Margaret Joanne Rice Bücher

Set in the Old South after the Civil War- specifically on a tobacco plantation in Staunton, Virginia- this story revolves around three key groups of people. Plantation owners, plantation workers, and Native Americans play integral roles in this saga. They often intersect and prove necessary for each other to exist in their sociopolitical climate. The conflict in the story involves an ancient Indian folktale about a baby skull hidden on plantation property in a grandfather clock that is shrouded in superstition. This skull is said to have magical powers, and when it disappears, many strange events begin to unfold.

All who hear tales of Madam MaRooska's world-renowned yet exclusive specialty resort at Bellingfast Estates clamor to be granted attendance every year. One of the most compelling events in this two-week excursion is an elaborate masquerade ball in which guests can disappear into the personas of any historical figures they wish. However, Constance Stallings knows firsthand just how quickly this game of illusions can turn nefarious. Born into wealth and privilege but determined to make a name for herself as an author, she embarks on a second trip to Bellingfast with her family in the hopes of finishing her novel, The Angel Doll, and perhaps even uncovering the tragic mystery that looms over her last encounter with the seemingly cursed estate.