After years of being a stay at home mom, Natalie Scott hopes to make her mark as a real estate agent. But the cards are stacked against her. The only other woman in the office, Gina, is the big seller, probably because she flirts with Jimmy, the office head who hands out the assignments. While Gina typically gets the “gems,” that quickly sell, he gives Natalie the McCreedy house, which is a bear to unload. Not only does that listing need a lot of work, it’s located near one occupied by Mrs. Smith, who never ventures out and whose yard is chocked with thick vines. Since the locals believe Mrs. Smith may be a witch or worse, convincing someone to live next door is a big ask.
Mrs. Smith is, in fact, not human. She’s an eel, not a small, harmless one, but a large, vicious one who has lived hundreds of years in various locations. Living in the waters surrounding Ireland, Mrs. Smith killed Una Einarsson’s younger sister. Una now lives in Cold Harbor with her husband, Kristofer, and works as a housekeeper for many of the Cold Harbor families. When she recognizes Mrs. Smith, Una worries that the monster may be targeting children she loves and cares about.
Natalie is mother to JJ, Justin, and Jill. But she’s so intent on succeeding as a real estate superstar, that she barely notices her three children. When Mrs. Smith volunteers to pay J.J. and Jill to weed her gardens, Natalie jumps at the chance to develop a relationship with her neighbor. Clearing away those thick, poisonous plants will make it easer for Natalie to sell the McCreedy house. Una’s entreaties against having the children anywhere near the property fall on deaf ears. Even after Jill suffers a serious cut from one of the plants on the ground, Jill insists her daughter fulfill her obligation to Mrs. Smith.
Elaine Bernstein is planing a bar mitzvah for her son, Charles, to be held at the local country club. More than 500 people will be invited to what can only be called an extravaganza. Charles, a quiet, studious boy is frequently bullied at school. The last thing he wants is to be the center of attention, but his mother hopes this celebration will make him more popular. Because Mrs. Smith owns part of the club property, Elaine needs her permission to stage the event, especially the planned fireworks.
Not only does Mrs. Smith give her go-ahead for the party, she says she will come. Elaine’s delighted; Una is terrified. If Mrs. Smith is now coming out in public, she has something planned, and that can only mean death for the children, what the giant eel calls “the Pure Ones” that she needs to stay alive.
Mrs. Smith is the villain, but the parents in Cold Harbor come across as entitled, materialistic, and self absorbed. Natalie and Elaine are polar opposites in their parenting styles, but neither approach works. Natalie believes pushing her children to be independent, excelling in sports, especially the sports offered by the club, sailing and swimming, and earning money, will help their self esteem. Instead, pushing them to work at Mrs. Smith’s home puts them in danger. For her part, Elaine smothers Charlie, managing every aspect of his life, leading to self doubt and making him a target for bullies.
Ellery Adam’s pulls off a delicate balance with two plot lines running parallel and then intersecting in fascinating ways. The families inhabiting Cold Harbor are a story unto themselves, but adding the terror provided by Mrs. Smith makes this novel a page turner.
Just when we thought it was safe to go into the water! A great beach read, if you’re game.
Invasive Species
Ellery Adams
Top Bigstock photo by AlexKozlov
