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Marcie and Amanda Mysteries #1
The Crying Girl
As editor of a popular magazine that spotlights offbeat New England attractions, Amanda Vickers is intrigued by a call from an old college professor about a haunted New Hampshire inn. When she later hears that the woman has died under mysterious circumstances in the basement of this mysterious Shadsborough Inn, Amanda and her associate Marcie decide to investigate.
It seems the inn recently acquired a resident ghost—a crying girl, whose sobs can be heard late at night. Getting to know the locals, Amanda suspects there's a connection between this supposed apparition and a missing teenager. She's not sure if the teen is dead or alive, but Amanda is convinced there's something very dark and dangerous happening in this picturesque White Mountain town. But as she gets closer to exposing the truth about the old inn and its secrets, she fears she's walked straight into a killer's trap…without a ghost of a chance for escape.
It seems the inn recently acquired a resident ghost—a crying girl, whose sobs can be heard late at night. Getting to know the locals, Amanda suspects there's a connection between this supposed apparition and a missing teenager. She's not sure if the teen is dead or alive, but Amanda is convinced there's something very dark and dangerous happening in this picturesque White Mountain town. But as she gets closer to exposing the truth about the old inn and its secrets, she fears she's walked straight into a killer's trap…without a ghost of a chance for escape.
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First published January 1, 2007
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About the author
Glen Ebisch
120 books110 followersGlen Albert Ebisch lives with his wife in western Massachusetts. His interests include philosophy, yoga, and reading mysteries..
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 41 reviews
January 31, 2015
"The Crying Girl" is a spellbinding mystery set in an old New England town dating back to the early 19th century: and is authored by prolific novelist Glen Ebisch; who received his PhD in philosophy from Colombia University. He resides in Massachusetts with his wife.
Amanda Vickers, the editor of the magazine Roaming New England and her associate editor Marcie Ducasse travel to a small town in New Hampshire, to investigate the mysterious death of retired Professor Hazel Wilmont for a possible magazine feature article. Wilmont, (a friend/former instructor of Vickers) fell to her death in the Shadsborough Inn, while checking on a possible paranormal occurrence which a young girl was reportedly heard crying from inside the abandoned boarded up Inn.
The Inn was owned for two generations by the Phelps family, and was origionally built in the early 1800's. John Phelps was outraged and angry Professor Wilmont had died while trespassing on his property! He didn't have the necessary funds for restoration, was disabled with poor health, yet firmly refused to sell to developers. He warned Amanda and Marcie to stay off his property, and other townspeople didn't appreciate the two women outsiders snooping around and asking questions. Both women felt they were being watched. A young teenage girl, Anne Martin was also missing!
The women knew they had a sensational story for the magazine! What had happened to Professor Wilmont, was the alleged fall an accident or something more sinister? What about the story of the crying girl, and mysterious disappearance of Anne Martin? As determined as they were to find answers, there seemed to be an evil darker force they confronted while breaking into the Inn late at night. I enjoyed this mystery read, the ending wasn't overdone and could have possibly happened. Also love the great book cover art!
Amanda Vickers, the editor of the magazine Roaming New England and her associate editor Marcie Ducasse travel to a small town in New Hampshire, to investigate the mysterious death of retired Professor Hazel Wilmont for a possible magazine feature article. Wilmont, (a friend/former instructor of Vickers) fell to her death in the Shadsborough Inn, while checking on a possible paranormal occurrence which a young girl was reportedly heard crying from inside the abandoned boarded up Inn.
The Inn was owned for two generations by the Phelps family, and was origionally built in the early 1800's. John Phelps was outraged and angry Professor Wilmont had died while trespassing on his property! He didn't have the necessary funds for restoration, was disabled with poor health, yet firmly refused to sell to developers. He warned Amanda and Marcie to stay off his property, and other townspeople didn't appreciate the two women outsiders snooping around and asking questions. Both women felt they were being watched. A young teenage girl, Anne Martin was also missing!
