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A family mystery haunts Annabelle Delighkan, whose great grandparents, Eden and Henry, disappeared aboard a luxury ocean liner on their eightieth wedding anniversary. When Annabelle finds her great grandmother's journal, the past is awakened, and Annabelle is able to bear witness to the great family tragedy and recover the truth of that fateful night. This time-traveling gem of a ghost story relies on the plucky curiosity of Annabelle and her determination to follow the trail through time, ghosts, and sheer willpower.
The story shifts easily from the present to the past, with Eden's journal serving as the trigger that provides Eden and Henry's backstory as they fall in love and build a life at Suntree Bay. This island home serves as a pleasant and persistent setting for this generational family saga that unfolds with mystery and suspense. With clever cliffhangers and artful misdirections, Wort keeps readers guessing as Annabelle leaps from the past back to the present, encountering ghosts and intriguing stories of sacrifice, hopelessness, and revenge.
The story also incorporates historical details connected to ocean voyages of the early 1900s, the Titanic era of travel across the seas. The scenes aboard the ships and the lure of the sea and travel are strong elements that enhance the magic of the story and the depth of the mystery. The mash-up of history, time travel, hauntings, and ghost possessions creates an interesting mix that Wort remains firmly in control of as she paces out the plot and builds up the characters. The scares, hauntings, and ghosts are mild and well-placed for suspense and the solving of a family mystery.