The Shape of Night by Tess Gerritsen was not what I was expecting from the blurb. I was hoping for a modern take on The Ghost and Mrs. Muir (a suspenseful mystery with some paranormal elements). It has some of that, but then it takes a trip into the dark side. There are intimate scenes that resemble a dark Fifty Shades of Grey. It certainly was not what I was suspecting nor was it something I wished to read. I found myself skimming through the last sixty percent of the book. I could not get into The Shape of Night. I did not like Ava who overly indulges in alcohol because of guilt which makes her an unreliable narrator. I thought the pacing was slow and the descriptions were wordy. There was repetition and predictability as well. I was expecting more from Tess Gerritsen who gave us Jane Rizzoli and Maura Isles (I still miss the television show). While The Shape of Night was not for me, I suggest you obtain a sample to see if it suits you. That is the beauty of books. There are so many novels available that there is something for every type of reader. The Shape of Night just did not come together as a gothic paranormal mystery.

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Feeling guilt concerning a death in her past, Ava Collette leaves Boston and rents a home overlooking the ocean in Maine. Planning on trying out various recipes for a cookbook she is writing, Ava gets sidetracked when she hears stories about Brodie's Watch, the house she is currently renting. The house was built over 150 years ago by Captain Jeremiah Brodie. Captain Brodie died when his ship went down in a storm. People have said for years that his ghost haunts his house. The stories became more intense when a teenager was killed in an accidental fall in the house. When Ava learns that the last tenant broke her lease and moved out a few months early, she wants to talk to her. And when Ava sees a man standing on the widows walk of the house, she begins to think the stories of a ghost may be true.

Horror is a genre that I usually don't read. I thought I'd give this book a chance since I like most of Tess Gerritsen's books. It didn't take long to discover that this is a totally different style of writing for the author. The writing was very atmospheric. It had the feel of a gothic novel. It didn't really feel like a horror novel until halfway through the book when information about the various women who lived in the house came to light.

I have mixed feelings about this book. I thought the heroine was annoying. Her actions and her drinking brought a lot of problems on herself. I did like the feel of the book and the mystery that cropped up in the middle of the book. My rating: 3.5 Stars.

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