Kate’s Review: “The House on Biscayne Bay”

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Book: “The House on Biscayne Bay” by Chanel Cleeton

Publishing Info: Berkley, April 2024

Where Did I Get This Book: I received an eARC from NetGalley.

Where You Can Get This Book: WorldCat.org | Amazon | Indiebound

Book Description: As death stalks a gothic mansion in Miami, the lives of two women intertwine as the past and present collide in New York Times bestselling author Chanel Cleeton’s atmospheric new novel.

With the Great War finally behind them, thousands of civilians and business moguls alike flock to South Florida with their sights set on making a fortune. When wealthy industrialist Robert Barnes and his wife, Anna, build Marbrisa, a glamorous estate on Biscayne Bay, they become the toast of the newly burgeoning society. Anna and Robert appear to have it all, but in a town like Miami, appearances can be deceiving, and one scandal can change everything.

Years later following the tragic death of her parents in Havana, Carmen Acosta journeys to Marbrisa, the grand home of her estranged older sister, Carolina, and her husband, Asher Wyatt. On the surface, the gilded estate looks like paradise, but Carmen quickly learns that nothing at Marbrisa is as it seems. The house has a treacherous legacy, and Carmen’s own life is soon in jeopardy . . . unless she can unravel the secrets buried beneath the mansion’s facade and stop history from repeating itself.

Review: Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with and eARC of this book!

At the beginning of the month my family and I went to Florida so that my four year old could experience the joy and chaos that is Disney World, and the nostalgia factor for me (outside of being burnt out to hell by the end of all of it) was ample. Being back in the Sunshine State reminded me of my family trips there when I was little, specifically to, yes, Disney, but also to visit my family in Miami. While Florida is a state that I have a lot of opinions about, I do have a place in my heart for Miami thanks to the time spent there as a kid (as well as a trip in 2017 for my cousin’s wedding celebration). Because of this nostalgia, I was very interested in “The House on Biscayne Bay” by Chanel Cleeton. Not only was it touted as a Gothic mystery, it also had the setting of first half 20th Century Miami. What a combination! I went in with high expectations. And was somewhat disappointed.

First, of course, the things I did like. I absolutely adored the time and place in this book, as well as the descriptions of Marbrisa itself. I so rarely read stories set during the time period that is during or adjacent to World War I, so when it is a timeframe in a book I’m already interested because of the opportunities it opens. In spite of my family connections to Miami, my knowledge of its history is pretty limited, and I really liked the descriptions that Cleeton had about the town as it was growing and the challenges that presented the culture shock, the isolation, the alligators!). And when looking at the timeline that Carmen, Carolina, and Asher are in, I liked the way that the house had changed and transformed and had built up a reputation throughout Miami, and how that was affecting those living there. I also did enjoy our two protagonists across these two timelines we are following, Anna and Carmen. For Anna, I liked that she is a high society woman and wife of a New York businessman, Robert Barnes, and how she is expected to be grateful and thrilled about him building her this house, but instead finds herself trapped and stifled because of being plucked from her comfortable life and plunked down into a whole new community. Without any say. Seeing her have to grapple with this, as well as suspicions about her husband after a death happens at their estate, was really interesting. And for Carmen I liked the perspective of yet another woman being plucked from all she knows (this time her home in Havana after her parents die unexpectedly) and put in a whole new setting with sister Carolina, whom she has a contentious relationship with, and brother in law Asher, who is practically a stranger. And then when Carolina is murdered, she is suddenly alone with strangers in a strange house, possibly with a killer. I really enjoyed Carmen’s resilience and her verve.

But while I did like the melodrama and the way that both Anna and Carmen were maneuvering in their presents in Marbrisa, the two mysteries in both their timelines didn’t grab me the way I had hoped they would. For Anna, the death of a woman named Leonora at their first (and only) lavish party to show off the house has led her to wonder if the drowning was accidental, or something more sinister. For Carmen, there is not only the sudden death of her sister Carolina, but also the lingering question about what happened to Anna, who disappeared years prior. I wasn’t totally swept into the mysteries because, in the case of Leonora, I had a pretty good idea as to what happened from the jump, and in the case of Carolina, while the twists and surprises were well done, I just wasn’t invested in that outcome because I wasn’t as invested in Carolina. I WAS invested in Carmen and worried about her, but that would have been the case even without the mystery. I DID like the Anna Barnes mystery, but one out of three isn’t a resounding average.

“The House on Biscayne Bay” had some really well done historical beats and felt Gothic in all the right ways, but it wasn’t as thrilling as I had hoped it would be. That said, for historical fiction I will be looking into more Chanel Cleeton!

Rating 6: I liked the historical drama and I liked our two protagonists, but for whatever reason the mysteries at hand didn’t capture my attention.

Reader’s Advisory:

“The House on Biscayne Bay” is included on the Goodreads lists “Anticipated Literary Reads for Reader’s of Color 2024”, and “Mystery and Thriller 2024”.