The Haunting at Bonaventure Circus is yet another reason Jaime Jo Wright should be on your Halloween TBR.
Book Blurb
1928
The Bonaventure Circus is a refuge for many, but Pippa Ripley was rejected from its inner circle as a baby. When she receives mysterious messages from someone called the “Watchman,” she is determined to find him and the connection to her birth. As Pippa’s search leads her to a man seeking justice for his murdered sister and evidence that a serial killer has been haunting the circus train, she must decide if uncovering her roots is worth putting herself directly in the path of the killer.
Present Day
The old circus train depot will either be torn down or preserved for historical importance, and its future rests on real estate project manager Chandler Faulk’s shoulders. As she dives deep into the depot’s history, she’s also balancing a newly diagnosed autoimmune disease and the pressures of single motherhood. When she discovers clues to the unsolved murders of the past, Chandler is pulled into a story far darker and more haunting than even an abandoned train depot could portend.
My Thoughts
Oh. My. Goodness. This book is amazing.
From the beginning, Jaime captures you in the exhilarating tale of Pippa and Chandler. With the twists and turns I’ve come to expect from Jaime, she kept me turning pages.
Jaime has always been a master at dropping clues in each timeline. And The Haunting at Bonaventure Circus is no exception. As Chandler is unraveling the mysterious past of the depot, Pippa is trying to discover the identity of the “Watchman.” When one uncovers a clue, it explains another.
And I love the Easter eggs she drops in the present-day timeline. Whenever Chandler and Hank uncover something they can’t understand, it still carries significance for the reader because they’ve seen it before. It’s like finding those hidden Mickey ears in Disney movies but better!
But while she lets readers in on little secrets here and there, she keeps many for herself. There’s more than one plot twist to leave readers surprised.
As for the spiritual arcs, I felt like they were nicely woven into the story. Pippa’s, I think, was a bit more subtle. But I loved the scenes where she and Clive have honest discussions about God. Chandler, too, had a great arc as she learned she didn’t have to shoulder everything. I think that’s an especially timely message today, one mothers everywhere can relate to.
Deftly written and utterly captivating, The Haunting at Bonaventure Circus is bound to keep you up at night…reading, of course!
Further Information
You can click on the book image above to order it from bookshop.org (a website that supports local bookstores). Or you can visit your favorite bookseller.
For more on Jaime Jo Wright, check out her website. You can also follow her on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Pinterest.
You can also check out my reviews for 2 other Jaime Jo Wright books: The House on Foster Hill and Echoes Among the Stones.
(Note: I received a complimentary copy via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.)
