My Darling Girl by Jennifer McMahon

Hello everyone. I hope you are well.

Well, it is October.  I'm sure you needed reminding of the date so there is it, you're welcome.  For me, October is a time when I breathe a slight sigh of relief that there aren't as many hurricanes coming up the coast. I now start dreading something new, turning on the heat and its associated cost. Fall also makes me terribly homesick.  I come from a place where the most excellent apples are grown, cider mills dot the landscape, and pumpkin farms host all kinds of fun activities.  Living near the coast where shrimp are plentiful, but locals have never met, let alone tasted, a decent apple. I miss fall in the north. I suppose for many of you, the crisp air dipping down into the country makes you think of chili, football, and trick or treating.  Some of you participate in the great American debate, is candy corn good or the fall equivalent of melted crayons?  I don't want to discuss politics here but for today I will make an exception.  Candy corn is delicious and for you that don't agree, well, I just shake my head and picture you standing in the corner coveting your Twix.  Feel free, I'll take the corn.  One thing many book lovers have in common is seasonal reading.  You want a great beach book on vacation, a cute little Hallmark Channel-ish Christmas novel, and a spooky read in October.  I think I can help.

I recently read My Darling Girl by Jennifer McMahon. I have read and reviewed several books by Ms. McMahon, one of my favorites is the The Drowning Kind.  I was anxious to "dive" into her latest.  This is the story of Alison, who lives in a Vermont farmhouse with her family.  They are getting ready to celebrate Christmas, she isn't a fan of the holiday but puts up with her husband's love of it.  Out of the blue, Alison receives a call that her mother is very sick and dying.  Reluctantly, she goes to see her mom in the hospital.  Their relationship is not good.  Alison's mom, Mavis, who is now a famous artist, was an abusive mother.  When Mavis asks to come live the last few weeks of her life with her daughter and family, Alison wrestles with the decision.  Finally, she agrees, hoping they can improve their mother/daughter dynamic. As their time together begins it becomes very apparent something is wrong, Mavis is not who she says.  In fact, Alison is sure that her ill mother is a threat to her own family and has to figure out what is truly going on and how to protect those she loves.

My Darling Girl is the perfect October read.  Despite being set at Christmas, this book will give you the major creeps.  The story is fast moving, interesting, and will leave you feeling uneasy.  What else can I say?  It's fall, this is a fun, spooky read by an established author who doesn't disappoint.  Turn on all your lights, grab this book and some candy corn and make a weekend of it.

For those "crayon criticizers," how do you feel about black jellybeans?

Never Lie by Freida McFadden

Hello everyone.  I hope your day is going well.

Hubby and I are old house addicts.  Not just ours but other peoples'.  We have talked our way into gobs of various old houses, some personal residences, some historic sites.  I can't help it; I'm curious and poor hubby gets pulled along to insure I don't end up in jail (which one of my sisters insists is coming any day now). One of the houses looked like ghosts would be frightened haunting it, in fact, it had been used in a haunted house movie.  Finally, someone purchased it to restore and we were right there, getting the full tour.  It was amazing inside, great raised paneling under each window.  There were a few, not open to the public, houses in Colonial Williamsburg..."gosh I'm so sorry, isn't this part of the tour?"  Then there were closed off rooms in Carter's Grove, various other James River plantations, all our neighbors' houses and then some.  Old houses are fun and always surprising.

I recently read Never Lie by Freida McFadden.  This is the author of the very popular books The Housemaid and The Housemaid's Secret. I've read, enjoyed and reviewed both.  Never Lie is about a couple that want to buy a house.  Tricia and Ethan are enjoying married life and are ready to purchase a home.  While going to see a listing, they are trapped in a snowstorm and are forced to walk to the house they were hoping to see.  Although the realtor never shows in the dangerous weather, they count themselves lucky to find a key and shelter in their possible new property.  Impressed with the grand rambling estate, they discover curious things. A light on upstairs, yet a thick layer of undisturbed dust on every surface, including the footprint free floor.  They find fresh food in the fridge, yet again, no evidence anyone has been in the old mansion, just the opposite, it has been and remains vacant.  As the story progresses, we find out that the house last belonged to a famous psychiatrist Dr. Adrienne Hale, who disappeared four years ago and is presumed dead. Despite the troubling history it is worth it to live in such an elaborate home, until odd things start happening.  

