About Charlotte's Story

• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: Pegasus (October 15, 2015)

The fall of 1957 was a seemingly idyllic, even prosperous, time down in southern Virginia. A young housewife, Charlotte Bliss, lives with her husband, “Press” Bliss, and their two young children, Eva Grace and Michael, in the gorgeous Bliss family home. On the surface, theirs seems a calm, picturesque life, but soon tragedy befalls them: four deaths, with seemingly simple explanations.

But nothing is simple if Bliss House is involved.

Charlotte, nearly crippled with grief, feels more and more isolated from everyone around her. The only thing that brings her solace is going through the old photos and curiosities left behind by her mother-in-law. Then she makes a startling discovery that points not to tragedy, but to murder. How far will Charlotte go to discover the truth? And how far will she get without knowing who her real enemy is?

Not for the faint of heart, or those disturbed by sexual situations and violence, Charlotte's Story injects new levels of horror into the classic Southern gothic.

Praise for Charlotte's Story

“Expertly paced revelations help build a sense of encroaching horror. A satisfyingly creepy tale for a rainy night.”—Publishers Weekly

“An evocative, frightening and flawless gothic, Charlotte’s Story is guaranteed to send a delicious chill down your spine. Nobody does more for the modern southern gothic than Laura Benedict.” —J.T. Ellison, New York Times bestselling author of What Lies Behind

“Laura Benedict spins an ever-shifting web of shadow and light. A thrilling read. Benedict writes with passion and authority. Charlotte's Story is not to be missed.” —Carolyn Haines, author of the Sarah Booth Delaney mysteries, and The Seeker

Review:

I think what makes this book so splendid is the fact that it all seem so normal, the house the family. And, then people start to die and suddenly nothing is normal anymore. This is not a ghost story with an old creepy house with creepy people. This is a happy family, and then something happens that starts everything and suddenly the normal life doesn't seem that normal longer. And, slowly the house doesn't seem that idyllic anymore.

I found the book is especially good because of the slow introduction of the ghostly aspects of the story. It all starts so normally, Charlotte and her husband are recovering from Olivia, Press mother's death. But that is only the start of a serial of death and suddenly Charlotte feel that something is wrong, and she starts to look for answers, but the truth can sometimes be really terrible.

I don't want to spoil the book, this is a book that you should know as little as possible when you start to read it. I was completely taken with the story, it could feel sometimes a bit slow and I felt the need to rush things, but that can also be because I really wanted to know the truth. And the ending, it's just a truly great horrifying ending that I didn't expect. All I know is that I want to read the first book in the trilogy Bliss House and The Abandoned Heart, the last book in the trilogy that has yet to be released. 

Purchase Links

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Laura Benedict

Laura Benedict is the author of Charlotte's Story and Bliss House, the first two novels in the Bliss House trilogy, as well as several other novels of dark suspense. Her work has appeared in Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine and numerous anthologies. She lives with her family in Southern Illinois. Visit laurabenedict.com. Connect with Laura on Facebook and Twitter.