Harry Fitzglen is a journalist who is less than excited when he's assigned to cover the opening of a ritzy new art gallery. Then he meets Simone Anderson. Her pictures are dark and captivating, and her personality is equally intriguing. He is immediately drawn to her, especially when he learns of her past. She once had a twin, Sonia, but no one knows where she is or what's happened to her.

This story is interwoven with another, equally compelling story. Nearly one hundred years ago, another set of twins was born to Charlotte. This story is told through Charlotte's diary entries. Charlotte's twins are conjoined, a fate that her husband meets with total scorn.

As Harry starts digging in to Simone's past and following her story, he discovers Mortmain House, which is a house that Charlotte once visited. This house has a sad, haunting history, and it helps reveal how the stories of Simone and Sonia and Charlotte's twins are intertwined.

To say much more would be to completely spoil the story, which reveals itself layer by layer, like an onion. Every time I thought I had a handle on where the story was going, a new layer would be revealed. There were Charlotte's diary entries, Harry's investigation, and then the sections from Floy's (Charlotte's friend) book. At times, it could get a little confusing, if I wasn't reading very carefully.

I found the book a little difficult to get into, but once I found a rhythm with it, this was a difficult book to put down. I especially enjoyed reading Charlotte's diary entries, although Floy's book was equally interesting. The contemporary story (Harry's investigation into Simone) was also interesting, although Harry's personality sometimes annoyed me because he was so determined to remain cynical despite his clear inclination to NOT be cynical (anyone who needs to constantly remind himself to remain cynical needs to just let it be)!

The connection between the sets of twins was one that I did not see coming, and it was shocking! This is also a story made up of a strong, independent women, and that needs to be recognized, as well. Overall, this was a solid book, an intriguing mystery, and a wonderful read.

Book Summary

Journalist Harry Fitzglen is less than thrilled to write up the opening of some glittering new art gallery. But the boredom falls away when he meets Simone Anderson, whose oddly compelling photographs are on display. Harry loves a girl with a past, and Simone's is a doozy: What exactly happened to her long-disappeared twin sister? And what is her connection to another pair of twins, born nearly 100 years ago? Every question points to the Welsh border and a ruined mansion called Mortmain House. As Harry delves into Mortmain's grim history, he finds himself drawn into a set of interlocking mysteries, each more curious - and disturbing - than the last.