Mary Kay Abbott

House on Jacaranda Hill Mary Kay Abbott

Who is Gwendolyn?



This is just one of the many questions driving Emma Lankersham in this historical southern gothic.



The year is 1954, and Emma enjoys exploring the grounds of the old Murphy Manor. Her parents take care of the ranch on the property and check in on the elderly Mrs. Murphy. Emma, whose extensive physical handicaps have left her shy and lonely, looks forward to spending the summer with Mrs. Murphy's visiting grandsons, Hank and Sean Thompson. Aside from the attractive and flirtatious Hank, her only close friend in the house is Macie Mae, Mrs. Murphy's housemaid. Macie Mae would do nearly anything for Emma. She won't, however, tell Emma who Gwendolyn is.



It all begins when Emma finds an old diary hidden in the barn's loft. The single entry mourns the separation of a baby from its mother. Another chance discovery leads Emma to a gift tag for someone named Gwendolyn. Was Gwendolyn the author of the diary? If so, what happened to both mother and child? As Emma uncovers the sinister secrets of the house on Jacaranda Hill, the manor begins feeling less like a home and more like a prison.