We would do anything for the people we love. For Opal, the protagonist of Starling House, that “anything” includes taking a sketchy job from the local recluse to support her and her brother. According to local gossip, Arthur Starling is creepy, antisocial, and may even be a murderer. Opal discovers, however, that like Starling House itself, Arthur is not what town gossip would have her believe. As she unravels the mystery of Arthur, Opal also unravels the mystery of Starling House’s first inhabitant; E. Starling, a children’s author who mysteriously disappeared after she published her only book. Along the way, Opal discovers secrets about herself that tie her, for better or worse, to Starling House.