What do you think?
Rate this book
Blackstone Chronicles #2
Twist of Fate: The Locket
Jules Hartwick should be on top of the world. He has a distinguished career as president of the First National Bank of Blackstone, and his lovely daughter will soon be married. But his contentment is shattered: he's under investigation by the Federal Reserve--and that frightening audit threatens the financing of the Blackstone Center, which is slated to rise on the site of the old Asylum. And now, late at night, after a lavish dinner party, the Hartwicks receive a mysterious package containing a silver locket. Who sent it? Why? Jules has his own suspicions, as this second sinister gift unleashes a bloodcurdling chain of events...
86 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 29, 1997
9 people are currently reading
656 people want to read
About the author
John Saul
149 books2,842 followersJohn Saul is an American author best known for his bestselling suspense and horror novels, many of which have appeared on The New York Times Best Seller list. Born in Pasadena and raised in Whittier, California, Saul attended several universities without earning a degree. He spent years honing his craft, writing under pen names before finding mainstream success. His breakout novel, Suffer the Children (1977), launched a prolific career, with over 60 million copies of his books in print. Saul’s work includes Cry for the Strangers, later adapted into a TV movie, and The Blackstone Chronicles series. He is also a playwright, with one-act plays produced in Los Angeles and Seattle. In 2023, he received the Bram Stoker Award for Lifetime Achievement. Openly gay, he has lived with his partner—also his creative collaborator—for nearly 50 years. Saul divides his time between Seattle, the San Juan Islands, and Hawaii, and frequently speaks at writers’ conferences, including the Maui Writers' Conference. His enduring popularity in the horror genre stems from a blend of psychological tension, supernatural elements, and deep emotional undercurrents that have resonated with readers for decades.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 54 reviews
March 24, 2022
TW: Miscarriage, cheating, murder, uses of b-word and s*ut
*****SPOILERS*****
About the book:Jules Hartwick should be on top of the world. He has a distinguished career as president of the First National Bank of Blackstone, and his lovely daughter will soon be married. But his contentment is shattered: he's under investigation by the Federal Reserve--and that frightening audit threatens the financing of the Blackstone Center, which is slated to rise on the site of the old Asylum. And now, late at night, after a lavish dinner party, the Hartwicks receive a mysterious package containing a silver locket. Who sent it? Why? Jules has his own suspicions, as this second sinister gift unleashes a bloodcurdling chain of events...
Release Date: 01/29/1997
Genre: Horror
Pages: 86
Rating: ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
What I Liked:
• The plot of this one was interesting
• The story flowed
What I Didn't Like:
• Story two feels similar to story one in a way
Overall Thoughts: I love that after Jules fides a mysterious box in Madeline's car that has a locket in it with a piece of hair his first thought goes to that she's cheating. Like no conversation nothing just she's cheating. So weird like maybe she has a creepy stalker she hasn't told you about. Or maybe it's just some weird or that's been watching her she didn't know about.
This was a good story. I love that everything is about this small town. I love that everything links together.
I feel bad for the all people that are involved because they seem like victims.
Final Thoughts: I keep thinking that this would make such a great Netflix show. You could do six episodes of the Blackstone Chronicles. It's creepy and fun and campy. Onto book 3!
IG | Blog
*****SPOILERS*****
About the book:Jules Hartwick should be on top of the world. He has a distinguished career as president of the First National Bank of Blackstone, and his lovely daughter will soon be married. But his contentment is shattered: he's under investigation by the Federal Reserve--and that frightening audit threatens the financing of the Blackstone Center, which is slated to rise on the site of the old Asylum. And now, late at night, after a lavish dinner party, the Hartwicks receive a mysterious package containing a silver locket. Who sent it? Why? Jules has his own suspicions, as this second sinister gift unleashes a bloodcurdling chain of events...
