Guardian Angels (Hardscrabble Books-Fiction of New England) [Paperback]

Joseph A. Citro (Author)

Book Description

Series: Hardscrabble Books-Fiction of New England | Publication Date: September 1, 1999

Joseph A. Citro takes us back to Antrim, Vermont, and the site of the ugliest event in the town's history. When Sheila Crockett moves in with her 15-year old son, Will, and her new husband, they believe they have found the perfect house. They quickly repair ruined walls and doors, and sand the bloodstained floors. But pain and polish fail to completely disguise the lingering horror of the house's
past. Will realizes things are not as safe as they seem: locked doors open and close by themselves, footsteps echo in empty rooms, and he senses he's being watched. He suspects the house is haunted, but soon realizes things are far worse. His family and everyone he knows begins to fall prey to unseen and menacing forces. Then the deaths begin.

When Eric Nolan, protagonist of Shadow Child, escapes from the local asylum and arrives in Antrim, Will and his family wonder if he will be their savior or the agent of their destruction. Events move relentlessly to a truly terrifying conclusion in this epic of mystery and supernatural suspense, first published in 1988.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

5 1/2 x 8 1/2 trim. LC 99-23470

About the Author

JOSEPH A. CITRO has written five novels on supernatural themes -- four of them based on actual New England history -- including Lake Monsters (1991 as Dark Twilight, UPNE 2001), The Gore (1990, UPNE 2000) and Shadow Child (1987, UPNE 1998). He is also author of Green Mountains, Dark Tales (UPNE 1999), The Vermont Ghost Guide (UPNE 2000), Passing Strange (1996), and Green Mountain Ghosts, Ghouls, and Unsolved Mysteries (1994). A popular lecturer and teacher, his commentaries are heard regularly on public radio.

Product Details

• Paperback: 358 pages
• Publisher: UPNE; 1st edition (September 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1584650028
• ISBN-13: 978-1584650027
• Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 5.5 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.9 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,409,867 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

BLOG: http://josephacitro.blogspot.com

Native Vermonter, novelist, and public radio commentator, Joseph A. Citro has done a lot to keep New England's history and folklore alive in the popular culture. His 14 books include five novels of suspense, four volumes of historical oddities, a collection of regional humor, three "eccentric" travel guides, and a co-edited book of essays.

His classic and best-selling Green Mountain Ghosts, Ghouls and Unsolved Mysteries (Houghton Mifflin 1994) was the most comprehensive collection of offbeat Vermont lore ever assembled; it has survived over 15 printings

It was supplemented by Passing Strange (1996), Green Mountains, Dark Tales (1999), The Vermont Ghost Guide (2000), and Curious New England (2003). His newest addition is a collection of crypto-creatures called The Vermont Monster Guide, named by Cryptomundo as one of the TOP 10 Cryptozoology books of 2009.

His first ebook, a collection of short fiction called NOT YET DEAD is now available.

Joe Citro's novels present a dark and mystical side of the Vermont experience. They include Shadow Child, Guardian Angels, The Gore, Lake Monsters and Deus-X.

Since 1992 his commentary series on public radio has featured Vermont and New England's best-loved ghosts, monsters, madmen, and mysteries.

Since becoming a professional writer in 1987, he has taught at local colleges, lectured widely, and appeared on regional and national radio and television. Two videos based on his work are now in production.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Enjoyable but..., April 28, 2003

By 

Dean C. Hernandez "deaner1971" (Columbus, Ohio United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Guardian Angels (Hardscrabble Books-Fiction of New England) (Paperback)

Mr. Citro never fails to entertain but, this is a case of not quite meeting the high standards set by his other books.

The story is good and the re-appearance of Eric Nolan (central character in Citro's previous book set in Antrim, Vermont: Shadow Child) makes readers of his previous book feel "in-the-know" and part of the story even more.

This story also brings back Citro's most frightening and malevolent antagonists: the Gentry. These are his best invention as it is so easy to picture their child-like laughter in the reader's head and it is amazing how the warming sound of children's laughter becomes so forbodding in this context.

However, Mr. Citro seems to have found it necessary to bestow upon the Gentry new and more unbelievable powers. That is the problem, they do become unbelievable. We accepted their limited (but fearsome) powers in Shadow Child but, with their added powers, any victory by the untrained and average citizens seems so far-fetched that readers may find themselves wondering how the Gentry could have lasted centuries to fall to this group of people.

Finally, on a prudish note. Mr. Citro's repeated descriptions of the thirteen year-old girl's (Mona Grant) developing body (described clothed, partially clothed, and nude during sex) made even me uncomfortable. I caught myself forgetting that he was describing a girl barely in her teens and when I remembered, I felt a bit on the dirty side. I see the point of these references and I do understand that there is a "coming of age" aspect to the book (especially as regards Mona and Will) but, it was still a bit gratuitous for me.

On the positive-side (and please, don't let my tendancy to "criticize first, and praise second" dissaude you from the overall enjoyment that is this book) Mr. Citro gets you to accept his characters quickly (ecpecially the returning characters of the Police Chief and Eric Nolan). Also, he completely immerses you into Antrim, Vermont and give return readers a welcome impression of returning to a favorite spot (given what occurred when last we saw Antrim in Shadow Child, this is an accomplishment). He does his usually wonderful job of conveying locales and moods as well as rapidly lighting a hatred of the Gentry that makes the reader more apt to allow hatred of the Gentry to bond the reader to the protagonists, regardless of their skeletons in the closet or seeming lack of a chance.

Read this book on a summer night when the windows are open and you can allow yourself to wonder, just for a second, if such things really do happen. If you're lucky, you'll scare yourself just a bit, if you are really lucky maybe a child will laugh within ear shot at just the right/wrong moment in the story.

Enjoy this book but, to truly appreciate Mr. Citro and HIS Vermont, read some of his other fictional work (especially Shadow Child).

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Spooky, October 28, 1999

By 

"bingsley" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Guardian Angels (Hardscrabble Books-Fiction of New England) (Paperback)

I had a hard time putting this book down because it was just so flat-out spooky. Granted, the premise is absurd, but if you want reality, watch the news. This is a great story that kept me up late into the night. While I'm not a big fan of teenagers as protagonists, this works fairly well b/c Citro treats him as a real person as opposed to a stereotype. If you like horror stories, you will love this.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars guardian angels, October 15, 2000

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Guardian Angels (Hardscrabble Books-Fiction of New England) (Paperback)

Great book by a really great author. I don not usually like sequels but this is the exception to the rule. The Gentrys are spooky and then you add a character like Joe Grant to the mix and it really makes it scary.