A creepy house with a dark past (check), unsolved murders (check), woman on the run from a stalker (check), yes, this book will cause a few sleepless nights and raise your blood pressure a few notches! It sure did for me, but well worth it to find out how the intertwined mysteries of past and present are solved, and if there would be justice in the end.
Questions of faith are discussed briefly as they flowed naturally from situations, like how come God allows the innocent to suffer, and how can someone regain hope. A hint of romance sweetens the tale that has some dark sides to it, carefully addressing issues like abuse.
An impressive debut novel well worth the read for those who enjoy suspense and mystery, with a touch of a Gothic feel, plus a bit of faith and clean romance.

After finishing The House on Foster Hill, I was shocked to learn that this was Jamie Jo Wright's debut novel, I was ready to go and buy every book she has ever written. Jamie takes us on an adventure through two different periods of time connected by the house on Foster Hill. I instantly fell in love with all of the characters and found myself torn between wanting to drag out finishing the book, because I just did not want it to end, or needing to hurry and finish because I had to know what happened. This book is full of suspense and mystery that will keep you guessing until the very last page. Jamie Jo Wright is an author to watch and I am eagerly awaiting her next novel.

Hard to believe this is a debut novel! I loved both the historical story and the present-day story . I liked how the story lines wove together the ending and payoff were extremely satisfying.

Hard to believe this is a debut novel! Wright is definitely a writer to watch. I enjoyed both the historical story of Ivy and the present-day story of Kaine. Ivy seemed a little stronger on the romance side and Kaine was stronger on the suspense side, especially with the stalker storyline. I liked how the storylines wove together and the ending resolution and payoff were extremely satisfying.

Wow! I read the blurb and was intrigued and the book certainly delivered. The storyline is as dark and tormented as its protagonist's,the first Kaine, a widow who has bought a house unseen in her Grandfather's hometown in hopes of starting a new life.

What she gets is more of the terrifying darkness which has plagued her life for the previous few years - Kaine has a stalker. However, she also makes new friends, who support her and care for her as she begins to renovate Foster Hill House.

Then there is Ivy, the second protagonist who is seeking to discover what happened to the murdered girl she dubbed, 'Gabriella' and the missing infant she gave birth to shortly before her tragic death.

The book switches between the two points of view smoothly, probably because the historical and present day events intertwine to provide answers to both women.

Although the subject matter is dark, and may prove troubling to some (Kaine was a counsellor working with abused women, which impacts her life view and thus story, and Ivy a chronicler of the dead) there is a continuing message of hope throughout and focus on Jesus as a source of strength in the face of all things.

A riveting read, which demands to be finished so that the reader will discover the information that the protagonists seek along with them.

Warning: do not read alone if faint of heart!

With many thanks to Netgalley and the Publisher.

This debut novel chronicles a portion of the lives of two women, more than a century apart, with similar ideals and determination.. Both have lost people they dearly loved, and their faith is tested by these losses and their aftermath. Connections are unveiled gradually, exposing unanticipated links between the two. I enjoyed the story more as it progressed and the mystery surrounding each of them deepened.
There are some aspects of the story that I found frustrating: a lack of truthfulness and trust in the women, and supporting characters who might have benefited by more development. Overall, I found the conclusion to be one of faith and hope in spite of trying circumstances.
I received an advanced reader copy from NetGalley and the publisher for review.

Two women born more than 100 years apart, Ivy Thorpe and Kaine Prescott, have ties to the mysterious, abandoned Foster House. Both have a calling to help women in trouble and both are questioning their faith after losing a loved one. Will Kaine's research learn Ivy's secrets and help her resolve her own life?

Told in alternating chapters, this is a good, solid first novel with lots of suspense and a little romance that will keep you turning the pages to find out both women's secrets.

Thank you to Netgalley and Bethany House Publishers for this ARC.

In a debut novel, Jamie Jo Wright, tells a story told in two different time periods.

Ivy tells the story in 1906. Outside the house on Foster Hill, a body has been found-- stuffed into a hollow tree. The girl is unknown and nameless. Still raw from the loss of her brother over a decade ago, Ivy insists on inserting herself into the investigation, even if it means putting herself in danger.

On the other side, we have Kaine. Kaine is the great-great-granddaughter of Ivy. Moving to Foster Hill was a way of getting out of San Diego-- away from a stalker and the recent murder of her husband. Kaine finds herself owning a run down house when odd things start to happen. Worried her stalker followed her, Kaine also works to uncover the mystery surrounding the house she has purchased.

I found the book to be well written. There was no scramble between the time periods and it wasn't difficult to keep up with. I found myself disappointed when I had to put the book down to go to dinner or work. Impressive debut novel from Wright! I look forward to future books!