This story is told in dual timelines following the modern-day homebuyers, Tricia and Ethan, and another exploring the life of Adrienne revealing what happened leading up to her disappearance.  This story is fast moving, never really letting the reader catch their breath.  It is one of those that you gasp out loud wondering how you could have missed the amazing twists that leave you shaking your head and grinning. A wild ride and fun from beginning to end.  A classic domestic thriller.

I might be a bit more careful about seeing old houses, they may hold more secrets than I want to know!

The Book of Cold Cases by Simone St. James

Hello everyone. I hope you're having a great day.

Do you have a hobby?  Reading, I suppose.  My husband has the worst hobby, model *!@#$ trains!  Oh yes, you heard me correctly, you read the implied curse word.  I meant every upper number key stroke too! First of all, let's face it....they are trains, that is strike one.  Two, they are super expensive, his train money I could use for my cool hobbies, like reading or paper crafting.  Third strike, they take an enormous amount of room.  Again, room I could be using for some other purpose.  In addition, those rail riders have dictated every house we can buy as we must have a large third floor or room over garage. So young parents, when your child wants a Thomas the Tank toy, I beg of you....run.

I recently read The Book of Cold Cases by Simone St. James.  I've read two other books by her, The Broken Girls, which I loved, and The Sun Down Motel, which I didn't.  My issue with The Sun Down Motel is that as with both earlier books and the current offering, there is a mystery to be solved and something spooky. In The Sun Down Motel, there was just too little of each for me and I guessed the ending during the first ten minutes.  So, I was apprehensive but hopeful going into The Book of Cold Cases.  My faith has been restored as I liked this book very much, it might even be my favorite of St. James', which is saying something since I really enjoyed Broken Girls.  

The Book of Cold Cases basically revolves around two people, Shea and Beth.  Shea is a blogger whose hobby is running a true crime website called The Book of Cold Cases.  Beth is a rich socialite, who lives in the same town. Beth had once been on trial for three murders, one of which was her own father.  After a chance meeting Beth decides it is finally time to tell the truth and get everything out in the open and decides Shea is just the person to help her. The story is told from both characters' perspectives, with Beth's being both current day and from her childhood.  While Shea is at Beth's elaborate mansion on several occasions for interviews, she begins to notice all is not right with the house.  Beth hides nothing and invites Shea to explore the building that seems every bit as alive as they are.  

This story is a breeze to read, the writing solid and plot clear.  This time St. James has a mystery you won't figure out and a house that will truly have you listening for noises at night.  If you are new to this author but liked the style of The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo and enjoy haunted house author Darcy Coates, this book will be one of your new favs.

I wonder how many model trains Beth's house would hold?

Home Before Dark by Riley Sager

Hello everyone, I hope you are having a great day.  Let's jump right into it, as I have a chicken to bake (certainly my seven thousandth). I just finished Home Before Dark by Riley Sager.  If this book isn't already on your radar, it is about a woman, Maggie, who inherits an old mansion in Vermont. When her family lived there years ago they found it to be haunted, so haunted that one night her family flees with nothing but the clothes on their back. Maggie was five years old when her family left and doesn't remember much.  The knowledge she has about the house comes from a best selling book her father writes after they flee, which Maggie believes is a complete lie.

Written with alternating chapters following the present day Maggie, and actual chapters from the book written by Maggie's dad, Ewan, the reading is quick.  Many sections end in a cliffhanger or revelation, propelling the reader forward.  It is full of atmosphere, a bit spooky, and in one section, quite gross.  It contains several mysteries and as thriller lovers prefer...many twists. If you are a romantic comedy reader, this isn't for you. However, if you like horror, mysteries, or thrillers, this, my friends, is the book for you. It's a wild ride that will grab you from the very beginning and doesn't lift the overhead harness until the very end.

Now the bad news, Home Before Dark isn't going to be released until June 30th.  I have a finished, hardbound copy. It isn't an advanced reader copy/galley. How did I get it so early (June 1st)? Book of the Month, that's how. Wait, don't close your laptop, I swear this is not a commercial. I get no kickback, they have no idea who I am.  Several years ago I received a gift subscription and have renewed it for several years. Books end up costing $14.99 hardbound.  Have you priced books lately, never mind, I know you have a reading addiction too.  Well for you library dwellers let me tell you they run from $26 to $31. That is more than a quarter of a hundred dollars for one book.  That just shocks me.  Anyway, Book of the Month (BOTM) gets you a discount because you're basically paying ahead. AND you can get up to two additional books each month.  Trust me here, any add on books, pay for instead of using credits. Credits cost $14.99 but add ons at $9.99, so save those credits for each months BOTM.

