Hayley è felice: anche se è sola nel bosco, e il papa si è allontanato per capire meglio cos'era quel grido terrificante laggiù, ora c'è un pagliaccio che le viene incontro. Hayley chiede al pagliaccio se è stato papa a mandarlo: lui conferma, e insieme si avviano nel folto della foresta... Hayley viene trovata decapitata e carbonizzata un mese dopo. Passano vent'anni: la mattina della vigilia di Halloween, Caroline, sua madre, crede di impazzire; è certa di aver sentito la voce della figlia, nel magazzino del negozio di un'amica. La sera, fra i ragazzi che scampanellano, c'è una bimba vestita da pagliaccio, identica a Hayley, mentre in una stanza di casa riemerge dal nulla Twinkle, il suo pupazzo preferito. L'indomani Pamela, l'unica persona che aveva visto la bambina dopo il rapimento - legata e imbavagliata sul sedile posteriore di un'automobile - ma non l'aveva detto a nessuno, viene sgozzata in casa sua. Ma è solo il primo di una serie di delitti, minacce, aggressioni, che colpiscono persone che hanno fatto qualcosa di male a Hayley, o che in qualche modo erano collegate a lei. Persine Chris, padre di Hayley, e Alfred, il secondo marito di Caroline, vengono feriti. Poi, un giorno, anche la terza figlia di Caroline, Melinda - che nel frattempo ha fatto amicizia con la bambina così somigliante a Hayley, e tra l'altro si chiama proprio Hayley - scompare da scuola...
Carlene Thompson is an author of suspense thriller novels.
Her first book, Black for Remembrance, was published in 1990 by Little, Brown and was well received. Her books are suspense novels, often with romantic elements and many take place in Thompson's home state of West Virginia. Her books often feature animals, which she bases on animals she knows in real life.
It’s been almost twenty years since Caroline’s 5-year-old daughter, Hayley, was kidnapped and later found murdered. Caroline is now remarried, has a teenage son and an 8-year-old daughter. Suddenly unexplained things begin happening—Hayley’s clown doll which went missing when Hayley was abducted, reappears; Caroline thinks she hears Hayley’s voice calling for her; people connected with Hayley’s kidnapping case are being murdered. Has Hayley come back from the dead, or is this the work of some other sick psychopath?
This was a strangely compelling read, both creepy and disturbing, with an interesting assortment of characters in the cast. Very engrossing, fast-paced, kept me guessing, and held my interest throughout.
I read this book a long time ago but I still remember how it gave me the creeps. There were times while reading this one I felt someone is standing behind me and I used to get the chills. Good story line, very well written!
If you are looking for a super quick, super easy read with an absorbing mystery, this is it. Everyone is suspect and that is a rare thing for an author to be able to do, in my opinion. There is usually a set line between the characters who may be suspect and those that are definitely suspect. Not so in this book. I had a hard time putting this book down and ended up reading it in just two sittings. I am loving this author.
„Schwarz zur Erinnerung“ habe ich mir spontan auf Empfehlung von @judikos_welt heruntergeladen und wurde nicht enttäuscht. Ich muss zugeben, es hat ein wenig gebraucht, bis ich in die Geschichte gefunden habe, aber dann war ich auch richtig drin. Die Atmosphäre war super, glich stellenweise sogar eher einem Horrorroman und hat oft dazu verleitet im Laufe der Geschichte jeden Charakter irgendwann zu verdächtigen.
Warum dieses Buch als Krimi deklariert wird, erschließt sich mir ehrlich gesagt nicht. Vielleicht wurden damals alle Bücher aus der Sparte so genannt, immerhin hat das Buch einige Jahre auf dem Buckel (erschien 1990). Heute sollte da definitiv Thriller draufstehen. Ansonsten ist die Geschichte aber recht gut gealtert. Im Grunde fällt es nur auf, wenn man heutzutage zum Handy gegriffen hätte und wenn ein Charakter etwas „dufte“ findet, ist das irgendwie schon wieder süß.
Zum Schluss hin hatte ich dann allerdings wieder meine Probleme mit der Geschichte. Zum einen gab es die ein oder andere Länge, aber auch die Auflösung hätte ich mir ein wenig anders umgesetzt gewünscht. Nicht nur, dass ich tatsächlich recht früh den richtigen Riecher hatte, mir haben auch diverse Überraschungsmomente gefehlt. Die Auflösung kommt nicht mit einem Knall, sondern schleicht sich an und enthüllt sich Stück für Stück. Insgesamt hat es mich aber wirklich unterhalten.
