GIRVAN

by R.L. Napolitano

In the late 16th century, King James the VI, the son of Mary, Queen of Scots, captures an entire family who have been terrorizing the Scottish countryside with acts against God and man. The family pays the ultimate price for their crimes. So says the legend. But what if King James had not captured all family members? What if two had been missed? Survived? A brother and sister who then began to renew the family and keep the bloodline intact. And what if, forty years later, the descendants of the slain patriarch come to the new world, bringing with them the old ways of the family. The stealing. The killing. The unspeakable. For one hundred years they terrorize the settlements of the colonies, slowly moving ever north and leaving behind death, until finally settling in a picturesque valley in New Hampshire in 1722.Two hundred and fifty years later, Barbara Taylor and her family re-locate to the quiet, rural community of Girvan, leaving the hectic pace of the city far behind. Sitting on a chaise lounge on the back deck of her new home, with her three children in school and her husband at work, Barbara looks out to the thick forest behind her house and says a silent prayer, because everything has worked out so well for her family. The towns people are friendly, her husbands new job is perfect for him, the kids are active in school, and her neighbor, Paula, is becoming a close friend. Things could not be better.True, several pregnant women have gone missing in recent years, and one woman was mauled by a bear deep in the woods, but that was before she moved to Girvan. And some of the old-timers might be bit strange. But every town has their eccentrics and tragedies. Girvan was no different. It takes a few years before Barbara Taylor realizes that Girvan, however, is different. But by then, Barbara finds herself drawn into a horror which there may be no escaping from.

424 pages, Paperback

Published March 28, 2020

Reviews

[April · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting narrative of 1970s NH and a family history of a big secret in Scotland. The book definitely kept my interest and, even though there was some slight gore, it was more focused on if we ever really know our neighbors and what they may be hiding in a small town.

[Linda Lattanzio · Rating 5 out of 5]

Could not put this book down. The words flow and draw you into the characters lives. Keeps you at edge of your seat. I envisioned a movie. Cannot wait for next book.

[lattanzio · Rating 5 out of 5]

A mustread for fans of mystery!

From the first page to the last, I couldn't put the book down. The storytelling is excellent. Mr. Napolitano tells his story in a way that keeps the reader glued to the book from start to finish. Step aside Stephen King!

[Dawna · Rating 4 out of 5]

A page turner

I loved this book. It was fun and kept my mind wondering what the characters would do next and who would be victimized. The characters remained true and their growth was supported. The ending was unpredictable but again was believable because of the characterization. Read it if you love a creative well written mystery.

[Carmen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Meet the Bean family.. back a few centuries. Incestuous Cannibals who only have babies with members of their own family. The oldest firstborn son of the firstborn father stays alive for centuries at times by eating newborn babies and their mother's birthing fluids. They all interbreed but somehow are not mentally challenged as the Brits were from all that incest. Add to that: their way of making a living is to rob and murder travelers then they're food. Gah. A big bonus if the travelers include a pregnant woman. All their females are nice little slaves to the men.
Eventually most of them are wiped out when a local family is murdered and King James comes armed to the teeth to clean out the filth. Unfortunately, a brother and sister escaped. (yes, of course they'll have babies with each other, carrying on the ways of their elders)
Present day: Mid 70ies. We have Barbara Taylor. She's a stay at home wife and mom of 3 whose husband recently got a nice big job in Girvan, Northern NH. She's boring and has hardly any interior life. Her husband is mostly a prop in the story. He's "a good guy" but they rarely speak to each other. He does what he's told and is a good provider.
Her routine for the most part would have me shooting myself. She's befriended by the woman next door: Paula Ferguson. Paula and Barbara get their menfolk together so, in addition to the men out working long hours, when they're home, they're socializing with each other in any time left. They call this Marriage?
As Barbara explores her surroundings she realizes that the local Bean family seems rather odd. They all look alike, own most of the town, and the children work the fruit/vegetable/ baked good stands but seem unwilling to look anyone in the eye.. if they do the evil old woman of the clan, Ceana, glares at them.
Their Patriarch, Alexander Bean, seems to age a lot and suddenly rejuvenate and seem years younger.
Oh, and the dog, Rollie, who is adopted from a family where the pregnant mother went missing is terrified of something in the woods.
It all clicks when Barbara finds a diary from a girl who had lived in their house before her. The gossip was that she had run off with a boy, but Barbara learned she had been pregnant by a boy who raped her. She tries to confide in her husband but of course, it's not really a close relationship so he shrugs it off and poo poos her.
Near the end, her neighbor becomes pregnant. Barbara realizes her friend, Paula, is in danger having been warned by the local handyman. So she goes off on a vacation leaving her friend alone, since her husband was traveling for work. Naturally, she is taken while they're gone.
Barbara FINALLY grows a backbone and looks for her friend on the Bean's property.. and guess what we find?