Book Review: The Story Keeper by Kelly Rimmer

I believe this story was published by author Kelly Rimmer in July 2025 and was titled The Midnight Estate. The version I have reviewed below titled The Story Keeper is set to release July 21, 2026.

Fiona is embarking upon uncharted territory. She lost her husband and her best friend when she found out the two of them had fallen in love with each other, then she was asked to give up the career she loved for a time period as part of the divorce settlement. Her children are both out of the house, and she's mourning her uncle Tad, who is recently deceased. There has been too much change in too little time, and Fiona finds herself at odds with this new life she's expected to live.

Fiona never knew her own father, who died before she was born. Tad had always filled that role for her, and Tad's biological son, Jon, was not only Fiona's "brother", but her best friend. The two of them grew up in a sprawling house called Wurimbirra in Australia with Ginny, Fiona's mother, who worked for the hopelessly disorganized Tad as the secretary who kept his life—and the house—running. Jon never felt comfortable there and spent most of his time with his mother. Fiona, on the other hand, has nothing but fondness for the old place. She lived there until Ginny married Alan, who owned a neighboring farm when Fiona was sixteen. Wurimbirra is known for its ghosts—ghosts Tad celebrated. When the bestselling novelist passes away, the ghosts are what the residents of the town seem to remember most about the place.

For some time, the house has been abandoned. The property was handed down to Jon when his father died, but he has no interest in it. When Fiona's life implodes, restoring Wurimbirra becomes the one thing that fuels her. Jon isn't excited about Fiona purchasing the property, and neither is Ginny. Fiona has never fully understood the aversion the two of them have to the place, but she arrives on the property, ready to clean all the dust out of it and to begin bringing it back to its former glory.

When Fiona comes across a box filled with a dozen books titled The Midnight Estate, she assumes they've come from either the author or the publisher. It was not unusual for Tad to buy several copies of a book he enjoyed so he could give them to his friends and family. As Fiona reads the novel, however, she starts seeing a lot of parallels in the story that mirror the people and places in her own life. The writing style has become familiar, and it becomes obvious that Tad authored this novel under a pen name. Before she's gotten to the end, she realizes she's inadvertently stumbled across hidden family secrets and finds answers to some long-standing questions. 

This book within a book is intriguing. The mystery is creatively built, and the reader quickly becomes invested in Rimmer's characters and the outcome of their story.   

I gave The Story Keeper an easy five stars. I am eager to read more of this author's work.