Customer Reviews

Shades Of Night

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

 

 

This is a very good book with a HELL OF AN ENDING!! Hautala turns the tried-and-true ghost story into a different kind of story. He weaves a complex and interesting plot to a NEVER SEE IT COMING conclusion!!

Hautala would have gotten the highest honor, a 5-star rating, but the book moves slowly at times. However, it is still a very impressive novel any HORROR LOVER SHOULD HAVE!!! If you enjoy Hautala, ITS A MUST BUY!!! (No I didn't get paid to endorse it, it is just that damn good)

I think Hautala is underappreciated in the horror field, just look at his cult classic, Little Brothers. That was a great 5-star book! He has been on the best-seller list, but I am not aware of him having ever won a Stoker or award from HWA! If I am wrong, please email me at darren.jacks@blueshieldca.com

A fabulous writer!!

Rick Hautala never ceases to amaze me. Shades of Night is more than just a simple ghost stary, so much more. Hautala has the enviable gift of being able to place the reader in a shared intense emotional experience with his characters. The reader feels and fears for their plight. This is one of his best. An excellent book from an excellent writer. Recommended.

Lara DeSalvo wakes up one night and finds a strange woman standing at the foot of her bed. The woman beckons for her to follow. The incident frightens Lara, and she passes it off as a nightmare. When it keeps happening, she begins to suspect that someone is breaking into her house. By the end of the story, Lara will realize who this woman was, what she was trying to say, and the shocking secret her husband tried to hide. The plot was rich and tight, with several subplots weaving into it. However, I thought Lara was too whiny and passive. I would recommend it, though, to anyone who likes ghost stories.

A recent marriage, a dream home, but terror replaces romance. I was touched by this vulnerable woman, trying to understand herself and her marriage. The people and situations rang true and kept me enthralled, longing for a satisfying ending. And what an ending it was!

As with most Rick Hautala books, SHADES OF NIGHT suffers from being overly long and padded with redundant introspective narrative and a lack of sustained suspense. Although Hautala has good plotting, his excessiveness tends to diminish their impact.
In this rather tedious story, a young woman recently married finds herself stalked by a mysterious man; nightmares of an unknown woman beckoning her to a secret in her husband's cellar. A rocket scientist is not necessary to figure out what is going on, and the main character, Lara, becomes too whiny and self-pitying to become empathic with.
Labored and derivative, it's not one of Hautala's strongest entries.