The Uninvited

Upon recovering from her bout with the Spanish flu in 1918, young Ivy Rowan encounters the ghost of her grandmother. Because the women in her family share a gift of seeing spirits just before hearing news of someone's death, Ivy is somewhat prepared for the knowledge that her father and brother have killed a local German in retaliation for her other brother's death in the war. Appalled by this revelation, she opts to rent a room in town and then divides her time between going to a local jazz club; volunteering to drive a night ambulance for the Red Cross; and visiting Daniel, the brother of the murdered man, in an attempt to make amends. The romance that flowers between Ivy and Daniel forms the arc of much of the narrative, which meanders a little until the surprise ending. Winters's (In the Shadow of Blackbirds) first novel for adults treads similar ground as her earlier books and will likely appeal to the same readers.