What do you think?
Rate this book
Orchard Grove
Sometimes fences make for nice neighbors. Other times they hide the evil within. From New York Times best-selling author Vincent Zandri comes a riveting novel of lies, deceit, and murder right next door. Orchard Grove is a town like any other, with quiet neighborhoods and apple groves . . . though Ethan, the depressed screenplay writer, and his secretive wife, Susan, would tell you differently. So would the seductive serial killer living next door. The apple trees are fertilized with evil, and the backyard fences aren’t enough to stop the manipulative mind games and dangerous lies. The lines between good and evil are blurred, and then erased, as Ethan does what it takes to survive.
320 pages, Hardcover
First published January 12, 2016
48 people are currently reading
1036 people want to read
About the author
Vincent Zandri
242 books576 followers"Vincent Zandri is one of the most acclaimed thriller writers working today!" --Publishers Weekly
“Zandri (is) a veteran wordsmith who executes quality and quantity at superlative levels.” --Book Reporter
"The story of Vincent Zandri is the story of our times."
--Business Insider
"Vincent Zandri hails from the future."
--The New York Times
“Sensational . . . masterful . . . brilliant.”
--New York Post
"...big time author..."
--Digital Journal
Considered one of the most prolific writers of his generation, Vincent Zandri is the winner of the 2015 PWA Shamus Award and the 2015 ITW Thriller Award, both for MOONLIGHT WEEPS in the Best Original Paperback category. He is also the NEW YORK TIMES, USA TODAY, and AMAZON KINDLE OVERALL NO.1 bestselling author of hundreds of novels, novellas, and stories, including THE REMAINS, MOONLIGHT WEEPS, THE EMBALMER, THE SHROUD KEY and QUIETLY INTO THE NIGHT. His list of domestic publishers includes Delacorte, Dell, Down & Out Books, Thomas & Mercer, Blackstone Audio, Tantor Media, and more. He is also the CEO of Bear Media. An MFA in Writing graduate of Vermont College, his work is translated in the Dutch, Russian, French, Italian, and Japanese. Having sold over 1 million editions of his books, Zandri has been the subject of major features by the New York Times, Publishers Weekly, and Business Insider. He has also made appearances on Bloomberg TV and the FOX News network. In December 2014, Suspense Magazine named Zandri's, THE SHROUD KEY, as one of the "Best Books of 2014." Suspense Magazine selected WHEN SHADOWS COME as one of the "Best Books of 2016". He was also a finalist for the 2019 Derringer Award for Best Novelette. A freelance photojournalist, freelance writer, and the host of the popular YouTube Podcast, "The Writer's Life," Zandri has written for Strategy Magazine, RT, Living Ready Magazine, New York Newsday, Hudson Valley Magazine, The Times Union (Albany), Game & Fish Magazine, CrimeReads, Altcoin Magazine, The Jerusalem Post (ghost), Market Business News (ghost), Duke University (ghost), Colgate University (ghost), New York University (ghost), The Rice University Gazette (ghost), Yale University (ghost), Digital Journal (ghost), and many more. An Active Member of ITW, he lives in New York and Florence, Italy. For more go to WWW.VINZANDRI.COM
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 53 reviews
March 15, 2016
Ethan hasn't written a word since his new neighbors moved in. He used to be a somewhat successful screenwriter until an ex-wife took him to the cleaners, now he has been re-married to Susan for ten years. Ten years of no real work from him, Susan does that majority of the supporting. He does have that little pot garden by the fence that brings in some money though.
Ethan is lonely...he spends most of his time watching his neighbor's wife sunbathe nude.
The lovely Lana that lives next door...with her bully cop husband. Ethan tries to remember that fences make the best neighbors. But the world is full of dumbasses and Ethan fits the bill.
Lana knows that Ethan has been watching her, but Lana has a whole lot of secrets that she hides.
These characters are all kinds of messed up. You know they are all trainwrecks but you can't look away. It's like you can't fathom that they are going to go through with the stupid stuff that they do....but then they do...and it's addictive watching.
They all can't decide who wants to sleep with who or who wants to kill off this one or that one.
The last 25% of the book did kind of bum me out and the serial killer storyline never really connected to the story for me. I still enjoyed the ride and ate up that popcorn.
Just keep in mind, the characters are not those sweet Betty Crocker wannabe's. So averaging four stars for the beginning and one for the ending..I'm going with 2.5 stars.
Booksource: I received a copy of this book from a friend.
My friend Brenda's review for this book is so freaking good..she made me totally want to read this one. (Her's is way better than my pictures)
Ethan is lonely...he spends most of his time watching his neighbor's wife sunbathe nude.
The lovely Lana that lives next door...with her bully cop husband. Ethan tries to remember that fences make the best neighbors. But the world is full of dumbasses and Ethan fits the bill.
Lana knows that Ethan has been watching her, but Lana has a whole lot of secrets that she hides.
These characters are all kinds of messed up. You know they are all trainwrecks but you can't look away. It's like you can't fathom that they are going to go through with the stupid stuff that they do....but then they do...and it's addictive watching.
They all can't decide who wants to sleep with who or who wants to kill off this one or that one.
