Until the Dawn by Elizabeth Camden

  40 miles up the Hudson River lies one of the oldest mansions in the United States. Dierenpark is the name of the Vandermark mansion that was built it 1635.  It is a magnificient home that overlooks the river.  People come for a day trip to paint this home and hear the stories of mystery that surround the Vandermark family.  The gothic style architecture only adds to the macabre mystery of Dierenpark, which is Dutch for paradise.  This house is far from a paradise for this family.  The house has been vacant for years, being taken care of by only a few servants.

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.