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A Secret Close to Home
Juniper Tickle, Newfoundland, 1906
Jimmy Bailor is left on the edge of the wild North Atlantic with meagre supplies and limited survival skills. He stumbles upon shelter with Flory White, her sister-in-law, Lizzy, and Lizzy’s young son.
The Whites have been stranded to winter alone in isolated Juniper Tickle after the menfolk are arrested for the murder of the crew of the Annie May—a marooned schooner owned by Jimmy’s father.
While enduring the harsh and unforgiving winter in outport Newfoundland, Jimmy struggles with menial tasks and further strains Flory’s bid to keep them alive until spring, with faint hope for the men’s return.
When Jimmy’s identity is revealed, he must face the bitter truth about himself, his father’s legacy, the women he has now betrayed—and a murderer who will stop at nothing to make sure Jimmy disappears once and for all.
Will Jimmy challenge his limitations and defy a killer? Will he humbly seek Flory’s forgiveness or is it too late for them both as Flory deals with deceptions closer to home?
Jimmy Bailor is left on the edge of the wild North Atlantic with meagre supplies and limited survival skills. He stumbles upon shelter with Flory White, her sister-in-law, Lizzy, and Lizzy’s young son.
The Whites have been stranded to winter alone in isolated Juniper Tickle after the menfolk are arrested for the murder of the crew of the Annie May—a marooned schooner owned by Jimmy’s father.
While enduring the harsh and unforgiving winter in outport Newfoundland, Jimmy struggles with menial tasks and further strains Flory’s bid to keep them alive until spring, with faint hope for the men’s return.
When Jimmy’s identity is revealed, he must face the bitter truth about himself, his father’s legacy, the women he has now betrayed—and a murderer who will stop at nothing to make sure Jimmy disappears once and for all.
Will Jimmy challenge his limitations and defy a killer? Will he humbly seek Flory’s forgiveness or is it too late for them both as Flory deals with deceptions closer to home?
278 pages, Paperback
Published April 19, 2024
3 people are currently reading
35 people want to read
About the author
Ida Linehan Young
13 books146 followersIda Linehan Young is a wife, mother, and grandmother living, writing, and publishing in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada.
Recently retired from the information technology sector in the federal government, Ida created Seaweed Publishing to complement her substantial, award-winning, and best-selling writing portfolio.
Ida’s first published works, a memoir, debuted to a record-breaking crowd in 2014. She has since published across multiple genres with historical Newfoundland fiction, non-fiction, speculative fiction, crime, and children’s books.
Influenced by her love of local history and the familial art of storytelling passed down by her father, Edward Linehan, and her maternal grandfather, Frank Power, she began writing stories that told of her people and her roots. She researches the past of her beloved birthplace and writes to showcase the richness and storied past of her province.
Recently retired from the information technology sector in the federal government, Ida created Seaweed Publishing to complement her substantial, award-winning, and best-selling writing portfolio.
Ida’s first published works, a memoir, debuted to a record-breaking crowd in 2014. She has since published across multiple genres with historical Newfoundland fiction, non-fiction, speculative fiction, crime, and children’s books.
Influenced by her love of local history and the familial art of storytelling passed down by her father, Edward Linehan, and her maternal grandfather, Frank Power, she began writing stories that told of her people and her roots. She researches the past of her beloved birthplace and writes to showcase the richness and storied past of her province.
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
June 20, 2024
“I’m not handy,” says Jimmy Bailor.
You can say that again.
Sure, at sixteen he doesn’t even know how to milk a goat.
Can you imagine?
(A present tense aside: I suppose there are sixteen-year-olds among us who don’t know milking goats is a thing, eh b’ys?)
Before you banish me with rocks for belittling today’s youths, hear this: I rank myself among those inept oafs who are downright unhandy.
At twenty-five, when I returned from a foreign province to visit my bay-boy home, my grandmother had to teach me how to milk her bossy-cow.
After ages squeezing and tugging, I managed to make milk … well, trickle. But b’ys, I confess it was disconcerting to have my cheek pressed against Bossy’s warm belly while manipulating her udder’s dangling bits.
Frig sake, I’m babbling.
Jimmy Bailor, the protagonist of Ida Linehan Young’s latest novel A Secret Close to Home [Flanker Press] is unhandy, and it’s his mother’s fault. Her indulgent love has made him a sooky baby.
