The bone cay A novel

Magda Trudell, the heroine of Nellums's passable sophomore effort (after 2019's All That's Bright and Gone), is the caretaker of the historic Whimbrel House, the Key West mansion where acclaimed poet Isobel Reyes was born in 1895 and died by suicide in 1918. Magda has devoted her life to studying Isobel's work and preserving her memory, so when a hurricane is about to hit the Keys, Magda chooses to stay and watch over the house. When the storm causes the gift shop to collapse, she discovers a cistern that houses a trunk containing a woman's skeleton. Meanwhile, the mansion's creepy handyman, Hank McGrath, arrives in a rundown motorboat with his injured 16-year-old daughter, Emily. Magda notices something is off in the way Hank and Emily behave, and tensions rise as the house continues to deteriorate during the storm. Readers will be immersed in what is primarily a survival thriller, though some will be disappointed that the mystery surrounding the skeleton lingers in the background. Nellums is a good storyteller, but this story just isn't that good. Agent: Chris Bucci, Aevitas Creative. (Dec.)

Nellums plumbs a woman's obsession with a long-dead poet. Whimbrel House in Key West, Florida, was once the home of Isobel Reyes, a poet who took her own life in 1918. Magda Trudell, the property's caretaker, first discovered Isobel's poems as a child living with her roving musician father, and they proved a decisive influence on her. Now she's devoted her life to burnishing Isobel's image as she strives for a cultural landmark designation for the house. As a major hurricane bears down on Florida, Magda decides to ignore the evacuation orders to protect the house and the lemurs that live in the garden. At first the damage is manageable, but as the storm gets worse, a wooden addition catches fire, and Magda is almost electrocuted turning off the power sparking the flames. Flooding has killed members of both her own family and Isobel's, and she fears she may be the next victim. When the gift shop collapses, it reveals a buried cistern in which Magda finds a trunk. After laboriously moving the most precious artifacts to the second floor, she returns to explore the trunk and discovers the skeleton of a woman, some boots, and a spent bullet. The sudden arrival of a boat carrying the estate's handyman and his pregnant daughter is far from the blessing it first appears. As Magda explores the mystery of the bones, she also uncovers secrets the handyman will kill to keep hidden. A complex, unusual mystery combines obsession, determination, and danger swirling in the midst of a life-threatening storm. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.