The Haunting of Emily Grace by Elena Taylor

A very atmospheric story with a dark tone and a hint of something paranormal, The Haunting of Emily Grace is gripping and hard to put down. The cover and title of this Gothic thriller attracted me, and I had been wanting to read a book by Elena Taylor, so this one seemed perfect. It didn’t disappoint. In fact, I became so wrapped up in the setting and the main character that I didn’t want it to end.

The setting’s proximity to a Canadian locale was a bonus for me. Off the coast of BC and Washington, in the Salish Sea, fictional Salish Island and Monk’s Rock is isolated, nearly cut off from civilization. When carpenter Emily Grace is offered a job to complete a mansion overhanging a cliff, accessible by only one bridge, which is sometimes under water, she must deal with her fear of things living below the ocean. Added to her phobia is grief, loneliness, claustrophobia, unpredictable weather, and rumors of a curse on the island. All this haunts Emily while she works on finishing the job that Katrina, the missing (possibly murdered) architect wife of the mansion’s owner, Cameron, started. The mystery of Katrina’s disappearance is compounded with the appearance of Cameron’s brooding daughter, Chloe, who has been disfigured in a car accident.

When strange things start to happen, Emily is certain someone, or something, else is on the island besides the three of them. Author Elena Taylor expertly weaves a suspenseful tale in which her main character is uncertain whether the threat is human or supernatural. Taylor’s vivid description, insight into her main character’s state of mind, and easy-to-read writing style result in a book that will immerse the reader in a fictional world where reality, legend, and the possibility of ghosts collide. What starts as a slow burn getting into Emily’s life and current situation at Monk’s Rock becomes a heart-pounding race to the finish as the book progresses.

From the dying plants in the greenhouse to the stones in the cemetery to the mansion named End of the World with its glass windows that tilt over the ocean, the overall mood is one of unease. Emily’s anxiety and tenseness is fed by her distrust of the people she encounters, including her boss, his daughter, and the ferry operator she is attracted to. Although I would have liked more depth to the unraveling of the solution to the mystery and the reasons behind what happened in the final chapters, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. For fans of atmospheric psychological thrillers crossed with gothic suspense, The Haunting of Emily Grace is a must-read.