When a family tragedy unearths a secret, artist Emma Beck goes in search of her biological parents and finds a decades old mystery instead. The sleepy little South Carolina town seems so tranquil, but also very familiar. Especially the sprawling Civil War farmhouse and the rose garden Emma's been seeing in her dreams and paintings all her life.

The lawyer in charge of selling the property doesn't act happy that Emma's taking the house off his hands. In fact, the only person who does seem happy is the general contractor she hired to fix up the place. They've only talked on the phone, so Emma is shocked when they meet in person. Mike Ruhl is equally surprised. Not only because he's instantly attracted to Emma, but because that attraction is far too intense.

Ghostly footsteps and whispers haunt Emma's nights. Is she imagining things or is the house truly haunted by the spirits of the past?

Lisle's story gave me goosebumps. Readers will feel the hair on the back of their necks stand on end as the plot twists and turns around a double mystery. The slow build of suspense, ever tightening, reminded me of Leigh Nichols (Dean R. Koontz).

The book did have a few missteps, sections that were a confusing jumble, especially toward the end as the pace sped beyond clarity. The conclusion took a second reading to understand exactly what happened and to whom. Part of that muddle was due to being blindsided by the author with one hell of a shocker. No foreshadowing for Ms. Lisle.

4 Kisses

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