Novelist Saoirse White is still grappling with the death of her husband when she decides to start over in Providence, Rhode Island. Seeking inspiration to reignite her writing career, she rents the historic Whitman House, once home to Sarah Helen Whitman, a 19th-century poet and spiritualist famously courted by Edgar Allan Poe.
Saoirse quickly connects with three eccentric transcendentalists obsessed with the Whitman House and soon begins a romance with Emmit Powell, a globally acclaimed author and professor at Brown University. But as she settles into this new chapter, Saoirse can’t shake the feeling that the house is hiding dark secrets. The past and present blur, and she begins to wonder: is she unraveling, or is someone deliberately trying to harm her?
Like Carmen’s 2023 release, The Daughters of Block Island, this story beautifully blends fact and fiction. Rooted in the history of Edgar Allan Poe and Sarah Helen Whitman, Beneath the Poet’s House pays homage to Poe and Whitman’s haunting legacies while weaving a wholly original and mesmerizing tale. What starts as a slow-burn exploration of grief and inspiration quickly crescendos into a pulse-pounding psychological and physical thriller. The result is a deeply satisfying, intensely gripping story that will leave you breathless.
Linda Jones delivers another stellar solo narration, bringing both the eerie and emotional elements to life. Fans of Carmen’s previous work will love her performance and her ability to make the characters and setting feel vivid and real.
If you enjoy smart thrillers steeped in historical detail, I can’t recommend Beneath the Poet’s House and The Daughters of Block Island enough. Both books will have you itching to explore Rhode Island’s rich history and mysterious allure.
What’s a book you wish you could read again for the first time?
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Book Smart Kate 