House of Shadows [Paperback]

Susan Bowden (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1, 2003

Susan Bowden just gets better and better and she proves it with her new novel about a beautiful photographer who ventures to Barbados-only to discover hidden family secrets, deadly desire, and a murderous past entombed in an isolated plantation.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

At the opening of her photography show in a Toronto gallery, Vivien Shaw receives an intriguing offer from a member of the Barbados consulate: he invites her to come to Barbados to collaborate with a local author on a book about the island. When Vivien arrives and meets the author, he bluntly tells her that a white woman is not the right person for him to work with. But he relents, and Vivien sets out to learn about the island and decides to stay in a native establishment rather than a fancy resort. She picks Peverill Hall, a rundown B and B. Everyone warns her to stay away, but Vivien is struck by the oddity of the inhabitants, researches the house, and discovers that a gruesome murder occurred there 50 years ago. Although the owners are strange and somewhat menacing, she finds the house itself welcoming until inexplicable and bizarre accidents begin to happen. A brooding atmosphere, tragic history, and mysterious connections combine to make this a captivating story. Patty Engelmann
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Product Details

• Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: Signet (April 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0451208331
• ISBN-13: 978-0451208330
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.2 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.9 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,594,374 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars delightful tour of Barbados, April 14, 2003

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
(#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: House of Shadows (Paperback)

During a successful showing of her photographs depicting her home country of Canada, Wesley Marshall of Barbados Consulate offers artist Vivien Shaw a job. He wants her to come to his island home to collaborate with a renowned local writer, whose name he refuses to provide at this time, on a book about the island. Vivien says she does not do coffee table books and needs to know who is writing the captions before agreeing. Wesley persuades her to come to Barbados, expenses paid for, to make her final decision.

In Barbados at a party thrown by Wesley and his wife, Vivien meets the writer David Moreton who dismisses her for being too white to write about Barbados. While being driven around by a local hired by Wesley, Vivian sees Peverill House. She forces her reluctant driver to stop and decides to stay there for now. Soon, David escorts Vivien around the island and the two surprisingly hit it off. However, Vivien will learn the hard way why no one wanted her to stay at Peverill House where tragedy impacted her family years ago though she never knew she had some Barbados roots.

HOUSE OF SHADOWS provides the audience a delightful tour of Barbados rarely seen in a novel, a guidebook, or by a tourist. The conflict between the two lead artists is filled with tension from their attraction as much as from their disagreement over the book. The suspense subplot adds well written conflict with a twist, but takes away from the prime theme of the beauty of the island seen through two apparently differing sets of eyes.

Harriet Klausner

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Start this book early in the day!, May 18, 2003

By 

Robert Carr "rmcarr" (Canada) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: House of Shadows (Paperback)

Warning to the uninitiated- you will not put this book down so begin your venture early in the morning. This is a suspense-filled romance that is Bowden at her best. The plot is unpredictable and the character development leaves the reader feeling they know all there is to know about each and every one the intriguing 'family' members. Though the ending bears some resemblance to several of Bowden's earlier books, the twists and turns set this novel apart. For those who are reading Bowden for the first time, House of Shadows will leave you racing to the bookstore (or Amazon!) to fetch earlier works by this super-talented author.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Suspenseful, romantic, surprising - perfect combination!, August 10, 2003

By 

Claudia Papalia (Ontario, Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: House of Shadows (Paperback)

Bowden provides just the right amount of all of the elements that make a book a good one. Conflict, suspense, plot twists, and realistic characters all make this novel a great read, one that you won't want to put down!