The Friday 56 (With Book Beginnings): Black Rabbit Hall by Eve Chase

Welcome to The Friday 56, a weekly meme hosted by Freda's Voice.

These are the rules:

1. Grab a book, any book.

2. Turn to page 56, or 56% on your eReader.

3. Find any sentence (or a few, just don't spoil it) that grabs you.

4. Post it.

5. Add the URL to your post in the link on Freda's most recent Friday 56 post.

I'm also taking part in Book Beginnings, a weekly meme hosted by Rose City Reader.  The rules are pretty simple - you share the first sentence or so and your initial thoughts, impressions, or whatever else it inspires.  Don't forget to link up your post's url with Rose City Reader.

This week I'm spotlighting the book I've just started in on called Black Rabbit Hall by Eve Chase.  This debut adult gothic mystery novel was released this past February and it has been compared to Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier and The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters.  Those are two of my favorites, so I knew I wanted to read this 2016 release.  It finally came in at the library for me, and I believe I'd be happy if it's a fraction as good and atmospheric as either of those novels.

Beginning:

PROLOGUE

Amber
Last day of the summer holidays, 1969, Cornwall

I feel safe on the cliff ledge, safer than in the house, anyway.  A few feet from the coast path, it's a twenty-minute scramble from the edge of the estate, far enough from Black Rabbit Hall's watching windows, a secret place.  I hover on the cliff above it for a moment or two, wind snapping my dress against my legs, soles of my feet tingling, then lower myself carefully, gripping the clumps of grass, sea roaring in my ears.  (Best not to look down.)  One small heart-stop drop and I'm perching right on the edge of the sky.

56:

[Present Day]

"This late?"

"Yeah, well, the house was hard to find."

"Ha!  I bet Jon didn't like that.  Tell him he needs to stop relying on that bloody satnav."  A recently retired London taxi driver, her father prides himself on never getting lost anywhere, ever, and thoroughly enjoys it when other men do.