Close to Home

August 11, 2014
A haunted house provides the stage for this exciting novel of romantic suspense from bestseller Jackson (You Don't Want to Know). Following her divorce, Sarah McAdams decides to makes a fresh start by moving back to her abandoned childhood home, a dilapidated, century-old mansion named Blue Peacock Manor on Oregon's Columbia River. Sarah's 17-year-old daughter, Jade, is angry with her mother for forcing her to move away from her friends and boyfriend in Vancouver, Wash., while her 12-year-old daughter, Gracie, insists that ghosts inhabit the manor. When young girls in a nearby town mysteriously vanish, Sarah fears for her own daughters' safety. Despite Jade's constant rebellion, Sarah remains determined to unearth the truth behind the disappearance of one of the manor's former occupants as well as the disappearance of her own sister. Clint, an old flame from whom Sarah hid some important secrets years ago, adds romantic spice. Agent: Robin Rue, Writers House.

August 1, 2014
Contrary to what her daughters believe, Sarah McAdams knows they all need a fresh start in life, and Blue Peacock Manor, her family's old home, is their ticket to a better life. Renovation could be Sarah's middle name, and all she has to do is restore the rundown estate to its former glory, and then she and her sibling co-owners can reap the rewards. Of course, no remodeling project is without its share of obstacles, but Sarah is determined not to let either the rumors that Blue Peacock Manor is haunted or the recent presence of her old flame, Clint Walsh, stop her. However, when teenage girls start disappearing one-by-one, Sarah begins to wonder if she should be less worried about old ghosts and more concerned with a modern-day fiend somewhere in the neighborhood. Best-selling author Jackson definitely knows how to jangle readers' nerves, and Close to Home is perfect for readers of Joy Fielding's suspense novels and fans of Mary Higgins Clark who don't mind a bit more graphic grit in their stories.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2014, American Library Association.)