Jimmy has an excuse for being incompetent. I don’t. I’m inherently as stunned as a stump. So stunned, in fact, that when I was a bungling bay-boy my father often chided me thusly — “Harry, you stunned young … (insert vulgar nomenclature of an anatomical part).”
Still, my father wouldn’t’ve done to me what Jimmy’s father does to him. To force his son to toughen up, to be man, so to speak, William Bailor maroons Jimmy on a perilous stretch of Newfoundland’s coastline.
(Without question, that’s an experience worse than being hove off the wharf for a swimming lesson.)
Before he starves to death, however, Jimmy rambles bush and beach until he reaches Juniper Tickle. In this small outport Jimmy comes in tack with Flory White. She saves his life.
Jimmy spends the winter with Flory and her sister-in-law Lizzy who are alone in the tickle because …
… well, because The Constable has arrested Flory’s father and two brothers and hauled them off to St. John’s to be charged with …
Ah, things get complicated. Either the Courts charge the Whites with murder for slaughtering the crew of the Annie May, a schooner that has driven ashore out on the point, or larceny for stealing an axe. Something. My numbskull noggin is easily confuffled.
B’ys, this novel is about people accepting others for who they are, despite their secrets. It’s about people coming to grips with their own personalities, their shortcomings notwithstanding.
Flory puts the philosophy nicely to Jimmy: “I am the way I am, just like you are the way you are.”
Ida, if you can find it in your heart, forgive me for this next bit.
I couldn’t help it. An old seadog’s voice chanted in my cranium. “I yam what I yam and dat’s what I yam,” — Popeye, the Sailor Man.
I’m sorry.
As always, Linahan Young has spun a yarn that explores intricate relationships fueled by universal human idiosyncrasies and foibles. And her story entertains readers. That’s the main thing, eh b’ys?
I’m hoping the preceding paragraph sounds scholarly, makes me seem half brainy and insightful.
I conclude with a teaser. Aside from a marauding polar bear, there are important "inanimate" objects in the book to keep an eye on.
A couple of axes, for example.
And a bejeweled necklace named the Topsail Star.
Oh, and two or three tins of peaches.
That’s it. Thank you for reading.
You can say that again.
Sure, at sixteen he doesn’t even know how to milk a goat.
Can you imagine?
(A present tense aside: I suppose there are sixteen-year-olds among us who don’t know milking goats is a thing, eh b’ys?)
Before you banish me with rocks for belittling today’s youths, hear this: I rank myself among those inept oafs who are downright unhandy.
At twenty-five, when I returned from a foreign province to visit my bay-boy home, my grandmother had to teach me how to milk her bossy-cow.
After ages squeezing and tugging, I managed to make milk … well, trickle. But b’ys, I confess it was disconcerting to have my cheek pressed against Bossy’s warm belly while manipulating her udder’s dangling bits.
Frig sake, I’m babbling.
Jimmy Bailor, the protagonist of Ida Linehan Young’s latest novel A Secret Close to Home [Flanker Press] is unhandy, and it’s his mother’s fault. Her indulgent love has made him a sooky baby.
Jimmy has an excuse for being incompetent. I don’t. I’m inherently as stunned as a stump. So stunned, in fact, that when I was a bungling bay-boy my father often chided me thusly — “Harry, you stunned young … (insert vulgar nomenclature of an anatomical part).”
Still, my father wouldn’t’ve done to me what Jimmy’s father does to him. To force his son to toughen up, to be man, so to speak, William Bailor maroons Jimmy on a perilous stretch of Newfoundland’s coastline.
(Without question, that’s an experience worse than being hove off the wharf for a swimming lesson.)
Before he starves to death, however, Jimmy rambles bush and beach until he reaches Juniper Tickle. In this small outport Jimmy comes in tack with Flory White. She saves his life.
Jimmy spends the winter with Flory and her sister-in-law Lizzy who are alone in the tickle because …
… well, because The Constable has arrested Flory’s father and two brothers and hauled them off to St. John’s to be charged with …
Ah, things get complicated. Either the Courts charge the Whites with murder for slaughtering the crew of the Annie May, a schooner that has driven ashore out on the point, or larceny for stealing an axe. Something. My numbskull noggin is easily confuffled.
B’ys, this novel is about people accepting others for who they are, despite their secrets. It’s about people coming to grips with their own personalities, their shortcomings notwithstanding.
Flory puts the philosophy nicely to Jimmy: “I am the way I am, just like you are the way you are.”
