Unearthly Things

Chapter 1
 
  This is the place, the driver said. Home, right?
     Not really, I muttered. The ride from the airport had passed in a blink. But then, my whole life felt like that lately. Every time I closed my eyes, the world seemed to jump forward to a new and terrible place.
     Less than three weeks ago, I d been sitting on our back porch watching the tide come in. When a car pulled into the driveway, I figured my parents were back early from their day date. Then the doorbell rang, which was weird; weirder still, when I answered it, there were two serious-looking cops standing there. The older one asked, Are you Janie Mason?
     The next time I blinked, two caskets were being lowered into matching dark holes, while a priest talked about lives cut tragically short. Blink: I was in a lawyer s office, my bare legs sticking to a leather chair as he droned on. Your parents appointed the Rochesters to serve as your legal guardians. They live in San Francisco . . . Blink: I was on a plane, watching Kona International Airport recede in the distance. Blink: at the bottom of the airport escalator, a chauffeur was holding a sign with my name on it.
     And now I d arrived at the home of total strangers, like so much driftwood cast ashore.
     I fought the urge to cry as I tucked stray hairs into the hood of my anorak. The rain was coming down in sheets, making it difficult to see more than a few feet past the car. The driver hurried around to retrieve my suitcases from the trunk. Girding myself against the downpour, I climbed out of the backseat.
     The wind drove the rain into me, quickly soaking my clothing. It rained all the time in Hawaii, but those drops were warm, more like a caress. These icy pellets were a different beast entirely. Shivering, I tilted my head back and stared up at the house.

Michelle Gagnon is the bestselling author of thrillers for teens and adults. Her young adult PERSEFØNE trilogy (Don t Turn Around, Don t Look Now, Don t Let Go) was nominated for a Thriller Award, and was selected as a top read by Entertainment Weekly, Kirkus, Voya, and the Young Adult Library Services Association. Her standalone young adult thriller Strangelets was a Junior Library Guild pick. She lives in Los Angeles with her family.

Praise for Unearthly Things

Effortlessly paced, full of heart, humor and horror, Gagnon revives the spirit of a classic while putting her own unique spin on the story. Janie is sympathetic and brave, the perfect lens for us to peer into a world of grandeur, secrets and dark lies. You can't help but lament the family Janie lost while also cheering for her to succeed in her new and strange reality. Charlotte Brontë would never have guessed that her classic fits so well with a Mean Girls twist, but the blend is addictive, fast-paced and haunting.
Madeleine Roux, New York Times bestselling author of the Asylum series

Haunting in the best possible sense, from the first page to the very last twist.  
Leslie Margolis, New York Times bestselling author of the Maggie Brooklyn mysteries

A page-turning ode to Jane Eyre with a ghostly twist, Michelle Gagnon s Unearthly Things haunts and delights. Orphaned Janie Mason uncovers the awful secrets hidden behind the seemingly perfect high society life of her new guardians, the Rochesters. A deliciously terrifying read with a heroine worthy of Charlotte Brontë s classic.
Joy Preble, author of It Wasn't Always Like This

Inspired by Jane Eyre, Michelle Gagnon gives a new take on the classic tale. Making Janie an outcast surfer and having her explore social and cultural differences between the upbringing of her Filipina mother and white father make Unearthly Things a clever update of Brontë s classic. The fast-paced suspense of the novel along with the depth of thecharacters makes Gagnon s work worth reading for both mystery and Brontë fans alike.
The Popular Culture Association  

"The pace accelerates, suspense builds, and stakes mount . . . Jane Eyre has inspired retellings from literary gems to pallid retreads; Gagnon's version stands up to the competition, slyly toying with readers' expectation to surprising, entertaining