Jaime Jo Wright: Night Falls on Predicament Ave

By Kelly Bridgewater

As the walls of the house at Predicament Avenue reveal their hidden truths, two women--generations apart--discover that fear and foreboding are no respecters of time.

In 1910, Effie James is committed to doing anything to save her younger sister, who witnessed a shocking murder, leaving her mute and in danger of the killer's retribution. Effie must prove what her sister saw, but when a British gentleman arrives, he disrupts Effie's quest with his attempts to locate his wife, Isabelle Addington, who was last seen at the supposed crime scene in the abandoned house at 322 Predicament Avenue. Just as Effie discovers what she seeks, she finds that the blood staining the walls will forever link her to a scandal she couldn't imagine, and to a woman whose secrets promise to curse any who would expose them.

A century later, Norah Richman grapples with social anxiety and grief as she runs her late great-aunt's bed-and-breakfast on Predicament Avenue. But Norah has little affection for the house and is committed only to carrying out her murdered sister's dreams until crime historian and podcaster Sebastian Blaine arrives to investigate the ghostly legacy of the house's claim to fame--the murder of Isabelle Addington. When a guest is found dead, the incident is linked to Isabelle's murder, and Norah and Sebastian must work together to uncover the century-old curse that has wrapped 322 Predicament Avenue in its clutches and threatens far more than death.

 

My Thoughts:

Night Falls on Predicament Avenue by Jaime Jo Wright is another time-slip novel where something happens inside a house. From the first chapter, Wright magically opens the mystery with two girls looking into a spooky house and then one screaming. From there, Wright takes readers through a crazy whirl of hunting for clues in the past and the present. Death has hit Wright hard when she wrote this book, so I can totally relate to the feelings that “Her” is having. I lost my Daddy 8 plus years ago, and it still hurts. Coming to terms with death is not easy. When anyone loses someone close to them, the pain does not go away, we just learn to live every day without that person. I believe this story was Wright’s way of trying to face the grief that death has gifted to her. This is the main reason I believe Wright’s characters are the strongest aspect of her novel. She dug deep into her own hurt and dragged into the characters and made them feel her pain. Similarly, the plot was moving and addictive. I enjoyed the story and couldn’t wait to see who the killer was in both time periods. Overall, Night Falls on Predicament Avenue by Jaime Jo Wright explores the pain of losing someone with a murder mystery to guide the plot forward. I really enjoyed the story.

I received a complimentary copy of Night Falls on Predicament Avenue by Jaime Jo Wright from Bethany House Publishing, but the opinions stated are all my own.

My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

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