Release Date: 01/29/1997
Genre: Horror
Pages: 86
Rating: ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
What I Liked:
• The plot of this one was interesting
• The story flowed
What I Didn't Like:
• Story two feels similar to story one in a way
Overall Thoughts: I love that after Jules fides a mysterious box in Madeline's car that has a locket in it with a piece of hair his first thought goes to that she's cheating. Like no conversation nothing just she's cheating. So weird like maybe she has a creepy stalker she hasn't told you about. Or maybe it's just some weird or that's been watching her she didn't know about.
This was a good story. I love that everything is about this small town. I love that everything links together.
I feel bad for the all people that are involved because they seem like victims.
Final Thoughts: I keep thinking that this would make such a great Netflix show. You could do six episodes of the Blackstone Chronicles. It's creepy and fun and campy. Onto book 3!
IG | Blog
September 17, 2017
I really enjoyed this, the second episode in the six part Blackstone Chronicles. Who is the mysterious person who goes into the old asylum and takes things from a secret room? They are all items that belonged to the poor inmates of the asylum and they all end up in the hands of members of the local community. Why does the stranger deliver these items to people in the town? The consequences are always dreadful.
The latest recipient of a ‘gift’ is Jules Hardwick, everything is so good for him, he is happily married to Madeline, he has a lovely daughter Celeste and his career as president of the First National Bank of Blackstone is going so well. But then he receives a gift, the locket, and his world is thrown out of kilter. He undergoes a massive change in character, his family and friends cannot understand what is wrong with him. He starts to act like a mad man and it all builds up to a terrifying conclusion.
This book is really creepy, frightening and tense and best of all it has NO swear words. Thank you John Saul! I have a few favourite horror writers most of which do not use bad language however, some do and for me it just spoils the effect of the story. True fear can be created without cursing, swearing really isn’t scary just unpleasant.
The latest recipient of a ‘gift’ is Jules Hardwick, everything is so good for him, he is happily married to Madeline, he has a lovely daughter Celeste and his career as president of the First National Bank of Blackstone is going so well. But then he receives a gift, the locket, and his world is thrown out of kilter. He undergoes a massive change in character, his family and friends cannot understand what is wrong with him. He starts to act like a mad man and it all builds up to a terrifying conclusion.
This book is really creepy, frightening and tense and best of all it has NO swear words. Thank you John Saul! I have a few favourite horror writers most of which do not use bad language however, some do and for me it just spoils the effect of the story. True fear can be created without cursing, swearing really isn’t scary just unpleasant.
February 6, 2021
Onto the 3rd one.....this one was not as good as the first part.....
April 18, 2019
I was wary that this novella would suffer the dreaded sophomore slump, but I shouldn't have as the book chugged along like a darkly brilliant train. I was again mesmerized by how the accursed gift - a locket this time - plunged its target into a precipitous and utterly believable insanity. It only needed 24 tense hours to wreak its havoc, but in the end it has irreparably shattered one solid and eminent family.
I also loved how the stories behind these evil objects dovetailed perfectly not only with the recipients' mania, but with their histories too. I'm rating this 7.5/10 or 4 paranoia-inducing stars out of 5.
I also loved how the stories behind these evil objects dovetailed perfectly not only with the recipients' mania, but with their histories too. I'm rating this 7.5/10 or 4 paranoia-inducing stars out of 5.
July 22, 2017
From Casual Debris.
"The Locket" is the second novella in John Saul's Blackstone Chronicles. It is weaker than it's fairly average predecessor, "The Doll," but the broader story is made more interesting as characters peripheral to the main plot are further developed, generating expectations for their own stories in later chapters of the series. In addition, the focus on the peripherals helps crystallize the community and develop readers' interest in the over-arching tale.
We saw in the first part of the Blackstone Chronicles that a doll stashed away at the local derelict asylum was reclaimed by a mysterious figure and planted at the home of the McGuires in an act of unspecified vengeance. The goal was to destroy family harmony, which was successfully achieved. In the second part a locket is obtained from the same closed off stores of the asylum by the same mysterious figure, and delivered to another happy home, that of banker Jules Hartwick and family. Clutching this locket leads Jules to develop an outwardly aggressive persecution complex, which escalates in a straight line until the expected climax.
