Beverly Vernon's life is changing. She's a widow now. Her daughters are grownup. She lives in Florida. And her newest illustrated children's book got rejected by her agent. Then she uncovers the long-buried bones of a child in her backyard and begins painting a portrait of the dead child. What starts out as something akin to art therapy and creation of a make-believe grandchild ends up becoming supernatural...and dangerous.

I really enjoyed this book. The supernatural and mystery aspects of this story melded together perfectly. I like Beverly as a main character. She's having a bit of a rough time adjusting to being older, but shows courage and intelligence when faced with a situation totally out of her comfort zone. While her two daughters annoyed me somewhat in the beginning, I had to get a grip on my emotions and realize that they really have Beverly's best interests in mind. An elderly woman talking about ghosts, haunted portraits and the like.....I'd probably think she had a few screws loose as well. In the end, they all banded together and investigated as a family.

I'm gearing up for Halloween season, and this was a great story to start out with. The mystery is suspenseful and interesting. The supernatural aspects are not overdone or melodramatic. The story progresses at a nice pace and I liked the characters (well all except one meddling, mean-spirited side character).

Great read! Nancy Springer has published more than 50 books. I will definitely be reading more from her! I enjoyed her story-telling and writing skills.

**I voluntarily read a review copy of this book from Severn House via NetGalley. All opinions expressed are entirely my own. No ghosts were exorcised during the reading of this book.* ( )