7 stars, rounded up. If you like modern Gothics with a literary twist, maybe consider giving this one a read.

Many thanks to NetGalley and William Morrow for providing me with an advance copy of this book to review.

Agnes Corey — junior editor at Gatehouse Publishing — has managed to convince the reclusive author of a wildly popular book (The Secret of Wyldcliff Hall — think Jane Eyre style) to write a sequel. What’s more, as the author was blinded in a terrible fire shortly after the first book — Agnes is to move in to the crumbling estate (once a psychiatric hospital for wayward women) and serve as the author’s amanuensis. It’s clear that the original book, and the one that will follow, are more autobiographical than not, but whose autobiography exactly?

I was pulled in from page one and am in awe of just how many truly convoluted plot twists I read by the end, although I shouldn’t be too surprised as Goodman is a master storyteller and strange and twisted plots are her forte. (I’m pretty sure I have read all 25 of her books so I should know!) Stories within stories, fluid identities, and three distinct timelines that are recalled through memories, anecdotes, letters, and scraps of papers found in odd places. It would not hurt to take notes while reading! One consistent theme: women committed to various types of institutions and the very nasty men who kept them there. But this is by no means a depressing tale of oppression — our characters are strong, learn how to become effectively wary, and forge solid friendships that survive against some pretty terrible odds.

In summary: Creepy! Gothic! Twisted! One-sitting reading! Great for fans of Kate Morton and Diane Setterfield.

Fairly predictable mystery, but it was still a good read that I enjoyed. I only thought it was predictable because I solved the mystery before the characters did.

One of my favorite authors returns with a new novel set on the Hudson Valley. A young publicist has taken a job with a recluse author who has written only one novel ( a best seller that millions of readers had read and have been waiting for the sequel). Tasked with the assigment of helping write the sequel, the main character(Agnes) meets with the author in her strange and eerie home. What follows is an exciting mystery that will keep you on the edge of your seat! Kudos to the author for another great read.

I am on the fence with Return to Wyldcliffe Heights. I enjoy Goodman’s style of writing and her complex characters, but the pacing seemed too slow, and I felt it was another gothic novel with the same key elements as all the others. Spooky house, check, mysterious atmosphere, check I just wanted to get to the end.

I am really starting to become quite the fan of Carol Goodman. Her characters are always on point, and her stories always have twists that I do not see coming.

Carol Goodman is always a slow-but-good burn and "Return to Wyldcliffe Heights" may be her best work yet.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this eARC.

Agnes Corey, a junior editor at a small independent publisher, was scheduled to be fired, however she received a reprieve when she is hired to has been hired by author Veronica St. Clair to transcribe the sequel to her 1993, best seller The Secret of Wyldcliffe Heights.

Agnes, discovers the past dovetails with her own history, and that there is a reason St Clair selected her to help her write the truth that inspired the original best selling book.

A fascinating gothic labyrinth mystery, Carol Goodman created an imaginative winner with this novel.