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Summary
Summary
When she unearths the bones of a young child, Beverly Vernon's life is transformed in ways she never expected.
Widowed Beverly Vernon, a displaced East Coast children's book illustrator and mother of two childless adult daughters, is finding it difficult to settle in rural Florida. Filling her days by painting the portrait of a longed-for imaginary grandchild, she is struggling to find meaning in her life. But everything changes when she uncovers the bones of a young child in her backyard. A child who evidently died through violent means.
Determined to find out who the child was and how and why they died, Beverly notices that the portrait she's working on seems to change of its own accord - and that's not the only unexplained phenomenon taking place within her home. Is she being haunted - or is she going mad?
In her efforts to uncover the truth behind the bones, Beverly finds her relationship with her two daughters coming under threat, and her faith and beliefs tested to their very limit.
Author Notes
Nancy Springer was born in Montclair, New Jersey on July 5, 1948. She received a degree in English literature from Gettysburg College in 1970. She has written about 40 books for children, young adults, and adults including the Sea King Trilogy, the Tales of Rowan Hood series, the Book of Isle Trilogy, and the Enola Holmes Mystery series. She has won numerous awards including the James Tiptree, Jr. Award, the Joan Fassler Memorial Book Award, and two Edgar Allen Poe Awards.
(Bowker Author Biography)
Reviews (3)
Publisher's Weekly Review
At the start of this sprightly tale of longing and renewal from Edgar-winner Springer (Dark Lie), Beverly Vernon, a children's books illustrator who has recently settled in a small Florida Panhandle town following her husband's death, receives bad news from her literary agent in New York-her most recent book is unsalable. Depressed, she realizes that most of her contemporaries are filling their days by doting on grandchildren, something her two adult daughters are unlikely to provide. In this state of mind, she makes a start on a portrait of the ideal granddaughter: violet-eyed, golden-haired, and dressed for a party. That evening, while digging up some bricks in the backyard, she uncovers the skeleton of a small child. The following morning, Beverly notices that the portrait has been altered: the girl now has a grim expression. Is she going mad? So begins her quest to identify the buried child, whom the police believe to have been murdered. Beverly's wit and humanity keep this highly readable novel grounded when it blossoms into fully fledged fantasy. Agent: Jennifer Weltz, Jean V. Naggar Agency. (Aug.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Kirkus Review
A children's book illustrator copes with disappointment by investigating a murder.Beverly Vernon is distressed by a call from her agent saying that her latest book, The Six Swans, is too grisly to sell. Bev's bought her new home in rural Florida with money her late husband left her, but she depends on royalties, along with her Social Security check, to pay for upkeep. To distract herself from her woes, she begins to paint the portrait of a fictional child, imagining her as the granddaughter she never had. Then she makes a discovery in her yard: a small skeleton that the police confirm belongs to a child. Bev begins to doubt her own senses when her painting begins to change on its own. The lavender dress is suddenly a flowered frock. The child's sweet smile is now a fierce scowl. Uncertain of the connection between the child on the canvas and the child in the garden, she talks to her two adult daughters, Maurie and Cassie, about her growing unease. The roof falls in when the police, instead of investigating the obvious crime, haul Bev in for an open-ended psychiatric evaluation based on a complaint from her nosy neighbor about Bev's increasing willingness to entertain supernatural explanations of what she sees with her own eyes. How can Bev find justice for the young victim if she's going to be locked in a psych ward until she renounces her quest?Without much puzzle and with a narrative that's a crazy quilt of first-person and third-person contributions from the heroine and both her daughters, Springer (The Oddling Prince, 2018, etc.) presents a crime novel more likely to tempt fantasy fans than mystery buffs. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
Beverly Vernon illustrates children's books for a living, but the work has been drying up, with authors and editors moving away from hand-drawn artwork. Beverly has recently moved to Florida (she's a widow), and, having no grandchildren to occupy her time, she's feeling at loose ends. Imagine her surprise when, while doing a little work in her backyard, she uncovers the bones of what appears to be a dead child. Imagine her further surprise when a painting she had been working on a portrait of a young girl begins to change, taking on, perhaps, the appearance of the dead girl. Determined to find out who the girl was, Beverly begins to notice more strange things going on around her, prompting her to wonder if she is being haunted by the dead girl, or whether the girl is somehow trying to help Beverly solve the murder? Springer makes the most of Beverly as a lead character an ordinary woman of a certain age thrust into an extraordinary situation and dealing with it effectively. Should find an audience with fans of supernatural mysteries and offbeat cozies.--David Pitt Copyright 2018 Booklist
