I remember John Saul as being cheesier and less coherent, but this was surprisingly good. Review to come. Poor Melissa, there were several things going on with the story at once which supported it.

I read this one based on someone's recommendation, and was not at all unhappy with it. I did find, though, that I didn't like the author or his style. He seems a little amateur. He would find a word he liked, like 'sear' and he'd use it a boatload of times in just a few pages - noticeably. I don't like that. He does that all throughout the book. Altogether, this isn't a major thing, but coupled with his overuse of dialog attribution, and his severe POV shifts, I really felt let down. This seemed to me to be a great story, with a lot of potential, but he effed it all up trying to tell it. He switches point of view several times a page in some cases, and without warning. I lose touch of the characters when authors do it, and it's not like a professional writer to do that.

The story: It's about a girl whose house burns down, killing her mother and stepfather, so she is forced to go live with her father and his wife. Well, they have a child of their own. And the stepmother, this witch, is very happy about the other daughter coming to live with them. She's the daughter this woman always wanted, and didn't have in her first one. She treats her own daughter horribly, to the point of near-abuse, but she really takes in this other girl. And stuff starts happening. They find out that things aren't what they had originally seemed. And the stuff hits the fan.

All together, the story was great, like I said. But it had a very weak ending. He supported the entire story (which I read in four nights) with suspense and guessing. I loved it. Then he let me down at the end, as if he just got sick of telling the story, and gave up. It was totally unlike the rest of the book, and given the circumstances, very unbelievable. It was - well, the ending was just plain crap. I wouldn't recommend this book, and on my book reviews page, I gave the storyline three stars.

*Looking back, I originally rated this one slightly too high. It's not the same quality as some of the really impressive stories I've read this year. Need to knock it down a star*

This was my second foray into the world of John Saul after reading the fantastic Suffer the Children earlier in the year. This is another ghost story with a twist. Actually there's a few twists that keep the suspense up and tension high. It focuses on an evil twin and a supernatural element, but that's as far as I'll go. I wouldn't want to spoil the surprise.

After a good opening start, things do slow down and it develops into a teenage angst drama. I was starting to feel let down, but then things pick up nicely and I really enjoyed the second half. This is stuff you need to know as a reader. Is this book worth sticking with? Yes it is.

So after thinking this book was going to scrape a three, it's a comfortable four. Now to pick my next read from the John Saul collection. Any tips would be appreciated!

You know, a part of me feels like I should give this five stars just because it managed to keep me invested despite a change of hyperfixation - and if you know me, that usually means I lose all interest in anything outside of my new interest.

Unfortunately, there are just enough flaws for me to justify that lost star.

This was my first Saul. I enjoyed it, and I think I'll be getting more of his stuff in future.

After her mum and stepdad die in a house fire, Teri goes to love with her dad, stepmum, and half-sister. Her sister is a neurotic girl, the stepmum is overbearing, and the dad is coddling. She prepares to settle into a new lavish lifestyle.

But Teri is more than she seems, and there's something weird going on with her sister too.

I found myself pretty invested in this book, mainly because I felt really sorry for Melissa - the half-sister. She thinks she's getting what she's always wanted - a sister - but her life just becomes a living hell.

I won't spoil too much there, though.

It's worth mentioning, though, that this is a story that involves child abuse. Teri is the daughter the stepmum wished Melissa would be, and she tried her hardest to mould Melissa into someone she's not.

God, I wanted the stepmum to die - is that bad? Maybe, but that's just how awful she was.

There's also some animal abuse in here, and that was a difficult scene to read, but it felt like it fit the story - especially the personality of the perpetrator.

It's a weird one. Sometimes it meanders. Sometimes things happen very fast. One of my biggest problems was that the end, especially, just kind of happened. Everything got resolved in a chapter or two, and I almost wish the book was longer to explore some of the themes a bit more.

It also gave away its twists kind of early, and it was quick to explain stuff despite only raising the questions in the previous chapter. That being said, there's still one bit I'm not entirely sure on, but asking that question here would just be a spoiler.

What's interesting is I don't know whether it was a ghost story or a psychological story. There is talk of ghosts, but it also suggests that all the paranormal stuff is just in people's heads. Maybe it's both.

I just wish things had been wrapped up a bit neater at the end. So yeah, I'd say it's a good story with a lacklustre ending, and that's where it loses a star.

After many years I came back for an old John Saul novel I missed back then and wasn't disappointed. There is no other author mixing appaling family secrets with horror and ghost appearances like John Saul. You really feel for Melissa and Cora hate Phyllis and cant' believe the stunning details you read about Teri and her former family. Everything takes places in a small village world of inhterited money, a very plausible setting, even today. What about D'Arcy? An absolute page turner with interesting characters and an author who really knows how to write a bestseller. The tension here is nailbiting until the very end. You get the meaning of the title in the last sentence of the book! Highly recommended not only for summer. A real John Saul classic. Reading this books shivers will run down your spine.

Love a good John Saul book this one might be my new favourite. Such a great read and so action packed.

Spooky, but the ending felt a bit rushed.

