Now he sticks to old houses – run down, neglected, abandoned houses. Doing most of the work alone, he renovates and repairs them for resale before moving on to the next one. He never finds it difficult to move on.

The Bellamy house is his biggest challenge yet. A gracious Southern mansion built by a 19th-century gentleman doctor for his beloved wife, the house was designed and built to last forever. Despite decades of neglect and abuse from disinterested tenants, the house is still solid under the layers of grime. Restoring this beautiful home may be the job that sets Don Lark back on his feet again.

But Don has not even closed on the house before things take an odd turn. The weird old ladies next door offer him home-baked bread and fresh lemonade along with cryptic warnings about the house's past and pleas not to follow through with his plans to revive the building. A tunnel in the basement, older than the house itself, hints of mystery and dire secrets, and the house seems almost alive at times.

Don himself also seems to be coming back to life. A romantic interest in the attractive real estate agent who sells him the house, involvement with a homeless woman who needs his help – it looks like his self-imposed isolation is coming to an end. But just when he thinks it may be possible to grasp a new chance at happiness, he learns the secrets hidden in this house; secrets that threaten to destroy his new-found joy.

Homebody is an entertaining story with some truly surprising plot twists. Card creates likable characters, and despite the fantastic element the story has a down-to-earth feel to it. As Don strips away layers of the old house to restore it to former glory, he is also peeling away layers of pain and bitterness within himself. You can call this a ghost story, or a gothic mystery, or a romantic thriller, but whatever it is, it's a good read.

--Jeri Wright