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Muse
Actress Johanna Brady finds herself playing the role of her life when her love, novelist Matt Lang, becomes a secretive, irritable stranger, and Johanna descends into a world of betrayal, madness, and cold-blooded murder. Reprint.
480 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1998
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
April 1, 2023
Setting: New York City and Maine, USA.
Johanna Brady is a wannabe actress currently living in New York and doing temp work in offices to make ends meet. Her existence is quite hand-to-mouth and pretty disheartening from the point of view of acting work. On a whim, she goes into a bookshop and is looking at a display of a new psychological thriller book by an author called Matt Lang - when she is approached by the self-same author. Johanna ends up in a relationship with Matt but, shortly after sleeping with him, he tells her that he is off on a two-week book tour around the USA and then will be spending the winter in his chalet in Maine to work on his current novel. Johanna is partly distraught at apparently losing the first good thing that has happened to her and partly annoyed that Matt has used her. Then, Matt proposes that she come with him to Maine and live with him while he works. Against the advice of her friends and family, Johanna does just that - but problems strike almost immediately. First, Johanna's luggage is lost at the airport and then, shortly after arriving, a massive snowstorm drops over 3 feet of snow on the area and the pair are effectively locked in. At the same time, Matt's attitude to Johanna goes through a change - he is working all the time, has no inclination for any intimacy and she wakes at times in the night to find him having aggressive phone conversations with an unidentified person. This, and other issues, forces Johanna to reconsider her relationship with Matt and whether she should stay at the chalet - but can she get away?.....
Personally, I found this quite a gripping and atmospheric read, although I had noticed that there were several critical reviews and quite a low average rating which had made me start reading it with some trepidation. I certainly wouldn't have predicted the outcome. The tension building in the chalet between Matt and Johanna reminded me of The Shining - yet this tension was initially released, only to be ramped up again by the close of the book - and what a conclusion! Really enjoyed this, from a book that I picked up in a public library sale some years ago and has been languishing on my shelves ever since! - 9/10.
Johanna Brady is a wannabe actress currently living in New York and doing temp work in offices to make ends meet. Her existence is quite hand-to-mouth and pretty disheartening from the point of view of acting work. On a whim, she goes into a bookshop and is looking at a display of a new psychological thriller book by an author called Matt Lang - when she is approached by the self-same author. Johanna ends up in a relationship with Matt but, shortly after sleeping with him, he tells her that he is off on a two-week book tour around the USA and then will be spending the winter in his chalet in Maine to work on his current novel. Johanna is partly distraught at apparently losing the first good thing that has happened to her and partly annoyed that Matt has used her. Then, Matt proposes that she come with him to Maine and live with him while he works. Against the advice of her friends and family, Johanna does just that - but problems strike almost immediately. First, Johanna's luggage is lost at the airport and then, shortly after arriving, a massive snowstorm drops over 3 feet of snow on the area and the pair are effectively locked in. At the same time, Matt's attitude to Johanna goes through a change - he is working all the time, has no inclination for any intimacy and she wakes at times in the night to find him having aggressive phone conversations with an unidentified person. This, and other issues, forces Johanna to reconsider her relationship with Matt and whether she should stay at the chalet - but can she get away?.....
Personally, I found this quite a gripping and atmospheric read, although I had noticed that there were several critical reviews and quite a low average rating which had made me start reading it with some trepidation. I certainly wouldn't have predicted the outcome. The tension building in the chalet between Matt and Johanna reminded me of The Shining - yet this tension was initially released, only to be ramped up again by the close of the book - and what a conclusion! Really enjoyed this, from a book that I picked up in a public library sale some years ago and has been languishing on my shelves ever since! - 9/10.
January 24, 2008
Michael Cecilione, Muse (Pinnacle, 1999)
Among the number of ways in which this book goes wrong is one (and, in fact, it is the main one) for which Cecilione can't in any way be faulted, and that is that the book jacket contains the spoiler that gives away the ending. The person who wrote the back jacket copy for the paperback edition of this novel should be boiled in lead. If you already know what's going to happen in the last twenty pages, especially while the various reviews of the novel talk about how great the last twenty pages are, it takes away something from the book. A very big something, in fact. I'll try to avoid committing the same sin here.
