Customer Reviews

Haunted!: A Paranormal Mystery

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

 

 

In Haunted, Darlene Wilson weaves a story filled with intrigue, excitement and danger. Grace Heathfield, a professional ghost hunter, accepts an assignment to clear a house which appears to be haunted. A family of three had been brutally murdered, so the records say, but the daughter's body had never been found. While working her case, Grace is often reminded of her daughter, Jenny Gray Eyes, who disappeared so many years ago.

Some of the chief characters are veterans of the Viet Nam war. They provide an aura of mystery laced with sinister undercurrents. Carter Stanton, owner of the local newspaper, takes a personal interest in Grace after she consults him about the murders. Eric Madigan, a disliked rival, appears in town hired by someone to investigate the haunting. As the story unfolds, Grace's involvement with the two men takes a startling turn.

Ms. Wilson has painted her characters with a bold brush, allowing them to draw the reader into their lives, thus moving the story along to its exciting conclusion.

I must agree with Sandy S. that this was a poorly written book. The book needed thorough editing and the author needs to be reminded that good fiction writing consists of showing, not telling. Furthermore, it doesn't feel like a mystery if you know who the killer is early on in the book.

I purchased this book because it covered a subject matter that I enjoy, but rarely find in fiction form. Unfortunately, although I think the author knows her ghost hunting, I think she forgot that the fun of a ghost story is in the ghosts. She had one or two creepy moments that I applauded her for, but I would have enjoyed more haunting. I realize that this might not depict a real or typical haunting, but this is fiction afterall.

Overall, if you really want to read this, I would suggest trying to find a copy you didn't have to pay for.

A suspenseful thriller, "Haunted" successfully sets forth the requisite elements of this genre-a brilliant pursuer of justice versus a mastermind murderer interwoven with romance, vivid descriptions, and engaging dialogue.

Mind games are played by ghost hunter Grace Heathfield and others as this middle-aged widow who lives alone pursues a psychic detective profession following the mysterious murder of her own husband and disappearance of their daughter, Jenny.

Several chief characters are Vietnam veterans, a factor very integral to the plot. "I knew a little about the horrors seen on active duty," heroine Grace relates on page 46, "these men carry their ghosts with them."

While I chose "Haunted" partly as vicarious escapism for this time of the year, author Wilson caused me to think, and to reflect on some elements that linger:

* The author's clearly profound personal insight into the workings of the human mind...

* Confronted with a real-life killer, clairvoyant Grace Heathfield's thought is "I wish I carried a gun, or maybe had a concealed weapons permit."...

* Effect of Vietnam War experience on minds and lives continuing over 30 years after...

I have added Darlene J. Wilson's "Haunted" to my collection of treasured books penned by Mensan authors.

In Haunted!, the author weaves a story filled with intrigue, excitement and danger. Grace Heathfield, A professional ghost hunter, accepts an assignment to clear a house which appears to be haunted. A family of three had been brutally murdered in the house, but the daughter's body had never been found. While working on the case, Grace is reminded of her own missing, kidnapped daughter, Jenny, who disappeared years ago.They provide mystery laced with sinister undercurrents. Carter, the local newspaper owner, begins to date Grace. And Eric, a disliked rival psychic, appears in town to also investigate the hauntings. As the story unfolds, Grace's involvement with the two men takes a startling turn.
The author has painted her characters with a bold brush, allowing them to draw you into their lives, and moving the living and the dead into an entertwined web with a startling conclusion that will keep you guessing.

Overall, this has the makings of a good ghost story, but it seems to have fallen flat. It is heavy on the melodramatics of the characters and inconsistent in their physical descriptions. Grace is first described as "auburn haired" with "milky skin" and firey green eyes". Later, Grace decribes herself as "plump" with "short brown and silver hair". Then there is "Elaine" who suddenly becomes "Sylvia" in the middle of chapter 3, then comes back as "Elaine " again in the midst of chapter 4! Add to that the run-on and incomplete sentences with erratic puntuation, and you have an annoying, distracting hodge podge that the proof reader and/or the editing person sholud have spotted and cleaned up. As another reviewer said, "a good beginning" but this lacks the polish and sparkle of Kay Hooper and Jayne Ann Krentz who Ms wilson appears to be trying to emulate.Sorry I wasted my $$$ on this disappointing book!

This small but entertaining novel is a good first effort for the author. It lacked depth and details which would have made it better but as a freshman effort its not so bad. You won't lose anything by reading it but it will not provide the thrills and chills you may have hoped for.

I hate to be the first person to give this book a negative review, but I thought it was reallllly badly written. The characters are all two dimensional, and the writer gives away the murderer early on in the book. Also, who edited this book? A woman named Elaine hires the heroine, but later in the book they refer to her as Sylvia, then back to Elaine. I found myself going back to the beginning trying to figure out who Sylvia was. She didn't exist. One reviewer states this book is written by a Mensan. She may be a genius, but she can't write.

I agree with a previous reviewer, this was a poorly edited book.. Who the heck is Sylvia? That was so jaring, I read about one character who hired the protagonist, and then mid book the character's name changes. I could never get into the book after that. If the writer cannot keep up with the name of the characters in her book, and the book is only 181 pages, there is a problem. The subplot of the missing daughter was never clarified either. Did the daughter run away or was she kidnapped? Over all a very poorly written book, which is a shame, because the premise could have been excellent.