Carolyn Haines

The Darkling Carolyn Haines

Berta and Bob Henderson have plenty of love for their children--and enough even for a foster child. When Annie, a young amnesiac found wandering the streets of a nearby city, comes into their home, bad things begin to happen.

Mimi Bosarge, the live-in tutor, has a deep love for Coden, Alabama, which in the 1940s was a hideaway for movie stars and the wealthy. By 1976, Coden has been long forgotten. Bob's plans to renovate the old hotel on the Mississippi Sound would bring new life--and returned glamour--to the small, isolated community.

As Mimi prepares lessons, she begins to see another child on the grounds. One that looks eerily like Annie at times--but at other times mimics the physical traits of the other children. It becomes clear, this creature, whatever it is, is stalking the Henderson family.

Annie begins to display a sophistication beyond her years, and as tragedy strikes the family one by one, Mimi carries the burden of protecting the children.

Mimi believes Annie's innocent beauty is a sham, but how reliable is Mimi? For the children, the truth is the only thing that can save them.