A vaction resort becomes deadly

I really thought from the first couple chapters this book would be right up my street, but it didn’t develop like I hoped it might. In fact, it didn’t develop much at all. The characters are static, no one taking center stage, no growth or explanation for these characters’ behavior, that includes the mother who’s a chronic worrier or the doctor and his obsession. The town bullies are very mass-produced, local boys jealous of the rich kids who come for the summer to seduce the local girls and show off. The foils also, like the town mayor, who is essentially the mayor from Jaws, is trying to put cuffs on the eager newspaper editor, spinning the story when bodies start dropping to try to keep the tourist dollars rolling in. We have an old hermit with a stormy background including a stay at the state hospital.
All This means nothing is a mystery and everything is eventual including the resolution. The plot sounded like something someone dreamed up in their true crime addiction phase and when we learn about the items in the carriage house, well-its almost too laughable to be horrifying, which is what this entire book is.

Sorprendente, divertido (quizás sin pretenderlo) e inmensamente entretenido. No es la típica historia de casa encantada... ¡es mucho más retorcida!
Advertencia para quienes lo pasan mal con la violencia a animales (más abajo):
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Mueren violentamente un gato y un perro. La muerte del gato está "fuera de plano", pero la del perro hace daño de verdad.

I actually enjoyed this more towards the beginning than I ended up liking it overall. It felt pretty long winded and none of the characters every truly took hold of me. The horror aspect of it, when it was done, was done well. But there really wasn't very much of it and so was spread fairly thin. This was my second or third John Saul novel and I find they usually end up in this 2-3 star range. Good for when I get to them, but nothing I rush picking up.

slow-burned horror but good story. Here aware: if your wills not strong then not touch or take a deceased legendary serial killers' possession weapon or cursed object! but avoid the Lizzie Borden's axe!

The Brewster family rents a summer rental house, called Pinecrest at Phantom Lake. It is a huge Victorian gothic mansion which was built by a Milwaukee beer baron. Unbeknownst to them, the previous owner, Dr. Darby has mysteriously vanished one night and was never found. Soon after they arrive at this mansion, 16 year-old Eric Brewster, finds an old carriage house on the property after some exploring around the area. Together with his friends, Tad and Kent, they begin to investigate further into the old carriage house. Inside the house, they find strange items and they inadvertently unleash some evil force with deadly consequences.

This is definitely one creepy read. I liked the clever plot and how the story unfolds throughout the book. It kept me at the edge of my seat! The writing is atmospheric and eerie, sending chills down my spine. Characters are pretty okay although I would like more depth to them as far as their personalities goes. They felt distant and shallow.

That being said, overall, this is definitely one of the better books by Saul. It's a page turner! If you have not read any books by Saul before, I highly recommend this one. It's haunting, bloody and gory and the story will stay in your mind for a long time!

I'm unsure how john saul has had such success as a published writer.
At least from this example his writing isn't the least bit scary or even thrilling. It was at most boring with a sprinkle of silly.
I can't even begin with his female character portrayals. 10 out of 10 will not read again.

A very good horror/suspense novel.

I have always enjoyed John Saul's books. He manages to deliver shivers without being obscene. That being said, I was a little disappointed in the ending.....too many questions left unanswered. It was a great build-up but the climax was quick and over before you even understood what was really happening.

This was absolutely an eventful novel. A great suspense thriller and gripping paranormal murder mystery all rolled into one. The characters are all interesting, though I'll admit not overly complicated, and even the ones you like will annoy you at times. But, I feel like that's a good thing.

I disliked the way Merrill's husband and friends treated her the most, I think. They were all super dismissive of her and while some of it made sense, I thought they were rather patronizing about it. At other times, they seemed devoid of common sense when assuring her that she had no reason to be worked up, to the point where it almost bordered on gaslighting. Wasn't fond of that, but you can definitely feel her frustration through it, that's for sure.

This plot had me guessing all the way to the end and while it wrapped everything up neatly, there are still things left over to think about. In fact, by the time you finish the epilogue, you'll feel a genuine sense that not just the book but the story is finished and yet a satisfying sense of foreboding still permeates.

While this book is obviously meant to be horror, and therefore scary, however, there were very few parts that I found to actually be scary. Just once or twice did I feel a tingle slip up my spine and even then only for a moment. Still, it's a great book and I would absolutely recommend it to anyone who is interested in this genre or just likes murder mysteries and doesn't mind if there's a paranormal twist to them. It definitely gives you more than enough to think about and wonder about as the book progresses, that's for sure.

Because this is supposed to be scary, I would have docked a star. But, I gave it full stars because one of the characters, Tad Sparks, was possibly gay. It was never truly confirmed, but Kent speculated about it and it was clearly for the benefit of nobody but the reader. Kent's reaction to thinking one of his best friends was gay was also wonderful. It was no big deal to him and he'd totally wingman for him, but he also didn't want to push Tad in case he hadn't figured his sexuality out for himself yet and come to terms with it. But, the biggest thing I gave it that last star for was that usually in horror, or just books where people die, gay characters are often not main characters and even in ensemble casts they are usually the ones to die. This trope is called "bury your gays" and this book DEFIED that. And while I'm disappointed that it was never truly confirmed whether or not Tad really was gay, I'm so happy that Tad Sparks lived that I absolutely gave it that last star.

3.5 stars.

Creepy to a whole new level. I didn’t want to put the book down once I started. I really liked the characters especially the way overprotective mom.