Marlowe Wexler had an epic first date with her long-time crush Akilah. But it ended badly when Marlow lit a candle to set a mood and accidentally burned down a family friend’s summer cottage. She ends up taking a job at Morning House, an historic home on an island in the St. Lawrence River to get away from her failure.

In her new job Marlowe gives tours and helps keep the house ready for visitors. But something seems off to her. When she learns she’s the replacement for a worker who died in an accident and then her boss disappears, Marlowe starts following clues to find out what happened. In the process she also seeks to discover the real story of how two people who lived at Morning House in the 1920s died.

As Marlowe digs deeper, she senses whatever secrets she is uncovering put her in danger. Can she solve the mystery before she’s the next one to suffer tragedy?

Death at Morning House by Maureen Johnson is for mystery lovers and fans of teen romance. From the beginning readers can sense that something was awry with the long ago deaths. Author Johnson toggles from present to past to give details from both time periods.

Also, the setting is super cool. The island where Morning House sits is one of nearly two thousand that dot the river between the U.S. and Canada. It’s an area known for smuggling bootleg alcohol during Prohibition, making it an ideal place for hiding secrets.

Johnson doles out clues until the very end, keeping readers in suspense until a satisfying and creepy conclusion. I recommend it for readers aged 14 and up.

The publisher provided a copy of this title in exchange for my honest review.