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Listen to the Shadows
When artist Katie Summers emerged from a four-day coma, she remembered all too vividly the horror of that night the terrifying dead eyes that had stared back at her in the rear view mirror, causing her to crash the car. But nobody believed her. Even the enigmatic and disturbingly attractive psychiatrist, Dr. Jonathan Shea, implied that she had made the whole thing up. Or dreamed it.
Released from the hospital,still weak from her ordeal, katie took a taxi to her remote farmhouse on Black Lake. Darkness had already fallen. There was only the wind in the trees to greet herand the cold and empty house.
But the house was not quite empty. Something her upstairs in her bedroom. Something with cold, dead eyes...
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First published December 1, 1991
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews
May 2, 2012
I really had to struggle to finish this book, way to much romance crap in it to be a good mystery! UGH!!!
May 24, 2017
Did you ever feel you were being watched, that things around you just weren't right? Well, Katie Summers had those feelings for some time, but kept rationalizing them instead of Listening to the Shadows. She learned the hard way that if something seems off, it probably is.
When Katie woke up from her coma after the accident, she tried to put the pieces together... After being stood up for a date, Katie drove home in horrendous weather, but it was the eyes of the dead man in her rear view mirror that caused the accident, not the pelting rain and wind. How could that be? Even the mysteriously strange psychiatrist Dr. Shea thought something else was going on. If there was a dead man in Katie's car, why wasn't the body still there when the police arrived at the accident scene?
Once released from the hospital, things didn't get better for Katie. She lived in an old farmhouse in a secluded area. Things she once thought were quaint, like no central heat or electricity, lost their charm when the big empty house didn't feel so empty. Though she was alone, the shadows told another story.
Interestingly enough, Dr. Shea kept showing up at the most opportune times. Opportune for him, or opportune for Katie? Katie started to wonder. She also started to wonder about many of the people she dealt with on a daily basis, because when things happen in the shadows, it's hard to tell who you can trust in the light!
When Katie woke up from her coma after the accident, she tried to put the pieces together... After being stood up for a date, Katie drove home in horrendous weather, but it was the eyes of the dead man in her rear view mirror that caused the accident, not the pelting rain and wind. How could that be? Even the mysteriously strange psychiatrist Dr. Shea thought something else was going on. If there was a dead man in Katie's car, why wasn't the body still there when the police arrived at the accident scene?
Once released from the hospital, things didn't get better for Katie. She lived in an old farmhouse in a secluded area. Things she once thought were quaint, like no central heat or electricity, lost their charm when the big empty house didn't feel so empty. Though she was alone, the shadows told another story.
Interestingly enough, Dr. Shea kept showing up at the most opportune times. Opportune for him, or opportune for Katie? Katie started to wonder. She also started to wonder about many of the people she dealt with on a daily basis, because when things happen in the shadows, it's hard to tell who you can trust in the light!
December 7, 2019
This book kept me on the edge of my seat right from the start and never let up. All the way through it I kept trying to guess who was stalking the protaganist, Katie. There were several characters it could have been which was great because it kept me not knowing whom to trust - perfect for a suspense novel.
Joan Hall Hovey has done a masterful job building suspense. The twists and turns throughout the story keep the reader riveted all the way through. The story's climax is perfectly portrayed and is of just the right duration. Just when the reader thinks the main characters will live a "happily ever after" the Epilogue points to a sequel in which they will once again ride the rollercoaster of horror. Great read!
Joan Hall Hovey has done a masterful job building suspense. The twists and turns throughout the story keep the reader riveted all the way through. The story's climax is perfectly portrayed and is of just the right duration. Just when the reader thinks the main characters will live a "happily ever after" the Epilogue points to a sequel in which they will once again ride the rollercoaster of horror. Great read!
January 16, 2023
If you know the expression “Hide behind the chainsaws” then you will understand the main character in this novel. She knows someone is out to get her and yet does every illogical thing to put herself and her friends in danger. To add to that, the novel reads like a Harlequin romance novel. Just say “no” to this one.
September 10, 2019
Nicely done
An excellent read but do it in the daytime. My only complaint is the cheat ending. And that's bad enough to earn only 3 stars. I suppose there is a sequel but I'm not sure I'll bother if there is.
An excellent read but do it in the daytime. My only complaint is the cheat ending. And that's bad enough to earn only 3 stars. I suppose there is a sequel but I'm not sure I'll bother if there is.
