In 1962, at the age of fifteen, Zipporah and her family move to the small town of Sandburg, New York. Once there, they move into the locally famous “Doral House.” As the Stein’s would soon find out, this house and property are famous for the murder of Brendon Doral by his crazed wife, Lucy. It is said that his body is buried somewhere on the premises, and his ghost is one of frequent haunting. However, little did Zipporah know, this wouldn’t be the only famous murder house in town.

This newest book from New York Times Bestselling author V.C. Andrews, Secrets in the Attic, is one of vivid detail and suspenseful excitement that lasts from cover to cover. To tell this story, Andrews uses main characters Zipporah Stein and her best friend, Karen Stoker. She also calls on background characters such as Karen’s mother and stepfather, Zipporah’s parents and her brother, Jesse to add drama to the plot and story of her famed novel.

As with many of the books that V.C. Andrews wrote, this publication is both a drama and a mystery. It contains and combines both the thrill of troubled teenagers suffering from mental illness, and the gripping behavior which is often exhibited as a result. Anyone who appreciates the previous books by V.C. Andrews will undoubtedly love this one as well. Like Zipporah tells Karen, “I chose you as a friend because I never know what you will do next.” This quote is an exact representation of the book in totality. This is a classic V.C. Andrews novel: one filled with numerous twists and turns that will definitely keep you on the edge of your seat.

Never failing to feed the reader’s mind, Andrews paints a perfect picture of the infamous “Doral House.” Within this image, we find a very large attic that Zipporah and Karen spend hours and hours hanging around in. This is their hideaway and escape from their everyday lives; they even go as far as to christen the attic, “Our Nest.” Everyday the girls sit in their nest, on an old leather couch, and talk about their lives, dreams and futures. They pretend that they are magnificent people and are experiencing grand adventures; in a way, it is their way of coping with reality. “Yes, why not?”, Zipporah asked, lifting her eyes and looking as if she were standing on a stage. “After all, it’s our imagination that frees us from the chains and weight of our dull reality. Come dreams and fantasies. Overwhelm me.”

Throughout the book several issues and conflicts are explored. One day, Karen tells Zipporah that her stepfather, Harry, is mentally ill. She goes on to express that he hangs around in the apartment behind their house where his mother used to live. Karen confesses that she has spied on him, and has even seen him talking to a mannequin and fixing the wig and makeup as if it was his mother. While on this emotional subject, Karen even admits to Zipporah that Harry has been molesting her. As she can’t tell her insensitive and delusional mother, Zipporah is seen as her only outlet.

As the action heightens, Karen and Zipporah come up with a plan to scare Harry out of coming into Karen’s bedroom and end his having his way with her. If this plan is successful, the molestation will stop indefinitely and Karen will be free from his torture. Unfortunately, the plan can never comes into play and while Harry, once again, comes into Karen’s room, she panics and stabs him. The next day, Karen is absent from school and Zipporah is called to the police station: it turns out that Karen is missing and Harry is dead. Zipporah is then questioned thoroughly, and then eventually let go.

Then, as the novel comes to its close, Zipporah goes up to the attic and finds Karen hiding. Although Zipporah wants to comfort Karen and help her in this time of crisis, Karen continues to hide in the attic and refuses any aide. In the mean time, Jesse, Zipporah’s brother, finds out about Karen’s staying and begins an affair with her.

Will Karen get caught by the police? Is the relationship between herself and Jesse the real deal? Is Zipporah going to be forever haunted by the drama that has been recently brought into her life? Check Secrets in the Attic out for yourself, and you will be sure to find the answers to these questions and many more. Not only will you find yourself enjoying the suspense and excitement of this novel while doing so, but you will also discover yourself doing it at an alarming rate. After having read the book cover to cover in two days myself, it is apparent that Secrets in the Attic is not only a novel that sparks one’s interest, but one that simply cannot be put down!