This is a story about the secrets that children keep, and the effect they can have on everyone in their lives. Melissa Holloway is a thirteen-year-old girl who has an imaginary friend named D'Arcy that she has held onto far longer than is normal for a child of her age. But Melissa hides the secret that she is abused by her mother, and D'Arcy has become her way of escaping the pain and humiliation inflicted upon her. On her birthday, Melissa's family receives the news that her half-sister, Teri, has been involved in a tragedy that has killed Teri's mother and stepfather, and will be coming to live with the Holloways. Melissa has always wanted a sister, but Teri has a secret of her own. As time passes, the truths these two girls are concealing clash and meld with a secret that is part of their town's past, and reveal the startling fact that D'Arcy is not just an imaginary friend, but is hauntingly, terrifyingly real.
In this one Saul takes us into the minds of two young girls, one a frightened, withdrawn tween-ager, and the other a teen determined to have what she envisions as the perfect life. Against the background of an oblivious father, a jealous and manipulative wife, and a community of selfish, uncompassionate young people more interested in the latest fashions than in the suffering of their fellows, these two are destined to play out the drama that fate has in store for them, and to face a horror that is partly paranormal and partly psychological in nature. Though a little predictable for any who have read Saul before, the writing more than makes up for this. This book takes a while to get going, but when it takes off, it does so with a vengeance. Be prepared.

Second Child by John Saul is a horror novel about a girl (Melissa) who is abused by her mother and is protected by a 100 year old ghost which lives in the house. Melissa's half sister Teri comes to live with the family because her mother and stepfather were killed in a fire which it turns out Teri started intentionally so that she could live with her rich father. There are two good examples of motifs in this book which are Melissa's pearls that her father gave her and The straps which Melissa's mother uses to tie her to the bed to "Prevent her from sleepwalking". A quote from this book which illistrates Melissa's mother's abuse is "You look terrible!" Phyllis hissed. "You're fat, and you're ugly and ou don't even care! Dear God, How can you be my daughter?" (Page 97) This helped me to understand why Melissa is protected by D'arcy (the 100 year old ghost) and what her mother's opinions of her are. This book may be enjoyed by the sophmores and up as it contains complex ideas which need a higher level of interpretation to understand.

This was the first book I read by John Saul. I was maybe 13 at the time and I found it in a basement. I was bored and figured I'd read. I opened it out of curiosity and was yanked in by the the first line- "When Polly MacIver awoke just before dawn that morning, she had not the slightest presentiment that she was about to die."
I devoured it and it scared the shit out of me. This is not what I call a 'visually' scary book. Saul does a good job with scene setting and you can easily imagine whatever is currently happening. This book is psychologically scary. It got into my mind and almost made me question what I felt.
I've read this book quite a few times over the years and it has never failed to freak me out on some level.

Second Child, John Saul, 1990

My favorite quote: “But though her lips smiled warmly as she accepted the embrace, her eyes -- had anyone noticed -- betrayed an emotionless chill."

Notable characters: Melissa Holloway, a shy young girl; Teri MacIver, her older half-sister; D’Arcy, Melissa’s not-so-imaginary friend; Phyllis Holloway, the horrible mother; Charles, the excruciatingly unobservant father

Most memorable scene: Well, if not Polly MacIver sailing to her death in the opening scene (is it just me or do a lot of John Saul characters sail to their deaths in early scenes?) I’ll have to go with the unearthly visitation Cyndi Miller and Ellen Stevens receive in the woods on their way home from the beach

Greatest strengths: Pacing

Standout achievements: To me, it feels like there are shades of Hush, Hush, Sweet Charlotte, Carrie, and even the Exorcist here, and yet Second Child manages to feel fresh and original. I’d call that a definite standout achievement

Fun Facts: I’ve had the pleasure of meeting John Saul ... and he’s every bit as awesome as I’d hoped he’d be!

Other media: N/A

What it taught me: That even the most classic trope can feel brand-new if it’s executed well

How it inspired me: Opening lines are everything and this book -- along with Dean Koontz’s Servants of Twilight -- has one of the best ones ever. In fact, I had no real interest in Second Child until I read it’s first sentence: "When Polly MacIver awoke just before dawn that morning, she had not the slightest presentiment that she was about to die." After that, I had to know more. I think about that every time I start writing a new book

Additional thoughts: I think this is one of Saul’s stronger works. It feels a lot more inspired than a lot of his stuff

Haunt me: alistaircross.com

This is a deeply disturbing novel by Saul, and one of his best. The story centers upon a family in a rich resort town in Maine. The father Charles was born to wealth and divorced his society wife shortly after they had a child and married the nursemaid (who was carrying his child). His second child was the love of his life, but not his new wife, who makes mommy dearest look like a poster child on how to raise a child. After a 'tragic' fire that kills her parents, the first child moves in with her father and now stepmom in Maine. The second child never fit in with the 'in' crowd at the resort, but the first child takes to it like she was born to it. Lots of graphic scenes of child abuse and utterly ruthless actions by several people, this makes you want to seriously question the human condition.