House of Many Shadows [Mass Market Paperback]

Barbara Michaels (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: 1978

Meg Rittenhouse fears she is losing her mind. The doctors tell her the strange and disturbing hallucinations she's been experiencing ever since her accident are all in her head, and that, with a little rest, the haunting visions will vanish. But accepting an invitation to stay with her cousin in the country may be the worst decision Meg has ever made. Here, in a remote old house miles from anywhere, the terrible sights and sounds have gotten even worse. Suddenly eerie black shapes dance in the shadows-mocking Meg, haunting her . . . threatening her. And the presence of kind, considerate Andy Brenner, the caretaker, both reassures her and terrifies her-because Andy also sees these dark specters . . .

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback
• Publisher: Ballantine Publishing Group (1978)
• ISBN-10: 0449237206
• ISBN-13: 978-0449237205
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.2 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

34 of 35 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Chilling---wonderful for a cold winter's night, April 9, 2003

By 

A. Lord "georgianlover" (Washington DC) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: House of Many Shadows (Hardcover)

I have read and re-read this book countless times---and I still find myself needing to check under the bed after reading it!

At the urging of her bossy cousin, Sylvia, Meg moves in to an old Pennsylvania farm house which Sylvia owns. On the surface, Meg is there to recuperate from an accident but Sylvia has also persuaded her to help restore the house so it can be donated to the local historical society. Andy, Sylvia's adult stepson, has also been enlisted to help in the restoration.

Since her accident, Meg has suffered from auditory hallucinations...but while at the farmhouse, Meg suddenly begins to experience visual hallucinations. At first, she dismisses them as the result of her accident but when it becomes clear that Andy is seeing the same "hallucinations" both Andy and Meg are forced to acknowledge the unthinkable---the house is haunted.

Barbara Michaels is an incredibly gifted writer of suspense/ghost stories. She combines the ordinary with the extraordinary---most of her heroines are skeptics which make their experiences with the supernatural even more chilling. You know that these are not the fanciful people who would see ghosts wherever they are. In fact, these are the people who will deny the ghost's existence until the last possible moment.

As an historian, I love the research Michaels puts into her books (and she makes it seem effortless!). She does an incredible job recreating the past and providing you with wonderful tidbits of historical information---all without hectoring or lecturing you!

Buy this book---but make sure that there aren't any impending power outages when you sit down to read it because you'll want to keep the lights burning for at least a week after you've read this!

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars This book does not disappoint!, June 13, 1998

By 

[e-mail] (California) - See all my reviews

This review is from: House of Many Shadows (Paperback)

"House of Many Shadows" has to be one of the best stories written by Ms. Michaels. Mystery and suspense are wonderfully combined in this tautly woven tale of alchemy, danger, and romance. Meg, Andy, and this story will stay with you for years to come.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars House of Many Shadows, August 3, 2001

By 

Larue Wunderlich "Laura" (NE USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: House of Many Shadows (Paperback)

My all time favorite Barbara Michaels novel. Although I read it many, many years ago, it's one of the few that has stayed in my memory bank. It is the one that has kept me searching through the library, used books stores and e-books lists with hopes of finding more. I've read most of her other pseudonyms as well, but this is the one that touches on most of her contemporary themes with a dash of the gothic as well. If Michaels is a new author to you, this is the one I would start with.