My thoughts:
This book has been described as “haunting” and I think that I agree. It is the first novel by this author.
Readers will want to know what happened at Coram House when a young boy disappeared. They will also want to know how the past connects to events in the present. Readers will find out along with the true crime reporter who is trying to unravel what happened.
Readers should note that this book was inspired by true events. They should also know that this is a dark read in parts. Just as much was learned about mother-baby homes for unwed mothers, orphanages did not always treat their charges well. This is not new to me but nonetheless makes for an upsetting story.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for this title. All thoughts are my own.
Pub date: 15 April 2025
Description:
From the publisher
Sharp Objects meets The Appeal in this “atmospheric and chilling” (Flynn Berry, New York Times bestselling author) novel—based on a shocking true story—about a crime writer who risks everything as she investigates a decades-old mystery at a crumbling orphanage.
On a blistering summer day in 1968, nine-year-old Tommy vanishes without a trace from Coram House, an orphanage on the shores of Lake Champlain. Fifty years later, the opportunity to investigate his disappearance and the orphanage’s eerie lore is just the break that struggling true crime writer Alex Kelley needs.
Arriving in Vermont for research, Alex grows obsessed with Tommy’s disappearance, until her investigation takes a chilling turn with the discovery of a woman’s body in the lake. Alex is convinced this new death is somehow connected to Coram House’s dark past, even if Officer Russell Parker thinks she’s just desperate for a story. As the body count rises, Alex must prove that the key to finding the killer lies in a decades-old murder—or else she risks becoming the next victim herself in this spine-tingling debut that “is not to be missed” (Tessa Wegert, author of The Coldest Case).
From the Publisher
Editorial Reviews
Review
“In Bailey Seybolt’s strong, moody debut novel, Coram House, the husk of a shuttered Catholic orphanage notorious for its legacy of abuse looms on the shores of Lake Champlain. Seybolt maintains high suspense, making even searches through faded papers exciting. Scenes in which Alex learns how the children were disciplined are chilling. Although the Coram House property is being developed into luxury condos, the evil lingers. Seybolt convincingly shows Alex’s growth in regaining her confidence as she works to uncover the truth” —Shelf Awareness
“Seybolt blends true crime and fiction in this absorbing debut. Seybolt skillfully blends points of view. Part Gothic novel (with creepy Coram House playing a role) and part investigative reporting procedural, this will both disturb and fascinate readers.” —Booklist, (starred review)
About the author
From Amazon
Bailey Seybolt grew up in New York City and studied literature at Brown University and creative writing at Concordia University. She now lives with her family in Vermont, not far from Lake Champlain. Coram House is her debut novel. Find out more at BaileySeybolt.com.
Joyce's mystery and fiction book reviews with some non-fiction too! 