Books & Audiobooks
Kelly Rimmer’s upcoming novel, The Story Keeper (publishes July 21, 2026) is a compelling story 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, 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.
This was a wonderfully atmospheric story with an eerie vibe, but 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.