First published 2024
Carmen Acosta travels to Miami after her parents die tragically in Havana. She seeks refuge at Marbrisa, the opulent Biscayne Bay estate where her estranged sister Carolina lives with husband Asher Wyatt. The mansion once belonged to industrialist Robert Barnes and his wife Anna, who built their fortune and reputation there during the post-Great War boom. Wealthy newcomers flocked to South Florida then, chasing dreams of prosperity in the growing city. But Marbrisa harbors dark secrets from its glamorous past. Carmen discovers that her sister's seemingly perfect life masks dangerous truths. The house itself carries a legacy of violence and betrayal. As Carmen digs deeper into the estate's history, she realizes her own life is at risk. She must uncover what really happened to the Barnes family and why their fate seems destined to repeat itself. The secrets buried within Marbrisa's walls threaten to destroy Carmen unless she can expose the truth that connects past and present.
Genres: historical-fiction, 20th-century, suspense, mystery, 21st-century, family-drama
Vibes: atmospheric, dark, suspenseful
Tropes: family-drama, secrets, unreliable-narrator
Setting: Biscayne Bay, Cuba, Florida, Havana, Marbrisa, Miami
Period: Great War, Post-Great War
336 pages · Paperback · Berkley
Content warnings: death, violence