Mary and her husband Brad were visiting Salem, MA, during the Halloween festivities. What better place to really get into the spirit of things. It was especially important now since not all has gone will in the recent months of their marriage. Brad had been unfaithful, but he and Mary decided that they wanted to stay together. This trip was to allow them to experience some fun with each other once again. Unfortunately All Hallows Eve turned out to be a night of true horror. While walking through an old cemetery, with many people around, Brad momentarily looses sight of Mary and cannot find her again. She has vanished. The police are called. They search everywhere. Still there is no trace. Suspicion falls on Brad, of course. He nearly goes crazy with grief. His friend and private investigator Jeremy Flynn shows up to do what he can for his former police diving partner. Arriving at the same time is Rowena Cavanaugh whom Jeremy met when they were both in New Orleans. She grew up in Salem. This is her homecoming.
Rowena and Jeremy have a strong attraction for one another and both become caught up in the case of Mary's disappearance. Even before returning to Salem Rowena began experiencing nightmares. She is running throughthe corn fields near harvest time and is fleeing for her life. Something evil is in pursuit. Then she comes upon a scarecrow with a head made from a skull with rotting flesh still clinging to it.
The suspense never stops. At one point I was so immersed in Rowena's nightmare that when my husband walked into the room I screamed. That, folks, is the sign of a thoroughly engaging story (since I don't usually react so vehemently when enters a room). This is a book that should have been mentioned in October's Scary book contest. Sadly it wasn't published until November.
I so thoroughly enjoyed the first two book in the Flynn Brothers Trilogy - see my review of Deadly Night (The Flynn Brothers Trilogy 1)
- that I could hardly wait to read book three. Deadly Gift centers on Zach Flynn who has come to guard a close friend of the family. Sean O'Riley left for a trip to Ireland with his young trophy wife Amanda, a voluptuous airhead. The day after arriving in Dublin Sean becomes deathly ill and is hospitalized. Foul play is suspected. The nurse assigned to him is the stunning Irish beauty Caer Donahue. When Sean returns to his Newport RI home she travels along with him planning to stay until he fully recovers. Adding to the troubles, Eddie Ray, Sean's business partner, took out one of their charter, sailing boats and never returned. Later the boat is found empty and drifting.What should add up to a great deal of suspense instead falls flat. None of the characters are very interesting. Caer, one of the more important characters comes across as colorless and taciturn. There are a multitude of characters besides those already mentioned: Sean's daughter Kate who naturally loathes the wife; Bridey, Sean's beloved aunt; Cal and Marni, business associates of Sean's; Caer's boss, the mysterious Michael, etc. Author Graham fails to breath much life into any of them, and the same can be said of the boring plot. This novel was a huge disappointment. I wish I could recommend it, but I can't.
3 comments:
People really love this movie and its interesting!
Which book was made into a movie? I hope it was Deadly Harvest! If so I would love to see it.
If "Deadly Harvest" was made into a movie please leave a comment to let me know too!
Thank you,
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