November 1, 2017
Predictable, but entertaining enough. :)
May 12, 2022
great read
This was a page turner! Really enjoyed it! Many a late night as I kept saying just one more chapter!
This was a page turner! Really enjoyed it! Many a late night as I kept saying just one more chapter!
March 18, 2012
This was one of my monthly picks for March in the Mystery/Thriller genre. Every woman has been warned by a caring and/or concerned loved one about getting into their car without checking the backseat for some maniac lying in wait. Artist Katie Summers looks into her rear view mirror to find DEAD eyes reflected back to her from the back seat. She panics, swerves, hits a light pole, and spends 4 days in a coma.
This book is fairly fast-paced, full of suspense and hard to put down. I have to admit that I guessed early on who the bad guy was, but I tend to be very perceptive. There were a few red herrings that still lead me to doubt my choice of antagonist so the plot wasn't entirely predictable to me.
The editing had some serious issues. Not just the usual wrong words or misspellings that I normally harp about but MANY instances of a paragraph ending mid-sentence. I'm not sure if maybe this is an error that is made during the conversion to a Kindle file, but I found it occurring enough to be disheartening.
All in all a very enjoyable book. Sufficiently entertaining, tense, and apprehensive with a scoop of creepy on the side.
This book is fairly fast-paced, full of suspense and hard to put down. I have to admit that I guessed early on who the bad guy was, but I tend to be very perceptive. There were a few red herrings that still lead me to doubt my choice of antagonist so the plot wasn't entirely predictable to me.
The editing had some serious issues. Not just the usual wrong words or misspellings that I normally harp about but MANY instances of a paragraph ending mid-sentence. I'm not sure if maybe this is an error that is made during the conversion to a Kindle file, but I found it occurring enough to be disheartening.
All in all a very enjoyable book. Sufficiently entertaining, tense, and apprehensive with a scoop of creepy on the side.
July 21, 2013
I started off really liking this book... it is decently written, the story is enough to hold your attention even though the characters fall a bit flat, and it had good imagery. But as Dr. Shea and Katie's romantic storyline developed, it just got cheesy. A poor mix between a thriller, and a PG (thank goodness) rated chick flick. Katie is a bad female character - again, you decide to stick with the guy that slipped something in your drink then carried you to bed? No. Not romantic. Just no.
The ending was very, very unbelievable. As someone who has been to a psych ward and saw many different cases, they would NEVER let someone go who attempted to kill two people. Even after five years. It just will not happen. Especially when the guy is quite obviously a psychopath. That bit of the story irked me more than anything.
I'm pretty sad to see the number of high ratings on this book. Is it good? Sure. Is it the most amazing thriller ever? Definitely not. In the end it lacks a believable story, and good characters that you feel connected to.
The ending was very, very unbelievable. As someone who has been to a psych ward and saw many different cases, they would NEVER let someone go who attempted to kill two people. Even after five years. It just will not happen. Especially when the guy is quite obviously a psychopath. That bit of the story irked me more than anything.
I'm pretty sad to see the number of high ratings on this book. Is it good? Sure. Is it the most amazing thriller ever? Definitely not. In the end it lacks a believable story, and good characters that you feel connected to.
March 21, 2014
Listen to the Shadows is a well-written, fast-moving story. The characters are likeable and believable. The settings are described quite well allowing for easy visualization. There are some spelling and grammatical errors and the formatting was messed up, but it was readable.
I liked the plot and the characters, but I didn't like the ending. The story was believable until the last couple of scenes, especially the epilogue, but I want to avoid spoilers, so I can't really elaborate except to say that you find out where the bogeyman ends up, but not how he got there.
All-in-all, Listen to the Shadows is a good story and I enjoyed it. It was a quick read and I stayed interested.
I give this book 4 stars. It could have easily been 5 stars, but there was too much lacking at the end.
I liked the plot and the characters, but I didn't like the ending. The story was believable until the last couple of scenes, especially the epilogue, but I want to avoid spoilers, so I can't really elaborate except to say that you find out where the bogeyman ends up, but not how he got there.
All-in-all, Listen to the Shadows is a good story and I enjoyed it. It was a quick read and I stayed interested.
I give this book 4 stars. It could have easily been 5 stars, but there was too much lacking at the end.
