Author: Megan Collins
Genre: Suspense Thriller
Publisher: Atria Books
Release Date: August 17, 2021
Order Link: Amazon
My Rating: 4 Buried Hearts
Special thanks to Atria Books for an arc of this book.
When a family obsessed with true crime gathers to bury their patriarch, horrifying secrets are exposed upon the discovery of another body in his grave in this chilling novel from the author of Behind the Red Door and The Winter Sister.
Review:
The Lighthouse siblings have returned home to bury their father. They all have mixed feelings about returning to the mansion they'd left as soon as they could, but none more than twenty-six old Dahlia. Dahlia's twin brother Andy went missing on their sixteenth birthday, and Dahlia has never given up hope of finding him. He was the best friend she had, and she's been lost without him. She remains frustrated that the rest of the family seems to have given up on him, assuming he left of his own accord. Dahlia knows that's not true.
The Lighthouse family home is an old, isolated mansion in the middle of the woods. Locals have gossiped about the strange house and weird family for years. The children were home-schooled by their crime obsessed mother who taught them about real crimes including murder reenactments and whose idea of a bedtime story was Helter Skelter. All the children were named after famous murder victims. If that's not enough, a serial killer known as The Blackburn Killer working the area has never been caught. Suffice it to say, this is one eccentric family that give off creepy vibes. When their father's reserved grave in the family cemetery back of the house is opened, it's found to already be occupied. There's a body buried there. Let the chaos begin!
The Family Plot is a uniquely written story with Gothic vibes. The author's characterizations are detailed, bringing each of these characters to life with all their individual oddities. The mother who never baked in her life burns cookies in an effort to alleviate her guilt. Charlie rushes around planning a family memorial museum to prove to the locals that his family is normal even as he guards some dark secrets, Tate builds diorama's depicting uncannily correct murder scenes to put on her Instagram and Dahlia . . . Dahlia goes about trying to figure out what happened to Andy while beginning her own investigation into The Blackburn Killer. Skeletons are coming out of the closet! As secrets surface, the truth comes out and no one's safe. Fans of mystery, suspense, thrillers, and Gothic stories will love this one!
Synopsis:
At twenty-six, Dahlia Lighthouse has a lot to learn when it comes to the real world. Raised in a secluded island mansion deep in the woods and kept isolated by her true crime-obsessed parents, she has spent the last several years living on her own, but unable to move beyond her past—especially the disappearance of her twin brother Andy when they were sixteen.
With her father’s death, Dahlia returns to the house she has avoided for years. But as the rest of the Lighthouse family arrives for the memorial, a gruesome discovery is made: buried in the reserved plot is another body—Andy’s, his skull split open with an ax.
Each member of the family handles the revelation in unusual ways. Her brother Charlie pours his energy into creating a family memorial museum, highlighting their research into the lives of famous murder victims; her sister Tate forges ahead with her popular dioramas portraying crime scenes; and their mother affects a cheerfully domestic façade, becoming unrecognizable as the woman who performed murder reenactments for her children. As Dahlia grapples with her own grief and horror, she realizes that her eccentric family, and the mansion itself, may hold the answers to what happened to her twin.
With her signature “spellbinding, poignant, and atmospheric” (Christina McDonald, USA TODAY bestselling author) storytelling, Megan Collins weaves a haunting and suspenseful tale filled with secrets that won’t remain buried.
With her father’s death, Dahlia returns to the house she has avoided for years. But as the rest of the Lighthouse family arrives for the memorial, a gruesome discovery is made: buried in the reserved plot is another body—Andy’s, his skull split open with an ax.
Each member of the family handles the revelation in unusual ways. Her brother Charlie pours his energy into creating a family memorial museum, highlighting their research into the lives of famous murder victims; her sister Tate forges ahead with her popular dioramas portraying crime scenes; and their mother affects a cheerfully domestic façade, becoming unrecognizable as the woman who performed murder reenactments for her children. As Dahlia grapples with her own grief and horror, she realizes that her eccentric family, and the mansion itself, may hold the answers to what happened to her twin.
With her signature “spellbinding, poignant, and atmospheric” (Christina McDonald, USA TODAY bestselling author) storytelling, Megan Collins weaves a haunting and suspenseful tale filled with secrets that won’t remain buried.
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