Customer Reviews

The Crying Child

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Barbara Michaels is the high priestess of the mystery/ghost story genre, with her restrained spookiness and sense of atmosphere.

The book takes place when a young struggling artist visits her wealthy sister and brother-in-law. Jo's sister Mary just had a third miscarriage, and the loss of her baby is affecting her mentally - she's clinging to the idea of a child out in the woods, who is crying for her and begging for her help. Jo begins to wonder if Mary really is crazy -- but then she hears the crying too.

Jo teams up with her brother in law Ran, and the handsome (but woman-wary) doctor Will Graham, to find out what the crying is. But when the ghostly apparition of a beautiful, sad woman appears, Jo begins to dig into the past of Ran's family, and discovers a web of lies, murder, and terror centering on a lost child...

Quite honestly I had difficulty sleeping after reading this novel -- the climax is intense and terrifying, as is the revelation of who committed those murders. There were plenty of suspects, but at the same time no one would suspect the guilty party.

Jo is an excellent heroine: smart, wry, brave, and loyal to her sister, who is a rather nebulous presence once it's discovered that, while unstable, she's not totally delusional. I thought Ran was something of a controlling fink, but he was very human in his flaws and strong points (loves his wife, wants a child, etc). I disliked Will initially, because of his rather hostile stance toward women, but began to warm to him as the novel progressed.

A delightful ghost story/mystery. Just don't read it after dark!

I'll have to admit out of all Barbara Micheals' books that I have read so this one is the most chilling/scary one I have ever read. When you start reading it. It seems a bit slow at first but gets better because you can almost feel that erie coldness and chill down your spine. It a while to walk off the feeling of uneasiness after reading the book even after I read a second time. I recommend this book to all fans of Barbara Micheals and those that love books that send chills to your bones.

A genuine ghost story which made for an entertaining read. Often Michaels opts for a more logical conclusion leaving the supernatural events to be explained by a nefarious slight of hand by one of the characters. In this book the ending is as gothic as the house in which the story takes place.

I found this to be a very chilling tale. I couldn't put this book down and I look forward to reading other titles by Mrs. Michaels. The suspense is amazing as you find there are more than plenty of suspects, but that you never suspected the actual evil doer.

A big house and a cliff. A mysterious child crying, a locked door leading to a nursery in a tower. A cemetery in the woods. A mysterious gravestone. Someone out there, in the dark, on the lawn...proceed with caution as the author guides you, the reader, to each of these points of interest.

I enjoyed this book, and am looking to see what others by Barbara Michaels I haven't read. I like the way her books keep me up late at night, and looking forward to picking up her book again in the morning.

I don't know what it is about this book. I fell in love with it the very first time I read it, at least 20 years ago. I've borrowed it from my library at least once a year ever since, and finally got enough sense to buy my own copy. It haunts you, and the more often you read it, the more details you notice. It's one of the few books I return to over and over.

This is deft suspense writing -- really atmospheric, with a well-wrought plot that still reads well despite a couple of dated cultural references here and there.

Michaels' heroine is down-to-earth and skeptical, and it's compelling to read the ways in which the supernatural goings-on begin to prey on her nerves despite her best efforts.

The gradual unpeeling of an old family's well-kept secrets is paced just right, with lots of twists and turns but no red herrings. A real keeper.

The Crying Child may be one of the best "edge of your seat" novels I have read in a long time. The story tells of a woman who hears a young child crying in the night. The suspense and detail in which the author describes the scenes is enough to send chills running up your spine. This novel will have you turning pages faster than you ever thought your hand could move, while you are anxiously awaiting what will happen next. I definitely recommend this book to anyone who loves a good mystery. It will keep you awake at night!

I've read LOTS of mysteries by this author under her pseudonym 'Elizabeth Peters' but am just getting to know her 'Barbara Michaels' books. This is the first modern day with supernatural occurrences book I've read of hers. I enjoy the way she handled it, with the characters rationally trying to explain what is happening; poor Mary is hearing and seeing things because she can't accept her miscarriage. But when they realize they all can hear the baby crying in the woods, and that it has gone on for over 30 years, they have to accept that Mary isn't crazy and what is happening is real, but not of this time...

Supernatural fiction is one of my favorite genres, especially those that are focused on hauntings and ghosts. I have read many such fiction over the years, and Barbara Michael's "The Crying Child" is one of my all-time favorites. I actually read this book years ago, and then recently watched a LMN screening of the tele-movie and decided to re-read the book. It is as chilling and atmospheric as I remembered it.

The story centers on a couple who are grief-stricken due to the loss of their child in a miscarriage. Mary and Ran then go to an island retreat off the Maine coast, living in a sprawling house. Jo, Mary's sister joins them and initially fears for her sister's sanity as Mary keeps talking about hearing a baby's cries, but then Jo herself hears the cries and tries to figure out the mystery of the 'crying child'.

Jo together with Ran and the island doctor, Will try to solve the mystery, but then Jo unearths some unsettling facts about Ran's family history that is permeated with deceit, murder etc.

The story moves along at a good pace. It is atmospheric and creepy and is one of the few supernatural thrillers that I like to re-read. Some of the other titles that I would recommend in the genre are "Naomi's Room" by British horror master Jonathan Aycliffe, "The Dwelling" by Susie Moloney and "The Seance" by John Harwood.