The women knew they had a sensational story for the magazine! What had happened to Professor Wilmont, was the alleged fall an accident or something more sinister? What about the story of the crying girl, and mysterious disappearance of Anne Martin? As determined as they were to find answers, there seemed to be an evil darker force they confronted while breaking into the Inn late at night. I enjoyed this mystery read, the ending wasn't overdone and could have possibly happened. Also love the great book cover art!
July 2, 2020
If you want a book with likeable characters, a pretty good mystery, and just a easy book to curl up with, this is it. It was a easy read but so enjoyable. Sometimes that is want we readers need.
September 15, 2013
The story was short for a novel, and probably could have been shorter, the story didn't really start picking up a full head of steam until about 2/3rds through. But it was a quick and enjoyable read. I felt a little bit like I was reading a Nancy Drew mystery or expected Scooby Doo and the gang to show up.
But that actually wasn't a detraction from it, it made it a charming story, especially when the story could have been so much darker and meaner. The characters were decently fleshed out, although the main protagonists perception of the secondary protagonist seems rather inaccurate. The way Amanda kept describing Marcie didn't really seem to match up with the things Marcie says or the things she does.
That being said, the dialogue worked well, it was probably the best part of the book, nothing felt particularly forced.
The biggest problem I would say is in editing, there were frequent misspellings or words that would have been missed by a spell check because they were technically spelled correctly, but were the wrong word for the context of the sentence.
I probably wouldn't have paid full price for this as a printed book, but for the Kindle Daily Deal price, it was well worth the money.
But that actually wasn't a detraction from it, it made it a charming story, especially when the story could have been so much darker and meaner. The characters were decently fleshed out, although the main protagonists perception of the secondary protagonist seems rather inaccurate. The way Amanda kept describing Marcie didn't really seem to match up with the things Marcie says or the things she does.
That being said, the dialogue worked well, it was probably the best part of the book, nothing felt particularly forced.
The biggest problem I would say is in editing, there were frequent misspellings or words that would have been missed by a spell check because they were technically spelled correctly, but were the wrong word for the context of the sentence.
I probably wouldn't have paid full price for this as a printed book, but for the Kindle Daily Deal price, it was well worth the money.
March 19, 2014
Definitely a light read. More than once, I felt like the plot was something that could have been a Scooby-Doo episode. At least the writing was very good (the prose itself, I mean).
February 3, 2021
A very light, short, and enjoyable read. Only took me about 1.5 hours to finish as it was so short. Very slow paced at the beginning but picked up about 5 or so chapters in.
Pleasantly written and easy to follow. Classic story of haunted house? Or something more sinister lurking in the town?
Pleasantly written and easy to follow. Classic story of haunted house? Or something more sinister lurking in the town?
July 27, 2017
Nancy Drew
This was simply an okay, easy reading, simple book. Very Nancy Drew-like. It did help me go to sleep, though!
This was simply an okay, easy reading, simple book. Very Nancy Drew-like. It did help me go to sleep, though!
April 11, 2018
Very good read
I really enjoyed this story, although it just felt a little long in spots!! It was a wonderful story and I recommend you give it a chance!
I really enjoyed this story, although it just felt a little long in spots!! It was a wonderful story and I recommend you give it a chance!
June 6, 2018
Enjoyable
It was an enjoyable book to read. It reminded me of the Nancy Drew mysteries I used to read in middle school.
It was an enjoyable book to read. It reminded me of the Nancy Drew mysteries I used to read in middle school.
February 19, 2019
Quick read
I really liked this book. The fact that it was a quick and good read was even better. Good murder mystery in a concise 200 pages.
I really liked this book. The fact that it was a quick and good read was even better. Good murder mystery in a concise 200 pages.
July 17, 2019
This was a decent mystery novel. It felt Scooby-doo or Nancy Drew-esque. It was a quick, easy read.
March 7, 2024
Very Scooby Doo-esque.
December 28, 2014
Since I don't normally write reviews unless I have something specific to say, here's the break down of how I rate my books...
1 star... This book was bad, so bad I may have given up and skipped to the end. I will avoid this author like the plague in the future.
2 stars... This book was not very good, and I won't be reading any more from the author.
