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For(e) Closure
When Carly is tasked with selling a house a woman was recently murdered in she does not shy away from the challenge. This grit, among other things, makes her Santa Rosa’s top Realtor four years running. But Carly quickly discovers there are more problems than leaky pipes and bad press with the property she linked herself to, the greatest of which being that the lady of the house remains.
The haunting of Carly begins the moment she enters the house as the door closes itself behind her, shutting her in. This is lost on Carly because she is already too engrossed in her mental checklist of updates to be done to the house. As Carly keeps herself busy, busy, busy, having light fixtures and tiles replaced, she doesn’t even notice she’s being gradually possessed. She does not think much of her sudden out of character cravings and interests. Like her urge to plant a garden despite her distaste for dirt and the outdoors. Or her desire to plunge into a pool she’d only ever sunbathed beside for decades, with a fresh blowout no less. Inclinations Alison, the woman haunting her, is impressing upon her as she moves deeper and deeper into her psyche. Who knew being a Realtor could be so dangerous?!
Unbeknownst to Carly or Alison the strings of fate have pulled them together for a reason, each of them in need of their own kind of closure. Alison, trapped between worlds, seeking redemption and Carly caught in an endless cycle of abuse from her neglectful stray cat of a mother who breezes in and out of her life like a hurricane wind. These two women are drawn to one another for they each hold something the other Carly with her ties to this world, and Alison with her ties to the next. If only they can find a way to meet in the middle without destroying one another in the process, they may just be able to set each other free.
The haunting of Carly begins the moment she enters the house as the door closes itself behind her, shutting her in. This is lost on Carly because she is already too engrossed in her mental checklist of updates to be done to the house. As Carly keeps herself busy, busy, busy, having light fixtures and tiles replaced, she doesn’t even notice she’s being gradually possessed. She does not think much of her sudden out of character cravings and interests. Like her urge to plant a garden despite her distaste for dirt and the outdoors. Or her desire to plunge into a pool she’d only ever sunbathed beside for decades, with a fresh blowout no less. Inclinations Alison, the woman haunting her, is impressing upon her as she moves deeper and deeper into her psyche. Who knew being a Realtor could be so dangerous?!
Unbeknownst to Carly or Alison the strings of fate have pulled them together for a reason, each of them in need of their own kind of closure. Alison, trapped between worlds, seeking redemption and Carly caught in an endless cycle of abuse from her neglectful stray cat of a mother who breezes in and out of her life like a hurricane wind. These two women are drawn to one another for they each hold something the other Carly with her ties to this world, and Alison with her ties to the next. If only they can find a way to meet in the middle without destroying one another in the process, they may just be able to set each other free.
376 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 11, 2025
About the author
Jude Nichols
6 books36 followersJude Nichols is a writer and mother, who has worked in non-profits such as WGBH and The Boston Adult Literacy Fund. She lives in Connecticut with her husband, two young sons, and Labrador Retriever, Bagel. Jude is a fan of and writer of dark(ish) domestic suspense. Jude truly appreciates each and every reader who takes a little break from their world to join one of her twisty, topsy-turvy fictional worlds.
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Books Available on Kindle Unlimited, Amazon, and Barnes and Noble
Audiobooks Available on Audible, Amazon, and iTunes
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
April 20, 2026
✩ ✩ ✩ ✩ ✩
“Mama needs her paychecks; those TJ Maxx credit cards weren’t going to pay themselves off.”
“Relationships, good ones anyway, can shift and stretch into what is needed. And unless two people are very, very lucky, life will ask this of them. To change. To adapt. To bend. Resilience is not given, it is earned.”
•─────⊰⋅☽⊱✦⊰☽⋅⊰─────•
And then there was two..
At its core, the story follows Carly, a realtor trying to sell a house steeped in a terrible past. But then things begin to unravel—strange, unsettling things happening to her, her coworkers, everyone around her until it becomes clear that whatever is haunting that house… is reaching for her too.
•─────⊰⋅☽⊱✦⊰☽⋅⊰─────•
Carly the FMC—resilient, hard-working, and the kind of woman who would burn the world down for the people she loves.
Alison, the other FMC, mirrors Carly in this eerie, almost haunting way. She’s younger, more naive, but just as fiercely protective of those she holds close.
Angie quietly stole the show for me. Every time she appeared, I knew I was about to laugh. She slipped into the story like a spark, lighting up every scene she touched.
Tess was my favorite. As a tarot reader myself, I felt deeply connected to her—her ability to see beyond the veil when others can’t, or won’t. There’s something so real in that experience, in not being believed until someone finally sits down and sees it for themselves.
And Brandon, Carly’s husband, I loved him. Every time he showed up, it felt like a warm, steady hug. Comforting, grounding, and just what the story needed in those moments.
Lillian… hmm. How do I say this kindly? Screw Lillian. The author did such a brilliant job with her. You feel exactly what you’re meant to feel. Just when I thought she might redeem herself, she’d snap right back to that same selfish, infuriating place. Over and over again.
•─────⊰⋅☽⊱✦⊰☽⋅⊰─────•
I loved the alternating timelines between Carly and Alison. The way their lives seem to mirror each other, almost like they’re unfolding at the same moment, just in different shadows. It gave the story this haunting rhythm that pulled me in deeper with every chapter. I loved how her coworkers became her family. How tightly woven that inner circle was. It felt real. It felt earned.
But beneath the comedy, the thriller, the suspense, there’s something deeper. This story is about motherhood. About family. About our children and the invisible threads that bind us together. It’s about going to the fucking ends of the earth for your people—because blood doesn’t define family, love does.
There were so many moments I laughed out loud, and by the end, I was in tears. Jude’s writing is hilarious, sharp, and deeply kind. The story never once felt slow or disconnected. I devoured it.