I’ve never been much of a fan of dual time period narratives. It’s hard to get engrossed in the minds or time of one set of characters only to be pulled out of that place in the next chapter or two. So when I decided to read this book I knew that there was a high chance I might have a hard time connecting with the characters because of the changing narrative. Well now I can convincingly say that was not a problem at all with this book.

To be honest I’m shocked that this is Wright’s first solo book. I checked out her page and while she’s had material included in anthology series, she doesn’t seem to have had her own standalone piece until this book, which surprises me. It does so because this book is so marvelous. Well written, mind capturing and hard to put down, I can say without a doubt that for a first standalone book this is quite an impressive one.

There are two narratives in this book, Kaine Prescott and her ancestor Ivy Thorpe. A lot of the plot revolves around how these two women are linked even though they’re centuries apart. How can generations of history affect the present?

As far as story goes I enjoyed Ivy’s much more than Kaine’s. That probably has a lot to do with the period nerd in me, I just love anything having to do with historical writing. I also think that Ivy and her love interest Joel were much more fleshed out and their story together was so wonderfully complex. The evolution of redeeming their broken relationship and all of the misconceptions on Ivy’s part were so beautifully written. And I liked the fact that Wright never felt the need to over-explain, she always left just enough for the next chapter and the next; building that suspense of the romance and the restoration. Like this quote below, it gives just a glimpse of the connection between the two, but it makes you want to know more and that’s the beauty of a well written romantic plot.

“He’d often teased her that her feet had wings and she flew without thinking. She always told him thinking was too painful and one day he would learn to fly ahead of her.”

Kaine’s story was good, but I think my dislike of her story had more to do with her fast paced relationship with Grant than anything else. The mystery surrounding her stalker and the clues she found in the house were all great, but I found that I was not enjoying how insta-romance her and Grant became. In the end it would’ve been nice for them to have been more of a friendship team and then for the feelings to have budded at the end, in my opinion.

Of course, both stories were tied together by this overarching mysterious death of a woman that happened in Ivy’s time and trying to solve who was the murderer and where this woman’s baby had disappeared to. The unfolding of this mystery throughout the book was done especially well. I’ll admit to being just as clueless as the characters the entire way through the book, which made the reading even better as I too wanted to know who-dun-it and where this mysterious baby had vanished to. The suspense was gripping the entire way through the book, and even in the end there are a few threads that aren’t neatly tied, which leaves it up for us as readers to finish out some of the pieces.

The faith element of this book was beautifully written as well. I always enjoy when an author is able to weave faith into a book without making it seem forced and being able to work religion into the story in a way that’s true to life. Wright manages to make the character of Gabriella (the woman who’s death and missing child both Ivy and Kaine are trying to solve) a catalyst for the restoration of faith for both Ivy and Kaine. Much of the book revolves around these scribblings that are discovered to be from Gabriella, ones she writes about her faith, God and her suffering, one such scribbling really summed up what I believe much of the premise of the book to be about,

“What will I leave behind? What will my legacy be? I choose hope.”

This book had a lot to do with legacy. What will we leave for those who come after us and who will remember? But this book shows that it’s about the person we are and the God we trust in to handle our lives and circumstances, no matter how unfortunate, that matters. That is what will carry on in the end.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who loved to read a good mystery / suspense or historical book and I look forward to any new books Jamie Jo Wright has coming out in the future!

Excellent read a real page turner keeps the reader in suspence all the way through with twists and turns without making it boring with all descriptions the plot sets the scene a book that you all have to read.

I received an advance copy of this book from Netgalley.

Other reviewers have provided fairly detailed synopses, and I will not rehash their efforts here.

I had to take the book in fairly small snippets and take frequent breaks because of the intensity of the subject matter. Occasionally I had a little trouble keeping track of the participants and the plot points in the dual (past and present) storylines. As is often the case with me, I did not guess the identities of the villains, and I freely admit I did not see it coming when the 100-years-ag0 plot resolved in the way it did. Nor did I foresee the major twist in the present-day plot.

I gave the book 4 stars instead of 5 because I did not find the characters' professions of faith as convincing as they could have been. Otherwise, this is an excellent read, although I would advise caution for those who might be triggered by plot elements that involve stalking.

I loved The House on Foster Hill by author Jaime Jo Wright! It was a great read, full of suspense and mystery. I couldn't put it down until I finished it.

This book flips back and forth between 1906 and present day. In 1906, twenty-something Ivy is living quietly with her doctor father when an old flame returns to town. While struggling with Joel's return, the body of a young woman is found under a tree. More heartbreaking, Ivy finds that the dead girl recently had a baby. She must find the baby and save him or her before they die! What she finds during her investigating, she never could have imagined.

In the present day, Kaine has just moved to escape a tragic past and a relentless stalker. She has just bought the house on Foster Hill, sight unseen and arrives to find a house that should be torn down, not restored. Just when she begins to find peace and new friends, her stalker strikes again. Is it one stalker or two? And can her new love interest, Grant, protect her?

