I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
The House on Biscayne Bay by Chanel Cleeton Also by this author: Next Year in Havana, When We Left Cuba, The Last Train to Key West, The Most Beautiful Girl in Cuba, Our Last Days in Barcelona, The Cuban Heiress, The Lost Story of Eva Fuentes
Published by Berkley on April 2, 2024
Genres: Historical Fiction
Pages: 336 •Format: E-ARC •Source: NetGalley
Goodreads
With the Great War finally behind them, thousands of civilians and business moguls alike flock to South Florida with their sights set on making a fortune. When wealthy industrialist Robert Barnes and his wife, Anna, build Marbrisa, a glamorous estate on Biscayne Bay, they become the toast of the newly burgeoning society. Anna and Robert appear to have it all, but in a town like Miami, appearances can be deceiving, and one scandal can change everything.
Years later following the tragic death of her parents in Havana, Carmen Acosta journeys to Marbrisa, the grand home of her estranged older sister, Carolina, and her husband, Asher Wyatt. On the surface, the gilded estate looks like paradise, but Carmen quickly learns that nothing at Marbrisa is as it seems. The house has a treacherous legacy, and Carmen’s own life is soon in jeopardy . . . unless she can unravel the secrets buried beneath the mansion’s facade and stop history from repeating itself.
I love love love Chanel Cleeton’s historical fiction novels about the Cuban diaspora in the US, and this one didn’t disappoint, with the added bonus of also being a mystery with a spooky slant to it.
As with many of Cleeton’s novels, the story is told in two interwoven timelines. The first follows Anna, who is the wife of a wealthy American man who basically wants to be the next Gatsby and moves them from New York to Florida to build an over the top, enormous manor and estate (Marbrisa) that his wife isn’t really a big fan of. The second timeline follows Carmen, the sister of the wife of the new owner who’s bought the manor decades later after it’s fallen into a state of disrepair after a scandal (and murders) led to it being abandoned and rumored to be haunted.
I love a good spooky but not full fledged horror situation, and The House on Biscayne Bay fit that perfectly. Marbrisa definitely has a presence, and both women are trying to unravel its secrets that ultimately lead to deaths on the grounds of the manor. The description of the house is eerie, from the fog lade hedge maze to the dozens and dozens of corridors (it gives off Winchester Mystery House meets Hearst Castle). Throughout Carmen’s timeline, she’s trying to find out what happened to the wife of the original owner, which adds a layer of anticipation and foreboding to Anna’s scenes as you know she’s going to disappear at some point.
While the story was super atmospheric and I enjoyed Cleeton’s foray into the Gothic fiction world, I did find the character of Carmen to fall a little flat compared to some of her other protagonists. My favorite Cleeton novels are always those that tie back to the complex Cuban roots and family tree of the original family first mentioned in Next Year in Havana, and since Carmen is orphaned when she arrives at Marbrisa there’s very little ties to Cuba in this story compared to her previous works. However, I think Cleeton did an admirable job with her first foray into the Gothic genre and I would definitely read more by her. The vibes of this book would honestly be perfect for a movie or spooky video game.
Reading this book contributed to these challenges:
- Goodreads Challenge 2024
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