Beautiful. Fun. Hilarious. Scary at times. And that ending… whew, it wrecked me. Endings are the hardest thing to get right, and the writer nailed it.
•─────⊰⋅☽⊱✦⊰☽⋅⊰─────•
“Mama needs her paychecks; those TJ Maxx credit cards weren’t going to pay themselves off.”
“Relationships, good ones anyway, can shift and stretch into what is needed. And unless two people are very, very lucky, life will ask this of them. To change. To adapt. To bend. Resilience is not given, it is earned.”
•─────⊰⋅☽⊱✦⊰☽⋅⊰─────•
And then there was two..
At its core, the story follows Carly, a realtor trying to sell a house steeped in a terrible past. But then things begin to unravel—strange, unsettling things happening to her, her coworkers, everyone around her until it becomes clear that whatever is haunting that house… is reaching for her too.
•─────⊰⋅☽⊱✦⊰☽⋅⊰─────•
Carly the FMC—resilient, hard-working, and the kind of woman who would burn the world down for the people she loves.
Alison, the other FMC, mirrors Carly in this eerie, almost haunting way. She’s younger, more naive, but just as fiercely protective of those she holds close.
Angie quietly stole the show for me. Every time she appeared, I knew I was about to laugh. She slipped into the story like a spark, lighting up every scene she touched.
Tess was my favorite. As a tarot reader myself, I felt deeply connected to her—her ability to see beyond the veil when others can’t, or won’t. There’s something so real in that experience, in not being believed until someone finally sits down and sees it for themselves.
And Brandon, Carly’s husband, I loved him. Every time he showed up, it felt like a warm, steady hug. Comforting, grounding, and just what the story needed in those moments.
Lillian… hmm. How do I say this kindly? Screw Lillian. The author did such a brilliant job with her. You feel exactly what you’re meant to feel. Just when I thought she might redeem herself, she’d snap right back to that same selfish, infuriating place. Over and over again.
•─────⊰⋅☽⊱✦⊰☽⋅⊰─────•
I loved the alternating timelines between Carly and Alison. The way their lives seem to mirror each other, almost like they’re unfolding at the same moment, just in different shadows. It gave the story this haunting rhythm that pulled me in deeper with every chapter. I loved how her coworkers became her family. How tightly woven that inner circle was. It felt real. It felt earned.
But beneath the comedy, the thriller, the suspense, there’s something deeper. This story is about motherhood. About family. About our children and the invisible threads that bind us together. It’s about going to the fucking ends of the earth for your people—because blood doesn’t define family, love does.
There were so many moments I laughed out loud, and by the end, I was in tears. Jude’s writing is hilarious, sharp, and deeply kind. The story never once felt slow or disconnected. I devoured it.
Beautiful. Fun. Hilarious. Scary at times. And that ending… whew, it wrecked me. Endings are the hardest thing to get right, and the writer nailed it.
•─────⊰⋅☽⊱✦⊰☽⋅⊰─────•
May 1, 2026
"It is so much harder for someone to swat at you when they’re kept at arm’s length; a lesson Carly learned early and too well."
"Spouses do things for each other, like allow harmless delusions to carry on."
"The baby smiled, as if he alone somehow knew this whole operation was not above board."
For(e) Closure by Jude Nichols was a thoroughly enjoyable read that blends mystery, horror, and drama with impressive balance. The premise hooks you immediately: a realtor begins fixing up a house to sell where a woman recently died, but the house proves to be an insurmountable obstacle in her and her friends’ lives. Just because the woman died does not mean she’s gone.
What really elevates this story is the thematic thread of parenting, particularly motherhood. Nichols doesn’t put motherhood on a pedestal. Instead, she examines it through an imperfect, deeply human lens across multiple characters. It adds emotional weight to the tension and gives the story a grounded, relatable core beneath the supernatural elements.
The characters and humor are what stuck with me most. Angie, the older woman who works for Carly (the FMC), was an absolute riot, bringing energy to every scene she’s in. Brandon, Carly’s husband, felt incredibly real to me as well, a steady presence balancing out his wife’s fire.
There were so many moments that genuinely made me laugh out loud, which is no small feat in a story that also leans into darker territory. Nichols has such a distinct voice, and it made every page a pleasure to turn.
A sharp, funny, and haunting read that lingers in all the right ways.
"Spouses do things for each other, like allow harmless delusions to carry on."
"The baby smiled, as if he alone somehow knew this whole operation was not above board."
For(e) Closure by Jude Nichols was a thoroughly enjoyable read that blends mystery, horror, and drama with impressive balance. The premise hooks you immediately: a realtor begins fixing up a house to sell where a woman recently died, but the house proves to be an insurmountable obstacle in her and her friends’ lives. Just because the woman died does not mean she’s gone.
What really elevates this story is the thematic thread of parenting, particularly motherhood. Nichols doesn’t put motherhood on a pedestal. Instead, she examines it through an imperfect, deeply human lens across multiple characters. It adds emotional weight to the tension and gives the story a grounded, relatable core beneath the supernatural elements.
The characters and humor are what stuck with me most. Angie, the older woman who works for Carly (the FMC), was an absolute riot, bringing energy to every scene she’s in. Brandon, Carly’s husband, felt incredibly real to me as well, a steady presence balancing out his wife’s fire.
There were so many moments that genuinely made me laugh out loud, which is no small feat in a story that also leans into darker territory. Nichols has such a distinct voice, and it made every page a pleasure to turn.
A sharp, funny, and haunting read that lingers in all the right ways.
February 1, 2026
Love it! The style of writing is Liane Moriarity meets Stephen King!
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews