Siblings and Secrets: A Brenna Wickham Haunted Mystery

by Kathleen J. Easley

Even the quietest neighborhood can harbor dark secrets. Brenna Wickham’s life is in turmoil after the death of her husband and the loss of her job. She moves in with her cousin who has inherited their grandmother’s old house, a place where Brenna used to spend happy summers visiting and playing with the children next door. Now she is confronted with the tragic news that the girl next door, Brenna’s childhood friend, disappeared twenty-five years ago without a trace. Despite an extensive search, the little girl was never found. The missing girl’s agoraphobic older sister still lives next door and carries an appalling secret, and two doors down lives an aging ex-con with a grievous past. Brenna also becomes reacquainted with the girls’ handsome brother. She remembers him as a mischievous, fun-loving boy on whom she once had a crush. Now she finds that he’s grown sullen and ill-tempered, harboring deep resentments. And most alarming of all is the random appearance of the little girl’s ghost.
Praise for Siblings and Secrets: Kathleen Easley has written a slow-burning contemporary mystery using red herrings, psychological insights and clever twists. The intricate plot, nuanced relationships, and well-hewn characterization are among the book's major strengths. The dialogue is adept and Easley crafts up some adroit swivels of phrase. The catchy title is fitting as it provides an emotional hook and a hint of what readers should expect. The book ably delivers much more than it promises. Siblings and Secrets conveys satisfying appeal and a text sure to entertain readers at the turn of each page. — Pacific Book Review

Genres: Mystery

309 pages, Paperback

Published October 25, 2023

About the author

Kathleen is the author of the Brenna Wickham Haunted Mystery series, as well as the stand-alone novel, "Under the Apple Tree." Set in Seattle, these are contemporary murder mysteries with a paranormal twist and a hint of romantic suspense.

Kathleen was born in a small town in southern Iowa from a long line of stubborn Swedes. Her maternal grandfather was the pastor of a small rural church built by Swedish immigrants.

When Kathleen was five years old, the family moved to Seattle, a burgeoning city full of possibilities. They settled in a suburb just north of town where Kathleen grew up with her three siblings, eventually graduating from Shoreline High School and later, Shoreline Community College.

Kathleen met the love of her life in high school. They married and built a house on acreage in a quiet rural community in the Snoqualmie Valley, east of Seattle near the foothills of the Cascade Mountains. Turns out you can take the girl out of the country, but you can’t take the country out of the girl. There, they raised three beautiful talented daughters, as well as a passel of animals, including cats, dogs, rabbits, goats, and horses. Her first dog was a pedigreed golden retriever which she trained and showed, collecting fistfuls of ribbons. She spent several years as a Girl Scout leader, then transitioned to 4-H where her daughters showed their dogs and horses at the fair. They even raised three golden retriever puppies for Guide Dogs for the Blind.

She has had varied work experience, from insurance claims assistant to school bus driver, and even a stretch at Barnes and Noble as a book seller. She likes to sew quilts and make beaded jewelry. A true denizen of the Pacific Northwest, Kathleen loves deep blue water, tall green trees, and the Seattle Seahawks. On nice days, she can often be found with her husband on their boat cruising the San Juan Islands.

Always an avid lover of books, one of Kathleen’s favorite childhood memories is sitting on her father’s lap while he read “Lassie Come-Home” aloud. Another pivotal moment in her life was getting her very first library card in fourth grade. Since then, she has read nearly everything she could get her hands on, including every animal book ever written, followed by a wide range of classics, and eventually science fiction and fantasy.

But it was the enduring works of the great Gothic romantic suspense novelists Daphne Du Maurier, Mary Stewart, Victoria Holt, Barbara Michaels, and Phyllis A. Whitney that finally convinced her that those were the kinds of books she wanted to write. Smitten with mysteries, several plot ideas began to rattle around in her head, eventually materializing into the Brenna Wickham Haunted Mystery series.

www.kathleenjeasley.com

Reviews

[Mrs Crossley · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Siblings and Secrets" offers a cozy and engaging read, with relatable characters and an intriguing plot. However, I found the excessive descriptive language used for larger characters—like "plump features" and "chubby fingers" & "fat" and mentions of eating too much and how fat people love to cook and bake to be unnecessary and off-putting. Despite this, the story kept me hooked, earning it a generous 3 stars. I hope future works will handle character descriptions with more sensitivity.

