Sopia Van Riijn is one of the caretakers of this house who
has taken a few liberties that servants should never do. She has an interest in a new study of weather
forecasting. She set up a weather
station on the roof of the mansion to help local farmers learn about storms
that may come their way. The problem is
that the Vandermark family never gave their permission to have this set up on
their roof. So when Quentin Vandermark
arrives, Sophie finds herself in a precarious situation.
Quentin Vandermark returns to Dierenpark on the request of
his grandfather. Quentin, who is an
architect by trade, is tasked with the
job of demolishing the mansion.
His other task is to build a relationship with his young son, Pieter,
who was kidnapped a year ago and locked in a closet for months at a time. Pieter is leary of people, but quickly
befriends Sopie. Quentin hires Sopie to
be a nanny to Pieter. Quentin’s demeaner
with people is rather harsh, and he fires the skeletal staff upon arrival.
Sopie’s pure and gentle spirit proves to be a balm to Pieter’s
wounded spirit. She helps Pieter to
discover the wonders of the world that every young boy loves to encounter. He quickly becomes adept at catching bugs and
frogs, and even learns to read the weather instruments that Sopie has on the
roof of the mansion. Sophie’s sweet
spirit also work magic on Quentin, and we see his heart start to change and
grow to enjoy being around his son once again.
Camden’s masterful weaving of characters and complicated
plot keeps you turning the pages of this novel. The mystery of the mansion slowly unwinds
while the reader becomes deeply involved with the characters. The mystery builds to the last chapter with a
jaw dropping surprise. Readers will
enjoy Camden’s attention to detail and rich characterization. A delight to read.
My thanks go to Bethany House Publishers and Netgalley for
providing me with a free e-copy of this book to read for my review.