Some places are cursed. I don’t mean haunted; I mean...tainted. You know what I’m talking about. It can be a matter of degree. There’s the storefront that has housed a succession of restaurants that everyone seemed to like but eventually failed, one by one. A number of neighborhoods will have a house or two where a couple can’t live for more than a few years without experiencing a divorce. Then, of course, there are houses where death comes to pass --- and stay --- in one form or another.

Wendy Corsi Staub introduced her fans to Mundy’s Landing in 2015’s BLOOD RED, a story about a serial killer who used a string of murders to conceal his ultimate target. That book dropped a brief but subtle hint about BLUE MOON, the second installment in what is projected to be a trilogy. Mundy’s Landing is tainted, and very much so. Its picturesque Hudson Valley location contrasts with a bloody history that goes back centuries, and more recently was noteworthy for a series of murders that were similar but never solved. In 1916, a murderer left bodies of his victims in three different houses in Mundy’s Landing. Each young woman was found to have been dispatched in a similar fashion and displayed identically. Neither the murderer nor the victims --- in what became known as the Sleeping Beauty Murders --- was ever identified. The houses where the bodies were uncovered remain standing to this day, a hundred years later, and are the subject of speculation and tour bus drive-bys.

"BLUE MOON is just wonderful, full of the elements of mystery and gothic horror that Staub handles so well."

Does that sound intriguing? It is, particularly in the hands of Staub, who is a master wordsmith. As BLUE MOON opens, a couple looking for a home buy one of the murder houses, their awareness of what has occurred there notwithstanding. Annabelle Bingham and her husband, Trib, know that the only reason they were getting a good deal on the house they ultimately purchased was because of its history. They never expected to be as charmed by it as they were. But all is not entirely right. The house seems strange (as one might imagine) and isn’t quite what they were looking for. Still, it has its positives, and Annabelle is determined to make the best of it. Meanwhile, the Centennial anniversary of the Sleeping Beauty Murders is fast approaching. As part of the commemoration, the town powers-that-be decide to offer a reward to whoever can solve the mystery of the murders that took place so long ago.

Meanwhile, the narrative shifts, occasionally and chillingly, to a madman who calls himself “Holmes,” for reasons you might expect and otherwise. Holmes is taking steps to replicate the Sleeping Beauty Murders, using his own extensive knowledge of what has gone before...right down to the sites the original murderer used. The family suspects nothing. Something, however, doesn’t feel right. As the Binghams’ date with destiny approaches, Staub ratchets up the suspense to the point where it’s almost unbearable, all the while leaving the reader wondering how these innocent people are going to escape what seems to be an almost certain fate.

BLUE MOON is just wonderful, full of the elements of mystery and gothic horror that Staub handles so well. Even if you don’t necessarily favor this genre, you should read this book so you can enjoy experiencing how the job is properly done through the hands of a master. If you’re looking for a terrific and entertaining read in the closing weeks of summer, you need look no further.