November 15, 2021
At the start of this convoluted domestic thriller from bestseller Bell (A Simple Favor), Emma, an artist, and Ben, her Broadway producer husband, are celebrating her birthday at a Brooklyn restaurant when he announces he has fallen in love with a dilapidated Victorian mansion in upstate New York. Emma, who’s pregnant, eventually agrees it would be the perfect place to raise a family, though it was once a mental hospital for actors. After the couple settle in and start renovations, strains develop between them as Ben gradually spends more time in the city for his job and Emma grows increasingly attracted to their contractor. Emma suspects the house may be haunted after stumbling on such frights as the diary of a disturbed former patient that mysteriously disappears. Ben and their neighbors think she’s hallucinating due to pregnancy hormones and don’t take her fears seriously. The horror elements help raise the tension, as do adroit point of view shifts, but the action builds to an ambiguous conclusion that will leave readers scratching their heads. Bell has done better. Agent: Denise Shannon, Denise Shannon Literary.