Carriage House [Mass Market Paperback]

Carla Neggers (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 1, 2001

Delighted with her purchase of a run-down, nineteenth-century carriage house on Boston's North Shore, graphic designer Tess Haviland stumbles upon a skeleton inside the basement wall, a body that mysteriously vanishes when she brings her neighbor, Andrew Thorne, over to see it.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Brimming with Neggers's (The Waterfall) usual flair for creating likeable, believable characters and her keen recognition of the obstacles that can muddle relationships, this suspenseful modern-day tale is delightfully populated with 19th-century ghosts. When Tess accepts a rundown house by the sea in lieu of payment for a design job, she never expects a skeleton buried in the cellar and the handsome, taciturn widower next door to be part of the package. But the skeleton vanishes before anyone else sees it, throwing doubt on Tess's claims and throwing her into a panic, as the stealing of the skeleton likely points to murder. This also puts a damper on her unsought, but irresistible, romance with neighbor Andrew. Neggers seasons her people with warm, genuine details that give everyone, even the most secondary characters, a depth and quirkiness unusual in a genre that relies too often on stereotypes to fill out the cast. Tess's frequent references to her mother's death from cancer when Tess was a child seem an awkward and a heavy-handed way to give the heroine some baggage, but Tess and Andrew's magnetic dance toward each other and the tense drama surrounding the identity of the missing skeleton engage the reader instantly. Neggers delivers a colorful, well-spun story that shines with sincere emotion among a field overstocked with contemporaries that rely on lots of flashy passion but little soul. (Feb.)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

"Neggers delivers a colorful, well-spun story that shines with sincere emotion."
-- Publishers Weekly (Publisher's Weekly ) --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Mira (February 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1551667908
• ISBN-13: 978-1551667904
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.3 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,080,404 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Carla Neggers is the New York Times bestselling author of more than 60 novels, including SAINT'S GATE, the first in her new Sharpe & Donovan series, and SECRETS OF THE LOST SUMMER. Her work has been translated into two dozen languages. Carla is a founding member of the New England Chapter of Romance Writers of America and has served as president of Novelists, Inc. and vice president of International Thriller Writers.

Born and raised in western Massachusetts, Carla started writing at age eleven, when she'd climb a tree with pad and pen and perch on her favorite branch to spin stores. When she isn't writing, she enjoys kayaking, hiking, cross-country skiing and traveling. Carla and her husband, Joe Jewell, live on a hilltop in Vermont, not far from picturesque Quechee Gorge.

For more information and to contact Carla, visit her Web site: www.CarlaNeggers.com. You can also find her on Facebook at www.facebook.com/carlaneggers or on Twitter at www.twitter.com/carlaneggers.

Photo credit: Julie Ireland

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Ghost, skeletons and a "hottie" next door!, March 12, 2001

By 

Kay Lewis - See all my reviews

This review is from: Carriage House (Mass Market Paperback)

What more could a woman ask for? Actually, when Tess Haviland is handed a deed instead of a check for payment of design work she does for a rich, arrogant, disliked client in the form of a run-down, lakeshore home, she's unprepared for more then fixing up an old carriage house. What she gets is a historical house with an interesting background and next door neighbors that consist of a Adam, a handsome widower with a 6 year old enchanting daughter, and Harl, the Vietnam vet and former police officer with a crusty exterior that hides a marshmellow heart. Those are the pluses. On the minus side, she has rumors of ghost in her house and a skeleton that is here one minute and gone the next in her cellar.

Ms. Neggers weaves a story of mystery and suspense around the compelling characters she writes about. The outcome was fairly predictable, but an interesting read from start to finish. I loved this book!

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Good story, mystery, characters, and great read!, February 1, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Carriage House (Mass Market Paperback)

Carla Neggers is one of my favorite authors. She makes you feel like you belong with her characters, in their lives, loves and mysteries. This one reminds me alot of Finding You. The leading characters, Tess & Andrew develop quickly, are attached to the supporting members of their families, and have to solve a mystery. I like it best because you concentrate on the people involved, not worrying about "who done it" because you usually figure it out early on in the book. And, of course, I love the happy endings... I highly recommend all of her books, but love the New England one's (which most of them are) the best.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another winner for Carla Neggers, January 28, 2001

By 

"ctbookbabe" (Connecticut) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Carriage House (Mass Market Paperback)

I love a fast-paced, well-written romance with believable, engaging characters, humor and an engrossing plot, and Carla Neggers' latest kept me reading way past my bedtime. The emphasis here isn't on guess-who-dunnit nail-biting suspense, but compelling characters who draw you into their world. Graphic artist Tess Haviland is a strong-willed heroine more than a match for sexy, independent Andrew Thorne. His daughter, six-year old Princess Dolly, is a scene-stealer, and her unconventional babysitter, Harl, kept me chuckling. Even the charismatic, narcissistic Ike, who's disappeared and is seen only through others' eyes, is vivid and well-drawn. Every character also suffers a loss. Tess lost her mother to cancer, and Andrew his wife--and Dolly's mother--to an avalanche. Harl lost his innocence in Vietnam. This adds depth and poignancy to the story. Carla Neggers scores again.