Saul makes sure to set up his victim as an all-around likable rich guy. The family members, parents and one grown-up daughter, Celeste, love each other undeniably. Daughter is about to marry a super cool dude who works at dad's bank and daddy dotes on him. They are good, community-oriented bankers who do good for their fellow townsfolk and, despite being top dog, daddy wishes good morning to all them common folk, like the tellers and what-not. He never even asks his female secretary to get him coffee! A true modern male role model. (Arguably, Saul could have created a female manager and a male secretary, but perhaps that was too modern for the bygone days of 1997. Alas, despite the date of publication and setting, the community presented in the series is an old fashioned one that hearkens back to Bedford Falls.) The streak of good people we have so mat in Blackstone is unevenly balanced by the few (I count two so far) "bad" characters, both dissatisfied middle-aged women who lack a man in their lives. Character depth is certainly not something this series boasts.
The fall of good people is tied to heritage, as we learn there are familial ties between the asylum of the past, where treatment of patients was less than ideal, to the happy families of today. What we do not yet know is the source of the vengeance, who is conspiring against the good folk of Blackstone, and from where doth ye olde magic manifest itself from. We also know that the local journalist has a supernatural connection with the asylum's past, and receives visions and headaches whenever something is up. As his pa was once curator or director or some such at the asylum, we can suspect that he will likely uncover the plot of vengeance that is a-brewing, using his reporter skills and advice from the kindly uncle. Uncle aside, he has no family so perhaps will not be the object of an asylum trinket, or perhaps kindly uncle will meet an awful demise in Book Six.
Overarching story aside, the plot of locket is a straightforward tale of paranoia. It escalates in a straight line, without twist or any deviation whatsoever, and the trigger is the locket that its victim Jules clutches. At least with "The Doll" there was a tie-in with the object, while the locket is incidental; might as well have been a crown or a ring or a hot dog. Without the greater story riding astride this plot, as a piece of fiction it would be unnecessary and un-publishable.
"The Locket" is the second novella in John Saul's Blackstone Chronicles. It is weaker than it's fairly average predecessor, "The Doll," but the broader story is made more interesting as characters peripheral to the main plot are further developed, generating expectations for their own stories in later chapters of the series. In addition, the focus on the peripherals helps crystallize the community and develop readers' interest in the over-arching tale.
We saw in the first part of the Blackstone Chronicles that a doll stashed away at the local derelict asylum was reclaimed by a mysterious figure and planted at the home of the McGuires in an act of unspecified vengeance. The goal was to destroy family harmony, which was successfully achieved. In the second part a locket is obtained from the same closed off stores of the asylum by the same mysterious figure, and delivered to another happy home, that of banker Jules Hartwick and family. Clutching this locket leads Jules to develop an outwardly aggressive persecution complex, which escalates in a straight line until the expected climax.
Saul makes sure to set up his victim as an all-around likable rich guy. The family members, parents and one grown-up daughter, Celeste, love each other undeniably. Daughter is about to marry a super cool dude who works at dad's bank and daddy dotes on him. They are good, community-oriented bankers who do good for their fellow townsfolk and, despite being top dog, daddy wishes good morning to all them common folk, like the tellers and what-not. He never even asks his female secretary to get him coffee! A true modern male role model. (Arguably, Saul could have created a female manager and a male secretary, but perhaps that was too modern for the bygone days of 1997. Alas, despite the date of publication and setting, the community presented in the series is an old fashioned one that hearkens back to Bedford Falls.) The streak of good people we have so mat in Blackstone is unevenly balanced by the few (I count two so far) "bad" characters, both dissatisfied middle-aged women who lack a man in their lives. Character depth is certainly not something this series boasts.
