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From Publishers Weekly With more than 30 books under his belt, veteran suspense novelist Saul is back with a horror novel featuring witchcraft, teen revenge and a haunted house. Angel Sullivan, a plain-looking 14-year-old who never fits in, gets a chance for a fresh start when her family moves into the plush community of Roundtree. Myra, her obsessively religious mother, and Marty, her lazy, alcoholic father, buy a house on Black Creek Crossing, even though the place is rumored to be haunted. Soon after they settle in, a black cat mysteriously appears out of thin air, smoke from a nonexistent fire fills the house and a girl's face appears in the darkness, reflected in a mirror. Meanwhile, Angel, wi?h the help of another school outcast, Seth Baker, begins to investigate the history of the house. They discover an ancient book of spells that may have belonged to the house's original owners, members of a Salem-like community of witches, and the teens proceed to cast spells on the bullies who torment them. But the sinister forces inhabiting the house are just biding their time until they turn their malice on Angel and Seth. Saul crafts a few passable scenes—the potions Angel and Seth concoct work in clever ways—but the chills are few and far between in this lackluster, paint-by-the-numbers horror tale. Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title. From Booklist The seventeenth-century house at Black Creek Crossing in Roundtree (Massachusetts?) is a hard sell. Since the original owner's wife and daughter were burned for witchcraft, it has seldom been occupied long, and those who occupy it usually die in it, mysteriously and violently. Myra Sullivan doesn't know all that when her realtor sister shows her the house, and when husband Marty and daughter Angel take a shine to it, she's sold because, after all, she and frequently out-of-work Marty can actually afford it. Angel is drawn to a west-facing bedroom, and no sooner does she settle in than she finds a black cat in the closet. How did it get in? And how, when it goes, does it leave utterly unobserved? Well, think about it, witchophiles. It's the doppelganger of the girl witch's spirit, and in short order it leads Angel and her new friend, Seth Baker, to a secluded cabin and a book of spells that, the two 13-year-olds discover, they can use to defeat their foes. They have more than their fair share of those, starting with abusive fathers and unhelpful mothers and including classmates who harass them, verbally and physically. Angel and Seth are two more of the immensely sympathetic and appealing teen protagonists that Saul excels at creating, but they are tampering with evil stuff, and unlike, say, similar characters in John Farris' or Dean Koontz's books, they don't escape punishment in this remarkably gratifying horror yarn. Ray Olson Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title. From the Inside Flap The dark history and dire secrets of a peaceful small town are summoned from the shadows of the past. Unholy forces are stirred from long slumber to monstrous new life. And two young misfits discover the chilling art of turning persecution into retribution. With these eerie ingredients, bestselling master John Saul once again works his unique brand of sinister magic to conjure an unforgettable tale of unspeakable terror.For most of her young life, thirteen-year-old Angel Sullivan has been on the outside looking in, enduring the taunts of cruel schoolmates and the angry abuse of a bitter father. Then Angel’s family moves to the quaint town of Roundtree, Massachusetts—where a charming home is available, a promising job awaits Angel’s unemployed father, and most of all, the chance to make a new start beckons to the shy, hopeful teenager. But when she is shunned by her new classmates, Angel falls deeper into despair. Until she meets Seth Baker, a fellow outcast—and a fateful kinship is forged. It’s Seth who tells Angel the unspoken truth about the legacy of murder that hangs over her family’s home—and the whispered rumors that something supernatural still dwells there. Uncertain whether the stories are true, and desperate to escape the torment of their daily lives, Angel and Seth devote themselves to contacting whatever restless soul haunts the dark recesses of Black Creek Crossing. But once they have begun, there is no turning back. Guided by an anguished and vengeful spirit, they uncover the shocking events and centuries-old horrors that lay buried beneath the placid veneer of Roundtree. And along with the ghastly revelations comes a terrifying power—one that feeds upon the rage of the victimized, turning the basest impulses and most dangerous desires into devastating weapons. Now, the closer Angel and Seth are pushed toward the edge by their tormentors, the deeper they descend into the maelstrom of dark forces they’ve unleashed . . . and the more unspeakable the hour of reckoning will be. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title. The dark history and dire secrets of a peaceful small town are summoned from the shadows of the past. Unholy forces are stirred from long slumber to monstrous new life. And two young misfits discover the chilling art of turning persecution into retribution. With these eerie ingredients, bestselling master John Saul once again works his unique brand of sinister magic to conjure an unforgettable tale of unspeakable terror. For most of her young life, thirteen-year-old Angel Sullivan has been on the outside looking in, enduring the taunts of cruel schoolmates and the angry abuse of a bitter father. Then Angel's family moves to the quaint town of Roundtree, Massachusetts--where a charming home is available, a promising job awaits Angel's unemployed father, and most of all, the chance to make a new start beckons to the shy, hopeful teenager. But when she is shunned by her new classmates, Angel falls deeper into despair. Until she meets Seth Baker, a fellow outcast--and a fateful kinship is forged. It's Seth who tells Angel the unspoken truth about the legacy of murder that hangs over her family's home--and the whispered rumors that something supernatural still dwells there. Uncertain whether the stories are true, and desperate to escape the torment of their daily lives, Angel and Seth devote themselves to contacting whatever restless soul haunts the dark recesses of Black Creek Crossing. But once they have begun, there is no turning back. Guided by an anguished and vengeful spirit, they uncover the shocking events and centuries-old horrors that lay buried beneath the placid veneer of Roundtree. And along with the ghastly revelations comes a terrifying power--one that feeds uponthe rage of the victimized, turning the basest impulses and most dangerous desires into devastating weapons. Now, the closer Angel and Seth are pushed toward the edge by their tormentors, the deeper they descend into the maelstrom of dark forces they've unleashed . . . and the more unspeakable the hour of reckoning will be. "From the Hardcover edition. --This text refers to the mass_market edition. From AudioFile Thirteen-year-old Angel Sullivan and her troubled parents move to a small town in Massachusetts. The house they move into has a tumultuous past, which manifests itself as ghostly apparitions that affect the lives of Angel, her family, and her new friends. The story is as much about teenaged outcasts and the horrors of sexual abuse as it is about ghosts. Dick Hill portrays a realistic Angel while adding tension to the horrifying ghost scenes. All in all, this is a very satisfying ghost story with much to say about being a teen. S.D. © AudioFile 2004, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title. House of Reckoning is John Saul’s thirty-sixth novel. His first novel, Suffer the Children, published in 1977, was an immediate million-copy bestseller. His other bestselling suspense novels include In the Dark of the Night, Perfect Nightmare, Black Creek Crossing, Midnight Voices, The Manhattan Hunt Club, The Right Hand of Evil, Guardian, and Faces of Fear. Saul divides his time between Seattle, Washington, and Hawaii. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title. Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved. Black Creek Crossing By John Saul Brilliance Audio Copyright © 2004 John SaulAll right reserved. ISBN: 9781590869178 Chapter One As the last bell of the day rang, angel sullivan sat quietly in herseat in the last row of Mr. English's room and waited for herclassmates to disappear before she even started stowing her books inher backpack. Finally, when even the chatter in the corridor outsidethe room had died down, she stood up to pull on her jacket. "You okay, Angel?" the teacher asked, peering worriedly at her frombehind his desk. Okay? she repeated silently to herself. How could she be okay afterwhat had happened this morning? And if Mr. English didn't know whatwas wrong, how was she going to explain it to him? After all, it hadhappened right there during the first period, just before the bellsounded, when Mr. English asked the class if they wanted to sing"Happy Birthday" to her. "Happy Birthday," like it was still thirdgrade! Didn't he know that none of her classmates even spoke to herexcept to say mean things? So there she'd sat, in her seat in thelast row, her face burning with embarrassment as a horrible silencefell over the room and half the class turned to stare at her. Theonly thing that saved her from bursting into tears of humiliationwas that the bell