Newman
Phyllis M.
Louisiana, 1933
The Great Depression has limited the future opportunities for Sonja Shivera, a plucky young woman with no family, no money, and a tragic past that haunts her present.
She luckily finds employment as a companion to Mrs. Stone, a cranky old woman, but unfortunately, the work is emotionally and financially unrewarding. Their unhappy relationship gets even darker when they vacation at a fading antebellum inn near Baton Rouge on the banks of a lake known as False River.
At Moorcroft Inn, the terror begins. Sonja finds herself torn between a world of genteel decay and the dark world of her past. She crosses paths with a mysterious couple, Freddie Marsh and Lydia Grey, and an exotic beauty named Anya Cambion. Through them, she is drawn into a web of crime that has plagued the South since the Civil War, which includes crop damage, savaged animals, and missing girls.
As Sonja is pulled deeper into the mystery surrounding an abandoned plantation, a nocturnal garden, and a magical labyrinth, she ponders another enigma.
Who is the mysterious young man who drifts out of the woods, and what secrets will he tell?
Circle of Darkness
Readers are saying...
Take a Journey
Like the author’s other books, this one is a great mystery that kept me guessing through to the end. I was enveloped in the old South in Louisiana of the 1930s. Sonja teeters on the cusp of destitution and then she is pulled deeply into the conflict of timeless combatants. She is pulled between two lovers as well. I enjoyed Sonja’s spunk and felt her struggles as a young woman with no family and few prospects. I liked the ending and the twisting of eternal concepts like reincarnation that wove through the story and made for a great climax at the end.
A Five-Star Gothic Masterpiece
You had me at the description of a woman in a crimson dress slipping down the stairs like a drop of blood. Talk about the right novel to read during the Halloween season! This gothic novel, set after the turn of the last century, 1933, in Louisiana is rich with atmosphere, mystery, and terrific characters. You’ll love the main protagonist, Sonja, who must navigate her way through the terrors of False River and the Moorcroft Inn.
I highly recommend this novel, especially for fans of haunted mansions, and gothic tales filled with rich characters. Grab a comfy chair, buckle up, and enjoy this five-star page-turner!
Captivating and Beautifully Written
Marvelous historical mystery and a page turner. Sinister moments of the past find closure in The Circle Of Darkness. Louisiana 1933 - a maze of mysteries, romance, and accurate historical details brought to life by a native Southerner. An exquisite story you don't want to miss.