February 1, 2025
DEBUT Struggling true-crime writer and recent widow Alex Kelley on assignment in a small Vermont town in the dead of winter to research and ghostwrite a book about the unsolved mysteries at an abandoned orphanage. The main case is the 1968 disappearance of nine-year-old Tommy, who is said to have run away, but conflicting stories from staff and children who lived there at the time suggest a nun might have drowned him. As Alex begins meeting key players in the orphanage's story, she discovers a woman's body in the lake, and it becomes clear more that lives might be at stake. Seybolt, who drew inspiration from the real-life St. Joseph's Orphanage in Burlington, intersperses the narrative of Alex's investigation with transcripts of witness testimony from orphans in the facility. She delivers an intriguing plot with plenty of twists and turns, but unfortunately none of the characters, including Alex, is very sympathetic, and it is hard to get invested in the story when none of the characters has a clear tie to the missing boy. VERDICT Seybolt's first effort is a solid mystery that fans of atmospheric thrillers may enjoy. Recommended mainly for larger public library collections.--Carrie Voliva
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