The mansion, Black Rabbit Hall, at times feels like the main character of this story. It's a second home for the Alton family in Cornwall, England in the 1960's. It's much loved but crumbling; an aging home with wings and turrets and windows that seem to watch you while you're outside. Set near the water with its own private cliffs and beaches, it also has a path that leads into the woods and seems purposely designed to get you lost.
Two alternating stories reveal the secrets at Black Rabbit Hall. The first, Lorna and Jon, present day, are searching for a place to have their wedding. Lorna, who is drawn to all things vintage, researched an old home named Pencraw Hall (as known by outsiders) and is going to tour it as an option for the wedding site. While she and her fiancé walk around the home, Lorna feels and almost hears things from the house that she doesn't understand. She notices the birth and death dates of a child engraved on a tree that she senses has been waiting a long time for her to find.
Then were taken back to 1968 when Amber Alton, 14, spends summers with her parents and three siblings at Black Rabbit Hall. The family dynamics between these six is interesting, especially between Amber and her twin brother, Toby. They have an intense and tumultuous connection. Nancy, Amber's mom, is the adored center of the family. But, an accident early in the story leads to a series of choices that changes this family forever.
Black Rabbit Hall is a fun puzzle to solve and very entertaining if you like family secrets and eerie old mansions.