The fall of good people is tied to heritage, as we learn there are familial ties between the asylum of the past, where treatment of patients was less than ideal, to the happy families of today. What we do not yet know is the source of the vengeance, who is conspiring against the good folk of Blackstone, and from where doth ye olde magic manifest itself from. We also know that the local journalist has a supernatural connection with the asylum's past, and receives visions and headaches whenever something is up. As his pa was once curator or director or some such at the asylum, we can suspect that he will likely uncover the plot of vengeance that is a-brewing, using his reporter skills and advice from the kindly uncle. Uncle aside, he has no family so perhaps will not be the object of an asylum trinket, or perhaps kindly uncle will meet an awful demise in Book Six.
Overarching story aside, the plot of locket is a straightforward tale of paranoia. It escalates in a straight line, without twist or any deviation whatsoever, and the trigger is the locket that its victim Jules clutches. At least with "The Doll" there was a tie-in with the object, while the locket is incidental; might as well have been a crown or a ring or a hot dog. Without the greater story riding astride this plot, as a piece of fiction it would be unnecessary and un-publishable.
June 21, 2022
Only reason I didn’t finish this fun little tale last night was I had to cook for Fathers Day. Truly enjoyed this second portion of the Blackstone Chronicles and I look forward to the next one.
October 13, 2024
Das war eine sehr gute Story!
Da ging es um Eifersucht und Wahnsinn und was daraus werden kann....sehr spannend geschrieben!
Da ging es um Eifersucht und Wahnsinn und was daraus werden kann....sehr spannend geschrieben!
July 16, 2016
I'm really loving this series! On to the next book!!
March 24, 2023
Story:
Die Bank hat Schwierigkeiten und wird geprüft, aber das macht dem taffen Jules nicht viele Sorgen. Er weiß, dass er nichts falsch gemacht hat und hofft, dass sich am Ende alles zum Guten wenden wird. Außerdem ist sein Herz voller Freude, da seine einzige Tochter ihre Verlobung bekannt gibt. Es wird ein großes Fest zur Bekanntgabe im eigenen Haus veranstaltet und es erscheinen viele Freunde, um mit der Familie zu feiern. Schon will er den Abend in Ruhe mit seiner Frau ausklingen lassen, da findet er zufällig ein Geschenk, dass offensichtlich an eben jene gerichtet scheint. Er kann seine Neugierde nicht zügeln und hält kurz darauf den ersten Schritt in sein Verderben in der Hand. Was für ein Gegenstand wird wohl in dieser Geschichte das Leben unserer Protagonisten beeinflussen?
Eine wirklich gelungene, spannende Geschichte, die mich vollkommen fesseln konnte. Die Geschehnisse sind stimmig und überzeugend.
Charaktere:
Die Charaktere wurden gut vorstellbar dargestellt. Sie sind facettenreich und können überzeugen. Sie handeln stets ihres Charakters entsprechend und haben eine interessante Hintergrundgeschichte.
Die Gefühle und Gedanken der Charaktere sind stimmig und gut nachvollziehbar.
Erzähler:
Die Personen werden von einer sehr talentierten Erzählerin gesprochen. Sie vermag ihre Stimme beeindruckend an die verschiedenen Personen anzupassen und vermittelt die Geschichte eindrucksvoll. Eine sehr gelungene Wahl für die Geschichte.
Eine spannende und absolut fesselnde Geschichte.
Die Bank hat Schwierigkeiten und wird geprüft, aber das macht dem taffen Jules nicht viele Sorgen. Er weiß, dass er nichts falsch gemacht hat und hofft, dass sich am Ende alles zum Guten wenden wird. Außerdem ist sein Herz voller Freude, da seine einzige Tochter ihre Verlobung bekannt gibt. Es wird ein großes Fest zur Bekanntgabe im eigenen Haus veranstaltet und es erscheinen viele Freunde, um mit der Familie zu feiern. Schon will er den Abend in Ruhe mit seiner Frau ausklingen lassen, da findet er zufällig ein Geschenk, dass offensichtlich an eben jene gerichtet scheint. Er kann seine Neugierde nicht zügeln und hält kurz darauf den ersten Schritt in sein Verderben in der Hand. Was für ein Gegenstand wird wohl in dieser Geschichte das Leben unserer Protagonisten beeinflussen?
