The House

As children, twins Shelley and Kip Davies were fascinated with Lockley Arms, the majestic Victorian inn across the street from their house in the sleepy, idyllic town of Green Hollow. Late one winter night, the siblings trespass there, and Kip is shocked into a temporary coma-like state by forces that Shelley suspects are otherworldly. Later, as teenagers, they find themselves working at the Lockley Arms and their suspicion of innkeeper Miss Mansell and her guests mounts. Discovering a witches' coven, they decide to join it, entering a world of rites, ceremonies and magic--and an apparently loving community. But evil forces are at play in Green Hollow: a kidnapper and murderer emerges in the town, and dead owls keep appearing near the hotel. Shelley, fueled by jealousy and the conviction that her new community has betrayed her, unearths the coven's long-kept secrets, producing an outcome both surprising and tragic. While Hawkes's (My Soul to Keep) penchant for repeating and italicizing significant phrases is annoying, and her exploration of a sexual relationship between the twins is unnecessarily salacious, she has created a satisfying story of mystery and magic that only occasionally flags. (Apr.)