January 18, 2012
While I did enjoy this book and the ending was perfect, it seemed quite dated. I'm not sure if the author mentioned the time period that it takes place in. From what I got from it was that it took place sometime in the seventies or early eighties. There is a lot of mention of the Vietnam war and one of the male characters was driving a Pinto. So, the seventies maybe? There were also some instances that seem so far-fetched (like where the heroine lives).
Either way, really good book, though I had the "bad guy" figured out almost immediately, though not the reasons behind it.
Either way, really good book, though I had the "bad guy" figured out almost immediately, though not the reasons behind it.
July 25, 2012
The summary of this book grabbed my attention, but sadly the beginning of the story was slow. I stuck with it hoping that it would improve, but it only seemed to drag - I only ended up getting about 60% through it before I gave up. This is an older novel and the story line and characters seem outdated. The plot itself was transparent which only diminished the suspense of the story. Wouldn't be bad as a light read for short periods of time, but not enough to engage the reader to keep coming back for more.
January 30, 2015
Though not quite edge-of-your-seat suspense, there was enough to keep me intrigued and turning the pages. I found the plot to be a bit too predictable and kept hoping for some twist at the end to prove me wrong. Katie struck me as an intelligent, level-headed woman, yet I often found myself shaking my head in bewilderment by some of her foolish actions. Since she'd been the victim of a stalker before, I would've expected her to be a bit more leery of these creepy men she was getting involved with. Even the hero was creepy!
An okay read with some nice action scenes.
An okay read with some nice action scenes.
August 20, 2012
Another of her books I really enjoyed although it seemed to be a harder one to get into, I thought. I stuck with it and was happy I did as it turned out well with a shocker of an ending. I suspected different people all through it but I hadn't guessed who did !!
There were some annoying spelling mistakes and editing errors and at a really dramatic point I swore when a too was used instead of to !!
I do enjoy Joan's book though and the stories outweigh the errors right now.
There were some annoying spelling mistakes and editing errors and at a really dramatic point I swore when a too was used instead of to !!
I do enjoy Joan's book though and the stories outweigh the errors right now.
February 13, 2013
Good story line at first but very predictable and I hated the ending as it made Kathrine look very stupid, **Ending Spoiler alert** So if you've read this, you're asking yourself, who waits 30 mins for someone and then goes looking for him even tho he doesn't respond to her calling out, when there's a killer who's been in her house before, DUH!!
May 6, 2013
I enjoyed this book, but I liked some of her other books better. This one felt kind of forced. In the beginning it was intriguing, but it soon became pretty clear who the killer was, and the last half of the book felt like a boring trudge for the main character to figure out what was going on before it was too late. The book isn't bad, just not as good as I had hoped.
August 15, 2012
RIVETING!
The writer held my attention from the beginning. Likable multifaceted heroine in a riveting story. Believable characters, situations, and dialogue. As I headed toward the ending, I could not put it down until I reached the end. I had to stay up until 2 am for the conclusion.
The writer held my attention from the beginning. Likable multifaceted heroine in a riveting story. Believable characters, situations, and dialogue. As I headed toward the ending, I could not put it down until I reached the end. I had to stay up until 2 am for the conclusion.
January 17, 2012
Ok but not great. No big twists or turns. At times dialogue is cheesy.
March 13, 2012
This was a "free" book through Kindle. It was OK - kept me up late last night because I needed to know if it ended how I expected. It did, which is why I gave it only 3 stars.
March 10, 2012
Kept your attention to the very end. Quick reading. The email version definitely could have used better proofreading but it doesn't take away from the story at all.
July 21, 2012
Good suspenseful read. Lots of characters to figure out the "who is it!"
October 14, 2012
A thrilling, mystery. I couldn't put it down! A Must Read!
November 17, 2012
A good mystery with a twist at the end that makes me hope there's a sequel.
January 2, 2013
Easy, quick read! I enjoyed it, and didn't figure out the ending until I actually got closer to the end of the book.
January 24, 2013
Good suspense read
February 2, 2013
Badly written and edited. Transparent plot and all the dialogs between characters seemed stuffy and contrived.
The "bad guys" motive was weak and unbelievable.
The "bad guys" motive was weak and unbelievable.
June 11, 2013
While this started out as a light read, it quickly developed into a scary 'I can't put it down'.
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December 7, 2013False
February 28, 2014
This was a riveting thriller! It was hard to put the book down because I couldn't wait ti see what was going to happen next and who was the villain and the next victim.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews