The Story Keeper

The Story Keeper is a compelling novel about family secrets and scarred relationships, set in an old, crumbling mansion in New South Wales, Australia.  

The story begins when Fiona, a 50-something woman, returns to Wurimbirra, her family's neglected mansion in Australia after her divorce. The locals believe Wurimbirra is haunted and Fiona's mother is against any renovation, but Fiona is adamant she'll bring the estate back to its former glory. She finds a dusty box of books with copies of The Midnight Estate (an alternate title for this book in some countries), written by an unknown author and as she reads it, some of the story mirrors her own experiences. This leads her down the proverbial rabbit hole into secrets that have been kept hidden for decades.

Narration: I did a tandem read - listening to the digital audiobook and reading the ebook at the same time - and felt that Siho Elsmore provided great narration in two different accents and really brought the story to life.

This was a wonderfully atmospheric tale with an eerie vibe, but I caution you to give yourself time to acclimate to the story. It's told using three timelines - past, present and a 'book within a book' - so it may take time to get used to characters and plot lines.  At first, it feels like there's a lot going on, but things will soon fall into a nice rhythm with the pieces eventually fitting together, connecting timelines, long-held secrets and traumas, for a satisfying conclusion.

Disclaimer: My sincere thanks to MIRA and Harlequin Audio for the ebook and eAudiobook that were given to me in exchange for my honest review.

My Rating: 4.5 stars

Author: Kelly Rimmer

Genre: Historical Fiction

Type and Source: ebook/eAudiobook from publisher via NetGalley

Publisher: MIRA / Harlequin Audio

First Published: July 21, 2026

Narrator: Siho Elsmore

Run Time: 12 hrs 14 min

Read: July 5-8, 2026

Book Description from GoodReads: A crumbling mansion, a forgotten book, and a mystery that could destroy them all . . .

Beneath the decaying grandeur of Wurimbirra, a family estate on the east coast of Australia, dark secrets lie buried. Fiona Winslow returns to restore the mansion she once called home, but what she uncovers is more than just decay - it is a mystery locked away for generations.

A forgotten book, The Midnight Estate, leads her into a story of love, loss, and betrayal mirroring her own. And as the lines between fiction and reality blur, Fiona must confront a chilling Is the true mystery hidden in the walls of her ancestral home, or within the pages of a book that seems to have chosen her?

A Gothic tale told across three timelines, The Midnight Estate is a haunting mystery entwining a family's darkest secrets and a captivating book-within-a-book puzzle.