Fiona, newly turned 50, is blindsided by the revelation that her husband, Lucas, is having an affair with her best friend, Keira. The betrayal is compounded by the fact that all three are partners in a successful architectural firm. Lucas offers to buy Fiona out, on the condition that she won’t set up in competition. Ready to escape the chaos, Fiona walks away from both the business and her old life.
Seeking a fresh start, she returns to her childhood home in the town of Forbes to the once-glorious mansion Wurimbirra, a place filled with fond memories. The house had belonged to her beloved Uncle Tad, a celebrated but eccentric writer, and now sits abandoned and crumbling.
He bequeathed the house to his son Jon. Unlike Fiona, Jon’s memories haunt him. Though hesitant, Jon – her cousin and lifelong friend – agrees to sell the property to Fiona.
From the moment she moves in, strange things begin to happen: inexplicable noises, broken objects and an overwhelming sense of unease. Her mother reacts with unexpected fury at the purchase. Fiona discovers a box of books by an author she’s never heard of.
The novel, The Midnight Estate, draws her in, and she begins to suspect it holds clues to Wurimbirra’s haunted past.
The Midnight Estate is a clever, compelling read – its ‘book within a book’ structure is executed with skill, adding depth and intrigue to an already engaging plot. Rimmer masterfully blends mystery, family secrets, and emotional resilience into a gripping narrative that spans generations. The story keeps you immersed from the first page to the final reveal.
Reviewed by Sue Stanbridge
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
My dad tells me that I was in kindergarten when I announced that I’d become an author one day, so it’s fair to say the books you’ll find here on my site represent my lifelong dream. For decades I wrote for an audience of one, and while I hoped I’d one day be published, it wasn’t until my mid-30s that I was ready to even allow my friends or family to read my stories.
Since then, I’ve been fortunate enough to work with some of the best publishers in the world. My books have been Top 10 bestsellers in my home nation of Australia, have topped Kobo, Amazon and Apple books charts, and have even appeared on bestseller lists including the Globe and Mail and Toronto Star lists in Canada, and the New York Times, Wall Street Journal and USA Today lists in the USA.
My stories have been translated into dozens of languages, and can be found in bookstores all over the world.
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