had rung. Then everyone rushed for the door. And now Mr. English wanted to know if she was okay? Biting her lip but saying nothing, she hurried toward the door andthe safety of the corridor beyond, which with any luck would now beempty. "Angel?" She heard Mr. English, but was already out of the room, the doorswinging shut behind her. Angel. What kind of name was Angel? For a long time-well, maybe not all that long, but for a while,anyway-she had thought it was a wonderful name, maybe the mostwonderful name in the world. Even now, memories of phrases from whenshe was barely more than a baby echoed softly in her mind. Daddy's little Angel. Mommy's little Angel. Grammy's perfect little Angel. It had been Grammy who gave her the very first Halloween costume shecould remember. It was a white dress that Angel was certain had beenmade of satin but her mother insisted was only cheap muslin. But itdidn't matter, because it had white sequins sewn all over it thatglittered even when she was standing as still as she possibly could.On the back of the dress there were two wings Grammy had made ofpapier-mbchi and then covered with white feathers. "I've been saving them ever since you were born," Grammy had toldher as she carefully fitted the wings onto her tiny three-year-oldshoulders. "Some people might tell you they're only seagullfeathers, but don't you believe them." "But if they didn't come from seagulls, where did they comefrom?" Angel had asked. "Angels," Grammy told her, looking deep into her eyes. "Angels justlike you. They come to me when I dream, and leave feathers on mypillow. Feathers from real angels for my own perfect little Angel." Angel still had those wings, but they no longer hung on the wall ofher room, as they once had. Now they were wrapped in tissue paperand packed away in an old hat box she'd found in the basement of thehouse they lived in when she was nine, and even though her motherthought they should be thrown away, Angel knew they never would be.They were all she had to remind her of Grammy, who died a littlewhile after that wonderful Halloween when she'd worn the angelcostume, and Grammy held her hand and led her up to the porchesdecorated with jack-o-lanterns. Angel remembered being too shy toknock on the doors herself, and too terrified of the strangers whoanswered the doors to call out "Trick or treat," so Grammy had donethat for her too. Then, even before all her Halloween candy was gone, Grammy had died. And she had been alone ever since, with only the wonderful featheredwings to remember her grandmother by. Continues... Excerpted from Black Creek Crossing by John Saul Copyright © 2004 by John Saul. Excerpted by permission. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title. Read more
Features & Highlights
- The dark history and dire secrets of a peaceful small town are summoned from the shadows of the past. Unholy forces are stirred from long slumber to monstrous new life. And two young misfits discover the chilling art of turning persecution into retribution. With these eerie ingredients, bestselling master John Saul once again works his unique brand of sinister magic to conjure an unforgettable tale of unspeakable terror.For most of her young life, thirteen-year-old Angel Sullivan has been on the outside looking in, enduring the taunts of cruel schoolmates and the angry abuse of a bitter father. Then Angel’s family moves to the quaint town of Roundtree, Massachusetts—where a charming home is available, a promising job awaits Angel’s unemployed father, and most of all, the chance to make a new start beckons to the shy, hopeful teenager. But when she is shunned by her new classmates, Angel falls deeper into despair. Until she meets Seth Baker, a fellow outcast—and a fateful kinship is forged. It’s Seth who tells Angel the unspoken truth about the legacy of murder that hangs over her family’s home—and the whispered rumors that something supernatural still dwells there. Uncertain whether the stories are true, and desperate to escape the torment of their daily lives, Angel and Seth devote themselves to contacting whatever restless soul haunts the dark recesses of Black Creek Crossing. But once they have begun, there is no turning back. Guided by an anguished and vengeful spirit, they uncover the shocking events and centuries-old horrors that lay buried beneath the placid veneer of Roundtree. And along with the ghastly revelations comes a terrifying power—one that feeds upon the rage of the victimized, turning the basest impulses and most dangerous desires into devastating weapons. Now, the closer Angel and Seth are pushed toward the edge by their tormentors, the deeper they descend into the maelstrom of dark forces they’ve unleashed . . . and the more unspeakable the hour of reckoning will be.
