The Nesting by C. J. Cooke

Lexi Ellis is out of options. She's been dumped, has nowhere to live, and is out of work when she overhears mention of a nanny job that includes room and board in Norway. And when the girl who mentions the job gives Lexi the perfect intro to steal her application, Lexi goes for it. 

Lexi is hired, as Sophie, to work as nanny to two little girls whose mother has recently passed away. The girls' father, an architect, is determined to complete construction on a house he'd been building for his wife and has decided that the girls need to be by his side as work continues. The opportunity to leave everything behind and assume a new identity with a family who knows nothing of her past is a perfect opportunity for Lexi and the remote location means she has little to fear by way of being discovered. 

But things are not all rosy in Norway. First, there's the remoteness of the location, both a benefit and a bit of a disadvantage for Lexi. It means she's solely responsible for keeping the girls entertained; there are no parks and no other children nearby. Plus the construction site outside is really no place for children. Second, Lexi's assumed identity is that of a girl trained in vegan cooking and, apparently, Montessori school techniques, all things Lexi must pick up on the spot if she's to succeed in keeping the job. 

And then there are the strange happenings around the house itself. As it turns out, the house being built is the second attempt at a home on this spot. The site is plagued by trouble and the workers are superstitious. Lexi herself has witnessed some odd things since taking up residence with the family. But what those things mean is still a mystery. As is, potentially, the truth about the death of the woman whose family she's been hired to care for. 

Lexi is recovering from a suicide attempt when her boyfriend breaks up with her. He says he's had it and Lexi frankly can't argue with him. Foggy and overwhelmed, she leaves without even the necessities unsure where she'll turn. Fortunately, though, she has her ex's rail pass in hand!

It's thanks to that one resource that Lexi overhears word about the nannying job in Norway. And fortunately she gets the job. But it's a precarious start considering she's used someone else's identity and references. And Lexi knows well that getting caught in her lie would be the worst thing that can happen.

Or is it?

The reader has the benefit of alternating chapters giving a bit of the "then" storyline leading to the death of Aurelia, the mother of the girls Lexi is caring for. And Aurelia's story is veiled by mystery from the very start.

The Nesting blends folklore with suspense to create a read that's atmospheric and mysterious. It has hints of gothic lit, a remote setting, a house that may or may not be plagued by something dangerous, and a young woman at the center of it all. And throughout the story it never does become quite clear whether the mysterious happenings are supernatural in origin or otherwise. But their roots in folk tales are fantastic fun!

The Nesting is out today, order it from your favorite indie via Bookshop!