A Sound Among the Trees by Susan Meissner

"As a young bride, Susannah Page was rumored to be a Civil War spy for the North, a traitor to her Virginian roots. Her great- granddaughter Adelaide, the current matriarch of Holly Oak, doesn't believe that Susannah's ghost haunts the antebellum mansion looking for a pardon, but rather the home itself bears a grudge toward its tragic past.
　
When Marielle Bishop marries into the family and is transplanted from the arid west to her husband's home, it isn't long before she is led to believe that the house she just settled into brings misfortune to the women who live there.
　
With Adelaide's richly peppered superstitions and deep family roots at stake, Marielle must sort out the truth about Susannah Page and Holly Oaks--and make peace with the sacrifices she has made for love.
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A Sound Among the Trees, a fiction novel written by Susan Meissner, will be available October 4th, and is quite a good read. It was the type of book that surprised me in the end because I thought I had it figured out, but then I found out that I was a bit off-course.
　
This book appealed to me in two ways. The first is the overall storyline which is steeped in mystery about Adelaide's great-grandmother, as well as about the mansion itself. And then there are a few mysteries about Adelaide, such as why her daughter chooses to stay away from her and the home. Because it was so well written, I found myself glued to the pages, awaiting the answers to these mysteries. I was not disappointed in the end. The characters are also well written, and it helped make the story flow as I got to know each of them, and I found myself actually caring about the outcome to their stories.
　
The second thing I loved about this book is that part of it is like a passage back to the Civil War era, via correspondence to and from Susannah Page, Adelaide's great-grandmother and possible traitor. Frankly, the entire book could have been about just this stuff and I would have adored it. For me, this was the greatest thing about the novel. I found these "letters" most interesting and I would readily buy any sort of historical fiction novel from this author if she were to write one. This was obviously my favorite part.
　
It's a really good book. Not one that I would normally pick up and read, but one that I am glad that I did.

4 & 1/2 Stars