Mrs. Rochester’s Ghost

This page contains affiliate links, and we may receive compensation if you click on a link. You can read my full advertising disclosure HERE.

Manufacturer: Lindsay Marcott
Brand: Thriller, Retelling
Brew: Ebook
Steeping Time: 392 pages
Tea Service: Personal Choice
Strength:

Synopsis: Jane has lost everything: job, mother, relationship, even her home. A friend calls to offer an unusual deal—a cottage above the crashing surf of Big Sur on the estate of his employer, Evan Rochester. In return, Jane will tutor his teenage daughter. She accepts.

But nothing is quite as it seems at the Rochester estate. Though he’s been accused of murdering his glamorous and troubled wife, Evan Rochester insists she drowned herself. Jane is skeptical, but she still finds herself falling for the brilliant and secretive entrepreneur and growing close to his daughter.

And yet her deepening feelings for Evan can’t disguise dark suspicions aroused when a ghostly presence repeatedly appears in the night’s mist and fog. Jane embarks on an intense search for answers and uncovers evidence that soon puts Evan’s innocence into question. She’s determined to discover what really happened that fateful night, but what will the truth cost her?

It may be a modern take on Jane Eyre, but the spook factor is timeless.

Admittedly, it’s been decades since I read Jane Eyre. I don’t really remember anything about the book, probably because I was skimming it for an English class I was behind in (good job, teenaged Lydia). I plan on rereading it soon, but I’m glad I didn’t remember much about the book. It made Mrs. Rochester’s Ghost a true mystery for me.

The book had a slow start, but I generally don’t mind that. I like letting a story unfold. I did have a hard time getting into the vibe of the book, but I think that’s because I had just come off of reading Rock Paper Scissors by Alice Feeney, an incredibly written book that reads with immense ease and a quick pace. It was a little hard for me to adjust to a different narrator voice. The other thing I had a hard time with is the text message conversations throughout the book. Modern settings aren’t my favorite, so the addition of texts was tricky. Once I got into it, though, the story gripped me until the end.

I read this book mostly while flying to Vermont with my husband this fall. I would take a break while reading, thinking I was getting bored, but then a few minutes later I had my phone out again, delving into another chapter.

There is layer upon layer of suspicion, and I found it captivating.

The chapters alternate between Jane and Beatrice, the missing wife of Evan Rochester. I’ve always been a fan of multiple narrators because it lends such depth to the story, and Lindsay Marcott did a phenomenal job weaving the two narratives together. I feel that it would have been incomplete without both speakers and I’m glad she made that choice. Now, this could be the exact format of Jane Eyre, but as I stated above, I remember nothing of that book. I’m actually starting to second guess if I actually read it or if I just had a friend tell me the summary….shame shame.

Throughout the book, I found myself flip-flopping on who I thought was guilty or if anyone was guilty at all. After all, Beatrice is not mentally well. We see her downfall progress, and it was a difficult part of the book for me. I have a brother who struggles with bipolar schizophrenia, and many of his symptoms were reflected on these pages. I appreciate its realness, though. I also appreciate the portrayal of the helplessness that those who love that person feel. Because it’s real. You want nothing but to help, and yet, there isn’t anything you can do. The helplessness and frustration are very real.

I found Mrs. Rochester’s Ghost to be an engaging mystery that had me guessing until the end. If you like mysteries and thrillers, with a wee bit of romance thrown in, I think you’ll enjoy this book. Once the story kicks up, the pace is quick and the plot is captivating.

Have you read Mrs. Rochester’s Ghost? Leave a comment and let me know what you thought about it! Want to read it for yourself? Click here to get a copy of your own.
Cheers,
Lydia