3 stars... This book was ok, but I won't go out of my way to read more, But if I find another book by the author for under a dollar I'd pick it up.
4 stars... I really enjoyed this book and will definitely be on the look out to pick up more from the series/author.
5 stars... I loved this book! It has earned a permanent home in my collection and I'll be picking up the rest of the series and other books from the author ASAP.
July 30, 2008
An pleasant read from Avalon Books... Amanda and Marcie are interesting characters. Is the house haunted? Did Professor Wilmot fall or was she pushed? What is her son doing? And is that inn really haunted?
Amanda doesn't think so and neither do we.
A good book to read in an evening. Amanda and Marcie are making another appearance in Grave Justice... will it be as good? Let's wait and see...
Amanda doesn't think so and neither do we.
A good book to read in an evening. Amanda and Marcie are making another appearance in Grave Justice... will it be as good? Let's wait and see...
September 5, 2015
3.5 stars. A short and full packed mystery to keep you on your toes when you're on the go. Avalon mysteries are good for that. In this mystery, we are on the hunt to find out if an Inn is really haunted by a ghost or if there is a murderer out there. We discover the many characters of the small town and their motives. Is there a curse on the Inn? A very fun read that gets straight to the point and doesn't lag.
April 3, 2016
Sigh..... yeah...... I should have just stopped reading this 5 pages in. It just didn't work for me. The story was contradictory and all together frustrating. It made no sense and some of the leaps in logic were truly amazing. I could have looked past a lot of that if only they had offered a satisfactory ending. Instead we got something out of left field that made me want to just erase the time spent on ONE word of this novel. Sigh.... oh well.
August 31, 2016
Very good way to pass the time
I only gave this book a three rating because it wasn't thrilling. It was a very nice way to get through the hot, humid summer days. I would recommend The Crying Girl to readers who want to pass the time while waiting for an appointment or who ride mass transportation. A well-rounded, quiet read.
I only gave this book a three rating because it wasn't thrilling. It was a very nice way to get through the hot, humid summer days. I would recommend The Crying Girl to readers who want to pass the time while waiting for an appointment or who ride mass transportation. A well-rounded, quiet read.
July 2, 2009
A simple mystery with a hint of the paranormal, The Crying Girl is a great read. The characters are real to life and the plot is refreshingly realistic. Another one to check out by this author is Grave Justice.
April 3, 2016
I think I'm the only sapsucker that gave Grave Justice four stars, grammar and typos and all. Saw one or two typos in this one, but I really like the characters, subject matter and location. So I'm a sapsucker. So what.
July 2, 2014
When I was in fifth grade, my class had to write mystery stories. I think some of those were better than this book. This is formulaic tripe. I didn't like any of the characters; they were all one-dimensional with no personality. There are far, far better mystery novels out there.
June 15, 2009
Glen Ebisch was one of my favorite professors in college!
November 27, 2011
Formulaic, poor character development, unlikeable characters. I was actually hoping that the ghost would get Amanda. What a waste of my precious time.
June 21, 2013
This was a fun mystery and a great beach read. It wrapped up a little too quickly and neatly for me, but I enjoyed it just the same!
August 11, 2013
This was a good weekend mystery. The twist at the end was a fantastic ending.
April 13, 2014
Short book, just under 200 pages. It was a good thriller, I would read more books from this author.
April 18, 2014
Entertaining murder mystery / haunted house ghost story. Fluff...
April 25, 2014
Paranormal mystery
kept my attention it started out more like a paranormal investigation then turned into a mystery. very entertaining short story.
kept my attention it started out more like a paranormal investigation then turned into a mystery. very entertaining short story.
May 11, 2014
Not bad; not wonderful. The writing's a little clunky at times.
August 16, 2014
loved this book !
September 11, 2014
It was a good cozy mystery / ghost story. This was the first of the Marcie and Amanda series.
January 19, 2015
Nice read
This was a easy read nice plot short and to the point not to many twist and turns but keeps you interested. Would recommend
This was a easy read nice plot short and to the point not to many twist and turns but keeps you interested. Would recommend
Displaying 1 - 30 of 41 reviews