Death at Morning House by Maureen Johnson

As a fan of Johnson’s early books and a lover of mysteries, I was thrilled to pick up a standalone thriller, Death at Morning House. When Marlowe Wexler accidentally sets fire to the house that she is looking after, on a disastrous first date, she is more than happy to leave her home and the gossip surrounding her actions. She is offered work as a tour guide of Morning House, a mansion built on an island in the 1920s but there is confronted with the mystery of what happened to the children there before it was abandoned. And what about the mystery of the death of the friend of the local teens who are also working on the island? When the woman who gave her the job on the island goes missing, secrets begin to be uncovered.

The dual timelines told by Clara in 1932 and Marlowe in the present were easy to follow. It was fascinating to learn about life for the children in the Ralston family in 1932. Their father had adopted children during the war and was bringing them up in a strict regime. He was dedicated to fresh air, healthy food and eugenics. Clara, his daughter,  who related her life and built up the suspense of what happened in the house, is a wonderful character. Marlowe, too, is easy for the reader to relate to and pulls the reader in right from the first page, as she navigates her feelings for Akilah, whom she has been attracted to and now believes would not be interested in an arsonist. She is curious and cannot resist investigating the deaths of the children in the past,  why the house was deserted and what has happened in the present.

Beautifully written, Death at Morning House is a gripping read which I finished in a couple of sittings. The interwoven plots, the brooding mansion, addictive characters and riveting suspense made this a mystery that would appeal to teens and adults alike.

Themes: Murder, Islands, Gothic mystery.

Pat Pledger