THE SHADOW HOUSE

4 stars out of 5

My overall impression? This is a perfect read while lounging at a sandy beach sipping an umbrella-topped margarita. Or in a recliner in front of a roaring fire sipping an Irish coffee while snowflakes tickle the windows. My personal scenario was nothing so dramatic, alas, but I made the best of my circumstances and enjoyed it just the same.

Living in Australia, Alex has run away from an abusive husband, taking her kids Ollie, age 14, and Kara, 8 months (by two different fathers). They've landed in what's called an ecovillage - a commune of sorts that's under development outside of Sydney. There, she hopes to find peace, love and safety but not divorce - at least that wasn't mentioned at the outset nor anywhere else in the book that I noticed. Love (or the potential thereof) comes early in the form of project developer Kit - a handsome hunk who's single and immediately wants to strike up a relationship with the beautiful Alex. She's interested, but she's got issues to deal with first - not the least of which is that her son - hardly an angel in his own right - is just plain angry about being dragged away from his home and friends - not for the first time, apparently.

The situation goes from bad to worse; amid rumors of supernatural occurrences experienced by other residents, Alex herself becomes a target. Meanwhile, readers (and Alex) learn about similar incidents half a dozen years ago involving a nearby family that led to the rumors. Alex is understandably upset, but she's also curious - and sets out to get to the truth before someone or something gets to her family. In between, she interacts with some of the locals, mostly with skepticism as to whether they really want her to join the community. Between her suspicions about them, the Twilight Zone goings-on and misgivings about Kit, she waffles over whether she should just pack up her kids and meager belongings and run once again.

With a little help from her friends (she's not sure they're really friends, but at least she trusts them enough to let them babysit), everything comes together in the end. And thankfully, most of that Voodoo-type stuff fell by the wayside fairly early on - for me, a little of that goes a long way unless Stephen King wrote it. What bothered me most, I guess, is that none of the characters is especially likable, and a couple of them seemed to be red herrings - thrown in the mix as nothing more than a diversion. Overall, though, this is an engaging story that held my attention (really!) throughout. And I thank the publisher, via NetGalley, for providing me with a pre-release copy to read and review.

The Shadow House by Anna Downes (Minotaur Books, April 2022); 314 pp.