Publisher's Synopsis
When the daughter of a deceased Professor at Columbia inherits a brownstone in Harlem decades later after his death, strange things begin to happen in the house. Mystery surrounds the brutal murder of an urban Black family in Harlem in the 1960's that previously inhabited the brownstone. As Claudia, a savy ad executive and her fiancé Manny explore the home, strange occurrances begin to happen, such as keys mysteriously disappearing, kitchen cups moving, windows breaking, paint peeling, televisions exploding and a feeling of oppression and doom. Claudia recounts her fathers past double life and unravels his old love from photographs and reveals that he had a past life with a mistress whose family was brutually murdered. Her dear Mother knew nothing of the affair and her father kept it silent until his death.Claudia discovers she is pregnant and that she will be working from her home at her job at an Ad Agency in Manhattan. She is asked to come up with an ad campaign for germ warfare. She wonders what kind of world she is bringing her baby into. This leads to her physical decline and she goes deeper and deeper into depression.A strange caller keeps calling her and asking for Annabel. She becomes disturbed and goes looking for clues in her fathers papers. Her fiancé thinks she is obsessed with evil and warns her not to mess with dead spirits and psychics.Claudia overcomes all when the real Annabelle reveals herself as the thought murdered mistress and Claudia surrenders the home to the rightful owner only to find that Annabelle wants no part of the home, only wants to make peace with her and let go of the tragic past she escaped from many years earlier.
