See No Evil

by Barbara A. Shapiro, B.A. Shapiro

The author of Blameless chronicles a woman's plight as her pursuit of knowledge unlocks a dark secret. A recently separated mother is determined to complete her doctoral thesis, but her ambition is leading her to expose a secret closely guarded for over 300 years. Now the past is reaching out for her--threatening her family, her friends, her future and her life.

Genres: Fiction, Mystery Thriller, Paranormal

370 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published May 1, 1996

About the author

AKA B.A. Shapiro and Barbara Shapiro.

I am the author of six novels (The Art Forger, The Safe Room, Blind Spot, See No Evil, Blameless and Shattered Echoes), four screenplays (Blind Spot, The Lost Coven, Borderline and Shattered Echoes) and the non-fiction book, The Big Squeeze. In my previous career incarnations, I have directed research projects for a residential substance abuse facility, worked as a systems analyst/statistician, headed the Boston office of a software development firm, and served as an adjunct professor teaching sociology at Tufts University and creative writing at Northeastern University. I like being a novelist the best.

I began my writing career when I quit my high-pressure job after the birth of my second child. Nervous about what to do next, I said to my mother, "If I'm not playing at being superwoman anymore, I don't know who I am." My mother answered with the question: "If you had one year to live, how would you want to spend it?" The answer: write a novel and spend more time with my children. And that's exactly what I did. Smart mother.

After writing six novels and raising my children, I now live in Boston with my husband Dan and my dog Sagan. And yes, I'm working on yet another novel but have no plans to raise any more children.

Reviews

[Debra · Rating 3 out of 5]

Single parent, Lauren Freeman, wants to obtain her doctoral thesis. In lieu of her dissertation, she’s been granted permission to co-author a book with respected professor, Jackie Pappas. They’re writing about a lost coven of witches founded by Rebeka Hibbens in 1692, and have discovered the existence of a chronicle written by Rebeka, which allegedly reveals what happened to the witches who disappeared just before their execution. The chronicle’s now owned by Deborah Sewall, owner of a new-age store and self-proclaimed reincarnation of Rebeka.

Deborah agrees to let Jackie read the chronicle, but before Jackie can tell Lauren why the contents have upset her so much, she dies and the chronicle goes missing. Lauren, meanwhile, has been having strange nightmares and unexplainable visions about the 17th century which are growing stronger all the time. As she searches for answers, she has good reason to fear for her and her seven-year-old son’s life.

Barbara Shapiro’s SEE NO EVIL is an eerie, suspenseful mystery centering around black magic, cults, and reincarnation. This isn’t a fast paced book, nor should it be. Shapiro does a great job in slowly building tension to the point where I couldn’t stop turning pages. This book is about learning to survive self-doubt, huge obstacles, and finding one’s true path in life. The author creates a well-rounded protagonist in Lauren, who’s determined, smart, insecure, afraid, and devoted to her child. The story’s climax was predictable, yet knowing that Lauren couldn’t avoid the final confrontation only added to the suspense. There were a couple of places where events seemed a little too coincidental, but SEE NO EVIL is still a spine-tingling read.

[Ron Stafford · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of her best

I love Shapiro's work, and this is her best yet. Making a much know subject, and rendering it amazing. Keeps the reader guessing till the end.