The Vanishing at Castle Moreau by Jaime Jo Wright

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1870/Present – Wisconsin

A haunting legend. An ominous curse. A search for a secret buried deep within the castle walls.

In 1870, orphaned Daisy François takes a position as housemaid at a Wisconsin castle to escape the horrors of her past life. There she finds a reclusive and eccentric Gothic authoress who hides tales more harrowing than the ones in her novels. As women disappear from the area and the eerie circumstances seem to parallel a local legend, Daisy is thrust into a web that could ultimately steal her sanity, if not her life.

In the present day, Cleo Clemmons is hired by the grandson of an American aristocratic family to help his grandmother face her hoarding in the dilapidated Castle Moreau. But when Cleo uncovers more than just the woman’s stash of collectibles, a century-old mystery and the dust of the old castle’s curse threaten to rise again . . . this time to leave no one alive to tell the sordid tale.

One Comment

Wow! Jamie Jo Wright has done it again! I just love how she takes this topic of a mysterious castle that seems to gobble up young women and turns it on its head.
Through many decades, the legend of Castle Moreau warns people away from its hidden secrets. An authoress worthy of Poe in 1870, spins an aura around the castle which continues into the present. Daisy, in the past, and Cleo in the present are hired by the Tremblay family and may be too curious for their own good. Both are hiding from events in their background and would not be missed, should they disappear. “Her life was becoming a Gothic novel that rivaled an Ora Moreau classic, and Cleo was not exactly cool with that.” “In another life-in another world-she would be living in a dream. Here, she was just living a nightmare.”
I love the way Ms. Wright goes from frightful happenings when suddenly humor pops up. She even pokes fun at herself talking about Gothic novels as: “The perversion of an author’s mind.”
But through it all the characters show a genuine faith in God, trying to do the right thing when everything seemingly falls apart. The characters come across as real and the mystery is fascinating. “Nothing in Castle Moreau was ever as it seemed.” Causing Daisy, then Cleo to ponder what was substance and what was illusion. The romance is a bonus in both timelines which balances the suspenseful tone in this story with scary situations and an overarching theme of redemption.
*I purchased a copy of this book. I was not required to post a favorable review. All opinions are my own.”

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The Vanishing at Castle Moreau by Jaime Jo Wright