The Caretaker by Regina Wixon is the third novel in her Haunted Historical Mystery series that takes readers on a journey around the country in search of chills and ghostly thrills. The author strikes gold with this horror-filled tale of the Hawthorne House and the history of its former gold-mining owner.
The main character, Rachael Wentworth, is a writer who arrives for her stay at the historic old house at the height of a massive blizzard. Her original purpose is to interview the long-time caretaker and watch for any of the paranormal activity the house is rumored to host, but after almost succumbing to the cold and snow while traveling there, her stay becomes one of recovery and survival. Rachael is a self-reliant character and an experienced features writer, and she came fully prepared to give this magazine puff piece assignment her best effort. I liked that she was a skeptic of supernatural phenomena, in general, but was open to being present for any odd occurrences that might change her mind. She gamely tries to make the best of the unfortunate circumstances surrounding her arrival (i.e., the blizzard, no cell service, no electricity, and the loss of her purse, suitcase, and laptop bag under the drifts of snow in the front yard of the inn.)
The plot is mesmerizing as things go from the mundane to worse to bizarre. While the situation at the Hawthorne House initially appears pretty average for an old home, readers are slowly clued into how wrong first impressions can be. The tension mounts from the moment Rachael is helped into the house’s front parlor and never backs off. The present-day story unfolds from Rachael’s first-person perspective, sometimes with a little too much detail in the telling. However, the backstory of the house and its original owner is revealed by the caretaker, Gabriel, and the narrative goes back to the mid-1800s and the era of the gold rush. The events that provide the foundation for the following horror story are plausible and tragic, and the twists in the plot are creepy surprises.
I recommend THE CARETAKER to readers who enjoy mysteries
with ghosts and horror stories.
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