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Midnight is a Lonely Place
From the bestselling author of Lady of Hay comes this stunning and powerful page-turner.
After a broken love affair, biographer Kate Kennedy retires to a remote cottage on the wild Essex coast to work on her new book, until her landlord's daughter uncovers a Roman site nearby and long-buried passions are unleashed…
In her lonely cottage, Kate is terrorized by mysterious forces. What do these ghosts want? Should the truth about the violent events of long ago be exposed or remain concealed? Kate must struggle for her life against earthbound spirits and ancient curses as hate, jealousy, revenge and passion do battle across the centuries…
Readers LOVE Barbara ‘Atmospheric’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐‘Enthralling’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐‘Spellbinding’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐‘Another fabulous read from the mistress of the genre’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐‘Immensely and deeply immersive fiction’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐‘I loved every minute’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐‘An exceptional writer of great books’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐‘You can rely on this author to keep you wanting more’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐‘A joy to read’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐‘Captivating and engrossing’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
After a broken love affair, biographer Kate Kennedy retires to a remote cottage on the wild Essex coast to work on her new book, until her landlord's daughter uncovers a Roman site nearby and long-buried passions are unleashed…
In her lonely cottage, Kate is terrorized by mysterious forces. What do these ghosts want? Should the truth about the violent events of long ago be exposed or remain concealed? Kate must struggle for her life against earthbound spirits and ancient curses as hate, jealousy, revenge and passion do battle across the centuries…
Readers LOVE Barbara ‘Atmospheric’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐‘Enthralling’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐‘Spellbinding’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐‘Another fabulous read from the mistress of the genre’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐‘Immensely and deeply immersive fiction’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐‘I loved every minute’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐‘An exceptional writer of great books’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐‘You can rely on this author to keep you wanting more’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐‘A joy to read’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐‘Captivating and engrossing’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
451 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1994
148 people are currently reading
1232 people want to read
About the author
Barbara Erskine
54 books1,278 followersAn historian by training, Barbara Erskine is the author of six bestselling novels that demonstrate her interest in both history and the supernatural, plus two collections of short stories. Her books have appeared in at least twenty different languages. She lives with her family in an ancient manor house near Colchester, and in a cottage near Hay-on-Wye.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 193 reviews
January 28, 2010
What did I just read?
:
Oh yeah, Barbara Erskine.
:
Ummm, does anybody have an extra 6 reading hours to spare? I'd like to get them back if possible.
OK, refocus.
In this Barbara Erskine doosie, the murderous results of a Roman/Celtic love triangle over 19 centuries old (that's 1,900 years to those of you numerically challenged) is threatening to engulf our intrepid heroine Kate, her erstwhile poet boyfriend Jon, and the petulant, acts-like-a-14-year-old-but-is-really-27 year old landlord's son Greg. These three frankly irritating characters traipse through the marshy dunes of North Essex, England trying to figure out the curse, stop the ghosts from inhibiting the inside of their heads, and make it to the final lackluster pages of our book with their sanity and entrails intact.
****SPOILER ALERT***
They do.
***END SPOILER ALERT***
But at what cost to the gentle reader? That's the real curse.
OK, here's what Erskine does right:
- Sets mood
- Creates atmosphere
- Generates thrills & chills
- Includes a decent smattering of historical data (it's not as detailed as she's capable of, but it's there)
Here's what Erskine needs work on:
- Editing
- Editing
- Editing
- Some editing would be nice
Here's what Erskine should avoid:
- Relationships involving a man/men and a woman (aka: "romance").
Just....no. Don't do it, Barbara. It's painful to read and there's no reason to bog down a good spookie with a cast of immature characters masquerading as adults in love. I've found that the typical Erskine heroine is generally a decorative doormat in search of a ghost to rescue them from their romantic folly. The Erskine male normally has the emotional maturity of an Adam Sandler fan club president (which really makes it quite impressive that they can STILL manage to wipe their feet on said doormat heroine).
So why, you ask, do I read Erskine and write this (waaaaaaaay too long) review of a book 15 years old??
Because when Erskine is good, she can literally make the hairs stand up on the back of my neck.
Can cause me to jump when my refrigerator makes a funny gurgle.
Can force me to read her books only with another human being in the house.
I live for those moments in an Erskine book, and she delivers. Regardless of my frustration with her characters, regardless of my wasted time spent wandering the frozen Essex shoreline in search of a decent plot, and in spite of my book hurling spleen vented at the abrupt and lousy ending, I love it when a good Erskine sentence makes me glance surreptiously around the room in search of the shadow I thought I just saw out of the corner of my eye.
And that, my GR friend, is why I'll continue to read Barbara Erskine like a doormat girlfriend takes her petulant boyfriend back again and again.
:
Oh yeah, Barbara Erskine.
:
Ummm, does anybody have an extra 6 reading hours to spare? I'd like to get them back if possible.
OK, refocus.
In this Barbara Erskine doosie, the murderous results of a Roman/Celtic love triangle over 19 centuries old (that's 1,900 years to those of you numerically challenged) is threatening to engulf our intrepid heroine Kate, her erstwhile poet boyfriend Jon, and the petulant, acts-like-a-14-year-old-but-is-really-27 year old landlord's son Greg. These three frankly irritating characters traipse through the marshy dunes of North Essex, England trying to figure out the curse, stop the ghosts from inhibiting the inside of their heads, and make it to the final lackluster pages of our book with their sanity and entrails intact.
****SPOILER ALERT***
They do.
***END SPOILER ALERT***
But at what cost to the gentle reader? That's the real curse.
OK, here's what Erskine does right:
- Sets mood
- Creates atmosphere
- Generates thrills & chills
- Includes a decent smattering of historical data (it's not as detailed as she's capable of, but it's there)
Here's what Erskine needs work on:
- Editing
- Editing
- Editing
- Some editing would be nice
Here's what Erskine should avoid:
- Relationships involving a man/men and a woman (aka: "romance").
Just....no. Don't do it, Barbara. It's painful to read and there's no reason to bog down a good spookie with a cast of immature characters masquerading as adults in love. I've found that the typical Erskine heroine is generally a decorative doormat in search of a ghost to rescue them from their romantic folly. The Erskine male normally has the emotional maturity of an Adam Sandler fan club president (which really makes it quite impressive that they can STILL manage to wipe their feet on said doormat heroine).
So why, you ask, do I read Erskine and write this (waaaaaaaay too long) review of a book 15 years old??
Because when Erskine is good, she can literally make the hairs stand up on the back of my neck.
Can cause me to jump when my refrigerator makes a funny gurgle.
Can force me to read her books only with another human being in the house.
I live for those moments in an Erskine book, and she delivers. Regardless of my frustration with her characters, regardless of my wasted time spent wandering the frozen Essex shoreline in search of a decent plot, and in spite of my book hurling spleen vented at the abrupt and lousy ending, I love it when a good Erskine sentence makes me glance surreptiously around the room in search of the shadow I thought I just saw out of the corner of my eye.
And that, my GR friend, is why I'll continue to read Barbara Erskine like a doormat girlfriend takes her petulant boyfriend back again and again.
November 2, 2012
This is my favourite of Barbara Erskine's books. The first I ever read and the best. I originally picked it up because I loved the idea of renting a cottage in the middle of nowhere to write a book, I couldn't put it down once the spooky things started happening.
May 7, 2017
I read this one actually 13 years ago, but I still remember how it stole my sleep and had me look over my shoulder in the dark of night.
A great story that will haunt your dreams and suffocate you at times.
I really should check out Ms Erskine's other work too.
5 stars!
A great story that will haunt your dreams and suffocate you at times.
I really should check out Ms Erskine's other work too.
5 stars!
June 4, 2024
I searched the libraries for novels set in Essex, and this was one of two I found, to read while in Essex 🙂
🌊🌿🌫
there was a heavily 'steamy'/ romantic start/prologue which was kinda off putting 😆 but it was brief, and while these snatches of the past appeared at regular intervals, they weren't all as euphemistic etc as the opening one 😉
🌊🌿🌫
the novel featured various artists pursuing their art, and artistic process - I enjoyed this aspect of the novel, including thinking about a writing writing about a writer writing 🙂
after a brief start in London, the bulk of the novel was set in a remote (and possibly haunted) cottage on the Essex coast. I never quite worked out where it was supposed to be - Colchester was mentioned as the nearest town, so somewhere along the Colne estuary? 🤔 tho while tidal, I'm not sure you'd get the kind of beach and waves mentioned, so maybe further round?? 🤔
what starts as a potential childish prank played on our main character/heroine, becomes a real haunting affecting multiple characters, as an ancient grave is exposed by the tide...
...Romans, the Celtic tribes of the Trinovantes and Iceni, Boudica, a Druid... 😃😁
🌊🌿🌫👻☠
i can't remember when it got abit ridiculous! the number of things done by the ghosts became abit hard to believe after a while... as were the number of people involved and affected! kinda felt like it chalked up too much of both, and probably would have been just as impactful, and/or more so, with less. tho maybe all the characters were there for a reason that gets revealed towards the end - the inevitable kinda dual between rivals John and Greg 🙄 I dunno, still abit drawn out and over-filled at that, even.
🌊🌿🌫
the novel was pretty well written in a descriptive, and also tense, mildly scary, way - I found myself rooting for one or two of the characters from time to time, hoping they'd survive the latest encounter with the ghosts...😉
but it was also repetitive in places, including some of the language... and I did wonder at times if I should have chosen the abridged edition that was also in the library 😉 it was about a third as long, which suggested it might have contained alot less, and I wondered what it'd leave out. I guess if it had stayed with the core characters, similar descriptiveness, and left out some of the extra incidents and characters, it would have been OK. but if it contained all the incidents and people, at the expense of the description and details, it would have been too much founded on too little. I doubt it's a book I'll want to read again, so I'll maybe never know (unless one of you reads and reviews the abridged version 😉).
🤔🙃🤔
many injuries and situations seemed to be treated with brandy/whisky... I don't drink alcohol myself, but I did wonder if the novel might also be better enjoyed with a brandy/whisky?? 😉 cups of tea also played a big role in dealing with most situations encountered 🫖☕😆😉
🌟
there were some extremely annoying overbearing male characters. these were kinda gently critiqued to some degree. but thinking about the 80s references placing this book written after then, it feels a couple decades behind the times wrt gendered dynamics.
it's also possible that my eyerolling complaint about this is cos I (deliberately) don't read alot of mainstream heteronormative novels... esp romance (this had more of that than I was anticipating).
I dunno, but the novel was annoying in that it reinforced a tired and outdated status quo wrt gendered relations and relationships 🙄😬🥱
🤔🙃🤔
accessed as a library audiobook, read by Rula Lenska! 😃
not entirely sure why I was so tickled to discover she was the narrator, and I can't remember much about her career and/or if she has any connection to Essex... EXCEPT that myself and a couple of partners saw her perform (the Vagina Monologues) at a theatre in Essex, some many years ago 🙂
🌊🌿🌫
there was a heavily 'steamy'/ romantic start/prologue which was kinda off putting 😆 but it was brief, and while these snatches of the past appeared at regular intervals, they weren't all as euphemistic etc as the opening one 😉
🌊🌿🌫
the novel featured various artists pursuing their art, and artistic process - I enjoyed this aspect of the novel, including thinking about a writing writing about a writer writing 🙂
after a brief start in London, the bulk of the novel was set in a remote (and possibly haunted) cottage on the Essex coast. I never quite worked out where it was supposed to be - Colchester was mentioned as the nearest town, so somewhere along the Colne estuary? 🤔 tho while tidal, I'm not sure you'd get the kind of beach and waves mentioned, so maybe further round?? 🤔
what starts as a potential childish prank played on our main character/heroine, becomes a real haunting affecting multiple characters, as an ancient grave is exposed by the tide...
...Romans, the Celtic tribes of the Trinovantes and Iceni, Boudica, a Druid... 😃😁
🌊🌿🌫👻☠
i can't remember when it got abit ridiculous! the number of things done by the ghosts became abit hard to believe after a while... as were the number of people involved and affected! kinda felt like it chalked up too much of both, and probably would have been just as impactful, and/or more so, with less. tho maybe all the characters were there for a reason that gets revealed towards the end - the inevitable kinda dual between rivals John and Greg 🙄 I dunno, still abit drawn out and over-filled at that, even.
🌊🌿🌫
the novel was pretty well written in a descriptive, and also tense, mildly scary, way - I found myself rooting for one or two of the characters from time to time, hoping they'd survive the latest encounter with the ghosts...😉
but it was also repetitive in places, including some of the language... and I did wonder at times if I should have chosen the abridged edition that was also in the library 😉 it was about a third as long, which suggested it might have contained alot less, and I wondered what it'd leave out. I guess if it had stayed with the core characters, similar descriptiveness, and left out some of the extra incidents and characters, it would have been OK. but if it contained all the incidents and people, at the expense of the description and details, it would have been too much founded on too little. I doubt it's a book I'll want to read again, so I'll maybe never know (unless one of you reads and reviews the abridged version 😉).
🤔🙃🤔
many injuries and situations seemed to be treated with brandy/whisky... I don't drink alcohol myself, but I did wonder if the novel might also be better enjoyed with a brandy/whisky?? 😉 cups of tea also played a big role in dealing with most situations encountered 🫖☕😆😉
🌟
there were some extremely annoying overbearing male characters. these were kinda gently critiqued to some degree. but thinking about the 80s references placing this book written after then, it feels a couple decades behind the times wrt gendered dynamics.
it's also possible that my eyerolling complaint about this is cos I (deliberately) don't read alot of mainstream heteronormative novels... esp romance (this had more of that than I was anticipating).
I dunno, but the novel was annoying in that it reinforced a tired and outdated status quo wrt gendered relations and relationships 🙄😬🥱
🤔🙃🤔
accessed as a library audiobook, read by Rula Lenska! 😃
not entirely sure why I was so tickled to discover she was the narrator, and I can't remember much about her career and/or if she has any connection to Essex... EXCEPT that myself and a couple of partners saw her perform (the Vagina Monologues) at a theatre in Essex, some many years ago 🙂
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 2, 2014
Less than 3 but more than 2. It had potential but disappointed in the end. Some scary bits that just sort of wimped out. Learned a lot about tides, dunes, a damp cold... Kate was an idiot. About two thirds into the book Kate faded into the background a bit and some of the more interesting characters stepped up. The premise was good but the author seemed to be circling around & around the same route - house, beach walk, smell of jasmine/ dirt trail/ maggots, wander through the woods, accident/scare... repeat. And the ending WTH happened there ???
May 19, 2015
The first half of the book was okay and had some scary parts that genuinely creeped me out. However, at the halfway mark Barbara Erskine had pretty much revealed everything about the ghosts and the murder and so it was no longer a secret to the reader and I thought what on earth can happen I know everything and I'm only halfway through!
The second half of the book was just sooo drawn out it became ridiculous, seriously it did not need to be that long! I felt like she had a target of so many words she needed to reach and was just wasting time and padding it out until that target was met. It became overly repetitive again trying to use the same words and phrases as many times as possibly to reach the word target - oh Allie has gone to the grave again oh Claudia has appeared again oh now she's disappeared oh no she's back again. Oh Marcus is here now he's gone, now he's back, now you see him, now you don't oh Allie is back at the grave again. This pointless character has come to house and is now stuck here and can't help us oh and now this pointless character is also stuck at the house!
The ghosts became less and less scary and more irritating as did the main characters at the end I decided I didn't like any of them and didn't care if the sea engulfed them all and put everyone including the reader out of their misery but no we were all tortured on for another 300 pages!
I got incredibly bored and struggled to finish this book. I might read another Barbara Erskine because I have read good reviews so willing to give her another chance but this book was a once only read will be dropping my copy off the charity shop tomorrow!
The second half of the book was just sooo drawn out it became ridiculous, seriously it did not need to be that long! I felt like she had a target of so many words she needed to reach and was just wasting time and padding it out until that target was met. It became overly repetitive again trying to use the same words and phrases as many times as possibly to reach the word target - oh Allie has gone to the grave again oh Claudia has appeared again oh now she's disappeared oh no she's back again. Oh Marcus is here now he's gone, now he's back, now you see him, now you don't oh Allie is back at the grave again. This pointless character has come to house and is now stuck here and can't help us oh and now this pointless character is also stuck at the house!
The ghosts became less and less scary and more irritating as did the main characters at the end I decided I didn't like any of them and didn't care if the sea engulfed them all and put everyone including the reader out of their misery but no we were all tortured on for another 300 pages!
I got incredibly bored and struggled to finish this book. I might read another Barbara Erskine because I have read good reviews so willing to give her another chance but this book was a once only read will be dropping my copy off the charity shop tomorrow!
June 29, 2012
I'm almost at the end of this book and it is the first Erskine book I read, mostly since it is the only one the local library carried of her books. I saw it recommended on book list after reading Susanna Kearsley books - as a similar genre. It has been extremely dissappointing, compared with Kearsley novels. The last 1/2 to 1/3 reads more like a teenage horror movie with characters continually doing unbelievalby stupid things that get themselves hurt or killed, and is very drawn out. There is very little element of historical fiction and the story from 2000 years ago is not fleshed out well enough, that the reader could understand why these particular ghosts could possibly be so angry 2000 years later. The romance is also poorly fleshed out so one can't understand why the heroine would be drawn to either of the two men in the book. The heroine is exasperating in her persistence to stay at this cottage, that no reasonable person would continue to occupy- all alone -in those circumstances.
July 7, 2013
Oh My God.
I read this on a cold, wet windy March weekend(yes,March. Global Warming who?). And I was so hooked.My Mum lent it to me- she has had it for years and it is one of the books she has kept and re-read, which is odd for a thriller/horror story in our house - you know whats going to happen right so why read it again?
Anyway I love everything about this- the Roman influence, the light lashings of romance, the terror, the ties to the water and the sea and the Gods and Goddesses (of whom I am a fan). I just adored it, it was so haunting and atmospheric. But I would stress I think of it as a Winter read- you need the rain, the wind, the hot cup of hot chocolate and the open fire to do this book justice.When I finished it i didn't know what to do with myself afterwards which is always a sign of a good book!
I read this on a cold, wet windy March weekend(yes,March. Global Warming who?). And I was so hooked.My Mum lent it to me- she has had it for years and it is one of the books she has kept and re-read, which is odd for a thriller/horror story in our house - you know whats going to happen right so why read it again?
Anyway I love everything about this- the Roman influence, the light lashings of romance, the terror, the ties to the water and the sea and the Gods and Goddesses (of whom I am a fan). I just adored it, it was so haunting and atmospheric. But I would stress I think of it as a Winter read- you need the rain, the wind, the hot cup of hot chocolate and the open fire to do this book justice.When I finished it i didn't know what to do with myself afterwards which is always a sign of a good book!
August 22, 2013
With a slow beginning, a weak ending and a supposed "heroine" that had me face-palming in frustration, it could be easy to talk myself into not liking this book at all. But there was a while there, somewhere past the middle that, even while screaming at the stupidity of the characters, I found myself checking the night-black windows of my house periodically to ensure that the ghosts of Claudia, Nion and Marcus had not traveled through the pages to haunt me also.
Not every book is perfect after all. Credit must be given where credit is due. Erskine did have a winning combination here - Romans, Celts, and ghosts. And for a while, that combo was worth something - worth enough to plough on through, despite the flaws.
Not every book is perfect after all. Credit must be given where credit is due. Erskine did have a winning combination here - Romans, Celts, and ghosts. And for a while, that combo was worth something - worth enough to plough on through, despite the flaws.
dnf
January 20, 2024DNF, but without any beef
It simply turns out I cannot do a book with a Greg AND a Jon AND a Bill in it
It simply turns out I cannot do a book with a Greg AND a Jon AND a Bill in it
April 3, 2016
I thought I'd go back and read Barbara Erskine after a long time. This was probably not the best one to start with.
Loved the north Essex setting, the heroine was ok until you threw in the annoying ex and the at times psychotic neighbour's son (admittedly that wasn't entirely his fault.). The Druid/Roman relationship was quite touching at times too...BUT
halfway through all was revealed so I thought I was at the end of the book, but still had to plod on through pages of running about in the woods, possession, death and just about everything else thrown in. Along with so many people thrown in at the time I forgot who some of them were (Joe). Also why bring Anne in for such a short time?
By the actual end I didn't much care about the outcome, just that it did end. Who did Kate choose? Don't actually know, and we can only hope the Druid and Romans were at peace because that wasn't resolved properly either.
It's obvious that Erskine can write and research well I'm just not convinced this is one of her best.
Loved the north Essex setting, the heroine was ok until you threw in the annoying ex and the at times psychotic neighbour's son (admittedly that wasn't entirely his fault.). The Druid/Roman relationship was quite touching at times too...BUT
halfway through all was revealed so I thought I was at the end of the book, but still had to plod on through pages of running about in the woods, possession, death and just about everything else thrown in. Along with so many people thrown in at the time I forgot who some of them were (Joe). Also why bring Anne in for such a short time?
By the actual end I didn't much care about the outcome, just that it did end. Who did Kate choose? Don't actually know, and we can only hope the Druid and Romans were at peace because that wasn't resolved properly either.
It's obvious that Erskine can write and research well I'm just not convinced this is one of her best.
October 29, 2022
I do love Barbara Erskine but I think this was did go on a bit too long, it could have ended a lot sooner.
November 18, 2019
I enjoyed the general atmosphere of it but the plot was a little underdone for me - there was a lot of repeating themselves and running around in circles. Literally, which felt like a bad horror movie from the 90s rather than a historical fiction novel with thriller undertones.
September 17, 2009
Ooohhhh- I had chills! I first borrowed this book from my library and couldn't put it down. I would think of it during the day and couldn't wait until nighttime to pick it back up again. The freaky thing was, was when I finally finished the book - it was midnight. I of course had to return the book but I longed to have it on my own shelf so I hunted it down at a used bookstore. It's no longer in print and I was lucky enough to only pay $3.00 for it. Now it's mine and I can get spooked anytime I want!
October 17, 2019
What a load of old toss. It was recommended to me as being spooky and chilling, but it was just dreary. It was far too long and could have done with losing pages of the "Kate felt cold, the wood burner had gone out, she got scared going out to get logs" repetition. There were some weird errors - catkins in November/December? Possible, but unlikely. "Jetsam weed" - since when has seaweed been jetsam? And an ancient Roman ghost cursing people by invoking the (Greek) Styx? The dialogue is stilted, most of the characters are idiots, and the ending was a complete let-down.
July 28, 2011
This is one of my favorites by this author. i read it after fining it among my mothers books when i was looking for something to read, it kept me on th edge of my seat, infact it made me slightly jump a few times too. i will read this book again for sure.
June 9, 2016
I think my book was missing a few pages from the back. That or the ending just sucked.
July 21, 2021
This was a ghost story, and a little romance. It was more about a couple of romances than being a romance though. The main character kind of reaches the end of a romance at the beginning of the book, and there is a back storyromance that starts to end at the beginning of the book also. The current story continues with the the unlikely beginnings of a new romance, while the backs story shows exactly ho wthe romance ends. As the book moves on the stories start to cross and you see how the past affects the present. The differences and parallels between the two stories is interesting and surprising.
I wasn't sure I felt about some of the characters the way I was intended to feel. I'm not sure I agreed with how the heroine chose to end things. I'm not saying she should have chosen the other guy. Maybe she should have said, I'm no one's trophy and moved on to better things.
I also felt like there were a bunch of characters for the last third to half of the novel that were scurrying around, trying to get away from the haunted farmhouse/location, all unsuccessful of course, that was much ado about nothing. Maybe it was intended to build suspense, and individual scenes were still good. but it could have been edited down some I think. I also realized I had lost track of who exactly some of the characters were, and had a couple of relationships wrong. I tried to google to figure out what I had forgotten about character's introductions, but there is not much about this book online that I could find.
Maybe worth a reread someday to pick up what I missed.
I wasn't sure I felt about some of the characters the way I was intended to feel. I'm not sure I agreed with how the heroine chose to end things. I'm not saying she should have chosen the other guy. Maybe she should have said, I'm no one's trophy and moved on to better things.
I also felt like there were a bunch of characters for the last third to half of the novel that were scurrying around, trying to get away from the haunted farmhouse/location, all unsuccessful of course, that was much ado about nothing. Maybe it was intended to build suspense, and individual scenes were still good. but it could have been edited down some I think. I also realized I had lost track of who exactly some of the characters were, and had a couple of relationships wrong. I tried to google to figure out what I had forgotten about character's introductions, but there is not much about this book online that I could find.
Maybe worth a reread someday to pick up what I missed.
May 21, 2024
Nuda, nuda, nuda,... a POZOR změna - motání se neustále v kruhu a iritace v podobě škrobených rozhovorů a la na úrovni v těch nejvíce neodpovídajících situacích a opět.. nuda, nuda a BUM - velké finále v jednom odstavci....
Hodnoce: 1/5* a doufám, že toto byl jen "experiment, který nevyšel", protože jsem od knihy očekávala poetické a atmosferické psáni s nádechem romantiky a pravé lásky silnější než čas (stejně jako tomu bylo v autorčiné knížce Nejtemnější hodina) a ono prd...
Hodnoce: 1/5* a doufám, že toto byl jen "experiment, který nevyšel", protože jsem od knihy očekávala poetické a atmosferické psáni s nádechem romantiky a pravé lásky silnější než čas (stejně jako tomu bylo v autorčiné knížce Nejtemnější hodina) a ono prd...
Read
July 20, 2018Couldn't put the book down
August 29, 2025
The plot of the book was good, but I found it was a bit long-winded, and some of the characters were a bit 2 dimensional. Towards the end, I found the story got a little far fetched. She has written much better books
September 30, 2025
AUTHOR: BARBARA ERSKINE
CHARACTERS:
MARCUS SERVERUS SECUNDUS, CLAUDIA, and NION. The Druid.((from Historical flashback)).
KATE KENNEDY, JON BEVAN, GREG LINDSEY, DIANA LINDSEY, ALLISON LINDSEY, ROGER LINDSEY, PATRICK LINDEY, BILL NORCROSS,JOE, CISSY, and others.
LOCATION: RANDALL BAY-ESSEX and LONDON
GENRE :HORROR //THRILLER
TOTAL NO., OF PAGES:511.
PAST:
During 55-60 A.D. The British were under the Roman invasion. The British Iceni tribals were revolting under the leadership of Warrior queen Boudicca, to chase away the invaded Romans . The city of Colchester, was the center of all Roman-British revolts and happenings. The revolt led to a huge massacre, resulting in buring of the city of Colchester to the ground.
Marcus Serverus Secundus,a son of Rome, able leader of the legion, was instrumental in rebuilding the city of Colchester after the massacre and burnings. For his exemplary military career,he was awarded with wealth, respect and honor by the Roman kingdom . All these honors and respect can't stop Marcus's young wife Colonia Claudia Victricensis betraying him, though Marcus gave his love and affection to her and his son.
Claudia was having a secret affair with British Priest King Nion the Druid. They were meeting secretly in the remote,and isolated places of Colchester. Given a proper time they even planned to kill her husband Marcus and elope somewhere north of England.
Marcus, watching Claudia's affair with suspicious -cruel eyes, was waiting for the right opportunity for avenging Nion, with a malicious plan.
Nion's duties as druids, were light and easy. He was loyal, rich and young. In Nion's priesthood community there was a human sacrifice made to gods at frequent intervals of time. The choice of the victim, will be decided by priests themselves in an arranged ceremony. The one, who took the burned bread from the basket containing broken bread morsels would die. It was known practice, that only, one of the older priests would take the burnt morsel and die an honorable death for gods. Nion, being the youngest of the community was sure about this ritual.
Marcus, waiting for the opportunity,bribed the priests using his power and wealth. The priests played their trick, made Nion take the burnt bread from the basket as arranged by Marcus, and he, all of a sudden, was chosen for sacrifice.Though Nion was shocked at first, he considered this, as an honor to die for his god.
The following morning, Nion the druid was killed, cut throat, with a garotte by one of the priests in broad daylight at the edge of a marsh.It was not the gods who ordered his sacrifice but he was made to die, to avenge Marcus honor at the expense of his own.
Claudia, watching this brutal murder from the knee deep rushes, ran towards Marcus, with her arms upraised , nails clawed like of an animal.
Then she cursed him from the depth of her heart like a wounded tigress.
She snatched his sword,killed herself by sliding the sword into her belly like a knife through cheese. Marcus threw her body into the marsh, almost over the same spot where her lover's body disappeared. After their bodies were disposed of, Marcus turned towards the priests, killing all of them by cutting their throats like butter.
Later,Marcus married his ex-wife's sister Augusta, died full of years and honors and was buried next to his wife in Colchester.
PRESENT:
Kate Kennedy, a biographer from London,retired to a remote Redall cottage, on the wild Essex coast, after a broken love affair with her boyfriend Jon Bevan. Kate wanted
to finish her work on poet Byron, during her six months stay at the cottage. The Randall Cottage was owned by Lindseys. Parents, Diana and Roger Lindsey with their three children Greg, the eldest ; Patrick the second and a computer whiz, and the youngest daughter being Allison , archeology and History being her favorite subjects. The Lindsey family was living at a farmhouse, a mile away from the Redall cottage where Kate was staying.
The landlord's daughter, Allison, while doing digging for an archaeological project for her school assignment,accidentally uncovers a Roman site in a sand dune at the beach, with some bits of Pottery and some metal objects. While walking at the beach, Kate also uncovers, a twisted,corroded,metallic torc from the Roman
site and a dagger.
After this Allison's behaviour completely Changed. She started visiting grave sites during the day and night, standing, staring at the sand and peat face of the dune without blinking . She walked as if she was in a trance, her subconscious mind controlled by some maligent force. During this abnormality her pulse became very low, she sometimes started talking in Latin, the language she doesn't know. When Allison's disappearance became more frequent, either Greg, or Patrick or Kate had to search for her and bring her back to the farm house.She sometimes screamed "Let the truth be told, I will have the truth told" asif somebody-something inside her is gaining strength.
Only centimeter down the dune was a plastic clay,impervious to air and water,and in the clay was the peat which held the preserved remains of four human bodies of the ancient times.
In her lonely cottage Kate was terrorized by mysterious forces and horrifying events. She was sniffing the smell of damp earth and vegetation ,reminding her of the grave .Sometimes there was a sweet cold Jasmine smell, like a newly turned flowerbed after rain. At the Cottage's window sill and in her kitchen dresser she saw, traces of peat and dark soil crawling with maggots. In her living room she was terrified to witness a shadow form of a woman,from ancient times standing, and vanishing within seconds .
On a particular day, while returning from the beach Kate was shocked to find all her boxes and cases had been strewn all over the floor in her bedroom upstairs.
Kate thought all these happenings were the doings of Greg, who had been planning to scare Kate out of the cottage. Greg, was keen on making Kate, think that cottage was haunted. In Greg's opinion , renting his cottage to Kate, as an invasion of privacy, especially for his painting purposes.
Even after new bolts and locks were installed,as per Lindsey family's
suggestion, the mysterious events continued to happen at the cottage even more frequently. Bill Norcross, a mutual friend of Kate and Lindseys was beaten to death on his way to the cottage. Bill's sudden visit to the cottage was to make sure about Kate's safety and inform her ex-lover Jon,about her whereabouts. Since the phones, both in the cottage and farmhouse were out of order because of bad weather conditions Bill had to travel in person. After Kate's breakup with her boyfriend, it was Bill who recommended this Redall cottage to her. He also played the role of mediator between Kate and Lindsay's, in finalizing the agreement in her favour.
Kate's car, which was parked in the farmhouse's barn, exploded all of a sudden and burnt to ashes along with Diana's collection of beautiful flowers.
After Bill's death, Kate moved to Lindsey's farmhouse and stayed with them. She didn't want to go back to the cottage.
Since Redall cottage is unreachable by phone and further communications became impossible, Kate's sister Anne came by car from Edinburgh , and her boyfriend Jon flew from States to reach Redall cottage inspite of heavy sleet and snow. Though Jon and Kate broke their love and relationship, they missed each other. Jon contacted Bill, from the States and learned about Kate's whereabouts and about her present book. He was worried about her staying alone at the isolated Redall Cottage.
After the turn of events, Kate Kennedy, her sister Anne, Kate's boyfriend Jon, Lindsey family-Diana, Greg,and Patrick gathered at the farmhouse. An important decision about what to do next was discussed at the farmhouse. It was agreed unanimously that their enemy was not human.The murdered woman two thousand years ago (Claudia) , her lover (Nion) and the man who murdered her (Marcus) and her lover were seeking revenge for the brutality done to them.
Their earthbound spirits, particularly of Marcus, possessed and fed on hatred anger and jealousy in the minds of Allison and Greg. Marcus saw, through the eyes of Greg,that Jon and Kate, were actually Nion and Claudia, who betrayed him in the past.
Greg Lindsey, with proper mind control , strength and Love , fought the alien inside his head . In the end he won. Marcus, unable to tamper his mind, was shrinking and weakening inside Greg's mind was finally gone forever into the shadows of eternity.
MY COMMENT'
The novel started well, with all the elements of an interesting historical horror in the beginning. But alas, towards the end , the author was suffering from the "finishing trouble " phobia, resulting in a very disappointing climax.
Out of past and present parts of this novel, I like the historical flashbacks, especially the characters of Marcus, Claudia and Nion during the 6th century. The author 's narration in the parts where Priest King Nion the Druid was chosen as a sacrifice , followed by his brutal killing is so real it gave me chills and goosebumps. The author's best portrayal of these portions, makes the reader well connected with the Historical happenings of Roman occupied England, during the sixth century.
The center plot of the novel centers around Claudia 's ghost, haunting the Redall cottage for more than two thousand years. She was there to seek justice and to expose the cruelty of Marcus done to her and to her lover, through the minds of the people of the present generation living there. Did that happen finally? The author has no mention of it till the end.
ONLY HALF THUMB'S UP.
Read this book without any expectations and don't look for logic at any cost.
CHARACTERS:
MARCUS SERVERUS SECUNDUS, CLAUDIA, and NION. The Druid.((from Historical flashback)).
KATE KENNEDY, JON BEVAN, GREG LINDSEY, DIANA LINDSEY, ALLISON LINDSEY, ROGER LINDSEY, PATRICK LINDEY, BILL NORCROSS,JOE, CISSY, and others.
LOCATION: RANDALL BAY-ESSEX and LONDON
GENRE :HORROR //THRILLER
TOTAL NO., OF PAGES:511.
PAST:
During 55-60 A.D. The British were under the Roman invasion. The British Iceni tribals were revolting under the leadership of Warrior queen Boudicca, to chase away the invaded Romans . The city of Colchester, was the center of all Roman-British revolts and happenings. The revolt led to a huge massacre, resulting in buring of the city of Colchester to the ground.
Marcus Serverus Secundus,a son of Rome, able leader of the legion, was instrumental in rebuilding the city of Colchester after the massacre and burnings. For his exemplary military career,he was awarded with wealth, respect and honor by the Roman kingdom . All these honors and respect can't stop Marcus's young wife Colonia Claudia Victricensis betraying him, though Marcus gave his love and affection to her and his son.
Claudia was having a secret affair with British Priest King Nion the Druid. They were meeting secretly in the remote,and isolated places of Colchester. Given a proper time they even planned to kill her husband Marcus and elope somewhere north of England.
Marcus, watching Claudia's affair with suspicious -cruel eyes, was waiting for the right opportunity for avenging Nion, with a malicious plan.
Nion's duties as druids, were light and easy. He was loyal, rich and young. In Nion's priesthood community there was a human sacrifice made to gods at frequent intervals of time. The choice of the victim, will be decided by priests themselves in an arranged ceremony. The one, who took the burned bread from the basket containing broken bread morsels would die. It was known practice, that only, one of the older priests would take the burnt morsel and die an honorable death for gods. Nion, being the youngest of the community was sure about this ritual.
Marcus, waiting for the opportunity,bribed the priests using his power and wealth. The priests played their trick, made Nion take the burnt bread from the basket as arranged by Marcus, and he, all of a sudden, was chosen for sacrifice.Though Nion was shocked at first, he considered this, as an honor to die for his god.
The following morning, Nion the druid was killed, cut throat, with a garotte by one of the priests in broad daylight at the edge of a marsh.It was not the gods who ordered his sacrifice but he was made to die, to avenge Marcus honor at the expense of his own.
Claudia, watching this brutal murder from the knee deep rushes, ran towards Marcus, with her arms upraised , nails clawed like of an animal.
Then she cursed him from the depth of her heart like a wounded tigress.
She snatched his sword,killed herself by sliding the sword into her belly like a knife through cheese. Marcus threw her body into the marsh, almost over the same spot where her lover's body disappeared. After their bodies were disposed of, Marcus turned towards the priests, killing all of them by cutting their throats like butter.
Later,Marcus married his ex-wife's sister Augusta, died full of years and honors and was buried next to his wife in Colchester.
PRESENT:
Kate Kennedy, a biographer from London,retired to a remote Redall cottage, on the wild Essex coast, after a broken love affair with her boyfriend Jon Bevan. Kate wanted
to finish her work on poet Byron, during her six months stay at the cottage. The Randall Cottage was owned by Lindseys. Parents, Diana and Roger Lindsey with their three children Greg, the eldest ; Patrick the second and a computer whiz, and the youngest daughter being Allison , archeology and History being her favorite subjects. The Lindsey family was living at a farmhouse, a mile away from the Redall cottage where Kate was staying.
The landlord's daughter, Allison, while doing digging for an archaeological project for her school assignment,accidentally uncovers a Roman site in a sand dune at the beach, with some bits of Pottery and some metal objects. While walking at the beach, Kate also uncovers, a twisted,corroded,metallic torc from the Roman
site and a dagger.
After this Allison's behaviour completely Changed. She started visiting grave sites during the day and night, standing, staring at the sand and peat face of the dune without blinking . She walked as if she was in a trance, her subconscious mind controlled by some maligent force. During this abnormality her pulse became very low, she sometimes started talking in Latin, the language she doesn't know. When Allison's disappearance became more frequent, either Greg, or Patrick or Kate had to search for her and bring her back to the farm house.She sometimes screamed "Let the truth be told, I will have the truth told" asif somebody-something inside her is gaining strength.
Only centimeter down the dune was a plastic clay,impervious to air and water,and in the clay was the peat which held the preserved remains of four human bodies of the ancient times.
In her lonely cottage Kate was terrorized by mysterious forces and horrifying events. She was sniffing the smell of damp earth and vegetation ,reminding her of the grave .Sometimes there was a sweet cold Jasmine smell, like a newly turned flowerbed after rain. At the Cottage's window sill and in her kitchen dresser she saw, traces of peat and dark soil crawling with maggots. In her living room she was terrified to witness a shadow form of a woman,from ancient times standing, and vanishing within seconds .
On a particular day, while returning from the beach Kate was shocked to find all her boxes and cases had been strewn all over the floor in her bedroom upstairs.
Kate thought all these happenings were the doings of Greg, who had been planning to scare Kate out of the cottage. Greg, was keen on making Kate, think that cottage was haunted. In Greg's opinion , renting his cottage to Kate, as an invasion of privacy, especially for his painting purposes.
Even after new bolts and locks were installed,as per Lindsey family's
suggestion, the mysterious events continued to happen at the cottage even more frequently. Bill Norcross, a mutual friend of Kate and Lindseys was beaten to death on his way to the cottage. Bill's sudden visit to the cottage was to make sure about Kate's safety and inform her ex-lover Jon,about her whereabouts. Since the phones, both in the cottage and farmhouse were out of order because of bad weather conditions Bill had to travel in person. After Kate's breakup with her boyfriend, it was Bill who recommended this Redall cottage to her. He also played the role of mediator between Kate and Lindsay's, in finalizing the agreement in her favour.
Kate's car, which was parked in the farmhouse's barn, exploded all of a sudden and burnt to ashes along with Diana's collection of beautiful flowers.
After Bill's death, Kate moved to Lindsey's farmhouse and stayed with them. She didn't want to go back to the cottage.
Since Redall cottage is unreachable by phone and further communications became impossible, Kate's sister Anne came by car from Edinburgh , and her boyfriend Jon flew from States to reach Redall cottage inspite of heavy sleet and snow. Though Jon and Kate broke their love and relationship, they missed each other. Jon contacted Bill, from the States and learned about Kate's whereabouts and about her present book. He was worried about her staying alone at the isolated Redall Cottage.
After the turn of events, Kate Kennedy, her sister Anne, Kate's boyfriend Jon, Lindsey family-Diana, Greg,and Patrick gathered at the farmhouse. An important decision about what to do next was discussed at the farmhouse. It was agreed unanimously that their enemy was not human.The murdered woman two thousand years ago (Claudia) , her lover (Nion) and the man who murdered her (Marcus) and her lover were seeking revenge for the brutality done to them.
Their earthbound spirits, particularly of Marcus, possessed and fed on hatred anger and jealousy in the minds of Allison and Greg. Marcus saw, through the eyes of Greg,that Jon and Kate, were actually Nion and Claudia, who betrayed him in the past.
Greg Lindsey, with proper mind control , strength and Love , fought the alien inside his head . In the end he won. Marcus, unable to tamper his mind, was shrinking and weakening inside Greg's mind was finally gone forever into the shadows of eternity.
MY COMMENT'
The novel started well, with all the elements of an interesting historical horror in the beginning. But alas, towards the end , the author was suffering from the "finishing trouble " phobia, resulting in a very disappointing climax.
Out of past and present parts of this novel, I like the historical flashbacks, especially the characters of Marcus, Claudia and Nion during the 6th century. The author 's narration in the parts where Priest King Nion the Druid was chosen as a sacrifice , followed by his brutal killing is so real it gave me chills and goosebumps. The author's best portrayal of these portions, makes the reader well connected with the Historical happenings of Roman occupied England, during the sixth century.
The center plot of the novel centers around Claudia 's ghost, haunting the Redall cottage for more than two thousand years. She was there to seek justice and to expose the cruelty of Marcus done to her and to her lover, through the minds of the people of the present generation living there. Did that happen finally? The author has no mention of it till the end.
ONLY HALF THUMB'S UP.
Read this book without any expectations and don't look for logic at any cost.
December 6, 2023
Great book couldn't put it down .
Young girl finds broken pottery and bones from an old roman grave. And then so many strange things start happening. Enough to keep you on the edge of your seat.
Young girl finds broken pottery and bones from an old roman grave. And then so many strange things start happening. Enough to keep you on the edge of your seat.
Read
November 7, 2017Great book and had fun revisiting such a fabulous author. A must read if you like a bit of the 'other-
side' flavour in your books!!
Ruth Caukwell
Author, Blogger, Teacher and Public Speaker plus Proofreader & Editor
Member of New Zealand Society of Authors (NZSA) and, Silverfox MGMT Model
Website – https://ruthannecaukwell.com
Silverfox MGMT - http://www.silverfoxmgmt.co.nz/portfo...
Twitter - https://twitter.com/ruancaRuth
Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/ruancaruth/
Pinterest - https://nz.pinterest.com/ruthcauk/
Inspirational facebook page – https://www.facebook.com/ruthannecauk...
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Tumblr page - http://ruanca.tumblr.com/
side' flavour in your books!!
Ruth Caukwell
Author, Blogger, Teacher and Public Speaker plus Proofreader & Editor
Member of New Zealand Society of Authors (NZSA) and, Silverfox MGMT Model
Website – https://ruthannecaukwell.com
Silverfox MGMT - http://www.silverfoxmgmt.co.nz/portfo...
Twitter - https://twitter.com/ruancaRuth
Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/ruancaruth/
Pinterest - https://nz.pinterest.com/ruthcauk/
Inspirational facebook page – https://www.facebook.com/ruthannecauk...
LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/ruth-cauk...
Gmail - https://plus.google.com/+RuthCaukwell...
Tumblr page - http://ruanca.tumblr.com/
March 7, 2021
God that was a hard slog to the finish line!
