10-11-2011, 09:41 AM
Another compact little gothic by Dean Koontz, writing as Deanna Dwyer.
Katherine Sellers sets out to her first job as assistant to Lydia Roxburgh Boland, one of the dozen wealthiest women in the country. It's wintertime and weather conditions in the Adirondacks are abysmal. Close to the village of Roxburgh she sees a hanged cat in the doorway of an old abandoned barn. Upon investigation she notices a pentagram chalked on the ground and signs of burnt candles. Witchcraft? Devil worshippers? The snow is so bad one of the locals has to drive her up to Owlsden, the Roxburgh residence high on the hilltop. This is Michael Harrison, who could very well become a romantic interest. However, her employer also has a son the same age, Alex. So life seems to look very brightly for Katherine: a wonderful job, a luxurious household, nice people all around and two eligible bachelors... if it weren't for the ominous signs of satanism in the region. Is she in danger?
Of course she is! Remember this isn't just a romance novel!
I loved the writing style: "The sky was a gray metal lid clamped on the pot of the world, so low and flat that it looked as if she could just reach up and tap a fingernail against it." Isn't that a wonderful way to make you see Katherine's surroundings? The story itself was very well done too; thankfully it isn't one of those formulaic gothics that fail to surprise you. There's a bit of psychology thrown in which was very refreshing to see. Gothic suspense novels are all about people lying and pretending and a heroine who doesn't know whom to trust. To this the author cleverly added another dimension.
My verdict: a 6 out of 10
Katherine Sellers sets out to her first job as assistant to Lydia Roxburgh Boland, one of the dozen wealthiest women in the country. It's wintertime and weather conditions in the Adirondacks are abysmal. Close to the village of Roxburgh she sees a hanged cat in the doorway of an old abandoned barn. Upon investigation she notices a pentagram chalked on the ground and signs of burnt candles. Witchcraft? Devil worshippers? The snow is so bad one of the locals has to drive her up to Owlsden, the Roxburgh residence high on the hilltop. This is Michael Harrison, who could very well become a romantic interest. However, her employer also has a son the same age, Alex. So life seems to look very brightly for Katherine: a wonderful job, a luxurious household, nice people all around and two eligible bachelors... if it weren't for the ominous signs of satanism in the region. Is she in danger?
Of course she is! Remember this isn't just a romance novel!
I loved the writing style: "The sky was a gray metal lid clamped on the pot of the world, so low and flat that it looked as if she could just reach up and tap a fingernail against it." Isn't that a wonderful way to make you see Katherine's surroundings? The story itself was very well done too; thankfully it isn't one of those formulaic gothics that fail to surprise you. There's a bit of psychology thrown in which was very refreshing to see. Gothic suspense novels are all about people lying and pretending and a heroine who doesn't know whom to trust. To this the author cleverly added another dimension.
My verdict: a 6 out of 10