The Haunting of Emily Grace

Taylor (the Sheriff Bet Rivers mysteries) showcases her range in this eerie gothic chiller. Carpenter Emily Grace Turner is bereft and directionless after her five-year-old daughter dies of cancer. She’s called to refocus on her career when green tech engineer Cameron Lang hires her to finish building his mansion on Salish Island in Washington State. The exterior of the home, which Cameron has named the End of the World, is complete, but the interior was supposed to be completed by his wife, Katrina, a skilled carpenter, who vanished 10 months earlier. Emily finds the atmosphere on Salish Island oppressive, owing in part to warnings from the local Indigenous community that Cameron has constructed his home on sacred ground. Tensions rise when Emily hears credible rumors that Cameron may have murdered Katrina. Taylor plays in familiar territory—the parallels to Rebecca are obvious—but she does a solid job whipping up an unsettling atmosphere and taking the setup in unexpected directions. It’s a spooky good time. Agent: Ellen Scordato, Stonesong Literary. (Nov.)