A Splendid Ruin by Megan Chance

"You don't belong here, Miss Kimble. You're completely in over your head. Learn to swim, or drown. Those are your only choices when it comes to the Sullivans."

                     -Stephen Oelrichs, from the novel

After the death of her mother, May Kimble receives a letter from an aunt she didn't know she had inviting her to come to San Francisco to live with her, her husband and daughter. May leaves her home in Brooklyn to join the Sullivan family and is welcomed with open arms. It is difficult enough for impoverished May to become accustomed to a new city, an elaborate mansion and seemingly unlimited funds, when she begins to get subtle warnings from a Chinese maid and others, including Stephen Oelrichs, quoted above. 

Dark family secrets are revealed bit by bit and frequent foreshadowing make this a true page-turner. A Splendid Ruin is a captivating story of betrayal and desire for revenge. Can the extremely destructive San Francisco earthquake of 1906 also be a positive force or even a means of rescue for May? Apparently, yes!

I enjoyed this novel, rating it a 4.