Berkley Books
The House on Biscayne Bay
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Named an Anticipated Read of 2024 by Entertainment Weekly and a Best Historical Fiction novel of 2024 by BookBub.
As death stalks a gothic mansion in Miami, the lives of two women intertwine as the past and present collide in New York Times bestselling author Chanel Cleeton's atmospheric new novel.
With the Great War finally behind them, many Americans flock to South Florida with their sights set on making a fortune. When wealthy industrialist Robert Barnes and his wife, Anna, build Marbrisa, a glamorous estate on Biscayne Bay, they become the toast of the newly burgeoning society. Anna and Robert appear to have it all, but in a town like Miami, appearances can be deceiving, and one scandal can change everything.
Years later following the tragic death of her parents in Havana, Carmen Acosta journeys to Marbrisa, the grand home of her estranged older sister, Carolina, and her husband, Asher Wyatt. On the surface, the gilded estate looks like paradise, but Carmen quickly learns that nothing at Marbrisa is as it seems. The house has a treacherous legacy, and Carmen's own life is soon in jeopardy . . . unless she can unravel the secrets buried beneath the mansion's facade and stop history from repeating itself.
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Book Details
ISBN:
9780593440506
EAN:
9780593440506
Binding:
Hardcover
Pages:
336
Authors:
Chanel Cleeton
Publisher:
Berkley Books
Published Date: 2024-02-04
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Cleeton just keeps getting better.
Chanel Cleeton has easily become one of the my favorite new-to-me authors recently and I’ve just been on a binge of all of her historical fictions. The House on Biscayne Bay was the last one I had to get to and this one was different than the others, but still so good! I had such a good time reading this one.This book is described as perfect for fans of Rebecca, which is one of my favorite books. This delivers on lush, gothic vibes, it has a dash of romance, the setting is a gilded estate, we get dual timeline (1910s & 1940s in Florida), its atmospheric, and we get not one but multiple murder mysteries!The lives of two women intertwine as the past and present collide at Marbrisa—a glamorous, gothic estate on Biscayne Bay. In the 1910s we follow Anna. After the Great War, thousands of business moguls flocked to South Florida with their sights set on making a fortune, including Anna and her husband, a wealthy industrialist. We see her husband’s obsession with the building of Marbrisa and their want to join Miami society. In the 1940s timeline we follow Carmen who has recently left Havana to visit her estranged older sister Carolina who lives at Marbrisa with her husband. Both timelines have mysteries to unravel!I had a great time with this read, I was swept into the story and just really enjoyed the characters and the presence of the house! This author just continues to hit for me.
This book comes to life through the characters across multiple timelines.There’s the mystery of the deaths at Marbrisa just after it was built, and the strange happenings and murder at Marbrisa that happen many years later.It was a fun read, but part of the ending felt a little shallow and convenient while the other part of it made perfect sense and was somewhat predictable. I don’t want to spoil anything, but if you read it, I think you’ll understand what I mean by that.I loved Anna and Carmen’s tenacity and their quest for the truth as their respective situations unfolded. This is a great beach or pool read, a book for when you want to zone out and be entertained for a bit.
I am a native Floridian and have been to Biscayne Bay many times so the story pulled me right in especially all the great characters and the twists and turns of grand house
I read this book as part of a reading challenge. I visited Biscayne Bay National Park last year and saw Miami across the bay. I've also enjoy Cleeton's writing.However, this dual storyline novel doesn't work for me. There were too many similarities in the stories.Carmen's character seems unbelievable to me. I do like how the novel ended.
