The Village

Mitchell (“DI Amy Winter” series) is at it again with a stand-alone mystery that has eerie scenarios and disturbing characters thrown into the mix. Ten years ago, the Harper family disappeared without a trace from Ivy Cottage, a house nestled in the secluded, wooded village of Nighbrook. With the house now on the market, crime journalist Naomi jumps at the opportunity to buy it. She quickly moves her new family in while secretly trying to uncover the truth of the unsolved disappearances. Naomi has bitten off more than she can chew, encountering tight-lipped, unwelcoming villagers who will do whatever it takes to hide their deepest secrets. Mitchell delivers a well-thought-out plot with some surprising twists and constructs a complex story while flashing between the present and the era of the Harper family’s disappearance. Listeners are privy to some of the inner thoughts of characters, which is unsettling, and narrator Elizabeth Knowelden does a great job of portraying them in a chilling way.