Format: Paperback, 320 pages
Release Date: February 1, 2022
Publisher: Graydon House
Source: Publisher
Genre: Occult & Supernatural
Augusta Podos has just landed her dream job, working in collections at a local museum, Harlowe House, located in the charming seaside town of Tynemouth, Massachusetts. Determined to tell the stories of the local community, she throws herself into her work--and finds an oblique mention of a mysterious woman, Margaret, who may have been part of the Harlowe family, but is reduced to a footnote. Fascinated by this strange omission, Augusta becomes obsessed with discovering who Margaret was, what happened to her, and why her family scrubbed her from historical records. But as she does, strange incidents begin plaguing Harlowe House and Augusta herself. Are they connected with Margaret, and what do they mean?
Tynemouth, 1872. Margaret Harlowe is the beautiful daughter of a wealthy shipping family, and she should have many prospects--but her fascination with herbs and spellwork has made her a pariah, with whispers of "witch" dogging her steps. Increasingly drawn to the darker, forbidden practices of her craft, Margaret finds herself caught up with a local man, Jack Pryce, and the temptation of these darker ways threatens to pull her under completely.
As the incidents in the present day escalate, Augusta finds herself drawn more and more deeply into Margaret's world, and a shocking revelation sheds further light on Margaret and Augusta's shared past. And as Margaret's sinister purpose becomes clear, Augusta must uncover the secret of Margaret's fate--before the woman who calls to her across the centuries claims Augusta's own life.
From the author of The Witch of Willow Hall comes a deeply atmospheric new novel about a young museum worker, Augusta, who stumbles across a mysterious woman written out of the historical record. When this woman begins to call to Augusta across the centuries in strange and impossible ways--and may have dark intentions--Augusta must solve the mystery of the woman's identity, and her fate, before it's too late. Perfect for fans of The Once and Future Witches, and The Clockmaker's Daughter.
This is a story that spans 150 years, and alternates between two women; August Podos, and Margaret Harlowe. Augusta is tired of her job as a tour guide for a historic old city jail in
Salem, Massachusetts as well as her pitiful relationship with her boyfriend which seems to be going nowhere. When she sees a job posting for Harlowe House, a once
historic house turned into a museum, she leaps at applying. Augusta can't believe her luck when the
position is offered to her. She is finally going to have the museum job
of her dreams.
From the moment she sets foot at Harlowe House, she's drawn to a portrait of a young woman that hangs in the dining room. The portrait is said to be the mysterious Margaret Harlowe whose life story has been lost to the sands of time. Nothing much is known about Margaret and many question if she actually existed at all. There's no true record of her. Augusta chooses to do a little investigation into Margaret hoping to bring to light the plights of the women of the past. The more research Augusta does, the more she feels a strong connection to the past. Strange occurrences begin to happen, which spurs Augusta even more.
In 1876, Margaret Harlow is the daughter of a wealthy New England family in Tynemouth, Massachusetts, a town not terribly far from Salem. Margaret isn’t like all the other girls. She does not want to do needlework all day and raise a passel of children. Margaret likes to roam the cliffs and the nearby woods. She learns about plants and their natural healing powers...both positive and negative. In fact, many of the women who shunned her in the streets during the day would visit her under the cover of darkness, seeking help for their problems.
Increasingly drawn to the darker, forbidden practices of her craft, Margaret finds herself caught up with a local man, Jack Pryce, and the temptation of these darker ways threatens to pull her under completely. Margaret truly believed that she was invincible and nothing could harm her. The town thought she danced with the devil which was clearly a way to make her life a living hell. Her own family has no use for her. She has three older brothers, and none of them have the same coloring as she does. So, where did she come from?
In contemporary times, as Augusta digs deeper into Margaret's story she begins to have disturbingly vivid hallucinations in which it seems as though she is Margaret. Could Margaret be trying to communicate with her? Augusta begins to lose control and as past and present come crashing together, it seems some history really should be left well enough alone. Along with her new friend, Leo, will Augusta be able to make it out of Harlowe House unscathed!? For readers, we already know what's eventually going to happen to Margaret thanks to the prologue, but the surprise is how it happened and why?
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