Publisher's Synopsis
Two loves a century apart: one courageous, hopeful, and doomed; the other cautious, tentative, and overshadowed by other-worldly influences. Set in the fictional small coastal town of Port Elliott, WA, it is the story of the Otto Mueller family in the late 19th century and the disastrous results of a man's obsession for power over all things. The tragic results of young Joy Mueller's attempt to escape to a new life and love with Scottish sea captain, Ewan Ross, casts a psychic pall over the Mueller mansion that lingers when it is sold, over a century later. Susan Pryce has just finished a tiring promotional tour for her book recounting paranormal investigations shared with her close friend and partner in Paranormal Research Group, (PRG), Dr. Edward Ryan. A recent breakup has left her at loose ends and hostile towards handsome deadbeats. Consequently her mother's request that she go to Port Elliott to assist her attorney in removing stored antiques from the family mansion which has just been sold, could be the break she needs. Interwoven with Susan's journey is the history and tragedy of the Mueller family and the psychic pall that lingers in the mansion waiting for the proper circumstances to revive the horror. She meets her mother's handsome attorney and the buyer, Barbara Jenner, her teenage son, Drew, and learns Barbara's plans to convert the mansion into a B&B include purchasing some of the antiques in the attic. Susan is disgusted to learn the inconsiderate jerk she previously encountered is Barbara's brother, Jamie Sutherlin, who is living there and helping with the remodel - another handsome deadbeat! Susan begins to suspect that more than furniture remains in the Victorian mansion, and the discovery of a grave enforces her suspicions. When Susan encounters a hostile presence in the tower room, she finds an unexpected ally in the aggravating Jamie. As the situation develops Barbara is encouraged to take Drew away for a few days. Jamie's possession by a deceased sea captain searching for his lost love, causes Susan to summon Dr. Ryan. Ultimately, it will take the combined expertise and courage of Susan and Dr. Ryan, the unexpected assistance of Drew, and the surprising ability of Jamie, to confront and combat the terror and malevolence that haunts the Mueller mansion.