My mom used to get BOTM ages ago, thankfully, it is much better now. If you don't want a book, just skip a month. Nothing is sent automatically. There are five new books to choose from each month. Usually there is a thriller, but the choices are varied. One of June's choices was Home Before Dark, which they got early for their subscribers. My description is probably clear as mud, but their web site is much better. My husband said I looked like a kid on Christmas morning when I saw Home Before Dark as a choice.  What can I say, I've been waiting for this to come out and to get it early and at a discount, it's housewife heaven.

By the way, if you're thinking, like I was, that this might be a reworking of The Amityville Horror is isn't.  Riley Sager's novel is much more involved and so good.

Hell House by Richard Matheson

Hello everyone.

Growing up in New York makes me appreciate fall, not that we are having autumn like weather in coastal North Carolina, it was 95 today. In upstate NY though, fall is in full swing. That means three things; high school football rivalries, beautiful leaves, and apple everything. Each fall, one Saturday morning, my dad would return home with buckets and buckets full of apples he had just picked. These were not any run of the mill apples either, they were Macintosh. Now if you've only had a "mac" from the grocery store, I am so sorry, you are missing out. Real "macs" are small, fairly firm, quite tart, and taste very apple-y. They were my dad's favorite so naturally they are my favorite too. Not only great for eating but perfect for baking. Cool weather was a signal that a visit to the cider mill was in order, cider, donuts, and candy apples of every variety were soon to follow. Just for the record, despite what my sisters say, blue candy apples are the best.

Another signal of fall was the start of fires in the large stone fireplace in our basement. We spent hours down there on cloudy afternoons watching movies. One that we loved, even though it really scared us, was The Legend of Hell House (the original version). Not only was the story creepy but it had an odd soundtrack that I can still hear. I was surprised last month to find out that, like many other movies, it had been a book first. I had to get my hands on it and read it immediately.

Hell House was written by Richard Matheson, published in 1971. The author also wrote the movie. Both stories center on a very haunted old mansion. Years ago a group of people went to the house to investigate; all were killed or driven mad except one person. Now, the house is about to be examined again, this time by a small cast of characters. Lionel Barrett and his wife, Edith, are attending the gathering. Lionel has developed a machine he believes can clear all the spirits from the house, making it usable once more. He is going to test his miracle machine during this visit. Joining the couple are just two other people. Florence Tanner, a medium, and Fischer, another medium and the only person to survive the last visit to Hell House. The story moves quickly and is filled with atmosphere. If you've seen the movie, don't hesitate to read the book. While you'll certainly recognize the story line, there are some notable differences, like a lake close to the house, where people tend to drown. In addition, the novel is much more sexual than the movie, not in a vulgar or overdone way. While I doubt this book would give you nightmares, it is still a spooky but fun read.

You know how books will sometimes advertise other titles by the same author in the back of the book? Well, Hell House has that page and I was shocked. Probably the most shocked I was throughout the whole experience! Talk about being a versatile writer, Richard Matheson also wrote the stories and screenplays for.... Duel (one of hubby's favorites)...I am Legend, he also wrote...wait for it....nah I can't tell you. Okay I will, the author of Hell House, the iconic haunted house movie (and book) wrote the novel and movie Somewhere In Time. You know the time travel, love story with Christopher Reeve. Now that is someone who can write anything!

One by One by D.W. Gillespie

Hello everyone.

I've mentioned our old houses in the past. We currently are working on an American Four Square that is over one hundred years old. We have restored a 1907 Victorian that had been divided into apartments, we returned it to single family. One of the things we did during the Victorian renovation, which took almost ten years in total, was to remove the walls on the third floor. We put heating and air conditioning ducts behind knee walls and installed insulation. While removing the walls, we found so many things; photos, paintings, corset, letters, button-up shoes and more. One thing we found was the corner of an envelope with a company as a return address. We also found writing on the low roofing boards that held the metal roof. There were spots where children had written their names in colorful chalk. We were able to track down the family that had lived there right after the house was built through the company name on that envelope scrap. It was amazing to learn that the 70+ year old man we were talking to was only seven years old when he lived in our house and those names in chalk were his sisters. We were able to talk to them too. It was so fun and made the hard work worth it and the house feel so much more personal.

