A thrill ride incorporating mystery, believable familial worries, and a vindictive ghost.
A devoted doctor becomes bedeviled by an elusive entity in this supernatural thriller.
Dr. Amir Hadad is a successful interventional radiologist in Naperville, a western suburb of Chicago, with lots to be thankful for, including John F. Kennedy Jr. looks; a loving wife, Camille; and a young daughter, Sami. Then Amir begins to hear an entity. He dismisses it until it returns with harrowing frequency and increasing vitriol. When the police are called, they discover no evidence of an intruder; even a new family dog is unable to soothe the Hadads’ growing fears. Still, the voice grows louder and, after careful research, is uncovered as the vengeful ghost of Irishman Patrick Doyle, who was hanged in 1854 for the murder of another immigrant, Patrick Tole, in Naperville. The hanging tree is located adjacent to the Hadads’ home, and it’s up to Amir to finally put Doyle’s spirit to rest. Set in 2018, Shiloah’s tense, atmospheric second novel channels the historical relevance of Irish immigrants and their exodus to North America. The result is a multifaceted tale of intrigue, eternal unrest, and ghostly retribution. Courtesy of Sami’s great-grandmother Sabiha, the story integrates aspects of Iraqi culture and superstitions, which are intriguing but cry out for greater coverage in the book. As the author demonstrated in her debut, Emergence (2020), anesthesiologist Shiloah has a distinct talent for crafting crisp characterization even as supernatural nuances dominate the narrative. Camille, for example, is French-born, stylish, and prone to depression, stemming from her inability of have more children due to a post-labor mishap. She also mulls reinvigorating the theater career she brushed aside in favor of motherhood. Another notable presence is Viva, Camille’s radiant younger sister, whom Amir and his wife hope to use as a surrogate for their second child. The author injects plenty of credible medical scenery into the story, but the eerie melodrama takes center stage. As the plot thickens, readers of paranormal fiction and suspense thrillers will find themselves engrossed in this finely paced, sinister tale of a family haunted by the spirit of a historical figure.
A thrill ride incorporating mystery, believable familial worries, and a vindictive ghost.Pub Date: Sept. 20, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-73519-309-0
Page Count: 280
Publisher: Salty Air Publishing
Review Posted Online: July 15, 2022
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
A weird, wild ride.
Celebrity scandal and a haunted lake drive the narrative in this bestselling author’s latest serving of subtly ironic suspense.
Sager’s debut, Final Girls (2017), was fun and beautifully crafted. His most recent novels—Home Before Dark (2020) and Survive the Night (2021) —have been fun and a bit rickety. His new novel fits that mold. Narrator Casey Fletcher grew up watching her mother dazzle audiences, and then she became an actor herself. While she never achieves the “America’s sweetheart” status her mother enjoyed, Casey makes a career out of bit parts in movies and on TV and meatier parts onstage. Then the death of her husband sends her into an alcoholic spiral that ends with her getting fired from a Broadway play. When paparazzi document her substance abuse, her mother exiles her to the family retreat in Vermont. Casey has a dry, droll perspective that persists until circumstances overwhelm her, and if you’re getting a Carrie Fisher vibe from Casey Fletcher, that is almost certainly not an accident. Once in Vermont, she passes the time drinking bourbon and watching the former supermodel and the tech mogul who live across the lake through a pair of binoculars. Casey befriends Katherine Royce after rescuing her when she almost drowns and soon concludes that all is not well in Katherine and Tom’s marriage. Then Katherine disappears….It would be unfair to say too much about what happens next, but creepy coincidences start piling up, and eventually, Casey has to face the possibility that maybe some of the eerie legends about Lake Greene might have some truth to them. Sager certainly delivers a lot of twists, and he ventures into what is, for him, new territory. Are there some things that don’t quite add up at the end? Maybe, but asking that question does nothing but spoil a highly entertaining read.
A weird, wild ride.Pub Date: June 21, 2022
ISBN: 978-0-593-18319-9
Page Count: 368
Publisher: Dutton
Review Posted Online: March 29, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2022
A touching story of love and grief ends in an epic battle of good versus evil.
Roberts’ latest may move you to tears, or joy, or dread, or all three.
Every summer, John and Cora Fox visit Cora’s mother, Lucy Lannigan, in Redbud Hollow, Kentucky, leaving their children, 12-year-old Thea and 10-year-old Rem, for a two-week taste of heaven. The children love Grammie Lucy far more than John’s snooty family, which looks down on Cora. Lucy, a healer with deep Appalachian roots, loves animals, cooks the best meals, plays musical instruments, and makes soap and candles for her thriving business. Thea—who’s inherited the psychic abilities passed down through the women of Lucy’s family—has vivid magical dreams, one of which becomes a living nightmare when a psychopath robs and murders John and Cora as Thea watches helplessly. Thea’s description of the killer and her ability to see him in real time help the skeptical police catch Ray Riggs, who goes to prison for life. Although Thea and Rem go on to have a wonderful childhood with Grammie, Thea constantly wages a mental battle with Riggs, who tries to use his own psychic abilities to get into her mind. Over the years, Thea uses her imagination to become a game designer while the more business-minded Rem helps manage her career. Thea eventually builds a house near Lucy, where a newly arrived neighbor is her teen crush, singer-songwriter Tyler Brennan. Tyler has his own issues and is protective of his young son but slowly builds a loving relationship with Thea, whose silence about her abilities leads to a devastating misunderstanding. At first Thea tries to keep Riggs locked out of her mind. As her powers grow, she torments him. Finally, she realizes that she must win this battle and destroy him if she’s ever to have peace.
A touching story of love and grief ends in an epic battle of good versus evil.Pub Date: May 21, 2024
ISBN: 9781250289698
Page Count: 432
Publisher: St. Martin's
Review Posted Online: March 23, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2024
© Copyright 2024 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
bookshelf
