The House on Foster Hill

by Jaime Jo Wright

Paperback, 2017

Status

Available

Call number

813.6

Publication

Bethany House Publishers (2017), 368 pages

Description

"Kaine purchases an old house sight unseen in her grandfather's Wisconsin hometown. But one look at the eerie, abandoned house immediately leaves her questioning her rash decision. And when the house's dark history comes back with a vengeance, Kaine is forced to face the terrifying realization she has nowhere left to hide. A century earlier, the house on Foster Hill holds nothing but painful memories for Ivy Thorpe. When an unidentified woman is found dead on the property, Ivy is compelled to discover her identity. Ivy's search leads her into dangerous waters and, even as she works together with a man from her past, can she unravel the mystery before any other lives--including her own--are lost?"--Google Books.

User reviews

LibraryThing member alekee
The author has us traveling in two periods of time, a century apart, and yet really tied together as we learn.
Don’t get too comfortable and you might want to keep the lights on, this book is scary in more ways than one, both in the past and also in the present.
The revelations here are going to
Show More
make you cringe and you wonder what happenings in California have to do with Wisconsin, but unexplained things are going on, and you wonder why, and boy do surprises abound here, most I never saw coming.
A first novel for this author, and I cannot wait for more, she had me from the beginning for this real page turner of a read.
Come along with our current day Kate buys a home sight unseen, it doesn’t even have a door, and see how it connects to early 1900’s Ivy, you won’t be disappointed.

I received this book through Net Galley and the Publisher Bethany House, and was not required to give a positive review.
Show Less
LibraryThing member Virginia51
This is a fantastic read. It flows from present to the past smoothly. I was never confused as to what time period I was reading about. This has a lot of suspense and mystery in the story. I never quite knew what was going to happen next. I did not want to put this book down. I loved learning more
Show More
about Ivy and Kaine. I received this book from the author for a fair and honest opinion that I gave of my own free will.
Show Less
LibraryThing member Kris_Anderson
The House on Foster Hill by Jaime Jo Wright is a Christian mystery novel. Ivy Thorpe lives with her father in Oakwood, Wisconsin. In March of 1906, a body has been found in the hollowed tree on Foster Hill near Foster Hill House. Who is the young woman and why was she killed? Ivy wants to find out
Show More
the identity of the woman along with who harmed her. However, the one person who can assist her is also the individual who left her when she needed him the most. Then it is discovered that the victim had recently given birth. Ivy is determined to get justice for the woman and locate the missing child.

Kaine Prescott has decided to relocate from San Diego to Oakwood, Wisconsin. She lost her husband, Danny two years prior and Kaine is certain his death was no accident. The police, though, will not investigate further nor they believe that Kaine has a stalker. Kaine bought Foster Hill House (unseen and without an inspection) in her grandfather’s hometown. When Kaine starts work on the home, she finds clues to the century old mystery. Will Kaine be able to discover what happened to the young woman who died in 1906?

The House on Foster Hill splits time between 1906 and the present. I felt the author did the story a disservice by splitting the focus. The story felt muddled. The first two chapters of the novel felt creepy and mysterious. However, it soon fizzled into humdrum (especially the contemporary sections). I found Ivy more interesting than Kaine. The romance (for both characters) was more prominent than the mystery. The only reason for the mystery was for the two women to find love. The author tried to put too much into one book (needed editing and a major rewrite). I found the story slow-paced (paint dries faster) and lacking in flow. Ivy kept a journal in which she wrote stories about the people who died (made up stories). She was determined to solve the murder and kept running off which put her in danger multiple times (reckless). Kaine buys a house that needs massive renovations in a town she has never visited. She has no DIY skills or tools. She overreacts each incident. There was a repetition of information, and I never felt the suspense (or tension). The mystery is one that plays out (another disappointment) with the details being revealed in the final 10%. The ending felt incomplete. I found The House on Foster Hill to be a tedious book to read (felt like I was slogging through a mud pit).
Show Less
LibraryThing member Carol420
Foster Hill House is not without secrets of it's own. In 1906, Ivy Thorpe discovered a murdered woman in one of the trees on the property and soon learned that the dead girls newborn infant was missing. Thus began Ivy's journey to find the girls killer and her infant that could yet be alive against
Show More
all odds.. Ivy’s story from the past blends smoothly with Kaine’s in the present time. As the secrets are unveiled, the danger increases.