If you want to discover the secrets of Foster Hill, you should read the book. It captured me from the first page to the end. I loved the characters created by Jaime Jo Wright, and didn't want it to end.

This is a decent novel for a debut, I liked that this thriller was not creepy, considering it was about an old house and it starts with thoughts about death, and had a good twist in the end. However, I feel like it was too long, the first half of the book was dragged out, it is repetitive, explanation of emotion after every single remark is annoying, because it is hard to focus on what the dialog is about, there is not much depth to the important characters, and at the same time we keep going over and over the pages from "Great Expectations". No doubt, there is potential in this book and the author is talented, but it needs more work before it gets published.

Jaime Jo Wright's novel, The House on Foster Hill is a wonderful debut. It's full of suspense and mysteries. Romance and danger. Both Ivy and Kaine are looking for the answers to help solve a murder, making new discoveries about themselves and correcting past mistakes. Kaine has bought the house on Foster Hill as a way to get away from her life in California after her husband is murdered two years ago. The house has always been mysterious, even a century earlier when there was a murdered girl found. The story switches between Ivy and Kaine, past and present. I enjoy the the dual timeline of the story and especially liked Ivy's story. I am looking forward to reading more from this author.

I want to thank NetGalley/Bethany House for the opportunity to read this book and give my honest opinion.

I really enjoyed this! It's a first full-length novel from this author, and I must say I was impressed. It's part historical AND contemporary mystery with some romance. A slight complaint is in its length (I think it could have been tightened up a little more). It was well-written, with some twists and turns, as well as including some wonderfully strong, courageous women tackling some horrific plights. 5/🌟 Thanks NetGalley!

This was an intriguing dual mystery, though I had hoped for a bit more suspense. It's told from two points of view. In the present day we have Kaine, still grieving the loss of her husband and looking for a new start away from old memories and a stalker. Her husband's death had been ruled an accident but in her heart she knows it was a murder. The police ignored her suspicions, and her stalker even though she could have made several enemies while helping to get other women out of abusive situations.

On the other hand we have Ivy. A century ago Ivy had assisted in the autopsy of a murdered woman whose body was found near what would later become Kaine's home. When it became apparent that the murdered woman had recently given birth, Ivy was willing to risk her own life to find the baby, and the murderer. As the mystery of the past unravels we slowly learn how it pertains to Kaine. I did enjoy the way the stories intertwined these two strong female characters.

“The House on Foster Hill” is a novel that manages to interweave multiple genres seamlessly in order to develop an extremely satisfying story. The book features dual stories of resilient women separated by a century and a plethora of secrets: Ivy and Kaine. Through each woman’s chapters, Wright leaves the reader with clues to unravel the overarching mystery, while instilling hope throughout disparaging circumstances.

“Call her Gabriella.”

The novel begins with Ivy Thorpe, a young woman who assists her father—the town doctor—in an autopsy of a woman Ivy names “Gabriella.” The woman was found stuffed in the hollow of a tree near the Foster Hill House, the mysterious abandoned home of the original Foster family. After discovering that Gabriella had recently borne a child, Ivy resolves to discover the fate of the missing infant—as well as the events that led to its mother’s death.

Ivy is not alone in her inquiries; Joel Cunningham has come home after a 12-year absence, and this time he is a detective. Joel and Ivy had had a bond during their teenage years that expired with the death of her brother, Andrew. Though Ivy’s heart toward Joel is a stone, the two realize that this investigation is fated to involve them both, and they must work together.

Kaine is running. She is certain that someone killed her husband Danny; and, after realizing that she has a stalker, she is convinced this person is responsible for her husband’s death. After two years of discouragement from the police, she is determined to make a new start in the town of her great-great-grandmother, Ivy. To honor her late husband, she purchases the house on Foster Hill Road with plans to restore it, as he would have.

Upon arrival, Kaine sees daffodils—her stalker’s calling card—propped against the house’s doorframe. Panicked, she drives into town looking for safety in numbers. She meets a woman named Joy, and later she befriends Grant, another local. These people become her safe haven in a time and place she feels anything but safe. Kaine learns to trust Grant, and the two begin to form a bond that leads them to investigate her family history to learn the secrets that previous generations buried.

Over the course of the novel, the reader learns the importance of family ties—and how far some people will go to protect their family’s name. “The House on Foster Street” delivers first-rate Christian fiction, but it also has themes of mystery/suspense, as well as romance. Wright does an excellent job of creating a story in which the Christian line of thought feels natural and believable to readers. The characters are three-dimensional, and the well-crafted plot resolves itself without leaving the reader with unanswered questions. Wright has produced a gripping read in which enduring hope provides a path for the absolution of old hurts and a capacity for new beginnings.