THE INHABITANTS by Beth Castrodale - Spotlight

 


After a run of misfortune, portrait artist Nilda Ricci could use a stroke of luck. She seems to get just that when she inherits a shadowy Victorian, designed by an architect whose works were said to influence the mind— supposedly, in beneficial ways. 

At first, Nilda' s new home delivers multiple gifts, including the unexpected appearance of a housekeeper who' d helped maintain the home for years. Also, Nilda finds herself falling for a handsome neighbor, a chemist whose herbal tonics boost her creativity to new heights. 

But as Nilda seeks revenge-by-painting against a contempt-worthy portrait subject, she begins having strange experiences in the house, making her wonder whether the place is haunted or whether its architect' s intentions were less than benevolent. But he also begins to suspect that her neighbor, and his gifts of tonics, aren' t what they seem. 

All along, the housekeeper seems to be looking out for Nilda. But in time she reveals needs of her own, which may prove more powerful than anything in the house ... or beyond it.


Beth Castrodale worked as a newspaper reporter until her love of books led her to the publishing field. She was a senior editor at Bedford/St. Martin’s and is the founding editor of the book-review website Small Press Picks. Her début novel, Marion Hatley, was a finalist for a Nilsen Prize for a First Novel from Southeast Missouri State University Press, and an excerpt from her second novel, In This Ground, was a shortlist finalist for a William Faulkner – William Wisdom Creative Writing Award. In a review of Castrodale’s third novel, I Mean You No Harm, critic Bethanne Patrick observed, “Castrodale is the real thing, a novelist who fuses mordant humor and great genre tropes with warmth and courage.” An excerpt from her fourth novel, The Inhabitants, landed Castrodale an artist grant from the Mass Cultural Council. The novel will be released by Regal House Publishing in September 2024.

If you sign up for Beth’s monthly email newsletter, you’ll get a free copy of her novel Gold River.

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