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Rory Blas is a retired professor turned aspiring writer who has relocated down south to inspect his wife's inheritance, an antebellum house located in New Orleans. Rory doesn't know what to expect, but his imagination is triggered when a neighbor speculates that the estate is haunted. The house had belonged to the grandmother of Rory's wife, Tess. Tess had a fickle relationship with her grandmother and had lost touch with her. Rory learns that Tess' grandmother, Emma Darling, had been interested in seances and the occult. As Rory explores more of the house, he finds family heirlooms and important historical relics. Emma's will assembles an eclectic group of people from Rory and Tess to a local priest and a local mystic, all of whom will contribute to Emma's last wishes being fulfilled.
The ghosts of the past are often best left undisturbed, yet there are times when their discovery can yield closure, as witnessed in this dramatic narrative with supernatural elements. Rory and Tess appear to be a happy couple, yet a decades-old betrayal has lingered just beneath the surface of their marriage. Their change in fortune allows for a direct confrontation with their past and offers up the possibility of reconciliation with the third person in their love triangle. The story is steeped in the lore and culture of New Orleans, which provides a rich backdrop to the drama. While much of the book centers on Rory and his family, the plot simmers with mystery about the life of the dearly departed Emma and her motives for bringing everyone together.
A 2025 Eric Hoffer Book Award Nominee
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