Ghost Story, Mystery/Thriller -- 5 stars
Rowan Caine stumbles across an ad for a live-in nanny that seems to good to be true--a decent salary and a large bonus for staying a full year. It's also too good to let pass. There are three small children and a 14 year old away at boarding school. The family lives in a modest home situated in the remote Scottish highlands. Rowan wants this gig, and she wants it badly enough that she is willing to ignore that the last three nannies lasted only a few days or weeks before leaving. When the parents leave on an extended business trip the day after Rowan arrives, she begins to fear her predecessors had the right idea. ----- There is no maybe about the spookiness here; it jumps right out beginning on Rowan's interview day, and keeps ratcheting up the suspense from day one of her employment. I am a sucker for a good ghost story, even one that proves to be something quite different by the time the solution is reached, and this is a very good 'ghost' story. While some of the characters and situations are cliched, I was reminded that even cliches are pluses when wielded by the hand of a master storyteller. Twists and turns more expected in a thriller than the ghost genre add a freshness that keeps you reading. The tidy ending is a poignant example of selfless bravery.
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