Legacy of Lies [Mass Market Paperback]

Elizabeth Chandler (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 3, 2000 | Series: Dark Secrets (Book 1)

Something is haunting Megan... She had seen Scarborough House only in her dreams. Now Megan was here, visiting the grandmother she'd never met, and her newfound cousin Matt, too handsome by far, who wanted her to disappear. Grandmother was so cold, so distant. Why did she finally reach out to Megan after all these years? And why was Matt so determined to call her his "almost" cousin? For all her prophetic dreams, nothing could have prepared Megan for Matt's astonishment when he first saw her...or the reaction of perfect strangers who looked at her with fascination -- and fear... Megan thought she knew who she was. Until she came to Grandmother's house. Until she met Matt, who angered and attracted her as no boy had ever done before. Then she began having dreams again, of a life she never lived, a love she never knew...a secret that threatened to drive her to the grave.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Launching the author's Dark Secrets series, this perkily paced if predictable tale centers on 16-year-old Megan, summoned to visit her grandmother in the sprawling Maryland house the family has owned for generations. Years before, the woman had disowned her daughter, Megan's adoptive mother, and this visit will be Megan's first meeting with her. Megan is shocked when she first drives up to the family homeAshe recognizes it from recurring dreams. Within, Grandmother is ill-tempered and unwelcoming, as is Matt, Megan's cousin, who has lived with Grandmother since his parents' difficult divorce. Chandler (At First Sight) lays on the plot's supernatural elements with a heavy hand: Megan hears that her grandmother's house is haunted, learns that she is the exact age at which Grandmother's sister and rival, Avril, mysteriously died andAone night after hearing a voice introducing itself as AvrilAsees an apparition of a girl in a mirror and then a vision of herself (or is it Avril?) lying in her bed, dead. The resolution of the plot, which involves reincarnation, may be sufficiently far-flung to put off some readers, but most are likely to find Chandler's easygoing yet tight writing style worth the journey out there. Ages 11-14. (Oct.) FYI: Elizabeth Chandler is the pen name of picture book author M.C. Helldorfer.
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Gr 6-9-Megan isn't looking forward to visiting her mother's mother, who has summoned her. Helen Barnes's coolness toward her granddaughter goes beyond the fact that Megan was adopted. As the days pass, strange dreams haunt the teen and give way to uncanny placements of household objects that had been removed or abandoned years ago. Megan struggles with many things: her physical attraction to her cousin; the feeling that she had lived in this forbidding house before; and the fact that her grandmother grows more hostile with each day. The girl's uneasiness bursts into fear as she discovers that she is destined to repeat the tragic incident that killed her grandmother's younger sister many years before. The author blends reality and the supernatural into an engaging suspense novel. Each character, both primary and supporting, continues to develop throughout the story, and the true murderer is not revealed until the end. Carefully drawn chapters bring readers into Megan's mystery and leave them satisfied at the end. A good choice for teens who enjoy a blend of mystery, suspense, romance, and the supernatural.-Jana R. Fine, Clearwater Public Library System, FL

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: Simon Pulse (October 3, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0743400283
• ISBN-13: 978-0743400282
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.2 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (30 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #566,675 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #11 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Teens > Literature & Fiction > Suspense
  • #51 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Teens > Mysteries

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Perfect Teen Mystery!, July 18, 2003

By 

C. Cornell "tennischic42" (PA, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Legacy of Lies (Mass Market Paperback)

After reading Legacy of Lies, the 1st book of the Dark Secrets series, I swore to myself that I would read all of the other books in the series. Why? Because this one was so, so good! It's all about Megan, an Arizona girl living with her mom, dad, and two brothers. Megan is adopted, and is convinced that since her father is African American that her old Grandmother wants absolutly NOTHING to do with her. But when she requests Megan come visit her for 2 weeks, Megan is quite shocked. As you read on, Megan must question her identity, try and figure out why items in the house are being moved from place to place, consider the connection between her and her great aunt Avril and her mysterious death, plus, try not to fall head over heels in love with her cousin, Matt. This book is a great mystery, with thrills, chills, and a little romance sprinkled through the chapters. This is a perfect book, and I myself look foward to reading the next books in the series!

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A spookily thrilling novel in a new series, January 31, 2002

By 

Erika Soeterik (Auckland, New Zealand) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Legacy of Lies (Mass Market Paperback)

Megan has never met her grandmother on her mother's side of the family - she has always been a distant figure. Now Megan is travelling to Scarborough House to spend some time with her. The house is old and creepy, as is her grandmother. Her cousin Matt takes an instant dislike to her and tries to get her to leave. The house has started the dreams again too - dreams of the house that she has never visited until now. Hidden in the past is a secret that will tear Megan apart - or give her a peace she never knew she craved.

This is one of the best books that I read in 2001. It is an incredible mix of fantasy, mystery, and thriller and will appeal to a wide range of tastes because of that mix. All of the characters are well written and draw you into their world. Some of the things that happened in this novel were down right creepy, and the twist at the end was rather unexpected. If you like this book then you have got to read the next one in this series.

If you like this book you should try reading Margaret Peterson Haddix and Nancy Werlin as they write somewhat similar books.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Dark Secrets #1: Legacy of Lies, July 3, 2004

By 

B.J. Vassallo (Munster, IN USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Legacy of Lies (Mass Market Paperback)

Megan had only seen Scarborough House in her dreams. Now she's here, meeting the grandmother she never met, and the cousin who doesn't consider Megan a real cousin. When Megan visits the grace of Avril Scarborough, who died the same age Megan is...she is frightened.
Megan asks for help. Her new friend just makes it worse. But then Megan starts having dreams of the past, ending up where her dreams left off.
60 years later...the truth of Avril's death is revealed. And it was someone no one even suspected.