The Bookshop of 99 Doors

The legends of a Civil War–era ghost and an elusive secret door in a Pennsylvania mansion animate this spine-tingling dual-timeline mystery from Wright (The Bell Tolls at Trager Hall). In 1888, Minnie Tipton and her ailing father move into Ambrose Fields, an estate said to be haunted by the ghost of a deranged Union Army captain who murdered a group of wounded soldiers after the Battle of Gettysburg. When her father begins having hallucinations of the captain, Minnie becomes increasingly motivated to locate the mansion’s 100th door, rumored to be a portal for the souls of the dead. In the present, Triss Bellamy believes she’s left her family’s ghost-hunting business behind by becoming the bookshop manager of Ambrose Fields, which is now a museum. But after the museum director hires her family to investigate paranormal activity at the mansion as a publicity stunt, her brother has vivid delusions similar to the ones that plagued Minnie’s father, and Triss must put her faith in God and work to unlock the house’s mysteries before it can claim another victim. Wright interweaves the two timelines seamlessly, gradually ratcheting up the suspense as both protagonists inch their way closer to the truth. The result is a page-turning historical perfect for fans of Darcy Coates and Gabrielle Meyer. (Apr.)