The last 25% of the book did kind of bum me out and the serial killer storyline never really connected to the story for me. I still enjoyed the ride and ate up that popcorn.
Just keep in mind, the characters are not those sweet Betty Crocker wannabe's. So averaging four stars for the beginning and one for the ending..I'm going with 2.5 stars.
Booksource: I received a copy of this book from a friend.
My friend Brenda's review for this book is so freaking good..she made me totally want to read this one. (Her's is way better than my pictures)
February 25, 2016
This is precisely like watching Jerry Springer. You're sitting there listening to a woman scream her lungs out at her husband for cheating, all the while wondering why the hell she stays with him afterwards and why she feels the need to lay it all out on cable television. You're watching people crash and burn from the comfort of your couch: seeing them make idiotic decision after idiotic decision while you're sitting there slurping on your drink, toes neatly tucked underneath you.
Orchard Grove was much the same way. Ethan makes stupid decisions over and over again, essentially letting his penis make all the decisions for him. There was nothing about him that made me think he deserved any sort of redemption. He deserved all that he got. But so did Lana, Susan, John, and Carl. Every last one of them got what they deserved. Your question: how could you enjoy a book so much where you couldn't relate to any of the characters? Answer: the same way you all like your trashy Housewives shows, and I like Dr. Phil and Jerry Springer. It is a complete shitshow that is deliciously entertaining. You root for the bad guy because they're all bad guys and really, why not? Pick one! See if your horse wins the race!
The only thing I was kind of disappointed with was that I saw where the story was going from the moment Ethan noticed Lana. I wasn't the least bit surprised with each new revelation. But again, I was reading for the drama--not the surprise.
And boy, did Orchard Grove deliver admirably. It falls 100% in the guilty pleasures category. The kind of thing you feel slightly ashamed of admitting you enjoyed. And those are the best kind.
Mr. Zandri, if all the rest of your books have these kinds of crazy fucked-up characters, consider me a fan.
Orchard Grove was much the same way. Ethan makes stupid decisions over and over again, essentially letting his penis make all the decisions for him. There was nothing about him that made me think he deserved any sort of redemption. He deserved all that he got. But so did Lana, Susan, John, and Carl. Every last one of them got what they deserved. Your question: how could you enjoy a book so much where you couldn't relate to any of the characters? Answer: the same way you all like your trashy Housewives shows, and I like Dr. Phil and Jerry Springer. It is a complete shitshow that is deliciously entertaining. You root for the bad guy because they're all bad guys and really, why not? Pick one! See if your horse wins the race!
The only thing I was kind of disappointed with was that I saw where the story was going from the moment Ethan noticed Lana. I wasn't the least bit surprised with each new revelation. But again, I was reading for the drama--not the surprise.
And boy, did Orchard Grove deliver admirably. It falls 100% in the guilty pleasures category. The kind of thing you feel slightly ashamed of admitting you enjoyed. And those are the best kind.
Mr. Zandri, if all the rest of your books have these kinds of crazy fucked-up characters, consider me a fan.
February 29, 2016
Orchard Grove: Vincent Zandri
Cravings come in many different ways. Some crave chocolate while others like myself vanilla. But, food is not the only thing that people crave and when that craving becomes fixated on another human being we call it an obsession or in this case a moral or mortal flaw that will bring not only one person down but three others too. Adam and Eve were exiled from the Garden of Eden when they ate the forbidden fruit of good and evil. Forbidden fruit does not always refer to the apple, pears or figs that might tempt so many but the indulgence or pleasure that some envision that is considered immoral or illegal. Temptations often win out and the struggle between good and evil creates a fine line that some cross and some find hard to resist. Evil is thought of as the quality of being morally bad or creating something that causes harm or misfortune. Orchard Grove is a small town in Albany that most might consider a beautiful tranquil place that some would love visiting and others enjoy living there. But, within this community of houses lives a woman so evil; so demonic that just being in her presence can create fear, misery and death.
Demons are an evil spirit or evil person who enjoys doing something to torment a person or create terror. A person who acts as a tormentor and takes pride in being destructive, evil, forceful and cruel without any remorse for their actions or behavior. Within this quiet and tranquil community lurks more than one demon, more than one evil soul and a tormentor that will enter the heart and mind of one man, seeking out his soul, his every being with the only hope of luring him in, hooking his desire for her and hoping that he will fall.
Ethan Forrester was a successful screenwriter and penned one outstanding novel. But, Ethan’s fame and success waned heavily when his drinking started, his screenplays were rejected and one incident would cost him it all. Lana Cattivo became his craving, his lust his obsession and all reason and thought was levitated from his body hovering over him hoping that he would realize they were gone. For two months Ethan relates in his own words how he watched her sunbathe, stopped writing screenplays and selling them was out of the question. “ An obsession isn’t something that just pops up overnight….” It takes time and in this case work, planning and strategy. Susan, his wife was magnificent and although their level of closeness dissipated over a year, he was never disloyal or cheated on her but things were about to change, the dynamics of their marriage would not longer be the same and his life was about to take a downward turn. Sometimes what we crave can turn out to be toxic and if you visit Orchard Grove and learn about the past and the trees that filled the area until they were cut down and are no more, you will see one only tree that bears fruit that no one can touch. The rancid taste, the horrific way it looks and the lack of nutrients coming to its roots is just as dangerous to eat as Lana.
