The End of Temperance Dare

Former reporter Eleanor “Norrie” Harper, the narrator of this solid supernatural thriller from Webb (The Vanishing), can’t fathom her feelings of dread before starting a dream job—becoming director of Cliffside Manor, the storied one-time TB sanatorium, once owned by the wealthy Dare family, now turned into a retreat for artists and writers on the shore of Lake Superior. Then, within hours of her arrival, tragedy strikes—and she’s about to discover that she has every reason to be terrified. Soon sparks unexpectedly fly between Norrie and both Nathan Davidson, the curiously old-school physician living on the grounds, and one of the visiting fellows, dashing nature photographer Richard Banks. But there’s little chance for romance, as Norrie and her guests become spooked by increasingly menacing occurrences that seem somehow linked to the deaths at Cliffside decades earlier of philanthropist Chester Dare and his daughters Chamomile and Temperance. For most of the book Webb succeeds in escalating suspense while keeping her story grounded, but goes full-on Exorcist for the finale. [em]Agent: Jennifer Weltz, Jean Naggar Literary Agency. (June) [/em]