This was a fun ghost story from Webb that kept me interested and turning the pages. It's told from the point of view of Julia, who is at wit's end after her husband kills himself and is found to be a con man ala Bernie Madoff and has cheated most of their friends out of their life savings. Then a stranger named Adrian Sinclair appears at her door and offers her a new life taking care of his mother, Amaris, who is also a famous author who Julia thought dead. But instead she has merely vanished from fame and Adrian promises he can do the same for Julia. Since all of her friends have abandoned her and may be coming after her with lawsuits, Julia agrees to go with Adrian to Havenwood, the Sinclair's magnificent estate in the wilderness near Lake Superior. The estate was built by a rich fur trader named Andrew McCullough centuries earlier and contains many secrets that haunt its vast halls. As soon as Julia arrives, she starts to hear whisperings and sees visions of spirits that seem to come out of some of the paintings on the walls. So is Julia hallucinating or are spirits haunting the estate? She is off her depression medication and hallucinations may be a result. But why has she really been brought to Havenwood? And how is Seraphina, a psychic who conducted a very dangerous seance years before, a big part of the mystery? As the novel progresses, there are many twists to the story and all is definitely not what it seems.
I enjoyed this one quite a lot. A good novel to read in the fall close to Halloween. I have read one other book by Webb, THE TALE OF HALCYON CRANE, which I thought was also a good ghost story. I have a few of her other books on my TBR stacks that I'll be reading sometime soon.
I enjoyed this one quite a lot. A good novel to read in the fall close to Halloween. I have read one other book by Webb, THE TALE OF HALCYON CRANE, which I thought was also a good ghost story. I have a few of her other books on my TBR stacks that I'll be reading sometime soon.
Reading this was a case of exactly the right book at exactly the right time. What I wanted: something slightly spooky, gothic atmosphere, mysterious twists, and a full housekeeping staff, all in a not-so-taxing work of fiction. I got everything I wanted, absorbed in the novel's darkened ambiance, sitting in front of window, watching colorful Autumn leaves ripped from the trees by the wind. Yes, yes, yes - this is what a Halloween read should be.
The writing borders on horrible and palatable. It reminded me of the romances published by Avalon in the late 80's with two-dimensional characters but entertaining little plots. Some of the phrasing even sounded familiar. I suspect Webb used to read them, too.
I think maybe the author tried to fit too much story into this; I felt like too many ends were tied up (if that makes any sense). And then that very last part - well, I wasn't expecting that and it had a much eerier feel than the rest of the novel. I enjoyed that twist.
The only part that I had trouble with was that the main character was being fed delicious, exquisite meals and luxuriating in front of picture windows, all while being waited on hand and foot. Yet she still felt tense? Tension melted away from her in steamy baths and soft beds several times a day. I really couldn't identify with her because that is far from the reality I know. If she wants to feel some real tension, I invite her to raise my kids for a day. I'll take the hot bath and the nap.
The writing borders on horrible and palatable. It reminded me of the romances published by Avalon in the late 80's with two-dimensional characters but entertaining little plots. Some of the phrasing even sounded familiar. I suspect Webb used to read them, too.
I think maybe the author tried to fit too much story into this; I felt like too many ends were tied up (if that makes any sense). And then that very last part - well, I wasn't expecting that and it had a much eerier feel than the rest of the novel. I enjoyed that twist.
The only part that I had trouble with was that the main character was being fed delicious, exquisite meals and luxuriating in front of picture windows, all while being waited on hand and foot. Yet she still felt tense? Tension melted away from her in steamy baths and soft beds several times a day. I really couldn't identify with her because that is far from the reality I know. If she wants to feel some real tension, I invite her to raise my kids for a day. I'll take the hot bath and the nap.
An okay book but not a solid hit. Too long and rambling in parts which led me to skim a lot of it. I'm still looking for a ghost story in the league of Macardle's "The Uninvited," McDowell's "The Elementals," or Jackson's "The haunting of Hill House."
