By: Freida McFadden
Julia Barlow loses her job and has to move in with her Gram and Great Aunt Ethel at the Pemberton Manor in Massachusetts. She hasn’t been back for years because of what happened to her the last time she was there. Her Gram is up in years and so now she’s helping to take care of her. But then strange things start happening – the clock stops at 3:41am every morning, lights flicker, and she hears a woman’s scream. While researching the family and manor history, she learns of a story of woman who was put to death because of witchcraft. And now, Pemberton may be haunted by these women put to death after being convicted of being a witch.
This book felt so different than a lot of McFadden’s book – in the best of ways. It’s been a while since I have read a book that felt this atmospheric. It was so atmospheric that I was creeped out at times. I really enjoyed being creeped out!
This is told in a dual timeline with dual points of view. We get Caroline’s story from the past and Julia’s story from the present. I liked both of timelines equally. I particularly liked Caroline’s because of the witchcraft aspect of it. Both of these stories had twists in them that I didn’t see coming. There was one twist that I SHOULD have seen, but I didn’t. And the funny part? I thought I had figured out the twist and I was totally off! Haha!
This is literally the perfect read for this time of year. So if you’re looking for a creepy, atmospheric, twisty read for Halloween, this is a must read!
Publish Date: October 6, 2026
Find the book here.
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