I recently read One by One written by D.W. Gillespie. This is the story of the Easton family of four, mom, dad, older boy, and a young girl. Most of the story is told from the young girl, Alice Easton's, prospective. This family finds a great old house that needs lots of work. Not only is there a rambling, creepy old house but a large lot complete with dark woods featuring an old locked shed. In addition, next to the house is a pool that is only half filled with sewage like, black, putrid water. My nightmare come true!  As the family moves in and starts to work on their new home, the dad becomes rage filled. Immediately my mind went to The Amityville Horror, and I prepared myself for a B movie-ish retelling. Boy was I wrong. Little Alice tears off a piece of wall paper and behind it finds a drawing of a family that looks remarkably like the Eastons. While the kids are blamed for the artwork, Alice knows the truth, it was underneath the wall paper that had been hung years ago.  Things start to spiral out of control when family members go missing, as an X appears over the representation of them in the drawing.

This story is spooky, hitting many of the horror story highs including that smelly dark pool, the locked shed, odd woods, huge house, angry adults, a possibly evil diary, and a snow storm that isolates this family from the outside world including help from the police. The story moves quickly, leading the reader from the innocent beginning to terrifying end. A very fun read, perfect for this time of year.

Back to some housewife stuff, we finally have someone hired to fix the damage from hurricane Dorian. I sincerely hope he doesn't find anything drawn under the siding.

The Invited by Jennifer McMahon

Hello everyone.

Have you ever heard experts say that we, as humans, sometimes have a fight or flight reaction? I think it might be real. When something really bad happens, for a split second I want to leave. The thought floats through my head to run away and start a new anonymous life somewhere else, without the awful issue of the moment. Of course I don't leave, it isn't responsible. People I love need and deserve my support but the fleeting thought is there.

Then there is the other kind of flight, the serious, well thought out kind. When I was a kid, I loved going to the beach. I know I've mentioned before that on one family spring break trip to Myrtle Beach I swore I would marry a pool boy. I must have believed that the pool boy was the epitome of beach-dom. I couldn't have aspired to a hotel owner or land baron, nope, teenage me thought that the pool boy was the top of the beach heap. Funny thing is my husband grew up just a few blocks off the ocean and his early jobs were working in hotels and renting bikes on the boardwalk. His brown hair was bleached pale blonde by the sun, he was super tan and had beautiful blue eyes (still does). He was a walking postcard for the oceanfront. Now, having been married for eons and living by the ocean for years I want to move. We can't, hubby's job is here. The problem is hurricanes. I have experienced way too many and am terrified of them. If I could, I would move far away from the ocean just because of hurricanes.

I recently read The Invited by Jennifer McMahon. This is the story of two teachers who decide they want to move. Helen is a history teacher and Nate adores science. They want to leave their jobs, buy an old house, and build a new life. After looking at all their options, this couple purchases a lot they like and decide to build a new house that looks like an old salt box home. Problems arise when they discover that the property they now own is where the house of town legend Hattie Breckenridge once stood...and the site of her death over a century ago. When Helen wants to give her new house a wink and nod to history she purchases several pieces of architectural salvage that had a connection to Hattie. Once installed, these pieces seem to bring odd happenings to their newly built home.

When reading the book jacket, you might think this is a straight up haunted house book. While it is a bit spooky, it really is so much more. The story of Hattie unfolds and the reader is witness to how she was treated, how a single moment in time can change everything including future generations, naturally it ties into today as well.  I love when a book ends up having a much more involved story than I thought it would, I feel like I am getting extra value for my money. That is exactly how this book is, more than I anticipated. The Invited is engaging, moving not at a thriller pace but quickly enough to keep the reader interested. Like in many books, I was sure I knew the answers to the mysteries presented but the author proved me wrong. If you like mild haunted house stories, stories concerning New England, houses, mysteries or just great tales, you'll like this book.

I am wondering if I should start tracing our deed back...perhaps not.

Lock Every Door by Riley Sager

Hello everyone.

Have you ever really looked at your house? Really looked?  Several years ago we had a house built. It was a wonderful, but stressful experience. Once completed, we discovered a few feet "missing" from the interior. We finally decided that the missing space was an area that heat and air ducts ran from the first floor, through the second, to the attic.