Meeting Lana for the first time and managing to get up close, Ethan’s moral values, ethics and strong desire to prove himself as a man reigned and all else was cast to the wind. As he approached her and their conversation began the reader is alerted to the fact that something is about to happen. The chemistry between them seemed to be electric because Ethan wanted her in all the wrong ways. Lana had a way of seducing men and women with her motions, actions and words making her more dangerous than most wanted criminals. Luring him in, reeling him into her web of deceit and deception Ethan fell for her plot to rid the world of her husband John who might be a cop but deadly too. The encounter the author describes when John, Lana, Ethan and Susan are together is bone chilling and will make readers wonder the depths that both Lana and John will go to in order to reel in their prey and get what they want. Making Ethan think that John was going to kill her she devises a plan to do that to John but only if Ethan carries it out in a gruesome way. But, some plans should be left undone and the outcome is more than tragic as this is not only the beginning of John’s downfall but the spiral downfall of Ethan that he never sees coming until it’s too late.
Ethan’s pain in his foot often intensifies parallel to the pain he is going to feel when he learns he has been set up and betrayed. After completing the deed that Lana convinced him to perform imagining watching through a window while your wife and this evil woman celebrate behind your back. Calling the police and dealing with several detectives he thinks he has one, Nick Miller, convinced that he is not guilty and that John’s death was an accident. Each time something in the present occurs the author brilliantly flashes back to the past and the chapter titled Snapshot alerts readers to Lana’s past, her deeds and that she thought this blonde haired blue eyed daughter of a missing man could not be stopped and would continue on her murderous journey.
Ethan learns even more when he realizes from looking at his wife’s texts that she and Lana are more than just friends and that maybe he is the one that if going to take the fall. But, things spiral out of control even further when Ethan decides to run, winds up in a convenience store and what happens next changes it all for everyone. Dealing with another murder, having to find a way to survive he takes rides from several strangers but last could prove deadly.
Just whom else did Lana reel into her web of deceit? Just what part does John’s partner play in this plan? But, he is so caught up in her that he decides to enact a fantasy thinking he might just get away with it all but the end result is frightening. The pain and swelling in his foot get worse, the bleeding reminds you of the bloody red wine that Lana brings for all occasions and the fear of death is just around many corners. The manner of his survival using the money from the pot patch, the threat of losing his house, Susan having to pick up the slack to pay the bills, The final showdown is terrifying and the end result for those that are about to fall can only be learned when you read this outstanding, electrifying and explosive novel. Called Hollywood to parallel him with other writers yet Ethan is a failure, drunk and delusional at times, the final account in the last chapter will sum up who is guilty, who is not guilty and who is left if anyone in Orchard Grove. Some apples are deadly and others have fruit that is sweet, tantalizing and yet forbidden when we bit into it. 24 Orchard Grove, 26 Orchard Grove: Would you want to live there? Some demons never die. Some obsessions live on and one tree will remain as a constant reminder. Only author Vincent Zandri can create a plot so terrifying, true to life as if it were ripped right out of the headlines or an Alfred Hitchcock movie but more terrifying. Orchard Grove: Don’t sit under the apple tree!
Fran Lewis: Just reviews/MJ Magazine
Let’s give this book: FIVE GOLDEN RED APPLES
Cravings come in many different ways. Some crave chocolate while others like myself vanilla. But, food is not the only thing that people crave and when that craving becomes fixated on another human being we call it an obsession or in this case a moral or mortal flaw that will bring not only one person down but three others too. Adam and Eve were exiled from the Garden of Eden when they ate the forbidden fruit of good and evil. Forbidden fruit does not always refer to the apple, pears or figs that might tempt so many but the indulgence or pleasure that some envision that is considered immoral or illegal. Temptations often win out and the struggle between good and evil creates a fine line that some cross and some find hard to resist. Evil is thought of as the quality of being morally bad or creating something that causes harm or misfortune. Orchard Grove is a small town in Albany that most might consider a beautiful tranquil place that some would love visiting and others enjoy living there. But, within this community of houses lives a woman so evil; so demonic that just being in her presence can create fear, misery and death.
Demons are an evil spirit or evil person who enjoys doing something to torment a person or create terror. A person who acts as a tormentor and takes pride in being destructive, evil, forceful and cruel without any remorse for their actions or behavior. Within this quiet and tranquil community lurks more than one demon, more than one evil soul and a tormentor that will enter the heart and mind of one man, seeking out his soul, his every being with the only hope of luring him in, hooking his desire for her and hoping that he will fall.
