The Insatiable Volt Sisters

This vivid and masterful domestic horror novel from Moulton (Tinfoil Butterfly) centers on generations of women locked in loving mortal combat. First introduced are the eponymous Volt sisters, Beatrice (or “B.B.”) and Henrietta (“Henrie”), who, in the 1980s, grow up together on Lake Erie’s tiny, wild Fowler Island. Then their parents separate, and Henrie’s mother, B.B.’s stepmother, snatches her away to the mainland to save her from the island’s malevolent influence. Ten years later, Henrie is reluctantly drawn back by news of their father’s death—and she soon rediscovers the island’s many forgotten secrets. The Volt family has ostensibly dominated Fowler’s since ancestor Seth carved out a massive stone quarry and built his eccentric mansion, Quarry Hollow—but really, the island dominates them. Myriad young Volt women have died in the quarry, devoured by a shape-shifting devil that lives under the island and exerts his influence over the Volts, compelling the men in the family to clean up his mess. As Henrie and B.B. struggle against this fate—and each other—they seek guidance from Henrie’s mother, Carrie; island historian Ms. Sonia; and the many ghosts trapped within Quarry Hollow’s walls. Moulton expertly balances hope and dread as the tension builds to a fever pitch. Readers will be hooked. (Apr.)