Catnip for fans of things that go bump in the night, and eventually the day.
The newly orphaned owner of Australia’s Gallows Hill Winery discovers that she’s inherited a lot more than a business—and that the ownership works both ways.
As far as anyone can tell, Hugh and Maria Hull died of heart attacks the same night. Margot Hull certainly can’t add any details: Brought up by Hugh’s mother, she hasn’t seen her parents since she was a small child. The news that she’s their sole legatee is a decidedly mixed blessing. She’s never understood why they sent her away so long ago. She doesn’t know anything about running the business that’s suddenly dropped in her lap. She can’t even drink wine, which makes her sick despite her tolerance for all sorts of other spirits. Hardly has Margot bedded down at her late parents’ house with the help of Kant, the winery’s business manager, when eerie portents begin. She hears nocturnal cries and moans. She finds six nooses strung up outside the house, and Kant informs her that similar nooses have regularly appeared throughout the 30 years he’s worked there. An ancient videotape her parents made for her looks more creepy than reassuring. And her fear of underground spaces is severely tested. Clearly the place is haunted, with every indication that no one who settles on Gallows Hill, which fully deserves its name, can ever leave. As the 250th anniversary of the disappearance of Ezra Hull, the winery’s original owner, along with his wife and their four children, approaches, Coates, dispensing with any opening pretense of normalcy, ratchets up the ghostly manifestations till you can’t imagine there are any more stops to pull out—though of course there are.
Catnip for fans of things that go bump in the night, and eventually the day.Pub Date: Sept. 6, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-72822-024-6
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Poisoned Pen
Review Posted Online: June 7, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2022
Wacky plot keeps the pages turning and enduring schmaltzy romantic sequences.
Sisters work together to solve a child-abandonment case.
Ellie and Julia Cates have never been close. Julia is shy and brainy; Ellie gets by on charm and looks. Their differences must be tossed aside when a traumatized young girl wanders in from the forest into their hometown in Washington. The sisters’ professional skills are put to the test. Julia is a world-renowned child psychologist who has lost her edge. She is reeling from a case that went publicly sour. Though she was cleared of all wrongdoing, Julia’s name was tarnished, forcing her to shutter her Beverly Hills practice. Ellie Barton is the local police chief in Rain Valley, who’s never faced a tougher case. This is her chance to prove she is more than just a fading homecoming queen, but a scarcity of clues and a reluctant victim make locating the girl’s parents nearly impossible. Ellie places an SOS call to her sister; she needs an expert to rehabilitate this wild-child who has been living outside of civilization for years. Confronted with her professional demons, Julia once again has the opportunity to display her talents and salvage her reputation. Hannah (The Things We Do for Love, 2004, etc.) is at her best when writing from the girl’s perspective. The feral wolf-child keeps the reader interested long after the other, transparent characters have grown tiresome. Hannah’s torturously over-written romance passages are stale, but there are surprises in store as the sisters set about unearthing Alice’s past and creating a home for her.
Wacky plot keeps the pages turning and enduring schmaltzy romantic sequences.Pub Date: March 1, 2006
ISBN: 0-345-46752-3
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Ballantine
Review Posted Online: June 24, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2005
A sensitive and sincere tale told with Sachar’s inimitable wit.
This adult debut from Sachar, the singular children's book author, is a heartfelt fable about courage and love.
As Anatole—the titular magician—tells his story, he's speaking from the present day and describing events that happened 500 years ago. Tiger Castle is now a tourist destination, but in Anatole’s heyday, it was home to the king and queen of Esquaveta. As the court magician, Anatole was charged with ensuring that Princess Tullia went through with her marriage to Prince Dalrympl of Oxatania, a long-standing arrangement that was suddenly threatened when Tullia fell in love with Pito, the king’s young scribe. The queen told Anatole that if he could not convince Tullia to marry Dalrympl, she and the king would coerce their daughter into behaving. Anatole had known Tullia since she was born, and had a fatherly affection for her. He was desperate to protect the princess—as well as his own career. He decided to brew a potion that would make Pito and Tullia forget they ever knew each other, let alone loved each other, and readers will want to find out for themselves how that led to Anatole's unnaturally extended lifespan. Sachar’s wry, distinctive voice will remind grown-ups what made him such a success as a children's book author, and it translates perfectly into a book in which the middle-aged father figure is the focus, rather than the star-crossed young lovers. Sachar tells the comical story with the slight detachment of a fairy-tale narrator, focusing less on the fantasy elements than on the relationships among the characters, which are straightforward and touching. As Anatole tries to manage the youthful antics of Tullia and Pito, he grapples with more mature themes of loss, regret, and hope for the future.
A sensitive and sincere tale told with Sachar’s inimitable wit.Pub Date: Aug. 5, 2025
ISBN: 9780593952306
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Ace/Berkley
Review Posted Online: May 16, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2025
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