Chanel Cleeton is the author of several novels centered around the Hispanic culture. My favorites are “Next Year in Havana” and “The Last Train to Key West.” “The House on Biscayne Bay” is an enjoyable read. Her other novels center around the Perez family either in Cuba, Miami or Barcelona. This novel is not about the Perez family. It is a standalone novel is set in Miami during WWI and WWII. It was named the Most Anticipated Read of 2024 by Entertainment Weekly and a Best Historical Fiction novel of 2024 by BookBub.
This novel is told with a dual story line. The first takes place in 1918, just after the end of WWI. Many business tycoons are flocking to south Florida hoping to make their fortunes. Robert Barnes wants to surprise his wife Anna on her birthday with a mansion built on Biscayne Bay. He has spared no expense, building one of the biggest mansions in Miami. He names the estate Marbrisa (sea breeze).
The problem is he forgot to ask his wife if she wanted to move to Florida. Anna is from New York City and does not like heat, humidity, wild dangerous animals, swarming insects or the flocks of peacocks that roam the property. Anna is unhappy. She feels uneasy in the house and prefers the gardens the architect Michael Harrison designed for her.
As soon as Marbrisa is finished, Robert and Anna host a grand party for Miami’s most affluent residents. There are many party crashers in attendance. One of the uninvited guests leaves the party to walk along the bay. She is later found murdered on the beach. This sparks a lot of speculation about who or what killed the young woman.
The second story line takes place after WWII. Carmen Acosta, 18, has lost both her parents in a boating accident three weeks before. She must leave Cuba to live with her estranged sister Carolina and her husband Asher Wyatt in Miami. Yes, it is Marbrisa.
Marbrisa has been vacant for over 20 years. It still has an eerie feeling and is still is hot, humid and has bugs, alligators and peacocks. Carmen can tell that Carolina is unhappy and seems ill at ease in the mansion her husband bought for her. Carmen feels like she is being watched inside and outside of Marbrisa. There have been strange happenings including the killing of the wildlife and items disappearing from locked rooms. There is a maze on the property that seems to especially mysterious and frightening. Many of the employees are scared of the unusual events and threaten to quit.
At dinner on Carmen’s second night in Marbrisa, someone or something is screaming in the maze. After much searching, a peacock is found stabbed to death. Tensions are high for the owners and the employees. Carmen is worried about Carolina because she disappears for hours at a time and is avoiding her husband and Carmen. When the body of a women is found stabbed in the maze, the police are certain it was not from a supernatural creature but a human living on the property.
Chanel Cleeton writes historical fiction and is known for a captivating blend of historical detail, compelling characters and emotional depth. All her books have multiple timelines with different characters. I enjoy her books and plan the read others in her series.
Learn more about Chanel Cleeton at www.chanelcleeton.com.
