Where Darkness Lives [Mass Market Paperback]

ROBERT ROSS (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1, 2002

A cunningly-plotted, hypnotically suspenseful, and ultimately shocking dark psychological thriller in the bestselling tradition of John Saul's Nightshade. With the sure hand of a master, newcomer Robert Ross crafts an atmospheric and chilling tale that hurtles to a breathtaking and surprising crescendo. National bestselling author Wendy Corsi Staub hailed Where Darkness Lives as "Jane Eyre meets Burnt Offerings." And readers everywhere will agree that Ross gives an exciting and original new twist to this tale of classic gothic terror. One moment, Kate Colson is lonely and single. The next, she's the newlywed bride of a handsome financier who sweeps her off her feet. But when she delves into the murky past of her husband's eerie estate, she stumbles across a long-buried secret that will threaten her marriage - and her life.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Since Kate Colson was institutionalized at the age of 12 for claiming to see ghosts, she has learned to keep mum about her supernatural abilities. She certainly hasn't told her new hubby, handsome financier Russell Wright, whom she met and married in a matter of weeks. But when Russell's enigmatic twin sister returns from her travels in Europe and persuades him to visit his ailing Aunt in Wrightsbridge, his family's Connecticut estate, she fears she may have to come clean. Before leaving, spirits warn Kate and her friend Erik, a writer of books on the paranormal, that she should not enter "the house," but Kate, eager to connect with her husband and learn about his past, does anyway. It isn't long before she realizes that Russell's childhood home harbors many secrets and one very vengeful spirit. When Kate starts experiencing blackouts and growing physically weak, she finds herself struggling for more than just her sanity. Ross's debut borrows heavily from Jane Eyre and Psycho, but the familiarity of this tale won't keep readers from shivering at the chilling portrait the author paints of Wrightsbridge and Russell's childhood. The story's primary handicap is Kate, who is so blinded by love she often fails to see the obvious.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Review

"Chilling...eerie...I couldn't put it down." - Lisa Jackson, New York Times bestselling author of Cold Blooded; "The chills begin in the first chapter and foreboding builds with every eagerly turned page. Pure spine-tingling pleasure." - Wendy Corsi Staub, USA Today bestselling author; "A delightfully spooky read. Robert Ross will keep you guessing until the end - and then he'll surprise you!" - Tamara Thorne, author of Bad Things

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Pinnacle Books (June 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0786014814
• ISBN-13: 978-0786014811
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 3.8 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,487,206 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars good old-fashioned gothic ghost story, July 8, 2002

By 

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

This review is from: Where Darkness Lives (Mass Market Paperback)

Ever since Kate was a little girl, she saw ghosts but her parents never believed her and she finally learned to say nothing about the spirits who drifted in and out of her life.
When Russell came into the video store in New York City, it was a case of love at first sight. They married three months after they met but she never told him about her ghosts and he remained silent about his first wife.

Russell's twin sister Rosalind convinces him to move back to the family home in Wrightsbridge, Connecticut. When he broaches the plan to Kate, she eagerly agrees thinking that she will finally have a chance to write her novel. From the time they enter the door of Russell's ancestral home, he becomes distant and moody, a stranger to Kate. She believes the ghosts that inhabit the place are playing tricks with their minds. She intends to exorcise them, not realizing how powerful they are and that they mean her harm.

WHEN DARKNESS LIVES is a good old-fashioned gothic ghost story that is very scary. The audience really doesn't know if it is the ghosts or a human presence that is trying to hurt Kate. That makes the finale all the more satisfying. Robert Ross is the latest rising star in the horror galaxy. Bentley Little fans are going to love this book.

Harriet Klausner

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Talk about mind games, this takes the cake!!!!, August 24, 2003

By 

tweetykiss "Unpublished Writer......." (Chicago, IL USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Where Darkness Lives (Mass Market Paperback)

I hold Robert Ross personally responsible for me getting only three hours of sleep last night. This book is impossible to put down. The suspense rate is sky high. This is what I call a true mind meld.

I really love ghost stories. Poor Kate gets stuck in a countryside where she is unable to escape the evil forces that make her go crazy. Her husband, prince charming starts acting strange and nobody can figure out what is going on.

The only one on Kate's side is Erik, her best friend (an author on the paranormal) in New York. He has warned her from the beggining not to leave New York.

Kate's husband's late wife died under mysterious curcumstances. Then there are other parties involved who make Kate wonder 'Is she losing her sanity?' since there is a lot of lost time unaccounted for that Kate does not remember.

Also, the local townspeople don't accept Kate.

I will stop here as I feel the reader should find the answers for themselves.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Classic, melodramatic, gothic novel, June 11, 2003

By 

Me "tressab" (Redmond, WA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Where Darkness Lives (Mass Market Paperback)

I love the genre, so I am a little biased. It was fast, enjoyable read that I couldn't put down. I loved the setting and the plot ideas. True, it wasn't believable, but that is the nature of the gothic novel. I enjoyed the dramatic dialogue and I really like the ghosts.

But, I do have a couple of complaints. The plot was way to predictable. I kept turning the pages waiting for the twist, but I already knew all the secrets pretty much from the first third of the book. This didn't stop me from enjoying it though.

And the female character, Kate, really wasn't all that loveable.

To sum it up, if you love gothic ghost stories, it is a must read, but it is not the very best I have read.