Magnolia Run

by Kimberly Filkins

There's something wrong at Magnolia Run. Twelve-year-old Claire Moran can feel it as soon as she arrives at her new home: a crumbling farmhouse in rural South Carolina. Claire has just lost her mother and has been shipped off to live with her only relative, Louise, an aunt she has never met. As Claire attempts to settle into a new life and new school, all she wants is to be normal and to avoid thinking about her mother. But soon frightening events start happening in the house. The door at the end of the hall bleeds, Claire hears whispers when she's alone, and she's losing large amounts of time. Then she learns that nearly everyone in town is talking about her aunt and their "haunted house." It seems the whole community knows more about her family than Claire does. Why had her mother moved so far away? Why had she never mentioned her sister? Who are these relatives Claire has never known? And what is really going on at Magnolia Run? As Claire digs into her family history, decades-old secrets begin to emerge. It's clear Magnolia Run is in danger, and Claire must untangle the mystery and save her aunt and their home before it's too late.

136 pages, Paperback

Published December 19, 2018

About the author

Kimberly Filkins graduated from Presbyterian College in 2009 with a Bachelor’s in Business and began working as a Staff Accountant with a CPA firm. After eight tax seasons, she changed gears and now works as a Corporate Accountant at a hotel management firm. She wrote her first novel, Magnolia Run, on weekends, lunch hours, and while hiding from the tax returns on her desk. When she’s not working or writing, Kimberly is reading, napping, or mining her surroundings for interesting blog posts. She can also be found at her church, Bridgeway Church, where she participates in International Missions and general globe-trotting. She is an avid people-watcher and journal writer. She was born to two New Yorkers but raised as a Southerner in Woodruff, South Carolina and lives there still.

Reviews

[Joe Strickland · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reading Kimberly Filkins' 'Magnolia Run' when it first came out, and I was instantly drawn in. Rereading it recently, the story held up beautifully. The atmosphere of Southern gothic charm layered with a palpable sense of unease is brilliantly crafted. But it was the scene with the one-armed war veteran seeking help from the witch in her darkened living quarters that truly stood out. The description, the tension, the desperation… it literally filled me with dread. Filkins perfectly captures the fear and uncertainty of that encounter, making it a truly unforgettable moment in a wonderfully compelling novel. I thoroughly enjoyed it the first time around, and even more so the second.