Ethan Forrester was a successful screenwriter and penned one outstanding novel. But, Ethan’s fame and success waned heavily when his drinking started, his screenplays were rejected and one incident would cost him it all. Lana Cattivo became his craving, his lust his obsession and all reason and thought was levitated from his body hovering over him hoping that he would realize they were gone. For two months Ethan relates in his own words how he watched her sunbathe, stopped writing screenplays and selling them was out of the question. “ An obsession isn’t something that just pops up overnight….” It takes time and in this case work, planning and strategy. Susan, his wife was magnificent and although their level of closeness dissipated over a year, he was never disloyal or cheated on her but things were about to change, the dynamics of their marriage would not longer be the same and his life was about to take a downward turn. Sometimes what we crave can turn out to be toxic and if you visit Orchard Grove and learn about the past and the trees that filled the area until they were cut down and are no more, you will see one only tree that bears fruit that no one can touch. The rancid taste, the horrific way it looks and the lack of nutrients coming to its roots is just as dangerous to eat as Lana.
Meeting Lana for the first time and managing to get up close, Ethan’s moral values, ethics and strong desire to prove himself as a man reigned and all else was cast to the wind. As he approached her and their conversation began the reader is alerted to the fact that something is about to happen. The chemistry between them seemed to be electric because Ethan wanted her in all the wrong ways. Lana had a way of seducing men and women with her motions, actions and words making her more dangerous than most wanted criminals. Luring him in, reeling him into her web of deceit and deception Ethan fell for her plot to rid the world of her husband John who might be a cop but deadly too. The encounter the author describes when John, Lana, Ethan and Susan are together is bone chilling and will make readers wonder the depths that both Lana and John will go to in order to reel in their prey and get what they want. Making Ethan think that John was going to kill her she devises a plan to do that to John but only if Ethan carries it out in a gruesome way. But, some plans should be left undone and the outcome is more than tragic as this is not only the beginning of John’s downfall but the spiral downfall of Ethan that he never sees coming until it’s too late.
Ethan’s pain in his foot often intensifies parallel to the pain he is going to feel when he learns he has been set up and betrayed. After completing the deed that Lana convinced him to perform imagining watching through a window while your wife and this evil woman celebrate behind your back. Calling the police and dealing with several detectives he thinks he has one, Nick Miller, convinced that he is not guilty and that John’s death was an accident. Each time something in the present occurs the author brilliantly flashes back to the past and the chapter titled Snapshot alerts readers to Lana’s past, her deeds and that she thought this blonde haired blue eyed daughter of a missing man could not be stopped and would continue on her murderous journey.
Ethan learns even more when he realizes from looking at his wife’s texts that she and Lana are more than just friends and that maybe he is the one that if going to take the fall. But, things spiral out of control even further when Ethan decides to run, winds up in a convenience store and what happens next changes it all for everyone. Dealing with another murder, having to find a way to survive he takes rides from several strangers but last could prove deadly.
Just whom else did Lana reel into her web of deceit? Just what part does John’s partner play in this plan? But, he is so caught up in her that he decides to enact a fantasy thinking he might just get away with it all but the end result is frightening. The pain and swelling in his foot get worse, the bleeding reminds you of the bloody red wine that Lana brings for all occasions and the fear of death is just around many corners. The manner of his survival using the money from the pot patch, the threat of losing his house, Susan having to pick up the slack to pay the bills, The final showdown is terrifying and the end result for those that are about to fall can only be learned when you read this outstanding, electrifying and explosive novel. Called Hollywood to parallel him with other writers yet Ethan is a failure, drunk and delusional at times, the final account in the last chapter will sum up who is guilty, who is not guilty and who is left if anyone in Orchard Grove. Some apples are deadly and others have fruit that is sweet, tantalizing and yet forbidden when we bit into it. 24 Orchard Grove, 26 Orchard Grove: Would you want to live there? Some demons never die. Some obsessions live on and one tree will remain as a constant reminder. Only author Vincent Zandri can create a plot so terrifying, true to life as if it were ripped right out of the headlines or an Alfred Hitchcock movie but more terrifying. Orchard Grove: Don’t sit under the apple tree!
Fran Lewis: Just reviews/MJ Magazine
Let’s give this book: FIVE GOLDEN RED APPLES
July 18, 2016
Terrible. Only reading it because it showed up as new at my library. Completely unbelievable. If there are people in this world that behave this way, we're in trouble.
Homicide detective says "testimony" when he means statement. Main character's hand wounds somehow "cauterize" themselves overnight. I'm 75% finished and as I'm almost done, I will finish, but only because it is so short. I recognize this could be interesting as A Simple Plan was interesting and believable, but this is no simple plan. I hope this review helps someone save their time.
Homicide detective says "testimony" when he means statement. Main character's hand wounds somehow "cauterize" themselves overnight. I'm 75% finished and as I'm almost done, I will finish, but only because it is so short. I recognize this could be interesting as A Simple Plan was interesting and believable, but this is no simple plan. I hope this review helps someone save their time.
February 8, 2016
Orchard Grove by Vincent Zandri is a truly noir novel. That is, like a noir film from the golden days of Hollywood's black and white mysteries, you know that nothing will turn out well for anyone. In "Orchard Grove" one knows from the beginning that the central characters are going to be caught in a whirlpool that will drag them to their doom. The plot is inspired, I think, by those noir movies especially "Double Indemnity", " The Postman Always Rings Twice"' and the more recent, noir, " Body Heat".
