Vacant Spaces [Paperback]

Mark Andrew Ware (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 2002

A SHADOWED PAST...

Ashley Malone’s life has always been masked in shadows. First came the "mysterious illness" that threw her into a coma. When she woke, she was pregnant and everything changed.

A MYSTERIOUS LETTER...

Now, Ashley and her autistic son have found refuge in a small house owned by the Catholic Church, seemingly safe from the clutches of evil that haunt Ashley’s dreams, from the nightmarish events that teeter at the edge of her memory. Then the mysterious envelope arrives, inside a newspaper article; Ashley’s lifelong friend, Susan, is missing in New York, the possible victim of a sadistic killer! But what can Ashley do? The Church just sold her house, she has to leave her safe haven!

RESIDENTS WITH SOMETHING TO HIDE...

Mrs. Winthrop, the kindly old landlady of Susan’s brownstone makes the offer; come to New York, live in Susan’s apartment, and try to find out what happened to her friend! Now Ashley Malone is living Susan’s life, hearing the strange noises in the attic that Susan heard, and soon realizes her friend was the victim of something more diabolical, something that lived and breathed in the old brownstone!

A TRUTH TOO HORRIFYING TO BELIEVE...

The closer Ashley gets to the truth, the more that is revealed about the evil secrets of the residents in the brownstone and the key to her own diabolical past. From things that lurk in the shadows of the attic, to the sounds of dripping blood in the basement, Ashley realizes that this building houses something unearthly, and that if she’s living Susan’s life...then she may suffer Susan’s fate!

--This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"An author to be reckoned with!", "Vacant Spaces is this years spinetingler!" -- New York Book Press

"Riveting", "Modern gothic at its terrifying best!" -- Southern Book Review

Vacant Spaces has caught us in its web! Mark Andrew Ware's got us hooked. -- BookConnectionPlus Book Distributors --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

About the Author

Mark Ware was born in the small southern town of Dalton, Ga. where he developed a love for the things that go bump in the night. Now a resident of Chattanooga, Tn. he implements southern folklore and urban legends with the deeply rooted religous beleifs of the region to create terrifying tales of the supernatural! --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 308 pages
• Publisher: 1stBooks Library (November 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1403378886
• ISBN-13: 978-1403378880
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #10,136,389 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Well written, well worth the time, August 28, 2003

By 

Larry D Brooks (West Linn, Oregon United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Vacant Spaces (Paperback)

I add my review to this strange mix (five reviews from one enthusiastic reviewer, the rest either 5 stars or 1 star, no middle ground) with a ting of guilt (the author and I exchanged books months ago), and though Mark hasn't reviewed mine on line yet, I'm happy to report that I really liked his style. So much of the genre is lit-lite stuff, without a "voice," and Ware defies the norm with a demonstration of true talent.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars 'Vacant Spaces has everything that makes a good horror novel, June 10, 2003

By 

Jasper P. Morgan (Germany) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Vacant Spaces (Hardcover)

'Vacant Spaces has everything that makes a good horror novel'
Review of VACANT SPACES by Mark Andrew Ware: A teenage girl, brutally raped under her parents' eyes to prepare her for future purposes so hideous, a sane mind couldn't imagine them. A young mother rushing to the aide of a long lost friend and plunging head first into a maelstrom of terrible past and evil present. An autistic little boy finding himself in the clutches of diabolical powers, and only one person can save him - his mother who is tangled in a carefully spun web that makes her the perfect bait for the spider called Evil... Vacant Spaces has everything that makes a good horror novel: Threatening, gloomy atmosphere, shadows lurking in attic and basement of an old New York brownstone, creaking wooden stairs and mysterious occurrences, sinister characters and diabolical, cunning minds who will do anything to reach their terrifying goal. The author, Mark Andrew Ware, throws his readers right into the center of a swirling vortex of terror when he has them witness the brutal rape of a teenage girl. From there, he develops a fast paced story filled with an atmosphere of hair raising terror and suspense and pushes his readers towards a climax that has them bite their nails. Mark Andrew Ware is a talented writer who has the rare gift to grip his readers with the first few pages and make them continue reading to find out how the story ends. Vacant Spaces, his debut novel, is one of those rare books that keep you reading without wanting to skip chapters to read the end first. A horror novel that should be read in candlelight or in the light of a bedside lamp. A novel that sends shivers up and down your spine. And most of all, a novel that will make you want to read more stories by Mark Andrew Ware. Vacant Spaces is definitely not a book to just fill a vacant space in your book shelf. It's more. It's a must to be read. Reviewed by Jasper P. Morgan. Jasper P. Morgan lives in Germany. He's written close to a hundred western and horror novels published in Germany and is presently working on his first horror movie screen play and a screen play for a German horror/mystery television series. --------------------------------------

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Impressive and worth the read..., February 20, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Vacant Spaces (Paperback)

This book's plot and story line is so subtle, so easy going that when you realize that it's not just a mystery but a horrifying journey into one woman's phsyce, it's too late, you're hooked. At first look you would say it's a good mystery, then, no a great horror, but what Vacant Spaces really is is a psychological thriller. Even the main character is not sure if what she is experiancing is real or a figment of her imagination...you be the judge.