Return to Wyldcliffe Heights: a novel

Book Cover
Average Rating
Publisher
William Morrow Paperbacks
Publication Date
2024.
Language
English

Description

Jane Eyre meets The Thirteenth Tale in this new modern gothic mystery from two-time Mary Higgins Clark Award–winner Carol Goodman, about a reclusive writer who is desperate to rewrite the past.

Losing yourself inside of a book can be dangerous. Not everyone finds their way out.

Agnes Corey, a junior editor at a small independent publisher, has been hired by enigmatic author Veronica St. Clair to transcribe the sequel to her 1993 hit phenomenon, The Secret of Wyldcliffe Heights. St. Clair has been a recluse since the publication of the Jane Eyre-esque book, which coincided with a terrible fire that blinded and scarred her. Arriving in the Hudson Valley at St. Clair’s crumbling estate, which was once a psychiatric hospital for “wayward women,” Agnes is eager to ensure St. Clair’s devoted fans will get the sequel they’ve been anticipating for the past thirty years.

As St. Clair dictates, Agnes realizes there are clues in the story that reveal the true—and terrifying—events three decades ago that inspired the original novel. The line between fact and fiction becomes increasingly blurred, and Agnes discovers terrible secrets about an unresolved murder from long ago, which have startling connections to her own life. As St. Clair’s twisting tale infiltrates Agnes’s psyche, Agnes begins to question her own sanity—and safety. In order to save herself, Agnes must uncover what really happened to St. Clair, and in doing so, set free the stories of all the women victimized by Wyldcliffe Heights. 

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ISBN
9780063386686
9780063265288

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Gothic fiction lovers will appreciate these creepy, atmospheric novels about women who uncover shocking secrets while working at a reclusive author's estate. -- CJ Connor
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Similar Authors From NoveList

NoveList provides detailed suggestions for other authors you might want to read if you enjoyed this book. Suggestions are based on recommendations from librarians and other contributors.
Goodman's fans will appreciate Elizabeth George's literary writing style and interest in exploring the psychology of her characters, as well as her complex, suspenseful plots, and may enjoy the fact that George's characters continue in a series. -- Katherine Johnson
Goodman and Trinchieri write stand alone literary mysteries that feature complex women in suspenseful situations. The books use psychological insight into their characters. The stories have a strong sense of place and are fast paced. Often there is a gothic element to the stories. -- Merle Jacob
Joanne Harris's character-centered, often magical and darkly humorous, and always provocative novels will interest Goodman readers with their rich prose and faultless storytelling, sometimes blending magic and fairy tale themes. -- Katherine Johnson
These authors' works have the subjects "suicide," "fifteen-year-old girls," and "world war ii."
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Published Reviews

Booklist Review

In keeping with the grand gothic tradition of the Brontës and du Maurier, Goodman spins an engrossing if at times overwrought tale. As part of her editorial job, Agnes Corey was to read Veronica St. Clair's fan mail and forward any favorable letters to her. St. Clair was the author of the blockbuster The Secret of Wyldcliffe Heights, written in the 1990s. The Wyldcliffe estate served as a Magdalen refuge in the 1890s, a women's corrective training school in the 1920s, and in the 1960s it became a psychiatric treatment center for troubled teens. Many women suffered and died there, and there is a huge cemetery on the property. Fans are still clamoring for a sequel and when she finally agrees, Agnes travels to Wyldcliffe to take her dictation. But what St. Clair has in mind is more of a prequel, and she relates a nightmare-inducing narrative--a story within the main story--to Agnes, who begins to feel she is, oddly, part of it. The otherworldly air that permeates the book veils what sometimes seems anachronistic, and Agnes has enough visits to the "Hallmark town" nearby to alleviate the reader's claustrophobia. Fans of the genre will be happy to take it all in.

From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
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Publisher's Weekly Review

Multigenerational mysteries haunt a Hudson Valley mansion in this moody if convoluted gothic thriller from Mary Higgins Clark Award winner Goodman (The Bones of the Story). Agnes Corey is nearing the end of her probationary period as an editorial assistant at Gatehouse Books in New York City. For many years, Gatehouse has been kept afloat by Veronica St. Clair's The Secret of Wyldcliffe Heights, a neogothic 1990s blockbuster; despite decades of silence from its reclusive author, the book's cult following continues to clamor for a sequel. As Gatehouse's financial footing slips and executives consider selling the publisher to a larger firm, Agnes decides to write to Veronica and beg for a sequel. Surprisingly, Veronica writes back and invites Agnes to the real-life Wyldcliffe Heights--a sprawling asylum turned mansion a few hours outside the city--to work as her assistant. When Agnes arrives, she learns that Veronica has gone blind. As she takes dictation for Veronica's new book, Agnes learns about the real-life events that inspired The Secret of Wyldcliffe Heights. Eventually, she discovers that her own history intersects with that of Wyldcliffe. Goodman nails the gothic atmosphere, but by the end, her plot has grown too tangled to achieve maximum impact. This doesn't rank with the author's best. Agent: Robin Rue, Writers House. (July)

