THE DEATH OF CLARA WILLENHEIM

Murder is just one of the many secrets that a teen unearths at her family’s vast estate in Lesemann’s debut dark fantasy.

Baron Edgar Willenheim dies in a fall—an apparent suicide— in mid-19th-century Bavaria. Local inspectors, however, arrive at the scene and find evidence of poison, a sure sign of foul play. Edgar’s distraught mother tries contacting her son via a seance, hoping that he’ll name his killer. But it’s his ghostly late sister, Cora, who shows up, appearing only to Edgar’s 15-year-old daughter, Clara, a “daydreaming artistic sort.” Fueled by Cora’s often cryptic guidance, Clara finds her late aunt’s letters and journals; these restore Clara’s own lost memories, including something inside a trunk she wasn’t meant to see. Trusting anyone residing at the colossal Willenheim home, from the myriad servants to Clara’s own grandmother, isn’t easy. Complicating matters even further is a man named Richter, who works for the Prussian government; he’s gone undercover at the estate to dig up dirt he’s convinced is there. Lesemann loads this tense story with atmosphere—Clara is a veritable prisoner inside the labyrinthine house filled with dark corridors, locked doors, and grim secrets. The ambiguous narrative doesn’t immediately spell out whether Clara is genuinely seeing a ghost (or two) or if she’s becoming as “unhinged” as Cora suggests. The story unfolds against a striking historical backdrop, taking place not long after the 1848 German revolutions and in the midst of persistent civil unrest regarding the country’s unification. All the while, the author’s pristine, confident voice delivers indelible passages: “She blinked back the images that rose in her mind and ran across the slick surface. Standing water puddled in low points, slopping into her shoes and splashing onto the skirt of her dress.” A slow-burn first half gradually picks up steam, sparking an exhilarating final act of satisfying revelations and startling deaths.

This sublimely nerve-racking tale takes hold and never lets go.