This book was reccomened as a chilling horror. It started off well but then it just seemed to drag on and on. The same senario happened about 20 times, the ghost is here we can smell her, now she's gone, now she's back. The daughter ran to the grave site, oh she's home, oh no she ran away again.
The ghosts "secrets" were revealed early on so no need to add another 10 chapters of, we don't know everything, we must tell the world everything, but we don't know everything.... when they did!
Pointless characters got added in the end and added no value to the story. The police were not really bothered that someone was murdered and had crime scene cleaned up in a few hours and everyone free to go... because what? it's snowing?!
And oh my gosh! The main character going back to her horrible cruel ex just because he showed up from no where after basically being guilted into going to her by her Mum! Annoyed me no end! Built up a character development and love interest with someone else just to say "ooooo it's just like the ghosts love triangle" but it's not is it....
Wanted to like this book so much but just feel like I waide through that marsh with them for nothing, no actual conclusion, no real ending.
Also how many times in one book can you say "their mouth went dry".
I've got House of echos to read next and if it feels like this one I won't be finishing it 🙃
This book was reccomened as a chilling horror. It started off well but then it just seemed to drag on and on. The same senario happened about 20 times, the ghost is here we can smell her, now she's gone, now she's back. The daughter ran to the grave site, oh she's home, oh no she ran away again.
The ghosts "secrets" were revealed early on so no need to add another 10 chapters of, we don't know everything, we must tell the world everything, but we don't know everything.... when they did!
Pointless characters got added in the end and added no value to the story. The police were not really bothered that someone was murdered and had crime scene cleaned up in a few hours and everyone free to go... because what? it's snowing?!
And oh my gosh! The main character going back to her horrible cruel ex just because he showed up from no where after basically being guilted into going to her by her Mum! Annoyed me no end! Built up a character development and love interest with someone else just to say "ooooo it's just like the ghosts love triangle" but it's not is it....
Wanted to like this book so much but just feel like I waide through that marsh with them for nothing, no actual conclusion, no real ending.
Also how many times in one book can you say "their mouth went dry".
I've got House of echos to read next and if it feels like this one I won't be finishing it 🙃
February 15, 2011
When I picked up Midnight is a lonely place, for some reason i'd I thought it'd be your usual romance novel with a paranormal twist.
I couldn't have been more wrong...
This book was fantastic. It was entertaining, mysterious and scary, wrapped up all together to make a great combination. It's not a story to read late at night for those easily frightened.
It revolves around Kate, an authour who goes to stay in a cabin further out into the country to finish the book she's writing, after circumstances change with her boyfriend. Her neighbours who are renting her the cabin, have recently discovered what seems to be a roman grave.
Almost immediately, after moving into the cabin, strange things start happening, cold chills in the room, smells, shadows... and the phone has a tendency to go dead all of a sudden. Also there's a love triangle from the past that seems to be repeating itself and a angry ghost that doesn't want them anywhere near the grave site.
At some points reading this, the hairs on the back of your neck can't help but stand up. It was a thrilling story that had my interest from the beginning. I didn't really like the way the story ended but other than that, A great read... 4/4.5 stars!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 7, 2018
A friend recommended this book to me and after having read it I'm not sure why. I'm a huge fan of Susanna Kearsley so after reading the synopsis I thought, alright I'll give it a go. It started off okay but about half way in it really took a nosedive and never recovered. It made no sense that Kate would insist on staying at the cottage given everything that had happened there. No reasonable person would have. Once it was revealed what was going on with the two opposing spirits the story stalled and the plot became really repetitive. Lots of racing here and there and getting nowhere. Lots of instances of Claudia and Marcus making their presence known; dirt, perfume, wailing teen-ager, dirt, perfume, wailing teen-ager . . . It got to be uninteresting. No forward movement of the story. The ending was horrendous. Only the author knows who Kate ended up with. She didn't deem it necessary to tell the reader. And have the spirits been vanquished? Don't ask me - I only read the book. The author chose to keep that to herself as well.
March 7, 2018
All'inizio,l'idea dei fantasmi di 2000 anni fa (2 romani e 1 druido) mi ha incuriosito molto,anche per come si presentano nel cottage di Kate,scrittrice che si rifugia lì in solitudine e per scappare da un amore finito. Un po' di suspance e la voglia di sapere come andrà a finire la voglia di vendetta di Marco Severo Secondo,di Nion e di Claudia,liberati dalla curisità archeologica di una ragazzina che scopre nella sabbia qualcosa di strano,mi ha inchiodato al libro per buona parte della lettura.
Il finale,però,non mi è piaciuto,un po' troppo scontato.
Comunque,è uno di quei libri sui fantasmi che si possono leggere tranquillamente anche al buio
Il finale,però,non mi è piaciuto,un po' troppo scontato.
Comunque,è uno di quei libri sui fantasmi che si possono leggere tranquillamente anche al buio
February 22, 2008
Midnight is a Lonely Place - G+
Erskine, Barbara - standalone
After a broken love affair, Kate Kennedy retreats to a cottage on the Essex coast to work on her latest project. To her alarm, her peace and solitude is replaced by a sense of fear as strange incidents begin to occur - incidents that connect, Kate is sure, with the Roman grave being excavated.
This book seriously scared me and, occasionally, creeped me out. I keep wanting to read another by Erskine, but am not certain I'm old enough to read it on my own; and I'm in my 50's. It's a definite read-with-the-lights-on book.
Erskine, Barbara - standalone
After a broken love affair, Kate Kennedy retreats to a cottage on the Essex coast to work on her latest project. To her alarm, her peace and solitude is replaced by a sense of fear as strange incidents begin to occur - incidents that connect, Kate is sure, with the Roman grave being excavated.
This book seriously scared me and, occasionally, creeped me out. I keep wanting to read another by Erskine, but am not certain I'm old enough to read it on my own; and I'm in my 50's. It's a definite read-with-the-lights-on book.
January 19, 2015
'Midnight is a Lonely Place' was my second Barbara Erskine and now is the favourite of the two.
This one was a lot more atmospheric and suspenseful for me.
I enjoyed the aspect of the, ghost terrorising everyone and the possession of the younger sister if you get me.
On a whole It was a bit too long but never too much of a dull moment.
10/10
This one was a lot more atmospheric and suspenseful for me.
I enjoyed the aspect of the, ghost terrorising everyone and the possession of the younger sister if you get me.
On a whole It was a bit too long but never too much of a dull moment.
10/10
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 193 reviews