Chapters alternate between the past and present, giving The House on Foster Hill depth. As the two stories run parallel and from clues scattered throughout...soon give the perfect amount of information to help the reader begin to piece together how the past is affecting the present. The book is filled with deep emotional struggles... sharp dialogue and shadows of evil lurking at the edges.
Show Less
LibraryThing member Kathl33n
DNF 35%. Not sure why I can't get into this. The story is interesting, especially the historical story line, and the characters are engaging. For some reason I just can't engage and after two weeks I am giving it up.
LibraryThing member JLSlipak
Kaine Prescott is no stranger to death. When her husband died two years ago, her pleas for further investigation into his suspicious death fell on deaf ears. In desperate need of a fresh start, Kaine purchases an old house sight unseen in her grandfather’s Wisconsin hometown. But one look at the
Show More
eerie, abandoned house immediately leaves her questioning her rash decision. And when the house’s dark history comes back with a vengeance, Kaine is forced to face the terrifying realization she has nowhere left to hide.

A century earlier, the house on Foster Hill holds nothing but painful memories for Ivy Thorpe. When an unidentified woman is found dead on the property, Ivy is compelled to discover her identity. Ivy’s search leads her into dangerous waters and, even as she works together with a man from her past, can she unravel the mystery before any other lives–including her own–are lost?

MY THOUGHTS:

I received this book in exchange for my honest review.

The cover is so perfect!

Creepy house, two timelines, stalker, ghosts, strange sounds, no one believes her, mystery, killers…. I was in at “Creepy!”

I loved the premise when I read the synopsis for this book and had to have it to review. I write supernatural thrillers and this one was bang-on. The two timelines are clear and precise for their eras and beneficial to the story as a whole. Each compliments the other and aids in the Protagonist’s character development. The tension is continuous, building for a spectacular ending and resolution.

All the characters are developed and useful to the story. Each is complete and help the Protagonist reach her goals. The author’s voice is, as always, fantastic and perfectly written pushing the story forward at a delightful pace with a plot full of twists and turns and spine-tingling moments. Don’t read this book alone in the dark during a storm, I dare you!
Show Less
LibraryThing member vintagebeckie
Because I had heard a lot of positive buzz about Jaime Jo Wright’s debut novel, The House on Foster Hill, I thought I’d offer it to my book club as a possibility for our 2018 schedule. The blurb sold it to my group, but it was the actual reading experience that gave it a unanimous thumbs up! We
Show More
loved the spooky atmosphere, the engaging characters, and the mystery that spanned over a hundred years. Because we read a lot of suspense it isn’t easy to surprise us, but this one did. We never saw the ending coming! We are excited to have found another author to add to our must-read list.

Dual plot lines set in the present day and in 1906, appealed to our members who like contemporary and/or historical novels. The two stories intertwine well. The action alternated between Kaine and Ivy’s stories keeping us turning the pages as quickly as possible — we had to know what was happening with both of these engaging and interesting characters. Kaine and Ivy are women of their times, but share a determination to get to the bottom of the mysteries that the shady Foster Hill House presents. Although some of us wanted to shake them from time to time, we generally loved them. The two male characters were a treat as well. Very different from each other, my group was split on which we liked better, but were pleased with how both added to the stories and the main characters’ lives. The book provided great discussion for our group — family history and secrets, human trafficking now and then, and keeping alive the memories of those who have passed.

Often my book club gets off task during our monthly discussions, but this month we had no trouble staying focused on The House on Foster Hill. Kudos for an impressive first novel. We look forward to many more from an author to watch.

Highly Recommended.

Great for Book Clubs.

Audience: adults.

