Bitter House
Vera Bitter is dead, but her secrets aren't.
When Bridget inherits Bitter House from the grandmother who raised her with cruelty - and cast her out without a word - she dreads returning. Her unease deepens when she finds Cole Warner, the childhood enemy she swore she'd never see again, already inside.
Then the first letter arrives. Within Bitter House's walls, old grudges, hidden truths, and lurking dangers force Bridget to confront the past she's tried to escape. Nothing is as it seems, and trusting the wrong person could be deadly.
- Bridget - Protagonist
- Edna - Cole's mother/Vera's house manager
- Cole - Edna's son
- Vera - Bridget's grandmother
- Jane, Kate, lily - Vera's neighbors and friends
- Reggie- Vera's second husband
- Bridget's parents - Deceased
- Vera's will leaves Bitter House to both Bridget and Cole.
- After arriving to sort through the house Bridget receives a letter signed 'a friend,' it alludes to Vera having secrets and promises 6 more letters to come, each containing a secret.
- Secret #1: In Vera's room there is a false wall hiding a gun.
- Secret #2: Vera is a murderer and the proof is in the garden.
- Secret #3: Vera killed Bridget's parents.
- Secret #4: Tunnels run under Bitter House and Vera used them to commit her crimes.
- Secret #5: Vera's journal is hiding in her dresser drawer.
- The journal reveals: Reggie abused Vera from the start of their marriage, and she killed Reggie, Edna's husband and many other abusive men with the help of Jane, Kate, and Lily.
- One woman betrayed Vera and her friends by telling her husband the truth. That man caused Bridget's car accident to punish Vera. This is why Vera blames herself for Bridget's parents' deaths.
- Vera killed the man who killed Bridget's parents.
- Jane, Kate and Lily hand-deliver the final letter.
- Secret #6: Written by Vera herself, it expresses her love for Bridget and urges her to trust the women. Vera asks her to keep Bitter House to protect its secrets - not to carry on her work, but to guard the legacy.
- 10 year later: Bridget, Cole, Jane, Kate and Lily are still saving abused women
- Bridget - Alive - Married to Cole, still living at Bitter House and helping women
- Cole - Alive - Married to Bridgett and helping her and the women with their mission
- Edna - Alive - Supportive of Bridgett and Cole but wanting no hand in helping them
- Jane, Kate and Lily - Alive - Getting up there in age but still helping
- Reggie - Dead - Killed by Vera
- Murder
- Domestic abuse
- Death of parent
- Misogyny
- Sexual content
Hopeful
Publisher: Bitter House Publishing
ISBN: 9781956538571
Publish Date: May 28, 2024
Note: Details are for the original edition. Other formats, editions, and audiobook versions may be available.