AustLit

'Rebecca James unveils a chilling modern gothic novel of a family consumed by the shadows and secrets of its past in The Woman in the Mirror.

'For more than two centuries, Winterbourne Hall has stood atop a bluff overseeing the English countryside of Cornwall and the sea beyond. Enshrouded by fog and enveloped by howling winds, the imposing edifice casts a darkness over the town.

'In 1947, Londoner Alice Miller accepts a post as governess at Winterbourne, looking after twin children Constance and Edmund for their widower father, Captain Jonathan de Grey. Falling under the de Greys’ spell, Alice believes the family will heal her own past sorrows. But then the twins’ adoration becomes deceitful and taunting. Their father, ever distant, turns spiteful and cruel. The manor itself seems to lash out. Alice finds her surroundings subtly altered, her air slightly chilled. Something malicious resents her presence, something clouding her senses and threatening her very sanity.

'In present day New York, art gallery curator Rachel Wright has learned she is a descendant of the de Greys and heir to Winterbourne. Adopted as an infant, she never knew her birth parents or her lineage. At long last, Rachel will find answers to questions about her identity that have haunted her entire life. But what she finds in Cornwall is a devastating tragic legacy that has afflicted generations of de Greys. A legacy borne from greed and deceit, twisted by madness, and suffused with unrequited love and unequivocal rage.

'There is only one true mistress of Winterbourne. She will not tolerate any woman who dares to cross its threshold and call it home. Those who do will only find a reflection of their own wicked sins and an inherited vengeance.'

Source: publisher's blurb

'Cooper Bartholomew's body is found at the foot of a cliff.

'Suicide.

'That's the official finding, that's what everyone believes. Cooper's girlfriend, Libby, has her doubts. They'd been happy, in love. Why would he take his own life?

'As Libby searches for answers, and probes more deeply into what really happened the day Cooper died, she and her friends unravel a web of secrets and betrayals. Are those friends - and enemies - what they seem? Who is hiding a dangerous secret? And will the truth set them all free?' (Publication summary)

'A story about love, friendship, fidelity, and betrayal...and how the birth of a child can change everything.

'Sarah has everything she ever wanted - the man she wants to spend the rest of her life with, a house in the country, and a baby on the way. If only Brett were more enthusiastic about their new arrival, and just a little less ambivalent about their relationship.

'After baby Josh is born, Sarah and Brett are put to the test. But can they overcome the challenges of parenthood...and a certain neighbor who has more than just a friendly interest in their new family?' (From the publisher's website.)