Ida, if you can find it in your heart, forgive me for this next bit.
I couldn’t help it. An old seadog’s voice chanted in my cranium. “I yam what I yam and dat’s what I yam,” — Popeye, the Sailor Man.
I’m sorry.
As always, Linahan Young has spun a yarn that explores intricate relationships fueled by universal human idiosyncrasies and foibles. And her story entertains readers. That’s the main thing, eh b’ys?
I’m hoping the preceding paragraph sounds scholarly, makes me seem half brainy and insightful.
I conclude with a teaser. Aside from a marauding polar bear, there are important "inanimate" objects in the book to keep an eye on.
A couple of axes, for example.
And a bejeweled necklace named the Topsail Star.
Oh, and two or three tins of peaches.
That’s it. Thank you for reading.
August 8, 2024
I absolutely devoured this book, finishing it in one sitting at around 24, 000 feet in the air! Yes, “A Secret Close to Home” by Ida Linehan Young was the book I chose to take with me on vacation this year, but it was so engrossing that I finished it long before I had even reached my destination. How dare you write such a page-turner!
As with many of the other books in Linehan’s extensive library (all of which have a prominent place on my bookshelf), there is always the central theme of family. I really enjoyed how there was a bit of a twist on this theme in “A Secret Close to Home.” The reader is quick to realize that family may not always have the best of intentions and, sometimes, may even hold us back from becoming who we are truly meant to be, from fulling our destiny.
This book gives us a glimpse into the harsh landscape of long ago, and the trials and tribulations that many had to endure to survive. There is action, adventure, intrigue and so, so much heart. With a cast of imaginative, charismatic characters; characters that you will fall in love with time and again as you read through the pages and, of course, the unforgettable setting of Newfoundland: this is historical fiction at its very finest – something that Linehan Young does spectacularly.
There is really only one other thing I can say … when should we expect the next one?!
As with many of the other books in Linehan’s extensive library (all of which have a prominent place on my bookshelf), there is always the central theme of family. I really enjoyed how there was a bit of a twist on this theme in “A Secret Close to Home.” The reader is quick to realize that family may not always have the best of intentions and, sometimes, may even hold us back from becoming who we are truly meant to be, from fulling our destiny.
This book gives us a glimpse into the harsh landscape of long ago, and the trials and tribulations that many had to endure to survive. There is action, adventure, intrigue and so, so much heart. With a cast of imaginative, charismatic characters; characters that you will fall in love with time and again as you read through the pages and, of course, the unforgettable setting of Newfoundland: this is historical fiction at its very finest – something that Linehan Young does spectacularly.
There is really only one other thing I can say … when should we expect the next one?!
December 28, 2024
Just finished this riveting book.
The characters came alive beautifully and made you want to search them out and help in any way you can. How Ida weaves them into Newfoundland history and toggles from the past to the present makes this book a treasure read and own.
Newfoundland has had such a harsh history but has always had strong willed people that stuck to the unforgiving land and cherished it despite the hardships. It was such a breath of fresh air to witness the those teenagers survive despite a multitude of challenges.
I would recommend this book to anyone who has teens, are teens or have been teens. It will cause you to reflect on your life today and to those that paved the way for us to enjoy an easier life.
The characters came alive beautifully and made you want to search them out and help in any way you can. How Ida weaves them into Newfoundland history and toggles from the past to the present makes this book a treasure read and own.
Newfoundland has had such a harsh history but has always had strong willed people that stuck to the unforgiving land and cherished it despite the hardships. It was such a breath of fresh air to witness the those teenagers survive despite a multitude of challenges.
I would recommend this book to anyone who has teens, are teens or have been teens. It will cause you to reflect on your life today and to those that paved the way for us to enjoy an easier life.
July 2, 2025
I truly enjoy reading any material that pertains to Newfoundland and its outports. I especially love it when the story is based on true events that have occurred. The title says the story is based on true events but nowhere in the book is it stated what events, so I’m curious
This book tells a tale of hardships brought on chiefly by the main character, Jimmy Bailor - whether it be his fault or not. I loved the interactions between the characters and the storyline. Great job!
This book tells a tale of hardships brought on chiefly by the main character, Jimmy Bailor - whether it be his fault or not. I loved the interactions between the characters and the storyline. Great job!
December 25, 2024
Picked up this book this morning, set it down this evening. I couldn't put it down, enveloped into the lives of Jimmy, Flora, Lizzy & more. When I thought I figured out who was who another turn came on the next page.
May 3, 2025
What a wonderful amazing book 📖
I truly did enjoy this from the cover to the end
Flankerpress is a amazing publisher
I will always read whatever the publish
This old time Newfoundland story is one worth reading what a story about survival and family
Really enjoyed it would recommend to anyone
Read while at work on Tanker Damia Desgagnes ⚓️
I truly did enjoy this from the cover to the end
Flankerpress is a amazing publisher
I will always read whatever the publish
This old time Newfoundland story is one worth reading what a story about survival and family
Really enjoyed it would recommend to anyone
Read while at work on Tanker Damia Desgagnes ⚓️
July 3, 2024
This book is full of secrets. What happened to the crew? Why was Jimmy father so mean? What is Lizzy hiding? And so many more that I don’t want to spoil. It kept you reading to find out. I loved how everything got answered by taking us from the past to present day.
July 10, 2024
I loved everything about this book! Ida’s descriptive writing style had me visualizing each and every scene. Once started, I couldn’t put it down. Secrets. Secrets. Secrets.
August 11, 2024
This book had me hooked from the start. I found myself rooting for Jimmy and loved how Ida developed his character. There’s enough here to keep the reader wanting more. Another great read from Ida Linehan Young.
September 11, 2024
Another awesome book by Ida. Read this one in less than 2 days. Characters captivated me from the start! Love that her books include historical facts.
Keep writing Ida! 📚📚📚
Keep writing Ida! 📚📚📚
January 12, 2025
"A Secret Close to Home" was the second book I read from Ida's books.
First, a memoir writing seminar with Ida has brought me to Ida's memoir (No Turning Back). I appreciated her honesty and authenticity in taking us with her on her difficult journey every step of the way. I wish I can to justice to my own memoir writing following in Ida's footsteps.
Second, after reading this, there was "no turning back" and I read "A Secret Close to Home". I very much enjoyed that historical fiction taking me through various twists and turns along the Newfoundland coastline. That settled it: I signed up for a writers retreat this summer and very much look forward to her guidance and challenges...and many more of her books to read and of my chapters to write before visiting her at her coastal cottage :-).
First, a memoir writing seminar with Ida has brought me to Ida's memoir (No Turning Back). I appreciated her honesty and authenticity in taking us with her on her difficult journey every step of the way. I wish I can to justice to my own memoir writing following in Ida's footsteps.
Second, after reading this, there was "no turning back" and I read "A Secret Close to Home". I very much enjoyed that historical fiction taking me through various twists and turns along the Newfoundland coastline. That settled it: I signed up for a writers retreat this summer and very much look forward to her guidance and challenges...and many more of her books to read and of my chapters to write before visiting her at her coastal cottage :-).
June 11, 2024
Well Ida my dear you did it again! This story was about the hardworking people of Newfoundland and it was much like our ancestors kind of life. As I was reading this amazing story I just couldn’t wait to see what was on the next page. I would read a chapter and then I had to read another chapter and I would say to myself that it’s late and time for sleep but I couldn’t stop reading and wanted to get to the end. Looking forward to reading your next book! ❤️
May 19, 2024
Ida Linehan Young returns to spinning a good historical fiction story, "inspired by true events." If you enjoyed her Mary Ro series, you'll love this story, I'm sure.
January 15, 2025
Ok. I just finished reading it.
Now where do I begin?
First of all. I swore. And, yes I "swore"!
I would NOT like Jimmy Bailor. Nope! Not going to happen!
And, what does Ida Linehan Young do?
With her "magic tricks" as a skilled author of using the "written word", she weaves the story around Juniper Tickle and a few other places, and what happens?
I like Jimmy. Ok, more than like. But I digress..!!
Secondly. I could not put "da friggin" book down. Like seriously!!
Turning the pages but not wanting to turn the pages. Wanting to read the next chapter and not wanting to get to end. Meeting Jimmy, Flory, Lizzy and Robert and reading about their journey and not wanting to know what was gonna happen next. Not knowing if "da lump in me mouth" was going to go away cause...
Spoiler alert.. ya gotta read da book folks!!!!!!
"Tanks a lot" Ida Linehan Young for "dragging me into this awesome story - hook, line n sinker".
Yes! A bit of sarcasm. Cause I was not gonna like Jimmy. I wasn't. But...
