A chilling supernatural tale with indelible characters.
In this third installment of a thriller series, an orthopedic surgery resident inherits a haunted hotel with potentially lethal family secrets.
Dr. Benjamin Oris is now the proud owner of The Abigael Inn, courtesy of a great aunt he didn’t know he had. He immediately thinks of selling it, as the Massachusetts hotel is five hours away from the Philadelphia hospital where he works. But rather than speak to a realtor, he decides to inspect the inn, currently closed for the winter. Before Ben leaves, his comatose mother, who transmits sometimes-cryptic telepathic thoughts, tells her son: “I need you to finish it.” Everything seems OK in Massachusetts; a capable head housekeeper runs the hotel, and Ben reunites with his maternal grandparents, whom he’s seen only once. But rumors of a haunted Abigael Inn swirl, and unexplained sights and noises unsettle Ben, all alone at the vacant hotel. His fear only mounts when his girlfriend, Laurette, joins him, as they determine ghosts abound, including a particularly nasty one. They dig deeper into the inn’s history as well as Ben’s mysterious family on his mother’s side and turn up someone’s horrifying plot involving murder and a paranormal ceremony. Rubin offers readers an effective change of pace in this installment. While the previous volumes were medical thrillers with supernatural touches, this novel spotlights the paranormal. Early scenes at the haunted hotel showcase genre conventions, from a ghostly conversation via a Ouija board to a scribbled message on a steamy mirror. But the story slowly amps up frights as an evil presence emerges and threatens multiple people. As in the preceding books, the supporting cast nearly outshines the protagonist. For example, Sophia Diaz (who has a son with Ben) and Laurette, both series staples, prove vital in fighting sinister forces. The author’s pithy writing keeps the story popping all the way to the rousing final act.
A chilling supernatural tale with indelible characters.Pub Date: N/A
ISBN: N/A
Page Count: 293
Publisher: Indigo Dot Press
Review Posted Online: Sept. 12, 2021
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
For readers who like their fun laced with skin-crawling weirdness.
A comic-strip artist loses first her cat and then, possibly, her mind.
Working with artists Horner and Staehle, as he did for Hidden Pictures (2022), Rekulak uses illustrations to support a paranormal thriller plot. Penny Padgett, a 27-year-old cartoonist living in Philadelphia, has published three beloved graphic novels about her life with her cat, Popcorn, and is working on a fourth when Popcorn darts out the window during a snowstorm and disappears. When all efforts to locate him fail, Penny spirals into unproductive despair. Her live-in boyfriend, Dean Everhardt, who works in finance, insists she accompany him to a cocktail party at the Brandywine Valley estate of his most important client, Evelyn Bruehl. At the party, Penny hears mewing that at first she’s sure must be Popcorn, but which turns out to be a very different cat named Godfrey. Godfrey immediately attaches himself to Penny, and when Evelyn—who’s about to take an extended trip to Europe—asks her to cat-sit, Dean pressures her to agree. Though at first Godfrey’s presence helps Penny break through her writer’s block, she’s completely disgusted by his custom-made food, which is delivered by his equally repugnant private veterinarian. And then something very strange starts happening to her artwork, which is suddenly filled with macabre and demonic imagery she can’t remember producing. Also, she’s losing weight and something terrible is happening to her skin. At this point the plot pivots into full-on horror, with a disgusting infestation of giant beetles and revolting odors taking over Penny’s house and a horrific murder next door. Penny finds some clues about what’s happening in a biography of Evelyn Bruehl’s grandfather, illustrator Barnabas Godfrey—the cat’s namesake. The 80-plus pages of illustrations include both Penny’s comic panels and Barnabas’ 19th-century images, the latter also filled with hints of what will emerge in the dramatic, screamworthy climax.
For readers who like their fun laced with skin-crawling weirdness.Pub Date: Oct. 13, 2026
ISBN: 9781250895875
Page Count: 352
Publisher: Flatiron Books
Review Posted Online: Aug. 3, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2026
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
It's almost enough to make a person believe in ghosts.
A disturbing household secret has far-reaching consequences in this dark, unusual ghost story.
Mallory Quinn, fresh out of rehab and recovering from a recent tragedy, has taken a job as a nanny for an affluent couple living in the upscale suburb of Spring Brook, New Jersey, when a series of strange events start to make her (and her employers) question her own sanity. Teddy, the precocious and shy 5-year-old boy she's charged with watching, seems to be haunted by a ghost who channels his body to draw pictures that are far too complex and well formed for such a young child. At first, these drawings are rather typical: rabbits, hot air balloons, trees. But then the illustrations take a dark turn, showcasing the details of a gruesome murder; the inclusion of the drawings, which start out as stick figures and grow increasingly more disturbing and sophisticated, brings the reader right into the story. With the help of an attractive young gardener and a psychic neighbor and using only the drawings as clues, Mallory must solve the mystery of the house's grizzly past before it's too late. Rekulak does a great job with character development: Mallory, who narrates in the first person, has an engaging voice; the Maxwells' slightly overbearing parenting style and passive-aggressive quips feel very familiar; and Teddy is so three-dimensional that he sometimes feels like a real child.
It's almost enough to make a person believe in ghosts.Pub Date: May 10, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-250-81934-5
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Flatiron Books
Review Posted Online: March 1, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2022
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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