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Library Journal Review

It was only afterwards that Agnes Corey realized she shouldn't have written that letter to author Veronica St. Clair. Agnes is an editorial assistant at the small press that published St. Clair's bestseller, The Secret of Wyldcliffe Heights. For almost 30 years, readers, including Agnes, have wanted a sequel, but St. Clair, a blind recluse, refused to write it. However, Agnes is shocked when she's hired to transcribe St. Clair's harrowing sequel to the original gothic tale. Arriving at Wyldcliffe Heights, she quickly gets wrapped up in the seemingly autobiographical novel about two young women imprisoned at an experimental mental hospital, and the fire that blinded St. Clair. As she transcribes, Agnes finds connections to her own family story and her mother, who was mentally ill. Agnes's fears for her own mental stability come to a head on Halloween when the shocking secrets of Wyldcliffe Heights are revealed. VERDICT Goodman, author of two Mary Higgins Clark Award-winning novels, including The Night Visitors, will please readers who like a gothic mystery with a creepy setting and unreliable narrators. Suggest for fans of Jane Eyre.--Lesa Holstine

(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
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Booklist Reviews

*Starred Review* In keeping with the grand gothic tradition of the Brontës and du Maurier, Goodman spins an engrossing if at times overwrought tale. As part of her editorial job, Agnes Corey was to read Veronica St. Clair's fan mail and forward any favorable letters to her. St. Clair was the author of the blockbuster The Secret of Wyldcliffe Heights, written in the 1990s. The Wyldcliffe estate served as a Magdalen refuge in the 1890s, a women's corrective training school in the 1920s, and in the 1960s it became a psychiatric treatment center for troubled teens. Many women suffered and died there, and there is a huge cemetery on the property. Fans are still clamoring for a sequel and when she finally agrees, Agnes travels to Wyldcliffe to take her dictation. But what St. Clair has in mind is more of a prequel, and she relates a nightmare-inducing narrative—a story within the main story—to Agnes, who begins to feel she is, oddly, part of it. The otherworldly air that permeates the book veils what sometimes seems anachronistic, and Agnes has enough visits to the "Hallmark town" nearby to alleviate the reader's claustrophobia. Fans of the genre will be happy to take it all in. Copyright 2024 Booklist Reviews.

Copyright 2024 Booklist Reviews.
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Library Journal Reviews

Mary Higgins Clark Award winner Goodman offers a modern gothic where book editor Agnes Corey is hired by the reclusive Veronica St. Clair to transcribe the sequel to her hit novel. But all is not as it seems—on the crumbling estate or in the story itself. Agnes gets pulled deeply into the dangerous chasm between fact and fiction, present and past. With a 75K-copy first printing. Prepub Alert. Copyright 2023 Library Journal

Copyright 2024 Library Journal.

Copyright 2023 Library Journal Copyright 2024 Library Journal.
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Library Journal Reviews

It was only afterwards that Agnes Corey realized she shouldn't have written that letter to author Veronica St. Clair. Agnes is an editorial assistant at the small press that published St. Clair's bestseller, The Secret of Wyldcliffe Heights. For almost 30 years, readers, including Agnes, have wanted a sequel, but St. Clair, a blind recluse, refused to write it. However, Agnes is shocked when she's hired to transcribe St. Clair's harrowing sequel to the original gothic tale. Arriving at Wyldcliffe Heights, she quickly gets wrapped up in the seemingly autobiographical novel about two young women imprisoned at an experimental mental hospital, and the fire that blinded St. Clair. As she transcribes, Agnes finds connections to her own family story and her mother, who was mentally ill. Agnes's fears for her own mental stability come to a head on Halloween when the shocking secrets of Wyldcliffe Heights are revealed. VERDICT Goodman, author of two Mary Higgins Clark Award-winning novels, including The Night Visitors, will please readers who like a gothic mystery with a creepy setting and unreliable narrators. Suggest for fans of Jane Eyre.—Lesa Holstine

Copyright 2024 Library Journal.

Copyright 2024 Library Journal.
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Publishers Weekly Reviews

Multigenerational mysteries haunt a Hudson Valley mansion in this moody if convoluted gothic thriller from Mary Higgins Clark Award winner Goodman (The Bones of the Story). Agnes Corey is nearing the end of her probationary period as an editorial assistant at Gatehouse Books in New York City. For many years, Gatehouse has been kept afloat by Veronica St. Clair's The Secret of Wyldcliffe Heights, a neogothic 1990s blockbuster; despite decades of silence from its reclusive author, the book's cult following continues to clamor for a sequel. As Gatehouse's financial footing slips and executives consider selling the publisher to a larger firm, Agnes decides to write to Veronica and beg for a sequel. Surprisingly, Veronica writes back and invites Agnes to the real-life Wyldcliffe Heights—a sprawling asylum turned mansion a few hours outside the city—to work as her assistant. When Agnes arrives, she learns that Veronica has gone blind. As she takes dictation for Veronica's new book, Agnes learns about the real-life events that inspired The Secret of Wyldcliffe Heights. Eventually, she discovers that her own history intersects with that of Wyldcliffe. Goodman nails the gothic atmosphere, but by the end, her plot has grown too tangled to achieve maximum impact. This doesn't rank with the author's best. Agent: Robin Rue, Writers House. (July)

Copyright 2024 Publishers Weekly.

Copyright 2024 Publishers Weekly.
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