The Bookshop of 99 Doors by Jaime Jo Wright

In this split-time mystery and suspense novel, Christian author Jaime Jo Wright explores and weaves together numerous themes: the ongoing, devastating consequences of the American Civil War that ended in 1865; the dangerous spiritual costs of pursuing a fascination with paranormal exploration; the generational damage caused by burying secrets and fortifying lies; the trauma caused by addiction; and the complexities of romantic relationships as couples struggle with spiritual questions and the pursuit of historical and biblical truth.

In 1888, 25 years after the battle of Gettysburg, 25-year-old Minnie Tipton didn't understand why her father sold their family farm and moved to Ambrose Fields Manor, Penn. The manor, with its terrible legacy of murder and hauntings, hardly seems the place to settle and find a home. Soon bizarre occurrences terrify Minnie, and she feels her world becoming increasingly unstable. What exactly happened in the manor after the battle of Gettysburg? Who was innocent? Who was guilty?

As she struggles to find answers, Minnie feels more alone than she’s ever experienced before, but her relationship with a scorned and wounded man puts her in touch with a surprising ally, until the secrets of Ambrose Fields are finally brought to light and justice.

In the present day, Triss Bellamy is excited to begin her new job as the manager of the Ambrose Fields manor bookshop, now part of a museum. She’s especially intrigued by the fact that the manor has 99 doors. However, Triss isn’t prepared for the arrival of her brother and his team of paranormal investigators, hosts of the show Haunted Frequencies, who have come to investigate the rumor that a hundredth door exists, a door that is a portal between the world of the living and the dead. Sensing the danger of paranormal investigations, Triss had left the show, her brother and entire family, and Beck, the man she loved, yet rejected.

As Triss’s world collides with that of her brother and Beck, strange happenings in the manor reflect the struggle between good and evil, and questions abound. Is there a hundredth door in the manor? If so, is it a portal to the spiritual world? Or was its original purpose rooted in history as the safe haven to hide spies for the Colonists during the American Revolution and for slaves being helped to freedom by the Underground Railroad?

The Bookshop of 99 Doors is a marvelous addition to Wright’s collection of Gothic suspense novels, including The Bell Tolls at Traeger Hall, The Premonition at Withers Farm, and more.

(Bethany House Publishers)