Eine wirklich gelungene, spannende Geschichte, die mich vollkommen fesseln konnte. Die Geschehnisse sind stimmig und überzeugend.
Charaktere:
Die Charaktere wurden gut vorstellbar dargestellt. Sie sind facettenreich und können überzeugen. Sie handeln stets ihres Charakters entsprechend und haben eine interessante Hintergrundgeschichte.
Die Gefühle und Gedanken der Charaktere sind stimmig und gut nachvollziehbar.
Erzähler:
Die Personen werden von einer sehr talentierten Erzählerin gesprochen. Sie vermag ihre Stimme beeindruckend an die verschiedenen Personen anzupassen und vermittelt die Geschichte eindrucksvoll. Eine sehr gelungene Wahl für die Geschichte.
Eine spannende und absolut fesselnde Geschichte.
May 18, 2025
This second issue of The Blackstone Chronicles was a real letdown. Where the characters in the first part were slowly spiraling down the path of insanity and where their obsessions were rooted in the trauma they experienced, the possession in this second part comes out of nowhere and does not resonate with the life that our protagonist has lived up to now. And it could have been so easy. Jules Hartwick, our all-too-friendly banker, goes through the hell of an audit that threatens everything he has built with his bank. There is enough room to connect the motives here and for him to feel paranoid about the auditors. Instead, the paranoia that comes through the possession concentrates on his family, where there is no ground for any of it. That way, it feels disconnected from the characters as we get to know them.
The second big problem is that in the first part we were experiencing the possession secondhand through a protagonist who was himself not affected. This time it's our POV character who is possessed, which makes the whole thing all the more unbelievable.
So, this was bad, and I hope that the third part can raise the quality again.
The second big problem is that in the first part we were experiencing the possession secondhand through a protagonist who was himself not affected. This time it's our POV character who is possessed, which makes the whole thing all the more unbelievable.
So, this was bad, and I hope that the third part can raise the quality again.
February 22, 2018
I finally completed reading the Blackstone Chronicles by John Saul. Holy crap! That was a great serial!
Overlooking the quaint little town of Blackstone sits an abandoned mental asylum. Relics of the horrors that occurred within its walls are mysteriously given to six of the town's residents, whose families all had ties to the asylum. These gifts will push the town to the brink of madness, and some people over the edge into the abyss.
I have been a Saul fan for over 20 years, and this may well be his masterpiece.
My rating: 4.75/5 stars
Overlooking the quaint little town of Blackstone sits an abandoned mental asylum. Relics of the horrors that occurred within its walls are mysteriously given to six of the town's residents, whose families all had ties to the asylum. These gifts will push the town to the brink of madness, and some people over the edge into the abyss.
I have been a Saul fan for over 20 years, and this may well be his masterpiece.
My rating: 4.75/5 stars
March 9, 2024
Who is the shadowy figure? How does he pick his victims? What is the story about the asylum? All these questions in my head. First the doll and now the locket. What is next? What’s going to happen in this town and the asylum? Hopefully not to someone I like. But I have a feeling that it’s gonna be soon. Maybe not in the next book but by the end. Will we discover it in time?
Jules you stupid man. What were you thinking? And how could something so small make such a huge difference?
And what if what’s inside the locket? What does it mean? And who’s is it?
Jules you stupid man. What were you thinking? And how could something so small make such a huge difference?
And what if what’s inside the locket? What does it mean? And who’s is it?
October 27, 2019
Very good second installment to this 6 part series. Great as a standalone and I can not wait to see how these all connect! These stories are CRA ZY! I am really enjoying this ride. Short and well written, I absolutely recommend this series. How can you go wrong when it takes such little time to read each one!? Just do it already.
