The Darkling

Coden, Ala., once a thriving resort town, serves as the setting for this sharp and edgy gothic thriller, set in 1974, from Chesterton, a pen name of Carolyn Haines (Revenant). Coden residents look to California transplants Berta and Bob Henderson to bring prosperity back, since the couple plan to restore the shabby Paradise Inn, once a magnet for Hollywood legends. Meanwhile, canny 21-year-old Marie Bosarge, whom the Hendersons have hired to tutor their three adventurous youngsters and to be a companion to 16-year-old Annie, a foster child of uncertain origin, slowly realizes she’s dealing with malevolent forces she can’t understand. Why do unidentified claw marks appear in Belle Fleur, the family’s historic house? And who’s the sinister wraith at the edge of the woods? As Marie begins to research the past of the Paradise Inn and Belle Fleur, she comes across a tragic and horrific story that resonates into the present. Agent: Marian Young, the Young Agency. (Apr.)