(I purchased this book from Amazon. All opinions expressed are mine alone.)
Show Less
LibraryThing member ShareeKim
The House on Foster Hill was OUTSTANDING. I don’t say that often because there has to be something that distinguishes good from GREAT. This is one of those books. Jaime Jo Wright does something exceptional by writing a timeslip romantic suspense all in one. And she does it well.
I loved Ivy
Show More
Thorpe, the strong-willed, big-hearted woman who sees the beauty in each person’s story. But her desire to honor those who’ve passed on is the one thing that places her in danger. Still, in righting another’s wrong, she finds the courage to live again outside of her own heartbreak.
Kaine Prescott has no trouble fighting for another but her own broken soul isn’t something she can fix alone. Her humor and drive make her such a wonderfully relatable character. And she’s a dog lover. That alone gave her favor with me. An example of her personality is found in this quote from The House on Foster Hill. “If I scream,” Kaine spoke aloud to only the mice, “it’s probably a gargantuan spider eating my finger, so go get help.”
The House on Foster Hill has everything, suspense, intrigue, mystery, romance, and history. A must read I highly recommend.
Show Less
LibraryThing member coastandanchor
**Thank you to Bethany House Publishers for a free copy for review. A positive review was not required and is my own humble opinion.

Taken from the first chapter, " Death had a way of creeping up on a soul" and "There was nothing worse than seeing the casing of a soul that had drifted into eternity,
Show More
knowing the body would return to dust while the life lived became a tin-plated photograph with a forgotten name. Lives lost in the passage of time." The chapters take you from dark mystery to crime scene to heartfelt moments. It was quite the roller coaster at times!

In her debut novel, Jaime Jo Wright has captivated me from the first sentence right up until the very last page! It begins in 1906 with a dark, cold scene where Ivy Thorpe is introduced as she accompanies her father to a crime scene where they discover a deceased young woman. Before I go any further, I must say that I am not one to read crime novels or spooky books, so while reading the first chapter I was a tad on edge. BUT, the first chapter did it's job and the further I read, the more I had to know. After finishing the book, I can now say that I would recommend this book to anyone, even those not normally grabbing for crime, mystery or spooky tales.

Although there was a main mystery to be solved, there were also many details or mysteries along the way, maybe a few too many. I was not confused by them, but at times wondered if it could be a little far fetched. Nonetheless, I was still captivated and drawn into the story enough to stay the course.

Final thoughts:
Jaime Jo Wright is going to be an author that is added to my list based on this debut novel. All in all it gets a 4 anchor rating from me. Grab your copy of The House on Foster Hill, beach chair and tervis of ice tea and head out to pool or beach for a great read!
Show Less
LibraryThing member Carol420
It's a creepy story about a creepy house with a less than desirable history. Kaine buys the house sight unseen...after all it was her grandfather's. Maybe she should have asked why he nor any other member of the family never set foot in it. I believe one of the reasons I liked the book so much was
Show More
that it was not only scary but it also had elements of reality attached to the present and the past parts of the story. I did think that Kaine was rather blindly foolish in her refusal to leave the house and in believing she could confront the evil thing that shared her rooms. If you like ghost stories...this is diffidently for you.
Show Less
LibraryThing member chrirob
Kaine has been adrift since her husband died two years ago...no, was murdered two years ago. While no one believes he was murdered, Kaine knows he was, because now the murdered is stalking her. Desiring to start new and hopefully lose her stalker, Kaine buys an old, dilapidated house in Wisconsin
Show More
that happens to be where her ancestors once lived. However, this quaint old home does not just need TLC, it needs a complete makeover inside and out...or should just be demolished. As Kaine tries to begin her life anew, without her husband and without fear, strange things begin happening that make her think her stalker has followed her. As events unfold, Kaine questions whether she should have bought this house and can remodel it, if her stalker has indeed followed her, and is her family history what she thought it was. While Kaine attempts to rebuild her life, events unfold that lead her to discovering her great great grandmother Ivy Thorne's role in her family, the town's, and Foster Hill House's dark history.
Show Less
LibraryThing member IreneCole
This was an intriguing dual mystery, though I had hoped for a bit more suspense. It's told from two points of view. In the present day we have Kaine, still grieving the loss of her husband and looking for a new start away from old memories and a stalker. Her husband's death had been ruled an
Show More
accident but in her heart she knows it was a murder. The police ignored her suspicions, and her stalker even though she could have made several enemies while helping to get other women out of abusive situations.