The story opens with Johanna Brady, a struggling New York actress, meeting Matt Lang, fantastically successful crime novelist. The two have a whirlwind romance, and Matt ends up asking Johanna to spend the winter with him at his secluded house in the woods while he cranks out his next novel. This will set off alarm bells in the head of any dedicated mystery reader, but the dedicated mystery reader who's ever had a whirlwind romance is likely to do the same quick ratinoalization Johanna does. Once they get to the cabin, things start getting interesting. (Complications... oh, you know the drill.)
It's also where the book falls apart. Johanna and Matt, along with various minor characters (the best of whom, a Robert DeNiro wannabe who actually drives a taxi for a living!, never gets anywhere near the due he deserves-- I'd love to see Cecilione write a followup to this concentrating on that guy), are well on their way to being complex and believable characters until this point. Once they're out in the woods, Johanna's actions become preditable, and she starts sounding the same note over and over again; Matt's responses to her actions do the same. While all this is going on, the two also fall into the genre-writing trap of sudden mood swings that make no sense; they go from flinging things across the room in one paragraph to clutching each other and ripping bodices in the next. A little of that can be good fun; too much and the reader will start wondering if Cecilione has been channeling the spirirt of the late Dame Barbara Cartland.
Still, if you have the willpower to not read the back cover, the final twenty pages are arguably worth the three hundred eighty that precede them; Cecilione sets the scene so that any number of endings are plausible, and then roots between them to find the perfect combination of the plausible to create an ending the reader won't be likely to have come up with. The payoff would have been even better had the setup been in the same league, but it may be enough to lure the hardcore mystery reader who has nothing on the shelves to read. **
Among the number of ways in which this book goes wrong is one (and, in fact, it is the main one) for which Cecilione can't in any way be faulted, and that is that the book jacket contains the spoiler that gives away the ending. The person who wrote the back jacket copy for the paperback edition of this novel should be boiled in lead. If you already know what's going to happen in the last twenty pages, especially while the various reviews of the novel talk about how great the last twenty pages are, it takes away something from the book. A very big something, in fact. I'll try to avoid committing the same sin here.
The story opens with Johanna Brady, a struggling New York actress, meeting Matt Lang, fantastically successful crime novelist. The two have a whirlwind romance, and Matt ends up asking Johanna to spend the winter with him at his secluded house in the woods while he cranks out his next novel. This will set off alarm bells in the head of any dedicated mystery reader, but the dedicated mystery reader who's ever had a whirlwind romance is likely to do the same quick ratinoalization Johanna does. Once they get to the cabin, things start getting interesting. (Complications... oh, you know the drill.)
It's also where the book falls apart. Johanna and Matt, along with various minor characters (the best of whom, a Robert DeNiro wannabe who actually drives a taxi for a living!, never gets anywhere near the due he deserves-- I'd love to see Cecilione write a followup to this concentrating on that guy), are well on their way to being complex and believable characters until this point. Once they're out in the woods, Johanna's actions become preditable, and she starts sounding the same note over and over again; Matt's responses to her actions do the same. While all this is going on, the two also fall into the genre-writing trap of sudden mood swings that make no sense; they go from flinging things across the room in one paragraph to clutching each other and ripping bodices in the next. A little of that can be good fun; too much and the reader will start wondering if Cecilione has been channeling the spirirt of the late Dame Barbara Cartland.
Still, if you have the willpower to not read the back cover, the final twenty pages are arguably worth the three hundred eighty that precede them; Cecilione sets the scene so that any number of endings are plausible, and then roots between them to find the perfect combination of the plausible to create an ending the reader won't be likely to have come up with. The payoff would have been even better had the setup been in the same league, but it may be enough to lure the hardcore mystery reader who has nothing on the shelves to read. **
April 30, 2016
A really good book, exciting and unexpected ending.
I couldn't put down the book and keep reading!!
I couldn't put down the book and keep reading!!
April 16, 2020
stupid
June 28, 2015
A wonderful psychological thriller, which had me shaking my head at some of the bad choices made by the main character, who is a struggling actress. A mysterious intruder in a ski mask effortlessly, and repeatedly, breaks into her apartment at night, and she awakens to find him staring at her. On a trip to a local bookstore, she meets the author of the book that she is perusing, and in short time, he invites her to spend a couple of months with him, while he writes. Despite some reservations, she accepts, and after their flight to what turns out to be a snowy and remote location, she is told that her luggage is lost. He assures her that they will be able to go back to the airport to retrieve it, once it is located. Upon arrival at his cabin, she discovers that there is no one around for miles, and shortly thereafter, a blizzard hits, dropping over 40 inches of snow. The author keeps telling her that he has called for help, but while he is away on a trip into town, the actress calls to ask about snow removal, only to discover that he has lied to her. Meanwhile, he returns from town, and tells her that he took her only clothing to the laundry, leaving her with a closet full of lightweight, diaphanous gowns. Slowly, she discovers that the man of her dreams might not be what he seems, and we also begin to see parts of her own disturbing past revealed. I found this book hard to put down!