January 15, 2023
Spannender zweiter Teil der Blackstone Chroniken, hat mir deutlich besser gefallen als der erste Teil. Auch hier ist abzusehen, was passieren wird, aber die Geschichte hat mich trotzdem sehr gut unterhalten. Die düstere Stimmung und diese unheilvolle Vorahnung von dem, was kommen muss, hat mir sehr gut gefallen.
August 10, 2023
I really enjoyed this! It was even better than part one of the series. This one felt very fast paced and had me turning pages quickly. I loved reading about the main character’ quick and terrible descent into madness brought on by supernatural forces and I am so excited to check the next part out!
January 6, 2018
This book was just as good as the first of the series and I’m looking forward to seeing how the rest unfolds.
August 31, 2020
This is a story of Paranoia at its very worse. When the locket finds its new owner his and the lives of his family and friends will never be the same.
Read
October 3, 2020nice quick little reads - this one was as good as the first ... on to the third
November 1, 2020
Liked the first installment a bit better. Part 2 seemed hard to get in to.
November 22, 2020
2.5 stars
February 13, 2021
Very Othello-esque. I have some guesses on end-game, but still not entirely sure. Really enjoying the series though!
July 16, 2021
The story isn't filling out the way I hoped it would. I feel more like I'm reading a comic book.
November 3, 2021
So far still good. Onto number three.
April 23, 2022
I’m literally freaking out. Aaaaagggghhhh!
August 3, 2023
3.5 stars
June 18, 2025
I'm enjoying these short stories in the Blackstone chronicle series. this one was interesting, and I loved the descriptions of the dinner party.
January 18, 2026
I enjoyed this quick read. Curious to see where the rest of his short stories go.
September 17, 2022
Honestly I keep having to force myself to read these...if they weren't 80 pages I probably wouldn't. Once you are about half way the story picks up and you want to see what happens but the first half is hard to get through....
February 6, 2023
Re-read.
Things continue to go bad within the town of Blackstone. The local family-run independent bank, is in the midst of an audit, which has put a halt on the renovation of the old asylum into a shopping center. Jules Hartwick had been fairly positive about the outcome of the audit, as he hadn't done anything illegal, only gave out loans to some townsfolk in need that other banks wouldn't have. Plus his daughter was getting married to a man he more than approved of, someone who believed in banking the way he and his ancestors did, someone who would hopefully take over running the bank when he was ready to retire, thus keeping it in the family. Life was good.
But the Hartwicks have been targeted by the dark figure, who leaves a present in the car of Jules' wife Madeline. Jules found the locket wrapped up in his wife's car. As soon as he touched the locket something within him snapped. He accused his wife of having an affair and goes on an insane rampage. Before the end, he sends a message of warning to Oliver Metcalf that evil was all around them and that it needed to be stopped before it killed them all.
Yeah, lots more people are gonna die! This series is very creepy and equally thrilling.
Things continue to go bad within the town of Blackstone. The local family-run independent bank, is in the midst of an audit, which has put a halt on the renovation of the old asylum into a shopping center. Jules Hartwick had been fairly positive about the outcome of the audit, as he hadn't done anything illegal, only gave out loans to some townsfolk in need that other banks wouldn't have. Plus his daughter was getting married to a man he more than approved of, someone who believed in banking the way he and his ancestors did, someone who would hopefully take over running the bank when he was ready to retire, thus keeping it in the family. Life was good.
But the Hartwicks have been targeted by the dark figure, who leaves a present in the car of Jules' wife Madeline. Jules found the locket wrapped up in his wife's car. As soon as he touched the locket something within him snapped. He accused his wife of having an affair and goes on an insane rampage. Before the end, he sends a message of warning to Oliver Metcalf that evil was all around them and that it needed to be stopped before it killed them all.
Yeah, lots more people are gonna die! This series is very creepy and equally thrilling.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 54 reviews