Book list
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Just as her newest protagonists, Anna Barnes and Carmen Acosta, brave a confounding maze and a hidden passage, Cleeton (The Cuban Heiress, 2023) intrepidly ventures into the gothic arena with her latest novel. Marbrisa is an extravagant showplace built on Biscayne Bay near Miami by Anna’s husband, Robert. Anna is a mature woman whose story takes place in Miami’s burgeoning post-WWI era, when rich outsiders buying up land and building mansions clash with the locals. Cue the screeching peacocks, the road-blocking, the slumbering alligators, and murder. In alternating segments, Carmen is a young woman who has come to Marbrisa to live with her estranged sister and brother-in-law after her parents’ tragic death in Havana. It’s the early 1940s, the war is starting in Europe, and history seems set to repeat itself at this ill-fated estate. As the story unfolds, readers will wonder if there's anyone Anna and Carmen can trust. The gruff housekeeper? The handsome gardener? The nebbishy architect? The relentless detective? This is a sure bet for Cleeton fans and lovers of mansion-centric gothic tales.

Library Journal
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A sprawling estate in Florida provides the opulent setting for Cleeton's (Next Year in Havana; The Cuban Heiress) latest, a suspenseful tale of murder and deception by a book-club favorite. Anna Barnes is horrified when her husband surprises her by buying Marbrisa, an overwhelmingly ornate mansion meant to rival the flashiest properties being erected around it in post—World War I Florida. Where her husband sees limitless opportunity, Anna sees bad weather, huge insects, and a glittering lifestyle she has no interest in. Anna worries that her husband might be hiding even more dangerous secrets when a party at Marbrisa ends with a woman plunging to her death. Decades later, Carmen Acosta comes to Marbrisa, now owned by Carmen's sister and her husband, following the death of her parents. Her sister's frosty welcome, combined with a persistent detective, a mysterious necklace, and a twisty garden maze, makes Carmen wonder what secrets the mansion still holds. VERDICT Cleeton artfully weaves together two storylines, each featuring a different but equally sympathetic heroine, to create a compelling mystery with plenty of gothic atmosphere. Recommended for fans of suspenseful historical fiction about courageous women determined to uncover the truth no matter the cost.—Mara Bandy Fass