The Premonition at Withers Farm

Jamie Jo Wright’s Premonition at Withers Farm offers a parallel tale of suffering and discovery set against a backdrop of Christian moralizing.

In 1910 Perliett Van Hilton isn’t trusted by pillars of her community because she is a healer and her mother is referred to as a “spiritualist”. When a grisly murder occurs, local doctor George Wasziak works with her to solve the crime but also admonishes her mother and Pearl for their unorthodox tactics. He is the voice of Christian faith that beats you over the head as you work through the storyline.

Molly Wasziak, in the present day, is a depressed, unhappily married woman suffering through the loss of miscarriage who is also wrapped up in the details of a murder. She, too, works on the case to determine the truth and to find her voice and, in doing so, finds a connection to the past and to people time has forgotten.

In both instances, the women attempt to determine who they are and what they want, but following these two story lines was challenging, and the faith angle was often distracting. For readers of wholesome Christian fiction who want a little mystery, though, Premonition at Withers Farm is a perfect fit.