On the other hand we have Ivy. A century ago Ivy had assisted in the autopsy of a murdered woman whose body was found near what would later become Kaine's home. When it became apparent that the murdered woman had recently given birth, Ivy was willing to risk her own life to find the baby, and the murderer. As the mystery of the past unravels we slowly learn how it pertains to Kaine. I did enjoy the way the stories intertwined these two strong female characters.


I received an advance copy for review.
Show Less
LibraryThing member cbcmedia
This is the debut novel by an amazing author, Jamie Jo Wright. The book cover is beautiful in it’s mystery and I just knew I had to give this book a try. Oh boy, am I glad I did!

This is a very interesting Christian suspense novel that is set in two different times about two different women, Ivy
Show More
and Kaine. They each have a mystery to solve and danger lurks at every turn. Ivy, 1906, is a memory keeper of those that died in her town. Her father was the town doctor and Ivy felt like it was important to keep their story alive and not forget them. Even the unknown one, Gabriella. Ivy’s past catches up with her when Joel comes back to town and the mystery of Gabriella becomes more and more dangerous. Kaine, current time, is a women who is trying to heal after the death of her husband. She moves to the town Ivy lived in and bought the house on Foster Hill and her story is filled with sadness, mystery, suspense, and some romance. I won’t tell anymore of the story…you just need to read it!

This novel caught my attention from the very first chapter and it got better and better. There was really no “boring time” during any of this book. It is more descriptive than I usually like, but the author does such a wonderful job with everything. It’s full of mystery and suspense from both timelines and it couldn’t have been told any better! I loved it. It will keep you reading and keep you guessing until the end. I wholeheartedly recommend this book. I can’t wait to read Jamie Jo Wright’s next novel.
Show Less
LibraryThing member DebTat2
Kaine Prescott is no stranger to death. When her husband died two years ago, her pleas for further investigation into his suspicious death fell on deaf ears. In desperate need of a fresh start, Kaine purchases an old house sight unseen in her grandfather’s Wisconsin hometown. But one look at the
Show More
eerie, abandoned house immediately leaves her questioning her rash decision. And when the house’s dark history comes back with a vengeance, Kaine is forced to face the terrifying realization she has nowhere left to hide.

A century earlier, the house on Foster Hill holds nothing but painful memories for Ivy Thorpe. When an unidentified woman is found dead on the property, Ivy is compelled to discover her identity. Ivy’s search leads her into dangerous waters and, even as she works together with a man from her past, can she unravel the mystery before any other lives–including her own–are lost?

The story is told from two different time periods by two different women connected by Foster House 100 years apart. Ivy in the past, who is helping to investigate a mysterious death and Kaine in the present, who is running from her past.

The two women’s tales intertwine as mysteries surrounding both of their lives unfold and lead them into danger. Their love and faith will be tested as they discover the secrets of Foster Hill.

The chapter switches between Kaine and Ivy were done really well and easy to follow and both women are very likeable and believable and the fact that you really don’t know the connections until the very end. It isn’t often that you find a book that you can’t figure out and the suspect takes you completely by surprise.

Although it is a Christian novel, it wasn’t too heavy on the religion aspect but hope and faith in God is a big part of the storyline but not pressed too much to put non religious readers off.

The House on Foster Hill has everything, suspense, intrigue, mystery, romance, and history and it certainly keeps you turning the pages as fast as you can.

I will definitely be looking forward to more from Jaime Jo Wright in the future.
Show Less

Awards

Christy Awards (Nominee — Mystery/Suspense/Thriller — 2018)
Daphne du Maurier Award for Excellence in Mystery/Suspense (Finalist - Published Division — 2018)

Language

Original language

English

Physical description

368 p.; 8.4 inches

ISBN

076423028X / 9780764230288
Page: 0.4254 seconds