Return to Wyldcliffe Heights A novel

Multigenerational mysteries haunt a Hudson Valley mansion in this moody if convoluted gothic thriller from Mary Higgins Clark Award winner Goodman (The Bones of the Story). Agnes Corey is nearing the end of her probationary period as an editorial assistant at Gatehouse Books in New York City. For many years, Gatehouse has been kept afloat by Veronica St. Clair's The Secret of Wyldcliffe Heights, a neogothic 1990s blockbuster; despite decades of silence from its reclusive author, the book's cult following continues to clamor for a sequel. As Gatehouse's financial footing slips and executives consider selling the publisher to a larger firm, Agnes decides to write to Veronica and beg for a sequel. Surprisingly, Veronica writes back and invites Agnes to the real-life Wyldcliffe Heights--a sprawling asylum turned mansion a few hours outside the city--to work as her assistant. When Agnes arrives, she learns that Veronica has gone blind. As she takes dictation for Veronica's new book, Agnes learns about the real-life events that inspired The Secret of Wyldcliffe Heights. Eventually, she discovers that her own history intersects with that of Wyldcliffe. Goodman nails the gothic atmosphere, but by the end, her plot has grown too tangled to achieve maximum impact. This doesn't rank with the author's best. Agent: Robin Rue, Writers House. (July)

It was only afterwards that Agnes Corey realized she shouldn't have written that letter to author Veronica St. Clair. Agnes is an editorial assistant at the small press that published St. Clair's bestseller, The Secret of Wyldcliffe Heights. For almost 30 years, readers, including Agnes, have wanted a sequel, but St. Clair, a blind recluse, refused to write it. However, Agnes is shocked when she's hired to transcribe St. Clair's harrowing sequel to the original gothic tale. Arriving at Wyldcliffe Heights, she quickly gets wrapped up in the seemingly autobiographical novel about two young women imprisoned at an experimental mental hospital, and the fire that blinded St. Clair. As she transcribes, Agnes finds connections to her own family story and her mother, who was mentally ill. Agnes's fears for her own mental stability come to a head on Halloween when the shocking secrets of Wyldcliffe Heights are revealed. VERDICT Goodman, author of two Mary Higgins Clark Award-winning novels, including The Night Visitors, will please readers who like a gothic mystery with a creepy setting and unreliable narrators. Suggest for fans of Jane Eyre.--Lesa Holstine