Ida Linehan Young, also lots of gratitude for another piece of amazing historical fiction about our people aka Newfoundlanders, our beautiful geography, our history n our culture from " times gone by". THANK YOU!
But, did ya have to make me like Jimmy? Not fair!
PS...Folks, his "mudder" is not innocent either!
Now where do I begin?
First of all. I swore. And, yes I "swore"!
I would NOT like Jimmy Bailor. Nope! Not going to happen!
And, what does Ida Linehan Young do?
With her "magic tricks" as a skilled author of using the "written word", she weaves the story around Juniper Tickle and a few other places, and what happens?
I like Jimmy. Ok, more than like. But I digress..!!
Secondly. I could not put "da friggin" book down. Like seriously!!
Turning the pages but not wanting to turn the pages. Wanting to read the next chapter and not wanting to get to end. Meeting Jimmy, Flory, Lizzy and Robert and reading about their journey and not wanting to know what was gonna happen next. Not knowing if "da lump in me mouth" was going to go away cause...
Spoiler alert.. ya gotta read da book folks!!!!!!
"Tanks a lot" Ida Linehan Young for "dragging me into this awesome story - hook, line n sinker".
Yes! A bit of sarcasm. Cause I was not gonna like Jimmy. I wasn't. But...
Ida Linehan Young, also lots of gratitude for another piece of amazing historical fiction about our people aka Newfoundlanders, our beautiful geography, our history n our culture from " times gone by". THANK YOU!
But, did ya have to make me like Jimmy? Not fair!
PS...Folks, his "mudder" is not innocent either!
January 3, 2026
A Secret Close to Home is an atmospheric and emotionally grounded historical novel set in the harsh isolation of outport Newfoundland in 1906. Ida Linehan Young vividly captures both the physical struggle of survival and the quieter tensions of guilt, loyalty, and hidden truths.
Jimmy Bailor’s arrival in Juniper Tickle disrupts an already fragile household, and his gradual reckoning with his identity and his father’s legacy is handled with nuance. Flory White stands out as a strong, believable character whose resilience anchors the story. With a steady pace, evocative setting, and a well-balanced mix of mystery and moral conflict, this is a compelling read for fans of character-driven historical fiction.
Jimmy Bailor’s arrival in Juniper Tickle disrupts an already fragile household, and his gradual reckoning with his identity and his father’s legacy is handled with nuance. Flory White stands out as a strong, believable character whose resilience anchors the story. With a steady pace, evocative setting, and a well-balanced mix of mystery and moral conflict, this is a compelling read for fans of character-driven historical fiction.
March 15, 2024
I really enjoyed creating Jimmy and Flory. Plus Lizzy and Jimmy's mother were fun to add to the plot. Juniper Tickle could be any outport in Newfoundland in the early 1900s. Cut off from everyone, people did what they had to to survive off the land and the sea. When the women are left to winter alone there, it will take strong and hearty characters to survive. Can they rise to the challenge and will a stranded young man add to their survival or drain their resources? I hope you enjoy the read as much as I did getting their story ready for you.
May 12, 2024
Another fantastic read. Great story line, wonderful and unpredictable plot. I particularly liked the ending. The characters were well developed. I felt a kinship with Jimmy and was rooting for him throughout the story. There were some funny points as well as serious pieces. Cant wait for the next offering from this author.
October 31, 2024
3.5 star
I picked up this book on holiday this past summer and was excited to read a novel about Newfoundland written by a Newfoundlander. I enjoyed much of the book and found the characters realistic but the mystery and solution lost me a little. However, I will definitely read more by this author.
I picked up this book on holiday this past summer and was excited to read a novel about Newfoundland written by a Newfoundlander. I enjoyed much of the book and found the characters realistic but the mystery and solution lost me a little. However, I will definitely read more by this author.
July 21, 2024
An intriguing story set in rural Newfoundland and Labrador at the turn of the century. Easy flowing and interesting characters kept me guessing what was to come. Another great offering by Ida Linehan Young
December 17, 2024
A Newfoundland story well told, with the plot points well resolved at the end. It felt like it might stray into being a young romance story, but it didn't. I liked Young's writing style. If you like stories of the recent past and survival, you'll like this book.
January 4, 2025
A real page turner! I could truly feel what it must have been like to live in Juniper Tickle. Ida captures the weather, the chores, the atmosphere and the people so perfectly, I felt like I was right there alongside Flory and Lizzy and Jimmy.
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews