What do you think?
Rate this book
Cemetery of Angels
Moving their family to beautiful Southern California, Bill and Rebecca Moore find the dramatic scandal associated with their new home charming, until a series of strange and inexplicable occurrences culminates in their children's disappearance. Reissue.
512 pages, Paperback
First published August 1, 1995
38 people are currently reading
373 people want to read
About the author
Noel Hynd
62 books218 followers I've been a published novelist for longer than I care to admit, since 1976. I'm frequently asked, however, how I first got published. It's an interesting story and involved both Robert Ludlum and James Baldwin, even though neither of them knew it --- or me --- at the time.
My first agent, a wonderful thorughly perofessional gentleman named Robert Lantz was representing Mr. Baldwin at the time. This was around 1975. Balwin, while a brilliant writer, had had some nasty dealings with the head of Dell Publishing. Dell held Jimmy's contract at the time and he could not legally write for anyone else until he gave Dell a book that was due to them. Nonetheless, he refused to deliver a manuscript to Dell and went to Paris to sit things out.
The book was due to The Dial Press, which Dell owned. Baldwin was widely quoted as saying....and I'm cleaning up the quote here, "that he was no longer picking cotton on Dell's planatation."
The book was due to The Dial Press. The editor in chief of The Dial Press was a stellar editor who was making a name for himself and a fair bit of money for the company publishing thriller-author Robert Ludlum. A best seller every year will do that for an editor. Anyway, Baldwin fled New York for Paris. The editor followed, the asignment being to get him to come happily back to Dial. As soon as the editor arrived, Baldwin fled to Algeria. Or maybe Tunisia. It hardly mattered because Baldwin was furious and simply wouldn 't do a book for Dell/Dial. The editor returned to NY without his quarry. Things were at a standstill.
That's where I entered the story, unpublished at age 27 and knowing enough to keep my mouth shut while these things went down. I had given 124 pages of a first novel to Mr. Lantz ten days eariler. Miraculously, his reader liked it and then HE liked it. It was in the same genre that Ludlum wrote in and which the editor at Dial excelled at editing and marketing.
My agent and the editor ran into each other one afternoon in July of 1974 in one of those swank Manhattan places where people used to have three martinis for lunch. The agent asked how things had gone in Europe. The editor told him, knowing full well that the agent already knew. The next steps would be lawyers, Baldwin dragged into US Courts, major authors boycotting Doubleday/Dell, Dial, maybe some civil rights demonstrations and.......but no so fast.
Mr. Lantz offered Dial the first look at a new adventure/espionage novelist (me). IF Dial wanted me after reading my 124 pages, he could sign me, but only IF Baldwin was released from his obligations at Doubleday. I was the literary bribe, so to speak, that would get Jimmy free from Dial. It seemed like a great idea to everyone. It seemed that way because it was. Paperwork was prepapred and paperwork was signed. Voila!...To make a much longer story short, Dial accepted my novel. The editor instructed me on how to raise it to a professional level as I finished writing it over the next ten months. I followed orders perfectly. I even felt prosperous on my $7500 advance. He then had Dial release Mr. Balwin from his obligation. Not surpringly, he went on to create fine books for other publishers. Ludlum did even batter. Of the three, I'm the pauper but I've gotten my fair share and I'm alive with books coming out again now in the very near future, no small accmplishment. So no complaints from me.
That''s how I got published. I met Ludlum many times later on and Baldwin once. Ludlum liked my name "Noel" and used it for an then-upcoming charcter named Noel Holcroft. That amused me. I don't know if either of them even knew that my career had been in their orbits for a month 1975. They would have been amused. They were both smart gifted men and fine writers in dfferent ways. This story was told to me by one of the principals two years later and another one confirmed it.
Me, I came out of it with my first publishing contract, for a book titled 'Reve
My first agent, a wonderful thorughly perofessional gentleman named Robert Lantz was representing Mr. Baldwin at the time. This was around 1975. Balwin, while a brilliant writer, had had some nasty dealings with the head of Dell Publishing. Dell held Jimmy's contract at the time and he could not legally write for anyone else until he gave Dell a book that was due to them. Nonetheless, he refused to deliver a manuscript to Dell and went to Paris to sit things out.
The book was due to The Dial Press, which Dell owned. Baldwin was widely quoted as saying....and I'm cleaning up the quote here, "that he was no longer picking cotton on Dell's planatation."
The book was due to The Dial Press. The editor in chief of The Dial Press was a stellar editor who was making a name for himself and a fair bit of money for the company publishing thriller-author Robert Ludlum. A best seller every year will do that for an editor. Anyway, Baldwin fled New York for Paris. The editor followed, the asignment being to get him to come happily back to Dial. As soon as the editor arrived, Baldwin fled to Algeria. Or maybe Tunisia. It hardly mattered because Baldwin was furious and simply wouldn 't do a book for Dell/Dial. The editor returned to NY without his quarry. Things were at a standstill.
That's where I entered the story, unpublished at age 27 and knowing enough to keep my mouth shut while these things went down. I had given 124 pages of a first novel to Mr. Lantz ten days eariler. Miraculously, his reader liked it and then HE liked it. It was in the same genre that Ludlum wrote in and which the editor at Dial excelled at editing and marketing.
My agent and the editor ran into each other one afternoon in July of 1974 in one of those swank Manhattan places where people used to have three martinis for lunch. The agent asked how things had gone in Europe. The editor told him, knowing full well that the agent already knew. The next steps would be lawyers, Baldwin dragged into US Courts, major authors boycotting Doubleday/Dell, Dial, maybe some civil rights demonstrations and.......but no so fast.
Mr. Lantz offered Dial the first look at a new adventure/espionage novelist (me). IF Dial wanted me after reading my 124 pages, he could sign me, but only IF Baldwin was released from his obligations at Doubleday. I was the literary bribe, so to speak, that would get Jimmy free from Dial. It seemed like a great idea to everyone. It seemed that way because it was. Paperwork was prepapred and paperwork was signed. Voila!...To make a much longer story short, Dial accepted my novel. The editor instructed me on how to raise it to a professional level as I finished writing it over the next ten months. I followed orders perfectly. I even felt prosperous on my $7500 advance. He then had Dial release Mr. Balwin from his obligation. Not surpringly, he went on to create fine books for other publishers. Ludlum did even batter. Of the three, I'm the pauper but I've gotten my fair share and I'm alive with books coming out again now in the very near future, no small accmplishment. So no complaints from me.
That''s how I got published. I met Ludlum many times later on and Baldwin once. Ludlum liked my name "Noel" and used it for an then-upcoming charcter named Noel Holcroft. That amused me. I don't know if either of them even knew that my career had been in their orbits for a month 1975. They would have been amused. They were both smart gifted men and fine writers in dfferent ways. This story was told to me by one of the principals two years later and another one confirmed it.
Me, I came out of it with my first publishing contract, for a book titled 'Reve
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 29 of 34 reviews
December 11, 2008
Well, I wrote it. So I'll give it the 5 stars, okay?
September 11, 2015
Noel Hynd has done it again. He can take an extreme horror idea, and make it so believable. This was a thriller that I had a hard time putting down. I would wake up in the wee hours to take my puppy to the bathroom, after which I would have to read some more until I fell asleep. This book was a combination of three mysteries, a police procedural, haunted house and cemetery ghost story, and love story.......and it all worked so beautifully. Although there were many scary and chilling parts in the story, the ending left me smiling and feeling good. While I frantically read needing to find out what happens, I hated reading that last page and closing the book. And I must say, that I will really miss Billy the ghost.
June 5, 2014
A great read! Really enjoyed it...a ghost story about justice from beyond the grave, with surprises lurking round each bend. A satisfying conclusion! Well-written, suspenseful, chilling, and also in some ways heartwarming. Don't read home alone at night....otherwise A+!! Highly recommend!
March 18, 2015
Fast paced
Rarely does a book spook me bit this one did one of the best books I've read in a while
Rarely does a book spook me bit this one did one of the best books I've read in a while
April 22, 2015
Definitely a "Guardian Angel-Type" of book. I enjoyed it!
August 30, 2016
Really enjoyed this book. I almost did not read it because the reviews I read said it was a horror story. I am very happy that I chose to read it anyway. Instead of being scared I had a sense of peace. All is as it should be.
June 22, 2016
Must, must, must read!
Fantastic and well written story. So very hard to put down and I know you've heard it before, but this was an exciting, gripping, scary, sad, happy story. Rest assured, you will not be disappointed. Thank you Noel Hynd for a wonderful book.
Fantastic and well written story. So very hard to put down and I know you've heard it before, but this was an exciting, gripping, scary, sad, happy story. Rest assured, you will not be disappointed. Thank you Noel Hynd for a wonderful book.
February 17, 2015
Mesmerizing
Could not put down and was sorry when finished. Great characters, dead and alive. Loved the spiritual, mystical and mystery.
Could not put down and was sorry when finished. Great characters, dead and alive. Loved the spiritual, mystical and mystery.
June 22, 2016
Cemetery of angels 2014 edition
This book was just wonderful. I did not want to put it down. I couldn't wait to continue reading it. He had three stories going at one time. Great read.
This book was just wonderful. I did not want to put it down. I couldn't wait to continue reading it. He had three stories going at one time. Great read.
October 20, 2007
Excellent, full of emotion and great character development.
June 9, 2015
Wow.
Another good scary read. Glad I discovered this author. Will be reading more by him. Five stars and two thumbs up.
Another good scary read. Glad I discovered this author. Will be reading more by him. Five stars and two thumbs up.
October 24, 2015
I read this book a long time ago. Just read it again. Loved it. I've read his three paranormal books. Already read Lost Boy and this one. Ghosts is next. Will read his other book too.
March 29, 2016
Spooky
This is a great ghost story. Set in Los Angela's it brings together the old and new LA. I enjoy Noel Hynd stories...spooky, scary, but not gross. Good characters too!
This is a great ghost story. Set in Los Angela's it brings together the old and new LA. I enjoy Noel Hynd stories...spooky, scary, but not gross. Good characters too!
June 21, 2016
Rate the book.
This is one of the best stories I have read in a long time. Mr. Hynd is truly a great writer. I look forward to more great stories.
This is one of the best stories I have read in a long time. Mr. Hynd is truly a great writer. I look forward to more great stories.
December 5, 2019
Spooky
The author’s style is a cross between koontz and king. I liked how he weaved the two stories together and his ending was spot on. A ghostly love story. Great read
The author’s style is a cross between koontz and king. I liked how he weaved the two stories together and his ending was spot on. A ghostly love story. Great read
October 20, 2021
Good second chapter in the Ghost Stories of Noel Hynd
This is a very good second visitation in the Ghost series by Noel Hynd. There are some chills and goose bumps in this book. It has characters that you can care about, and also some ghosts that are pretty cool too. The book is a little cheesy at times but as a tribute to the Ghost story, it is very good.
This is a very good second visitation in the Ghost series by Noel Hynd. There are some chills and goose bumps in this book. It has characters that you can care about, and also some ghosts that are pretty cool too. The book is a little cheesy at times but as a tribute to the Ghost story, it is very good.
July 4, 2017
I like a good ghost story. Sadly, this isn't one. It starts out promising but then moves quickly into the unbelievable and then finally, ridiculous. The characters are well defined, but that was just not enough to hold this one together.
September 21, 2022
Twists and Turns
Noel Hynd put it correctly that this book was worn in a quirky manner. It twisted around and kept me reading, even when my eyes wanted to choose in sleep! I love how he wove the plot! A definite page turner!
Noel Hynd put it correctly that this book was worn in a quirky manner. It twisted around and kept me reading, even when my eyes wanted to choose in sleep! I love how he wove the plot! A definite page turner!
April 8, 2018
You can tell this author does not write Horror novels for a living. It was more crime than horror. Story was wordy and there were parts I could skip.
July 7, 2018
fun, quick read. Not scary, but it kept my attention with decent character development and a quick pace. A coherent story without typos. Woo hoo!
July 15, 2019
Average at best
August 7, 2020
I liked this book,and I would recommend anyone who likes a good ghost story to read it.
July 13, 2023
It started out a little slow, but got better
April 11, 2010
I got this book because I enjoyed 'Ghosts' so much, and I'm happy to say that this book did not disappoint.
The story starts off with a bang, setting the overall tone of foreboding that permeates the rest of the novel. Over the course of events, there is an attempted murder or two; a kidnapping; tours of cemeteries, complete with the graves/tombs of stars from Hollywood's golden age; ghosts; angels; hypnosis; and even a love story.
The usual haunted house attributes are present and accounted for: strange odors and sounds, creaking floorboards, mysterious voices and music, and, of course, a neighboring cemetery. Though there are some repetitive moments, and it takes awhile for the haunting to get started in earnest, this aspect is, all in all, actually pretty well done, and makes for some fairly spooky moments.
The book is highly enjoyable, but not without flaws. For one, it's all too easy to figure out who the villain is, and that determination can be made *very* early on. Beyond that, the person "whodunit" can be fairly over the top in terms of the unpleasantness of his or her actions and words, and when the police become involved, this person's behavior and treatment of the main detective (and law enforcement, in general) points so obviously to his or her guilt that it's astounding (and a little absurd) that it took so long for said detective to put the pieces together. While that was a tad disappointing, this did manage to serve to up the suspense as to if/when/how this person would be caught, and how that storyline would fit in (if at all) with the other storyline featuring desecration of a grave, possible grave-robbing, and ghosts.
The protagonist is mostly a pretty good character, and one for whom it is easy to root, but it did get frustrating that it took so long for her to figure out what was going on.
The aforementioned love story was a nice addition, in my view, though I would have liked a more in-depth explanation/exploration of the characters' shared past - that would've served to lend a bit more credence to how things played out, and would've made the emotionality of it all (along with explaining why a certain character went to such great lengths to provide assistance and protection) more organic and genuine. That said, it was still an enjoyable feature of the story, it just could have been a bit more fleshed-out.
Overall, then, while the plot has some predictable elements, Hynd does very well in terms of creating a spooky atmosphere, and there is quite a bit of suspense (particularly near the end of the book). If you enjoyed 'Ghosts,' you'll probably find this to your liking, as well. In fact, I would say that anyone who enjoys a good haunted house yarn should definitely pick up a copy of this book.
The story starts off with a bang, setting the overall tone of foreboding that permeates the rest of the novel. Over the course of events, there is an attempted murder or two; a kidnapping; tours of cemeteries, complete with the graves/tombs of stars from Hollywood's golden age; ghosts; angels; hypnosis; and even a love story.
The usual haunted house attributes are present and accounted for: strange odors and sounds, creaking floorboards, mysterious voices and music, and, of course, a neighboring cemetery. Though there are some repetitive moments, and it takes awhile for the haunting to get started in earnest, this aspect is, all in all, actually pretty well done, and makes for some fairly spooky moments.
The book is highly enjoyable, but not without flaws. For one, it's all too easy to figure out who the villain is, and that determination can be made *very* early on. Beyond that, the person "whodunit" can be fairly over the top in terms of the unpleasantness of his or her actions and words, and when the police become involved, this person's behavior and treatment of the main detective (and law enforcement, in general) points so obviously to his or her guilt that it's astounding (and a little absurd) that it took so long for said detective to put the pieces together. While that was a tad disappointing, this did manage to serve to up the suspense as to if/when/how this person would be caught, and how that storyline would fit in (if at all) with the other storyline featuring desecration of a grave, possible grave-robbing, and ghosts.
The protagonist is mostly a pretty good character, and one for whom it is easy to root, but it did get frustrating that it took so long for her to figure out what was going on.
The aforementioned love story was a nice addition, in my view, though I would have liked a more in-depth explanation/exploration of the characters' shared past - that would've served to lend a bit more credence to how things played out, and would've made the emotionality of it all (along with explaining why a certain character went to such great lengths to provide assistance and protection) more organic and genuine. That said, it was still an enjoyable feature of the story, it just could have been a bit more fleshed-out.
Overall, then, while the plot has some predictable elements, Hynd does very well in terms of creating a spooky atmosphere, and there is quite a bit of suspense (particularly near the end of the book). If you enjoyed 'Ghosts,' you'll probably find this to your liking, as well. In fact, I would say that anyone who enjoys a good haunted house yarn should definitely pick up a copy of this book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 4, 2015
This was a book of two halves for me.
The first half was genuinely creepy and scary. It set the scene brilliantly.
The second half was less creepy and the plot seemed to wander. Characters who were built up in the first half faded into the background to the point where I wondered why they were introduced in the first place.
It almost felt like reading two separate books. A strange thing indeed. The first half genuinely creeped me out which not many other books have managed. I applaud it for that at least.
The first half was genuinely creepy and scary. It set the scene brilliantly.
The second half was less creepy and the plot seemed to wander. Characters who were built up in the first half faded into the background to the point where I wondered why they were introduced in the first place.
It almost felt like reading two separate books. A strange thing indeed. The first half genuinely creeped me out which not many other books have managed. I applaud it for that at least.
August 8, 2011
I'm really not sure what to make of this book or how to interpret it.
It is creepy, scary, way out there on the limb regarding paranormal events, at times frustrating and then again it hooks you in until you have to finish the last page.
I'm not sure if I can recommend the book. I can say it held my interest in a weird kind of way.
It is creepy, scary, way out there on the limb regarding paranormal events, at times frustrating and then again it hooks you in until you have to finish the last page.
I'm not sure if I can recommend the book. I can say it held my interest in a weird kind of way.
April 7, 2010
I did not finish this book.
I was reading it and then I read the inside cover of the book and realized it was about the abduction of children and realized I wouldn't be able to read this book. (Too close to real fears :) )
I wouldn't mind trying some of her other books.
I was reading it and then I read the inside cover of the book and realized it was about the abduction of children and realized I wouldn't be able to read this book. (Too close to real fears :) )
I wouldn't mind trying some of her other books.
Want to read
June 12, 2010I really thought this book was boring and predictable. A bit too heavy on the romance that I expected from a guy, so it was a real shocker when it came into play in the book.
June 17, 2013
fun little ghost story
Displaying 1 - 29 of 34 reviews