Lois Carroll, Chimera

Chimera

Lois Carroll

Five Star, June 2006, $26.95, 328 pp.

ISBN: 1594144575

Carolyn Whitney Matison unexpectedly inherits from her Great Aunt Louise Whitney her mansion, and the money to convert it into an inn on the condition that she looks for an emerald necklace that went missing decades ago. Some family members blame the loss of jewelry on Robert Ashford, who was courting the younger daughter Sarah. When her sibling Lora died in a fall Robert received the blame, and subsequently his life and that of Sarah were destroyed.

Attorney Rob Ashford, great nephew of Robert, believes the necklace remains inside Greystone; he wants to see that it is found so his relatives name can be cleared. The Whitney family hired Rob to help Carolyn with her inheritance. Neither he nor she expected to feel a strong regard for one another. Carolyn also has problems accepting that she sees the ghosts of Sarah, Lora, and Robert until Rob admits he has always seen them. Someone is causing accidents to occur, and they have come close to killing Carolyn and Rob, but the major impediment to their love is that she is tricked into believing that he is the danger causing the perilous events. Unless she trusts in love, another couple may join the unhappy tragic afterlife that walk in Greystone.

Readers who cherish ghost stories will thoroughly enjoy CHIMERA, a paranormal tale about past deeds haunting the present. Carolyn, hurt by the man she loves, struggles to trust anyone, yet her inability to communicate with her beloved hero leads to her unhappiness and to fans shouting at her to talk to him. Rob comes across as a saint who forgives her for jumping to the wrong conclusion about him, leading to the audience wanting a Rob of their own.