June 24, 2014
This book scared the crap out of me. It was hard to put down and even though I was afraid of what I might read on the next page, I kept going. I would put this author in a class with Mary Higgins Clark, Jeffrey Deaver, and Tess Gerritson. The twist at the end threw me for a loop. It's been a few years since I read it and I really think I should go back and read it again.
March 22, 2020
A good suspense novel but I thought the ending was a bit contrived
February 2, 2016
This is my second read. Great story with a terrific ending. I really enjoyed this book and would recommend it to suspense lovers
November 5, 2012
Satisfyingly suspenseful and creepy. I both loved/hated the ending.
October 2, 2022
I'm not sure how I feel about this creepy book so I'll just give it 3 stars.
I thought the heroine was stupid, then a pathological liar and then psycho. It's a weird read that didn't actually begin till almost the 200th page.
I thought the heroine was stupid, then a pathological liar and then psycho. It's a weird read that didn't actually begin till almost the 200th page.
January 24, 2021
Very boring long winded book. I would not recommend this book to anyone to read. Usually I pass books on to others to read but this one I didn't. Threw it in the trash.
March 5, 2022
Too much unneeded detail. A boring read. Terrible dialogue. DNF
August 8, 2023
Great window into a time and place and a fun, engaging horror story
November 29, 2015
To preface this review, let me say that I am a voracious reader and compulsive when it comes to finishing the books I start reading. I started reading Muse with high hopes. The back cover information made it sound like just the kind of book I would enjoy. I got through two chapters and quit reading. This was not a good read. The author uses descriptive passages to the extreme. There is way too much information, and not necessary to move the plot along. For instance, the passage that had me finally closing the book in disgust was a long, tedious description of the protagonist taking a shower - written in the first person. There was more than I needed to know about her shower routine in almost check list form: First I shampooed. Then I rinsed. Then I picked up the razor to shave my legs - that kind of thing. Basically, there is nothing happening in the book after the first introductory sentence. This book was beyond BORING. If you read the one-star reviews listed at amazon.com for this book, you'll see what I'm saying and that I'm not alone in this opinion. Save yourself some time and don't waste a moment on this book.
January 24, 2015
This novel was a roller coaster with a sagging middle. There was action, suspense, and a great plot, that was bogged down with repetitious filler material in the middle.
It is OK to build suspense, but, not at the risk of boring the reader to tears by repeating the same scene over and over, only slightly changing it to build suspense. Once or twice maybe but, there is a point where redundancy takes on life of its own and begins to ruin the experience. I almost put the novel down and gave up on it, but, I pushed through, finally getting past the slump and then the book was good again.
My overall opinion is that this book is a good "one time" read if you have the patience to make it through the middle slump, but, not worth reading twice and parents definitely don't let your small children read it, there are some pretty graphic sex scenes.
It is OK to build suspense, but, not at the risk of boring the reader to tears by repeating the same scene over and over, only slightly changing it to build suspense. Once or twice maybe but, there is a point where redundancy takes on life of its own and begins to ruin the experience. I almost put the novel down and gave up on it, but, I pushed through, finally getting past the slump and then the book was good again.
My overall opinion is that this book is a good "one time" read if you have the patience to make it through the middle slump, but, not worth reading twice and parents definitely don't let your small children read it, there are some pretty graphic sex scenes.
September 16, 2015
The story has great potential. There are plot twists and turns which make for a fun book. The background story for the protagonist is interesting. However, the protagonist makes decisions and acts in a way that may be critical to the plot, but are just unrealistic. No one would act in such a way. But the worst part of the entire book is the ending. It is just plain stupid. I realize this is fiction, but there is only so much fiction someone can take.
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August 29, 2012I found this book & thought it looked interesting ,but I wasnt familiar with the author ,so I didnt have high expectations. I was utterly surprised to find a wonderfully written book full of twists & turns that kept me guessing right up til the end! I would definetely recommend this to anyone!
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews