Death at Morning House

While browsing #NetGalley, there's always a book or two that you request even though you KNOW you will get rejected, because What If. Well, what fucking if!?! I was accepted to read an ARC of Maureen Johnson's "Death at Morning House." YAY!

["The fire wasn’t Marlowe Wexler’s fault. Dates should be hot, but not hot enough to warrant literal firefighters. Akilah, the girl Marlowe has been in love with for years, will never go out with her again. No one dates an accidental arsonist.

With her house-sitting career up in flames, it seems the universe owes Marlowe a new summer job, and that’s how she ends up at Morning House, a mansion built on an island in the 1920s and abandoned shortly thereafter. It’s easy enough, giving tours. Low risk of fire. High chance of getting bored talking about stained glass and nut cutlets and Prohibition.

Oh, and the deaths. Did anyone mention the deaths?

Maybe this job isn’t such a gift after all. Morning House has a horrific secret that’s been buried for decades, and now the person who brought her here is missing.

All it takes is one clue to set off a catastrophic chain of events. One small detail, just like a spark, could burn it all down—if someone doesn’t bury Marlowe first."]

My ARC didn't come with a map, it being an ARC and all, but I was still a little sad (I'll survive).

But I did LOVE how the book had 2-3 chapters from Marlowe's POV, and then it switched over to the Ralston Family POV (the original owners of the Morning House), taking turns through the individual family members to show us readers that the Ralston Family wasn't as perfect as the prologue (a Life magazine article) insinuates. It was brilliant (and it added that second layer suspense through a second mystery).

It took me a while to get through this book, NOT because it wasn't good (it was GREAT), but because life and stress and other books debuting (and my lack of impulse control) and whatnot getting in the way. The hook for this book did take a bit to catch you though, so many that was it as well.

But when it did hook you!?! Holy. Fucking. Shit. So much murder and secrets and treasure and "accidents" and wow. Just wooooow. The moment everything started to come together? I don't think I breathed for the last like 2 hours of this book.

Everyone needs to buy this thing when it comes out on August 6, 2024. Ev. Ery. One.

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