As this story starts, Laura McCarthy is just about fed up! She’s been taking care of the old curmudgeon across the lane for years. She’s not doing it to be neighborly exactly but because she and her husband, Matt, both want the house that the old man lives in. The old man had promised them an antique desk from the house, and implied that the house might someday be theirs. The house is known as the Spanish House, and though it’s run-down now, they each can picture the changes they would make to the old house that would fulfill their dreams. But then the old man died, and no will could be found. So, the house goes to his nearest relative, Isabel Delancey.
Isabel has her own problems. She works as a classical violinist and the husband she adored has died in a car crash leaving her and her two kids emotionally bereft. Her husband had supported her music career and the family in style. Though Isabel has tried to ignore the growing pile of bills, her solicitor has just informed her that the family’s financial situation is dire, and her music performances will no longer be anywhere near enough to support the family. When Isabel learns that the Spanish house has been left to them, she decides that moving there is the only solution for their financial survival. While she owns an extremely valuable violin, she cannot bear to part with it, as it had been given to her by her later husband.
Matt McCarthy’s desire for the house has not lessened despite its new owner. As both a contractor, and the neighbor across the lane, he offers to “help” Isabel with necessary renovations to fix the house, including giving it a working bathroom, refrigeration, electrical etc. However, the renovations seem to take forever and are exhausting Isabel’s already limited funds. She and the kids, with help from another neighbor, Byron, begin foraging in the woods, and start a garden to supplement their diets and income.
As daughter Kitty’s 16th birthday approaches, the little family seems finally to be settling in. But a developer wants to make an offer on the property, and Matt’s personality seems to be changing for the worse after an unfortunate decision made by Isabel one night.
I listened to this book, and I found it to be an engrossing and multifaceted story with enough suspense to keep this mystery lover engaged.