[Arsenic and Old Ink · Rating 1 out of 5]

How did this book get positive reviews??

The author is abelist, racist and fat phobic. She has the main character comment about the mentally struggling neighbor - "Is she schizophrenic and dangerous?"

Then she internally thinks her relative is too fat to help her move boxes....

Then author calls a character of color SEPIA SKINNED...... 😬 And then proceeds to mock Ceole people and beliefs.

Later the author writes, "Who says a single father can't be an awesome parent?" Just when I did not think this author could get any worse, she did.

The old white woman vibes are strong with this one.

I do not recommend anything written by this author at all.

[Book · Rating 5 out of 5]

Siblings and Secrets pulled me in with its blend of family tension, buried secrets, and a haunting mystery that slowly unfolds. I enjoyed following Brenna as she returns to a place filled with childhood memories, only to discover that the disappearance of a young girl still casts a shadow over the neighborhood. The characters felt layered, especially as old relationships and resentments began to surface.

What I liked most was the slow-building suspense and the way the story kept me questioning who was hiding the truth. The ghostly appearances added an eerie touch without taking away from the mystery, while the twists and red herrings kept me guessing. It was an engaging start to the Brenna Wickham series and left me curious to see where her story goes next.

[Kirsty · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was uncertain about the premise of this from the blerb, but gave it a go anyway. It's less out-there than the blerb implied (why do they think that's a good thing?) and actually a good read. Characters seem well developed though marginally exaggerated, and the plot works well. Murderer was no surprise, but not so clearly flagged as to make the book a waste of time. Has the makings of developing into a decent series.

[Lady Galaxy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an OK start to a series. I liked the characters, but the mystery was fairly obvious. And the big reveal was no surprise. I saw it coming very early on. I thought the whole Christmas Bazaar was getting blown all out of proportion. I assume it will be continued into the next book since it didn't happen in this one. I liked the characters and setting enough to continue the series.

[Maria · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a pretty good story, I listened to the audio version. The reader wasn't my favorite, as she only had 2 voices - female and male (lower range, same intonation for all characters), which was a little off-putting.

The story itself was pretty good, although the romantic part never got resolved. I don't know if it continues in Book 2 of the series.

[Kathleen Hall · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent mystery

Excellent mystery! It would give you just enough of a lead to think it might be someone then another person would also be a good choice. It was subtle. Much more believable little story I would recommend. A great ending as well.

[Kellie · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a booK

This book had me hooked from the beginning. It had everything you could want in a book. It had mystery, suspense, ghosts. You had no idea what happened til the very end. I recommend this book to anyone who loves a good mystery and ghost story.

[Cf · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really good new series.

This will be another series I will be looking forward reading each new addition. Great characters and story. It moves along holding your interest. Already introducing new angles and twists for the future mysteries.

[Diana · Rating 4 out of 5]

An enjoyable tale

A tale of a long lost sister, the guilt two siblings harbor. A childhood friend that returned to live with her cousin after losing her husband. A ghost that watches over them all trying to be found.
The twisted ending is worth the read.

[rosemary l keeling · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great story

Read the second book first. Liked it so much had to read the first one. Wasn't disappointed. I hope you continue on to a third book. Enjoyed it very much.

[Charleen Mallory · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great read

Engaging and well written. A fantastic story teller. I am looking forward to reading more from this author, Well worth the read.

[Valerie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great cozy read

Read the second book first. A lot of questions I had were answered. Enjoyed both and will read by this author.

[Vintagebooklvr · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 1/2 stars.

[Patricia · Rating 3 out of 5]

3/5. Did not finish-writing a little too bland for me. Storyline could have been better developed and presented. Not my kind of book.

[Wendy Hall-Duenez · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun cozy mystery

[Antonio Solano · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book! It kept me very interested in the progress of the story page by page. Easy to read and understand. A suspense novel from beginning to end, with unexpected changes in the story that made me literally stay glued to the book and read it until I discovered the outcome, which was surprising. I can't wait to read the second part of this series.

[Alice Shaw · Rating 5 out of 5]

Written by a local author in my neighborhood! So many twists, fantastic story.