One man planning vengeance from beyond the grave. Two men searching for a serial killer. Each live in a different, but parallel reality. Each must deal with their past (and their sanity) to cope with their present. William Grace, a young man slighted by his girlfriend and fried in an electric chair, is out to seek justice in the world. Throw in a really creepy doctor and you've got a great cast of characters.
John Savior, whose wife was brutally murdered and who still hears his dead abusive father talking to him, is a police officer searching for a killer who is bringing back terrible memories of his childhood. Edward Justice works for the "Service" and is looking for the same killer. Justice seems to be a little more stable than Savior, but has his own brutal secrets. Grace, in the end is trying to get these two people, who don't know each other - and actually are in separate reality - together to complete his act of vengeance.
Night gives a chilling description inside the mind of insanity. And even more chilling are the murders and the disturbing crimes of upstanding members of society. His characters are not always likeable but you can't help but feel some sympathy for them at the same time. His descriptions are not too graphic, yet don't leave much to the imagination. His dialogue is real and easy to follow. Although I had to turn back a few times and re-read to get back on track. This book is like one of those movies that you can't miss two seconds or you'll miss something important.
This is a really excellent read if you're into the eerie 'Stephen King' feel. It is a lot horror with a smidgeon sci-fi. The plot is very complex and there is a lot of backstory that Night explains flawlessly and still keeps you interested. The only down fall is the editing job, it took a lot away from the story.
I give 4 ghost killers out of 5 (Would have been 5 if it wasn't for the editing)
Reviewed by Heather, gottawritenetwork.com
July 18, 2007
Kitty McKenzie
By Anne Whitfield
Samhain
Kitty McKenzie is a young woman thrown into the role of parent and caretaker to her younger siblings when her parents and one sister die from Typhoid fever. After living a life of luxury and high social status, they are forced to sell everything to pay off their parents' debts. Left with nothing and on the street, they meet a kind couple, the Spencer's, who find them shelter in a poverty stricken part of the city and help Kitty and her brother, Martin, find jobs. Kitty is heartbroken when her oldest brother, Rory, leaves them after promising to keep the family together.
Kitty struggles to keep her remaining family fed and give them some sort of stability. When the street vendor she works for dies, Kitty has to make the decision to either leave to Australia and follow her dreams, and possibly tear the family apart even more, or stay in England and keep them all together, and stay close to the newfound friends they've made in the Spencer's. Then Kitty meets Benjamin Kingsley, who finds her to inform her that she has inherited everything her former employer had. When they search her apartment they find a small fortune hidden in the sofa.
Kitty, excited by his "cornflower-blue eyes fringed by thick black lashes" falls in love with Benjamin, who ironically is set to go to Australia, making her decision even harder. After meeting his family - a lovely father and obsessive mother who hates Kitty - she accepts his proposal of marriage and decides to stay in England and open a small, but fancy teashop and wait for him to return.
Anne Whitfield has made a very believable and likable character of Miss Kitty McKenzie. She gives vivid and direct descriptions of life in the slums of York and basic human interactions that everyone can identify with. I laughed out loud and wiped tears from my eyes. I love a book that I can't put down and I definitely could not close it until I was finished. She does an excellent job of using very real characters to push the story forward. The pace was perfect, it was fun to read, and I loved all of the characters, even the dragon-lady-mother-in-law-to-be!
I was just a little disappointed that I didn't learn anything more about her brother, Rory, by the end of the book but I'm sure I'll find out more when I read Kitty McKenzie's Land. I can't wait to see how Kitty's life turns out. I give it 4 ½ teacakes out of 5.
Heather Grant, gottawritenetwork.com reviewer
March 9, 2007
