You know that saying that life gets in the way? Well, that saying doesn’t lie. It’s been a little over a year since I last wrote on here and life has been crazy busy; but it feels good to be back. And, although I haven’t stopped reading or listening to audiobooks, I hope to be able to write here more often.
“Want a great deal on a house? Buy one where someone was murdered!”
Sarah Slade – a social media influencer, a bestselling author, a therapist, and a woman with a failing marriage – recently bought Black Wood House in hopes to flip it and make a large return by selling after the renovations have been done. Despite its history and the strangeness of the house told by the real estate agent, she dismissed everything. About 40 years ago, Susan Campbell was murdered in her sleep by husband Bill Campbell, who later tried but failed to take their daughter Janet as well, before taking his own life. Janet disappeared from the face of the earth too. Black Wood House was a murder house and no one has lived there since the incident. The hope was that by working through and fixing the house, she would be able to fix her marriage too. Her marriage to Joe Cosgrove.
“[The house] doesn’t want to be fixed, and it doesn’t want you here. And it’s going to make you pay.”
Black Wood House reeked due to no ventilation and smelled of stale air. However, after settling in a bit, she hired a few contractors to begin work on the house. Except, nothing went as planned. None of the contractors willingly wanted to even step foot into the house, and each entered with caution. One of the first contractors who was working on the plumbing ended up dead the same day. The wallpapers they had placed were tore down … by the house.
“I’m not Sarah. My name is Lizzy.”
You’d think that Joe is a push over, until Sarah opens up about her past. Sarah Slade as we know, is actually Lizzy. Who is Sarah Slade? Her sister whom she murdered – and now, she is borrowing her identity. Sarah wanted to become a therapist, so Lizzy became one. Sarah had Joe, so Lizzy killed her for him. It started when Lizzy was a kid. She was an outcast growing up; she was quiet, weird and had no friends. Until she tried on other people’s skins as she called it – and the feeling was obsessively comforting to her. Well, I guess old habits die hard – because in Lizzy’s case, they never did. And the kick? Joe isn’t her husband’s real name either. After she staged Sarah’s murder as a suicide, they both fled the town and changed their names. So, who is Sarah Slade? A fraud.
“You repeat what you don’t repair.”
In her therapist career, she actually befriends a colleague, Emily, who towards the end becomes quite concerned about her overall well being. Lizzy’s constant headaches and nausea episodes at work in addition to calling out and missing work for days on end (yet having no recollection) ultimately cost her her job. You repeat what you don’t repair. These are words from Emily to Lizzy during their first “therapist” session. Yes, from a therapist to a therapist. But the question is, does Lizzy want to repair her past? Can she look past her mistakes and grow into a better woman? Or, will she continue to entertain her obsession?
If you’ve read this far, then I strongly urge you to pick up a copy of this debut novel and give it a shot. I admit, I wasn’t 100% invested when I first started reading, but trust me – once you hit the halfway point and really get to know Lizzy and her past, the book gets much more interesting. As always, I’d love to hear your thoughts on this book 🙂
Happy Reading!
Love,
Anita