I've read and loved every book written by Carlene Thompson, but this one is one of the best. I've just finished it and I can't stop thinking about it. It is an easy read and a brilliant mystery.
Dopo due recensioni non proprio entusiasmanti, oggi vi parlo di un thriller con la T maiuscola! "Nero come il ricordo" di Carlene Thompson, edito Marcos y Marcos, è una storia cruda e cruenta. Una di quelle storie in cui si sospetta di qualunque personaggio e, nonostante ciò, si viene sorpresi da un finale assolutamente inaspettato. Un romanzo che non si può smettere di leggere perché la brama di scoprire chi sia il colpevole e cosa accadrà alla fine è veramente troppa!
First time novelist Carlene Thompson proves she is definitely a star on the rise in this deliciously plotted chiller. Thompson pulls no punches showcasing her high caliber writing gymnastics & leaves her imprint for those iconic writers in the suspense/thriller genre.
Thompson saturates Black for Remembrance with brilliant, interesting & frightening characters that are not just placed there as “red herrings”, but are key to propelling the delicious goose bump inducing novel forward, backward and upside down. Black For Remembrance is a ticket to a scary amusement park with every page you turn you are either holding your breath or your heart is pounding a rhythmic tattoo.
Black For Remembrance is a gripping novel that is nearly flawless and the suspense level is set for high octane, Thompson is like a NASCAR driver in her debut.
Thompson tosses in a dash of occult – not my thing because I am a fraidy cat – but I just couldn’t put this taunt juicy goodness down. The occult wasn’t tossed in for filler it was paramount to telling the story. For those who aren’t into the supernatural, this is not over the top, unbelievable or eye rolling, smirk inducing rubbish. It is just a piece of the puzzle Thompson deftly connects to make a PHENOMENAL narrative. OUTSTANDING!!!
Well, not my kind of book (although I do enjoy a good thriller). The characters seemed too unrealistic to me in their actions and in the way they talk. A killer is after you and your family but you still stick around your house (even though you know he has entered your daughter's bedroom and made terrible threats) and send your kids to school...And by the way, you already have lost one kid years back to a killer who might still be running....I'd say I'd be a lot more careful the second time around.... Then, there is the police officer who is sharing every detail of the investigation with people who are threatened, could be either victims or murderers and even in front of the teenage son (at the end of the book, when they think they know the murderer, but still have no proof). After reading that book,I feel like I have been watching a bad movie, full of cliches .
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Piacevole gialletto dal ritmo (forse troppo?) veloce, intrigante al punto giusto, con una donna-contro-tutti come protagonista e con una storia interessante di fondo. Fossi stata io l'autrice avrei tolto qualche azione (si può dire che quasi tutto il romanzo è un susseguirsi di azioni!) e approfondito un po' di più la psicologia dei personaggi e qualche descrizione, ma il risultato comunque è stato buono. E molto buono è stato il finale a sorpresa, dopo una trama che a un lettore ingenuo lascia presagire il ricorso al paranormale... ricorso che, appunto, non ci sarà!In conclusione buon giallo al femminile, mi ha ricordato un po' i romanzi della Higgins Clark.
Absolutely loved it !!!! You can't help but love this book. It's been written beautifully. The way the book turns out at the end is spell blinding. I read this book when my exams were on my head, but you know what it's worth it. I recommend it to anyone who loves thriller.
Si può sopravvivere alla perdita di un figlio e dare, comunque, un senso alla propria vita? Sono passati quasi vent'anni da quando la piccola Hayley fu rapita, uccisa, decapitata e bruciata. Un orrore senza fine per i suoi genitori. Caroline e Greg non hanno dimenticato e le loro vite non sono più state le stesse. Caroline si è ricostruita un'esistenza: ha sposato David e ha avuto altri due figli, Melinda e Greg. Chrsi è diventato un pittore di fama ma non ha ancora trovato la pace dell'anima. Il ricordo della piccola Hayley è sempre vivo e il dolore per la sua perdita, una piaga sempre aperta. Quel ricordo sembra diventare vivo quando Caroline inizia a sentire una voce che dice essere quella di Hayley, intravede una bambina vestita da clown; sembra udire anche le sue stesse frasi. Ma è così oppure è il disperato bisogno di riavere quella figlia perduta ad alimentare le convinzioni di Caroline? Quando, però, una serie di omicidi inizia a colpire persone vicine a Caroline e una serie di situazioni minacciose sembrano mettere in pericolo le persone che lei ama, tutto prende una piega inquietante. E' davvero Hayley la responsabile? E' tornata dal regno dei morti? Sarà un incubo senza fine che svelerà una vicenda spaventosa di violenza ed orrore. "Nero come il ricordo" di Carlene Thompson, dito da Marcos y Marcos, è un giallo ben scritto. Una storia di violenza che vede vittime i più innocenti. Una storia che riesce a raccontare bene il dramma di genitori che perdono i figli; l'incapacità di rassegnarsi alla perdita. Una vicenda dolorosa ma anche sconvolgente perché racconta, in fondo, le paure più profonde di ogni genitore, quella di perdere i propri figli. Un thriller nel quale amore, senso di colpa e rimorso sono strettamente concatenate. Una storia che lascia a bocca aperta e che rivela quanto oscuro può essere l'animo umano.
🍃📚 Book Review- Black for Remembrance 📚🍃 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Keeping with the mood of the season, this time we have a scintillating mystery-thriller, Black for Remembrance. This book took..me..by..surprise lol. I honestly didn't think it'd go the way it did. It started off nice and homely, a little LMN-ish ☕ but that was cool, I expected that lol. What I didn't expect was the plot twist upon plot twist that was thrown at me I the latter parts. 😅
The story was written such that you felt like you knew what was happening 🧐, as though it was just another classic but then it threw some curveballs that had you turning back pages to make sure you didn't miss anything in each twist's buildup🤯. It was certainly an enjoyable read and definitely instilled a delectable sense of foreboding with the touch of supernatural that was introduced into it. 🤤
The characters were well written as well and very relatable. Unlike some books that give you characters who make fantastical decisions, Carlene ensured that in all situations her character's we even written as relatably as possible and I appreciated that. My favorite character was little Melinda 🙍♀️ who in many ways was the star of the story for me. She was adorable in her innocent understanding of not so childish things and the way in which she handled situations that would drive many adults into hysterics. ☠
All in all, I really enjoyed this mystery and the way it threw me back and forth with quite a few twists that I didn't see coming and would definitely recommend it as a spooky season read. A solid 5 🌟 from me.
In questo romanzo non esiste un attimo di pausa. Ci troviamo immersi nella mente di una madre attanagliata dalla paura di un passato che ancora non sa spiegare e dal terrore che possa tornare in un presente che deve assolutamente proteggere. Questa volta non commetterà errori. Ansia e incredulità sono i suoi compagni in una lotta continua tra razionalità e superstizione, tra ciò che può vedere con i suoi occhi e quello che sente nel suo cuore. Una trama intrecciata in modo meticoloso e mai pesante, capace di confondere il suo lettore e spingerlo a dubitare di ogni personaggio, anche il più innocuo. La bellezza di un thriller scritto bene sta proprio in questo: l'emozione che ti trascina a fondo con il protagonista, l'incapacità di comprendere ogni dettaglio, la sensazione persistente di quell'angoscia che ti segue nell'ombra ed un finale essenzialmente perfetto perchè è proprio lì, in quella ultima manciata di pagine, che uno scrittore del genere si gioca tutto.
Was not sure if Carlene Thompson's, Black for Remembrance, was a murder mystery or supernatural novel, which is why I was loathe to put the book down when real life stuff forced me to do so.
Even though I was not sure, I figured something out, but not the details of how it was possible until the end of the book.
A minor flaw on page 156. "Chris set Hecate on the ground...." Hecate, the cat. Soon they entered the home, and "...Hecate jumped from Chris's arms..." I reread the preceding paragraphs to see if Chris had picked up the cat again in case I missed it. Nope.
I really liked Black for Remembrance, but save 4 and 5 star ratings for books I would want to read again; this is not one of them. I will, however, find more of Thomson's books because of my favorable impression of her writing skills.
The writing was ok but I don't know where this praise for the surprise ending came from. To me it was obvious who it was almost from the start.
I also found it very pedestrian in using the *hysterical woman trope* where everyone disbelieves the main character and views her as being 'overly emotional' because naturally after twenty years she was suddenly going to go off the deep end for no reason. Talking of which,
This is my 2nd read by this author and I am turning into a fan. Typically I am able to figure out how a story is going to go, but this author has been unpredictable to me. Throughout this read, I found myself playing a detective alongside the actual detective in this story and building cases against each character. Despite my attempts at figuring out the who and why, I was completely taken by surprise in the end. In other words, I was completely wrong and would make a horrible real life detective.
As much as i enjoyed this read, I did have one issue with this story. My only issue with this story is the many spelling mistakes. It was quite frustrating and the reason why my original 4 star rating dropped to 3 and 1/2 stars.
Spelling errors aside, this truly was a good story and I do recommend it.
Caroline's life seems to be a pleasant one with her kids Greg and Melinda and her current husband David until her dead daughter Hayley re appears in her life in mysterious ways.
Hayley, who was kidnapped and brutally murdered when she was almost six had returned. Her plea of help written over the mirrors in blood, the broken tombstone, appearances of black flowers with a note *Black for remembrance* and the murders of people connected to her were a sign that Melinda would be the next one.
Would one daughter take the life of another ?
This book kept me so hooked that I ended up reading it in such ungodly hours and even the tiniest of sound creeped me out.
Carlene Thompson è il mio guilty pleasure: non si può dire che abbia una scrittura ispirata, giusto formalmente corretta; le protagoniste femminili sono una copia carbone dell'altra così come quelli maschili...continuerò a leggere i suoi libri? Assolutamente sì! Questo romanzo riesce a intrattenere per i primi 2/3, poi devo dire che ho cominciato a perdere interesse, ma ha comunque un buon ritmo e ha quelle atmosfere da cozy crime che ogni tanto ricerco quando non ho voglia di nulla di impegnativo, ma che sia ugualmente capace di divertermi. A poco a poco sto recuperando tutti i suoi libri, questo è uno di quelli che mi è piaciuto meno finora.
It has been 20 years since Caroline Webb’s daughter Hayley was kidnapped and found dead a month later. Now she has a new life, a husband and 2 children. Strange things start happening when it would have been Hayley’s 25th Birthday.
This was a great book the first time I read it years ago and was well worth revisiting. This is a very well written compelling read. It is fast paced and I couldn’t put it down. No one is beyond suspicion. It will have you looking over your shoulder. This is a great suspense read!
Well this book was written quite a long time ago (late 80's) and it kind of shows but I did keep reading it even though it was essentially obvious who had done the original crime from the moment the character was introduced. Some of the other characters were a bit annoying with an accent but whatever. There was the current crime still left to resolve. And it was short - which it's nice to sometimes read a book that doesn't seem to take a lifetime to finish.
This book was very good. I can’t give it 5 stars just because I couldn’t get behind some of the subject...
This book has triggers- child kidnapping, abuse.
I could not figure out the ending....
Who is stalking Caroline? Or is she having another breakdown like she did after Hayley was kidnapped and murdered? Her husband, David thinks so. She tells Hayley’s father, her ex husband Chris and he isn’t so sure he believes her either... but then the doll, the calls.....
Carlene Thompson è la scrittrice che più preferisco. Dopo due pagine sei già immerso nelle sue storie ed è una dei pochi autori che ti fa vivere il romanzo con gli occhi di una possibile vittima e non di un detective/sceriffo. Questo è stato il suo romanzo di esordio e credo sia il più riuscito, la trama è perfetta e il finale da brividi e per nulla scontato. Carlene Thompson ha talento da vendere.
The story was good. I had a hard time getting through it though. Maybe because it was in the 3rd person? Maybe it was because she bounced from so many people's perspective? I'm not sure. Ultimately it was a good story though.
Wat een slecht boek, horrible. zogenaamd kan je het boek niet wegleggen...van begin tot eind vond ik het een slecht boek, kan er niet inkomen, en dan het einde....VRESELIJK...waste of my time and the cover was so good....the best of the book is written on the back rest is crap
Great mystery thriller! With each turn of the page, you want more. I won't give away the plot, but if you enjoy being a detective as you read this is the book for you. You will not be able to put it down, until you know the truth.
Een goed verhaal dat je telkens op het verkeerde been zet. Heeft Caroline zelf haar dochter vermoord, leeft Hailey nog of is er voodoo in het spel? Iedereen is verdacht. Een fascinerende psycho-thriller, over een gezin dat geterroriseerd wordt door geweld en bizarre, onverklaarbare gebeurtenissen.
Author is speaking in town and this is a book I found on Overdrive. I don't like creepy stories with clown dolls. After Ms. Thompson's talk tomorrow, I may try another.