Robin’s Rave Reviews 2026
Mystery – Atmospheric/Lightly Gothic – Historical Fiction – Women’s Fiction
Book about Books – Spooky House – Australia – Family Secrets – Mother/Daughter Relationship
THE STORY KEEPER by Kelly Rimmer has so much to like! Australian setting, an old mansion that “might” be haunted, a woman doing the renovations, a book within the book, buried family secrets, Gothically atmospheric but not scary. Yes! Sign me up. This was my first Kelly Rimmer book, and I was excited that it continued my streak of amazing books to recommend this year!
Book Summary
A famous author lives in a mansion called Wurimbirra in the small, country town of Forbes, Australia. He leaves his estate to his son, Jon, but included a section in the will suspiciously insisting that no big renovations be made to the house. Jon sells the house to his cousin, Fiona, a historical architect with a fond attachment to the house. She grew up there with Uncle Tad, Jon and her mother. After all, there is no way Uncle Tad’s no renovations request can be enforced, and the estate has been neglected for years.
Fiona is looking for a fresh start as she goes through a divorce after her husband and her best friend’s affair forced her out of their company. She begins the huge task of cleaning the house that’s been neglected for years, including the red Australian dust that’s settled everywhere.
A short time after Fiona arrives, strange things happen around the house. The locals think the house is haunted, but Fiona never experienced anything odd when she lived there. She thinks Uncle Tad would be laughing about it. He told ghost stories about the house to keep people away to maintain his privacy as he wrote. After all, he is THE STORY KEEPER. Fiona’s looking for logical answers, but the local lore about the house creeps back into her mind, as well as the stories of an indigenous tragedy that took place near the property generations ago. And then there’s the creepy, old cemetery on the property from the original owners of the house.
Fiona’s plan to renovate the mansion visibly shakes and angers her mother. Fiona’s mother has always kept her at a distance emotionally and buying/renovating the old mansion sets her off. She tells her daughter, “History doesn’t always stay in the past, Fiona. I hope to God you know what you’re doing.”
While clearing out Uncle Tad’s things, Fiona discovers a box of books titled The Midnight Estate. Not recognizing the author’s name, she assumes it was sent by an author friend of Uncle Tad’s. She immediately gets sucked into reading it. (Readers get to read it along with her – the book within the book.)
The story takes us back to 1960s with a character named Silas. He lives in Australia, but he has returned home to the U.S. because his mother is very sick. While in town, he notices a familiar, haunted look on a young woman at a cafe. His mother, who was a victim of domestic abuse, had the same look. He decides he must help the woman, if she’ll accept it. The story tells the great lengths and risks taken to get her out of her abusive marriage. When others turned away and ignored it, Silas was the only one to help.
As Fiona begins to understand her family’s connection to this story, she gains knowledge and empathy that allows for healing with her mother.
My Thoughts
Thank you to Harlequin Trade Publishing/MIRA and NetGalley for the ARC of THE STORY KEEPER by Kelly Rimmer. The opinions are my own.
I was thrilled that I’d picked another winner of a novel to read this year, especially since I didn’t know this author. It’s been a great year for some wonderful writing that I’m happy to recommend! THE STORY KEEPER is a 5-star read.
The Australian setting, the “haunted” mansion, and a woman who wants to bring the home back to its former glory all drew me in. I’m absolutely NOT a fan of scary novels, so luckily, this isn’t. It’s more atmospheric with a few odd events, but it isn’t a book that will keep you up at night listening for all those suspicious noises.
With Fiona’s recent failed marriage, I cheered her on. It’s time for her to get a break. Throughout the novel, Fiona does basic things in the mansion (cleaning, turning on the electricity and water, sorting papers, etc.), rather than getting to the actual renovations, but by the end of THE STORY KEEPER, I was sure she would continue with those plans. It’s a huge house so it definitely would take time to simply organize it.
The first chapter that switched from Fiona’s story to her reading the book in the box threw me for a minute, even though the chapter was clearly titled The Midnight Estate. Once I realized I was reading the novel along with Fiona, it made sense. It’s actually a brilliant and unusual technique to create a dual timeline story. It wasn’t long before I realized this “fictional” story would tie into Fiona’s family secrets, but that didn’t detract from my interest in the story.
Trigger warnings: infidelity/cheating, coercive control/spousal abuse, and historical violence to indigenous people.
Order Your Copy
You can preorder now anywhere books are sold (pub date is July 21, 2026); however, may I suggest ordering through Bookshop.org? I am now an affiliate of Bookshop.org because I love their mission to support small, independent bookstores across the country. To be transparent, I may receive a small commission, but it doesn’t increase your cost AND you’re helping small bookstores! It’s a Win-Win! You can order THE STORY KEEPER by Kelly Rimmer here. And check out my Bookshop page with other great recommendations HERE.
About the Author
Kelly told her father she was going to be an author back when she was in kindergarten. Her storytelling dreams have come true, and her books can be found in bookstores all over the world. Kelly’s books have been Top 10 bestsellers in her home country of Australia, and in the U.S., she’s been on the New York Times, Wall Street Journal and USA Today bestseller lists. Some of her well-known books are historical fiction. Previous books include Things We Cannot Say, Before I Let You Go, and The Warsaw Orphan.
If You Like…
If THE STORY KEEPER by Kelly Rimmer sounds like a book you’d enjoy, also check out my past reviews on these books: The Unwritten Rules of Magic by Harper Ross, The Secret Christmas Library by Jenny Colgan, The Unmaking of June Farrow by Adrienne Young. I don’t have a review on my blog for these books that I’ve read, but they would be great books you may enjoy: Starling House by Alix E. Harrow and Slade House by Davide Mitchell.
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