The Diary of Ellen Rimbauer

In 1907 Ellen Rimbauer married a wealthy Seattle industrialist, 20 years her senior and with the kind of reputation which made her friends stop talking and look the other way when she entered a room. Although not unaware that John had a past, her infatuation got the better of her and it was only during the first days of their honeymoon that she got a true taste of the brutal, rapacious and autocratic man who would make her life a misery. Her diary was to be her only refuge as she struggled to come to terms both with the sexual demands of her husband and the awakening of physical desire in herself, often directed towards her African maid and intimate confidante, Sukeena. John's lust was matched only by his greed for material wealth which found expression in the construction of a massive mansion, Rose Red. As if her monster of a husband were not enough for Ellen to cope with, it very soon became apparent that Rose Red was no ordinary house, as within two months of the couple moving in, one of their guests disappeared in mysterious circumstances. This would be followed by some 25 deaths or disappearances within the next 40 years, including that of Ellen's own young daughter. Could these be attributed to the mansion having been built on the site of an ancient Indian burial ground or could these psychic phenomena be laid at the feet of one of the inhabitants, perhaps Sukeena or even Ellen herself? There are shades of Emily Bronte about Ellen as she recounts experiences and emotions in a style and with a passion which belie her naivety and lack of worldliness. She committed to paper her most intimate thoughts and recounted the most chilling events to produce a document which not only lays bare the traumas of her own life but gives a fascinating insight into the daily lives of the wealthy elite and the mysteries of psychic phenomena. Little could she have known that her private record would become a disturbing and gripping bestseller. (Kirkus UK)