The primary characters are Ethan Forrester, a failed screenwriter now living in Albany , NY, with his wife Susan, a teacher, and Lana Cattivo the seductive, beautiful and amoral lady next door, who has a very dangerous past, revealed early in the book.
Forrester is drawn into a web of obsessive lust and cunning treachery by the seductive Lana. Worse, he goes willingly, blinded by a manic desire, ignoring his own inner warnings. Forrester is the fall guy in this dark novel, and he knows it, but he cannot help himself.
The book is about sexual obsession. Forrester, his wife,and Lara's cop husband, John are are all captured in Lara's black widow web, overcome with lust for Lara. All pay the price.
Mr. Zandri's presents the story in a compelling drive that does not let up. From the first page to the expected climax, the reader watches sees the wreck coming. In Zandri's hands, the doomed Forrester is almost likable. The reader wants him to pull free and save himself, but he cannot.Can't he see what is going on? Yes, and no.
Lara, beautiful and evil, is unforgettably bad. It is easy to dislike her while at the same time being fascinated by her. Susan is as caught up as her husband, and Lana's husband,despite being full of menace and braggadocio, is almost pathetic in Lana's hands. All good writing.
I enjoyed this wild ride of a book and I think most fans of noir movies and novels will too. Be warned though, the theme of the book is sexual obsession and violence. There are graphic sexual scenes and graphic violence, so it is not for everyone. But it is quite a ride.
The primary characters are Ethan Forrester, a failed screenwriter now living in Albany , NY, with his wife Susan, a teacher, and Lana Cattivo the seductive, beautiful and amoral lady next door, who has a very dangerous past, revealed early in the book.
Forrester is drawn into a web of obsessive lust and cunning treachery by the seductive Lana. Worse, he goes willingly, blinded by a manic desire, ignoring his own inner warnings. Forrester is the fall guy in this dark novel, and he knows it, but he cannot help himself.
The book is about sexual obsession. Forrester, his wife,and Lara's cop husband, John are are all captured in Lara's black widow web, overcome with lust for Lara. All pay the price.
Mr. Zandri's presents the story in a compelling drive that does not let up. From the first page to the expected climax, the reader watches sees the wreck coming. In Zandri's hands, the doomed Forrester is almost likable. The reader wants him to pull free and save himself, but he cannot.Can't he see what is going on? Yes, and no.
Lara, beautiful and evil, is unforgettably bad. It is easy to dislike her while at the same time being fascinated by her. Susan is as caught up as her husband, and Lana's husband,despite being full of menace and braggadocio, is almost pathetic in Lana's hands. All good writing.
I enjoyed this wild ride of a book and I think most fans of noir movies and novels will too. Be warned though, the theme of the book is sexual obsession and violence. There are graphic sexual scenes and graphic violence, so it is not for everyone. But it is quite a ride.
March 8, 2016
The main thing I have to say about this book was that I was expecting so much more. I know Zandri's books have won awards and have been given excellent reviews by fellow thriller writers, so I was so disappointed.
The characters in this were one-dimensional to the point I thought this "thriller" was a parody. Dialogue wasn't realistic. The narrator was too snarky in his voice to be taken seriously or to feel empathy for; Ethan Forrester was nothing short of a dunce.
The reason I was generous enough to give it two stars as opposed to one was that the opening scene was so gripping and I thought the story would be more from Lana's perspective and that she would be a complex character, instead of pure evil that seduces and kills her way through life. This is what happens when you make situations or characters so larger than life, that there is no way to save face once you've committed to go there.
This thriller had so much potential and was left with disappointment and I'm grateful I borrowed this from a library. I actually own one of Zandri's other novels, The Remains which I had bought cheaply online a couple years ago because the premise looked so enticing, but now I'm wondering if I wasted money and if I should donate it somewhere.
If you're looking for a surface thriller (nothing wrong with it, it just won't be the most in depth main characters but usually they are developed) check out Linwood Barclay and Harlan Coben.
The characters in this were one-dimensional to the point I thought this "thriller" was a parody. Dialogue wasn't realistic. The narrator was too snarky in his voice to be taken seriously or to feel empathy for; Ethan Forrester was nothing short of a dunce.
The reason I was generous enough to give it two stars as opposed to one was that the opening scene was so gripping and I thought the story would be more from Lana's perspective and that she would be a complex character, instead of pure evil that seduces and kills her way through life. This is what happens when you make situations or characters so larger than life, that there is no way to save face once you've committed to go there.
This thriller had so much potential and was left with disappointment and I'm grateful I borrowed this from a library. I actually own one of Zandri's other novels, The Remains which I had bought cheaply online a couple years ago because the premise looked so enticing, but now I'm wondering if I wasted money and if I should donate it somewhere.
If you're looking for a surface thriller (nothing wrong with it, it just won't be the most in depth main characters but usually they are developed) check out Linwood Barclay and Harlan Coben.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 4, 2017
Review: ORCHARD GROVE by Vincent Zandri
Ever since EVERYTHING BURNS, I find myself compelled to read any Vincent Zandri novels. That is one novel I literally cannot forget. ORCHARD GROVE, his newest, likewise has a runaway-freight-train protagonist, a man who praises the high bar of his wife's personal moral code, while proceeding to demonstrate his own lack of a code of morality, honor, or integrity. While pursuing his obsessions, he flails about aiming to destroy it all. Vincent Zandri doesn't do cozy, sweetness and light, happily ever after. What he does is Noir as gritty as it gets. Both his characters and his readers go through the grinder by the end--and even after.
Ever since EVERYTHING BURNS, I find myself compelled to read any Vincent Zandri novels. That is one novel I literally cannot forget. ORCHARD GROVE, his newest, likewise has a runaway-freight-train protagonist, a man who praises the high bar of his wife's personal moral code, while proceeding to demonstrate his own lack of a code of morality, honor, or integrity. While pursuing his obsessions, he flails about aiming to destroy it all. Vincent Zandri doesn't do cozy, sweetness and light, happily ever after. What he does is Noir as gritty as it gets. Both his characters and his readers go through the grinder by the end--and even after.
January 25, 2016
First, let me say I am huge fan of Mr. Zandri, and his latest, “Orchard Grove” is by far his best work. If you are a fan of old fashioned, can’t put it down, suspenseful, surprising, and exciting thrillers, then this is 305 pages of dazzling reading for you.
The protagonist, Ethan, is both heroic and pathetic, and the reader ends up hoping that this wicked, but romantic self-described loser will escape his predicament scot free. The ending is not only unpredictable, but also suspenseful and memorable. Mr. Zandri squeezes a complete range of emotions from both his characters and readers. So, you must get “Orchard Grove,” and see for yourself!
The protagonist, Ethan, is both heroic and pathetic, and the reader ends up hoping that this wicked, but romantic self-described loser will escape his predicament scot free. The ending is not only unpredictable, but also suspenseful and memorable. Mr. Zandri squeezes a complete range of emotions from both his characters and readers. So, you must get “Orchard Grove,” and see for yourself!
April 16, 2016
Too much of everything. Lot of repeating the same info over and over. The Ethan character was too stupid. I can't forgive the misspelling of the word "bare" not once, but twice. The blonde's "bear skin" and "bear thighs"... Really?
March 3, 2016
Ridiculous plot, lots of typos and poor grammar.
September 25, 2023
I would give the first 1/3 a low 3, but the rest of the book a 4. I und r stand that a background for characters needs to be established, but does it have to be so humdrum? So, don’t give up on the book, and just focus on that you will get to the best part very quickly.
April 25, 2018
Liked it
Good read. It kept me enthralled until the end. Recommended for anyone who likes a good suspense novel. Will read his other books too.
Good read. It kept me enthralled until the end. Recommended for anyone who likes a good suspense novel. Will read his other books too.
January 24, 2019
This is an awful book. No plot. Poor grammar. Lots of typos. On one page, the motel owner has cheaply dyed black hair and on another, her hair is steel grey.
December 12, 2019
Began this book but didn't finish. I'm just not in the mood for a cheating husband story at the moment.
January 18, 2021
Story ok but could have less sex in it as it really wasn’t needed
March 7, 2021
Pretty good read- hard to believe hero was a screenwriter because he spoke in a hackneyed way but the pace was good. Some huge loose end was not cleared up.
September 30, 2021
Fun page turner!
January 7, 2026
What a terrible book
December 1, 2019
A great premise is ruined by 1-dimensional characters and a plot that unfolds predictably. It's so obviously written by a man that I, a man, couldn't help rolling my eyes.
It held me enough to want to know its resolution.
It held me enough to want to know its resolution.
March 20, 2016
Ethan, a screenwriter with writers' block, has moved from the high-pressure world of Hollywood to a suburb of Albany, New York. He's recuperating rather unsuccessfully from major foot surgery, and he and his wife, Susan, are on the verge of bankruptcy after attempting to live on Susan's preschool teacher's salary. When things seem to have fallen to the lowest point possible, new neighbors move in next door. Both Ethan's and Susan's lives are changed irreparably by the new couple, Lana and John, as they fall to new lows.
Lana had lived in the same area, which had been an apple orchard, when she was a child. During that time there were a series of murders by decapitation, and it is not giving anything away of the plot to say that Lana was the perpetrator. Lana's magnetism continues to function in the present as it did when she was a teenager, and she draws Ethan and Susan into her evil and warped world. Both become obsessed with Lana, and Ethan's obsession leads to pain, mental illness, and murder. All the while, the same policeman who was unable to find the original serial killer is on the current case, following Lana and Ethan and connecting dots across the decades.
There is a great deal of tension in this book, keeping the reader engaged and moving quickly through the pages. Zandri provides some justification for Ethan's obsession by interspersing chapters from Lana's preteen killing spree. However, the motivations of all of the characters are a stretch. Zandri jumps into the obsession of Ethan and the evil of Lana without providing any development, making it hard for the reader to understand how Ethan could possibly have let himself get into the hopeless situation he and Lana engineer for him.
Zandri does his best work in creating tension and moving the plot forward at a blistering pace. He would have benefited from better editing, however. There are several instances of “I” being used as an object (e.g., “You want my wife and I to come over…”), incorrect word usage (e.g., “Lana's bear thighs…”), and missing or extra words. These errors pull the reader out of the action. None of the characters are sympathetic; it's hard to care about obsessive, pathetic Ethan, evil Lana, remote Susan, or bully John. This book will appeal most to those who are willing to skip over characterization and editing shortcomings to observe the very fast-paced disintegration of an already tenuous life.
This review first appeared at reviewingtheevidence.com.
Lana had lived in the same area, which had been an apple orchard, when she was a child. During that time there were a series of murders by decapitation, and it is not giving anything away of the plot to say that Lana was the perpetrator. Lana's magnetism continues to function in the present as it did when she was a teenager, and she draws Ethan and Susan into her evil and warped world. Both become obsessed with Lana, and Ethan's obsession leads to pain, mental illness, and murder. All the while, the same policeman who was unable to find the original serial killer is on the current case, following Lana and Ethan and connecting dots across the decades.
There is a great deal of tension in this book, keeping the reader engaged and moving quickly through the pages. Zandri provides some justification for Ethan's obsession by interspersing chapters from Lana's preteen killing spree. However, the motivations of all of the characters are a stretch. Zandri jumps into the obsession of Ethan and the evil of Lana without providing any development, making it hard for the reader to understand how Ethan could possibly have let himself get into the hopeless situation he and Lana engineer for him.
Zandri does his best work in creating tension and moving the plot forward at a blistering pace. He would have benefited from better editing, however. There are several instances of “I” being used as an object (e.g., “You want my wife and I to come over…”), incorrect word usage (e.g., “Lana's bear thighs…”), and missing or extra words. These errors pull the reader out of the action. None of the characters are sympathetic; it's hard to care about obsessive, pathetic Ethan, evil Lana, remote Susan, or bully John. This book will appeal most to those who are willing to skip over characterization and editing shortcomings to observe the very fast-paced disintegration of an already tenuous life.
This review first appeared at reviewingtheevidence.com.
December 30, 2016
Horrible.
December 1, 2015
If I could give this zero stars, I would. Hands down the biggest piece of crap I've read since 50 Shades of Grey. And basically the same amount of unrealistic sex too...which is weird considering this is supposed to be a serial killer thriller....It's poorly written, there is very little plot beyond the main character's obsession with his next door neighbor, even calling the murderer a serial killer is a stretch -- yes, she's killed multiple people in her background story, but it's basically unnecessary to the plot. In fact, she doesn't even commit the main murder in the book!? Regardless, the thriller storyline is totally shoved to the side in order to accommodate the pathetic middle-aged male erotica that the majority of the book focuses on. Does the author really expect us to believe that his main character, who hasn't showered more than a couple times in months due to a foot surgery (don't worry, you'll hear about his stupid bloody sock over and over and over...), is getting laid by attractive women every couple hours? And that when his wife catches him red-handed cheating on her, that she's totally cool with it and proceeds to have sex with him too? Puuuuuhhhh-lllleeaaassseee...Seriously, there's MULTIPLE explicit sex scenes in the first half of the book...that's pretty much all there is...ugh, I can't even talk about this anymore...it's horrible
February 2, 2016
Orchard Grove, by Vincent Zardari, is my one hundred and twenty ninth book that I have received and read from Goodreads. This is my first book that I have read from this author. I must say it was a really outstanding mystery thriller. The book is definitely a fast page turner.
The main character of this story is Ethan. He was a Hollywood script writer, who moved to Orchard Grove with his wife Susan. Due to financial troubles their marriage has been on the rocks for over a year.
Ethan becomes obsessed with his next door neighbor Lana. She is always out on her deck sunbathing without a top on. Lana is married to police detective. One day Ethan pays a visit to Lana home while she is sunbathing. Within a few days Ethan and Lana are having sex. In this book you read about the sexual scenes. Not known to Ethan, Ethans wife Susan has been having a sexual relationship with Lana. Lana has a very violent and murderous past as a young girl.
Lanas husband the police detective is a violent and abusive. He has threatened to kill Lana. Ethan is so caught up in his lust over Lana, they plot out a plan to kill her husband, and a murder takes place. I will not go into the rest of the story, but to say the plot really thickens. It makes for a great read for all adults especially men. I will be reading more of this authors books.
The main character of this story is Ethan. He was a Hollywood script writer, who moved to Orchard Grove with his wife Susan. Due to financial troubles their marriage has been on the rocks for over a year.
Ethan becomes obsessed with his next door neighbor Lana. She is always out on her deck sunbathing without a top on. Lana is married to police detective. One day Ethan pays a visit to Lana home while she is sunbathing. Within a few days Ethan and Lana are having sex. In this book you read about the sexual scenes. Not known to Ethan, Ethans wife Susan has been having a sexual relationship with Lana. Lana has a very violent and murderous past as a young girl.
Lanas husband the police detective is a violent and abusive. He has threatened to kill Lana. Ethan is so caught up in his lust over Lana, they plot out a plan to kill her husband, and a murder takes place. I will not go into the rest of the story, but to say the plot really thickens. It makes for a great read for all adults especially men. I will be reading more of this authors books.