Our current house is an early 1900's craftsman, a Sears house. Shortly after moving in, the previous owner came to the door and wanted to know if we found the secret room and met the ghost. Having lived in a haunted house I can tell you this house has no ghosts. The owner swears his wife was constantly losing her keys saying a ghost was moving them. Frankly, I think she just forgot where she put her keys. When your house is haunted, you know it. Someday I'll tell you about it. What the old owner was talking about was that there is stained glass in several places on our house. On the second floor there are two stained glass windows on the outside but only one on the inside. One window is in a walk-in closet in a guest room, the other in the master bedroom. Only the master has no such window. For some unknown reason it was long ago walled in on the interior. I'm guessing because it was difficult to decorate around. Our bedroom has double divided glass pocket doors, five windows, a fireplace, a radiator, and closet along with the entry door. Not many good places to put any furniture. I imagine putting a wall over the stained glass was done to have a section of plain wall. Old buildings were built differently, they seem to have a lot more nooks and crannies. Now that you want an English muffin, let's talk about a book.

I recently read Lock Every Door by Riley Sager. I finished this book in one day, something I (the admitted slow reader) have never done before, and we are talking 360+ pages. This is the story of a young woman who lost her boyfriend, job and place to live all at once. She has found a great offer that helps with her situation, apartment sitting. Not only does she now have somewhere to live for the next three months but a great paycheck as well. In addition, this apartment is in an old building in NYC that she has been interested in for years and is the pinnacle of plushness. Because of the noteable people living in the building, the job comes with several rules like no visitors, no discussing the building on social media, and you must spend every night in the apartment. A bit odd, but not that unreasonable for rich people that want their privacy.

This book is a thriller through and through. It starts calmly, gaining the reader's curiosity, but as strange things begin happening it quickly builds to a page flipping frenzy. While the story progresses we are presented with several possible explanations for the events at the old privileged apartment building. Racing from one solution to the next until finally the reader is given a satisfying ending you'll never see coming.

This was my first Riley Sager, but certainly not my last. As soon as my eyes recover and my hands stop shaking I'll have to purchase his other two books. Now I know to clear my schedule and get the economy size eye drops!

The Wicked Deep by Shea Ernshaw

Hello, hope you all are well and enjoying your fall. Perhaps you are doing what so many readers are, celebrating the cool weather with some spooky books. To be honest, it never occurred to me to read creepy books near Halloween. I don't know why, I reread A Christmas Carol before Christmas. I've also started getting one of those cute little holiday romances for the last few years. Though I'm not a huge romance novel lover I get sucked in by the very idea of holiday love and the always festive cover. Kind of proves hubby's idea that I am an advertiser's dream.

This year I started thinking about all the scary books on my "to be read" list. Who knew I had so many! I have Stephen King (yes, again, I never give up on him), his son with a book about some possessed box, a writer from Australia that writes gobs of haunted house books, and several books about witches. Now witches are not really my thing and if they were, my preference would be for Glenda the Good. Who wouldn't want that dress, cool wand with the star and to travel by heel clicks. Obviously I haven't read the Wizard of Oz. Anyway, I seem to often pick up witch books because of my sisters. Two of the three are Salem addicts. They go to Salem Massachusetts every year for Halloween. They go to a big ball, drink pumpkin martinis, the works. Not my thing but potato po-taa-to. Maybe I always grab these books so I can pass them on to them for their reading enjoyment. You know, any excuse to buy books.

I just finished reading The Wicked Deep by Shea Ernshaw. Since the story revolves around teenagers I suspect this might be technically a young adult book, although there is cussing and unmarried sex. The story is about a cursed town. The town, Sparrow, is cursed because 200 years ago they drowned 3 witches. Although I am still not clear if they actually were witches. They sold perfume and men liked them. Using that threshold everybody at the makeup counter in every department store, at Ulta and Sephora is conjuring some kind of spell. Thinking of past credit card bills, that could actually be true so that is a bad example. Anyway, every year these witches come back to kill boys as revenge.

I went into this book with an open mind but there was that little voice whispering Hocus Pocus (which I'm also reading). I was pleasantly surprised. I really liked this book. I don't know why I get some stupid idea about a book before reading it. I'm always wrong and the book is usually wonderful. This book was completely original, had an interesting story line, some thriller worthy twists, and a plot that moved quickly. The writing was good and did not meander. A great read with a very satisfying ending.

Go grab that Harry Potter wand that I know you bought in secret and accio yourself a copy of The Wicked Deep.