September 30, 2024
My second listen after a few years and well worth it!
Sinfully wicked! Bewitching and scandalous!
“Orchard Grove” by Vincent Zandri is a captivating thriller that left me wanting more. With its unique blend of psychological suspense, intense plot twists, and sensational subplots, this audiobook has earned a well-deserved spot at the top of my favorites list. I have to give kudos to both narrators Keith Szarabajka and Hillary Huber for their flawless vocal presentations. A favored author of mine, Zandri pens a unique, distinctive, chilling, complex and psychological thriller. As the story unfolds, we’re drawn into the dark and twisted world of Orchard Grove, where the lines between good and evil are blurred ... With its shocking twists and turns, this thriller had me guessing throughout. Never a dull moment, featuring intense and sensational plot and subplots. I was sure I had the end figured out... WRONG! Well worth my treasured credit! Zandri zips this adventure all over the place, keeping me transfixed. I couldn’t and didn’t want to stop listening. I want to scream it from the rooftop: Epic, I say! EPIC! EPIC! EPIC!
👏✍🏻🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟✍🏻👏
Sinfully wicked! Bewitching and scandalous!
“Orchard Grove” by Vincent Zandri is a captivating thriller that left me wanting more. With its unique blend of psychological suspense, intense plot twists, and sensational subplots, this audiobook has earned a well-deserved spot at the top of my favorites list. I have to give kudos to both narrators Keith Szarabajka and Hillary Huber for their flawless vocal presentations. A favored author of mine, Zandri pens a unique, distinctive, chilling, complex and psychological thriller. As the story unfolds, we’re drawn into the dark and twisted world of Orchard Grove, where the lines between good and evil are blurred ... With its shocking twists and turns, this thriller had me guessing throughout. Never a dull moment, featuring intense and sensational plot and subplots. I was sure I had the end figured out... WRONG! Well worth my treasured credit! Zandri zips this adventure all over the place, keeping me transfixed. I couldn’t and didn’t want to stop listening. I want to scream it from the rooftop: Epic, I say! EPIC! EPIC! EPIC!
👏✍🏻🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟✍🏻👏
April 18, 2016
This book was pure entertainment. Sure it had more violence and sex than I care to read about, but Zandri knows how to entice a reader like Lana does to Ethan. The story begins with Ethan, a screenwriter with writers block, financial struggles, and distant marriage becoming obsessed with his new sunbathing neighbor. Of course Lana isn't a goddess Ethan makes her out to be, but a serial killer who terrorized Albany in the past. However, poor Ethan has nothing else going for him and paints his fantasies of a better life on Lana. The story has a few snapshots of the history of the murders, but it doesn't really intersect with the plot as much as I liked it to. Then again, the main story has enough driving force. Ethan gets caught up in a trainwreck of a situation that begins domestically and with a bunch of unwise decisions he makes (out of lust or love or both). By the last third of the book Zandri ups the intensity when the police begin their pursuit. In a way, I wondered how Ethan was going to get out of this, but the whole thing turned out to be a tragedy without redemption.
May 18, 2016
Down on his luck screenwriter Ethan Forrester is home all day recovering from a foot injury and trying to break his writer’s block when he starts to spy on his beautiful neighbor Lana. This soon develops into an obsession. But Lana has dark secrets of her own.
Vincent Zandri’s Orchard Grove is great stuff. It’s like a lethal cocktail of Jim Thompson, film noir, ’80’s action movies, and Brian De Palma.
The story twists and turns tightly before spiraling off into a high-octane climax. Orchard Grove is cracking, page-turning fun.
Vincent Zandri’s Orchard Grove is great stuff. It’s like a lethal cocktail of Jim Thompson, film noir, ’80’s action movies, and Brian De Palma.
The story twists and turns tightly before spiraling off into a high-octane climax. Orchard Grove is cracking, page-turning fun.
October 1, 2016
Meh. This wasn't my type of book. At first it seemed like it would be OK But after the first 100 pagrs I decided I really didn't want to read any more about sexual obsessions and Hollywood writers so I gave up on it, and did something I always get after my husband for doing: I turned to the last 20 pages and found that the book went exactly where I thought it was going. Don't like books about stupid behaviour; enough of that on the news. I don't read it for my leisure time/enjoyment.
April 11, 2016
This was pretty bad. The typos and grammatical errors made me think this was a first draft book. There was even a sentence that Lana would have been speaking except it was attributed to Rachael. Who the hell was Rachael? Main character was beyond stupid, I can't believe this guy has won awards. Just awful.
December 8, 2015
Outstanding thriller from Zandri that hits all the targets twice. If you want a definition of a page turner read this. Has all the hallmarks of a mystery classic with a nice sprinkling of subtle erotica. Read it at one sitting.
February 2, 2016
A book you really can't put down
The author takes you by the hand and leads you through one of the best mystery books I have read. My only complaint is the sleep I gave up because I had to know the ending.
The author takes you by the hand and leads you through one of the best mystery books I have read. My only complaint is the sleep I gave up because I had to know the ending.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 53 reviews