What do you think?
Rate this book
Midnight Voices
The sudden, tragic death of her husband leaves Caroline Evans alone in New York City to raise her children with little money and even less hope. When she meets and marries handsome, successful Anthony Fleming, the charismatic man of her dreams, she believes her life is destined for happiness. She and her children move into her new husband’s spacious apartment in the legendary Rockwell on Central Park West. Despite her son’s instinctive misgivings about the building and its residents, Caroline dismisses the odd behavior of her neighbors as pleasant eccentricities. But after her daughter begins to experience horrifying nightmares and a startling secret emerges, Caroline realizes that the magnificence of her new home masks a secret of unimaginable horror. . . .
384 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 2002
89 people are currently reading
1882 people want to read
About the author
John Saul
149 books2,834 followersJohn Saul is an American author best known for his bestselling suspense and horror novels, many of which have appeared on The New York Times Best Seller list. Born in Pasadena and raised in Whittier, California, Saul attended several universities without earning a degree. He spent years honing his craft, writing under pen names before finding mainstream success. His breakout novel, Suffer the Children (1977), launched a prolific career, with over 60 million copies of his books in print. Saul’s work includes Cry for the Strangers, later adapted into a TV movie, and The Blackstone Chronicles series. He is also a playwright, with one-act plays produced in Los Angeles and Seattle. In 2023, he received the Bram Stoker Award for Lifetime Achievement. Openly gay, he has lived with his partner—also his creative collaborator—for nearly 50 years. Saul divides his time between Seattle, the San Juan Islands, and Hawaii, and frequently speaks at writers’ conferences, including the Maui Writers' Conference. His enduring popularity in the horror genre stems from a blend of psychological tension, supernatural elements, and deep emotional undercurrents that have resonated with readers for decades.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 203 reviews
May 22, 2017
Recently widowed Caroline Evans, who has two children, (10-year-old Ryan and 12-year-old Laurie) remarries and moves into new husband’s home, an old apartment building in New York City called The Rockwell. The kids hate it and want to move back to their old home. The Rockwell has a reputation for being a spooky old building. Ryan dislikes his mom’s new husband Anthony. He finds the tenants in the building (who are mostly elderly) strange and creepy. Soon, one of Caroline’s friends, who was checking on a tenant at the Rockwell, is murdered. Ryan and Laurie start hearing strange voices at night. Then Laurie starts having scary dreams… are they dreams? Or are they real?
This was a really captivating and creepy read! I had a hard time putting this book down, I had to find out what was going to happen next! The setting of the old building was good and atmospheric. The characters were interesting… some were likable, some were weird and scary. The storyline was compelling.
Another dark and chilling read by John Saul.
This was a really captivating and creepy read! I had a hard time putting this book down, I had to find out what was going to happen next! The setting of the old building was good and atmospheric. The characters were interesting… some were likable, some were weird and scary. The storyline was compelling.
Another dark and chilling read by John Saul.
October 26, 2022
Very enjoyable story featuring a mysterious apartment building on Central Park West known as The Rockwell. It’s a pretty strange building with some even stranger residents. Widowed Caroline Evans comes to live there with her two children when she marries Anthony Fleming who is a resident of The Rockwell. The place has a reputation for being haunted and it just might be true. The kids are experiencing voices in the night and having vivid nightmares and it’s hard to tell what’s real and what isn’t. This story really held my attention and there was such a great creepy atmosphere created within The Rockwell. The characters were quite an interesting assortment of people. I thought Caroline’s 10-year-old son Ryan was pretty awesome. I never knew what to expect next, and it was perfect for my Halloween reading.
August 17, 2022
I grew up with John Saul. He was my constant companion as I roamed free, going to school, playing outside and them coming home to have my "friend" John Saul scare the ever-loving shit out of me.
So, even though somewhere along the line, my taste in books changed, I always felt a fondness toward my scary little friend, Mr. Saul. And I'd often do rereads of his books.
And rate them highly -- usually.
Not this one.
Perhaps my least favorite of his books.
I do not want to describe the plot because there is not much of one. It's hard to explain. It reminded me a bit of "Down a dark hall" by Lois Duncan but Duncan's book is much better.
This book had a sort of depraved quality that I just backed away from. Sorry Johnny -- his books would usually do it for me but this book was like taking everything I do not like about Saul while removing everything I DO like.
Put it this way -- bloodsucking elderly people? Check. The children as victims? Check. When did Saul go from eerie horror to -- I don't know - something freakish about children basically being tortured?
Some might think me hypocritical because I count "The God Project" as one of the best horror books around but that had a plot and although there was violence, it was nothing like this. I'd say God Project had shades of dystopian before Dystopian existed.
Very rarely do I dole out a one rating to John SAUL. But this was not up my alley. So so different from his early works.
I just felt like I needed a shower reading this. The graphic scenes of what happens to the children made me a bit sick. In some of his more early works, Saul was heavy on dialogue and I found his books unputdownable. Not so, this.
So, even though somewhere along the line, my taste in books changed, I always felt a fondness toward my scary little friend, Mr. Saul. And I'd often do rereads of his books.
And rate them highly -- usually.
Not this one.
Perhaps my least favorite of his books.
I do not want to describe the plot because there is not much of one. It's hard to explain. It reminded me a bit of "Down a dark hall" by Lois Duncan but Duncan's book is much better.
This book had a sort of depraved quality that I just backed away from. Sorry Johnny -- his books would usually do it for me but this book was like taking everything I do not like about Saul while removing everything I DO like.
Put it this way -- bloodsucking elderly people? Check. The children as victims? Check. When did Saul go from eerie horror to -- I don't know - something freakish about children basically being tortured?
Some might think me hypocritical because I count "The God Project" as one of the best horror books around but that had a plot and although there was violence, it was nothing like this. I'd say God Project had shades of dystopian before Dystopian existed.
Very rarely do I dole out a one rating to John SAUL. But this was not up my alley. So so different from his early works.
I just felt like I needed a shower reading this. The graphic scenes of what happens to the children made me a bit sick. In some of his more early works, Saul was heavy on dialogue and I found his books unputdownable. Not so, this.
January 5, 2012
I would actually list this among my favorite John Saul books. It's just so interesting to me.
Making up his mind, Ryan sucked his lungs full of air, then began running toward the precipice.
One step. Two steps. Three steps.
His right leg stretched forward, raised high, and his foot found the top of the rampart. He swung his arms back, heaved himself forward, and led off into the air with his left foot.
His right foot left the rampart, and he was suspended in mid-air.
And time seemed to stop, stretching into eternity......
-Chapter 36
"You can't run away from memories, no matter how hard you try."
-Epilogue
Making up his mind, Ryan sucked his lungs full of air, then began running toward the precipice.
One step. Two steps. Three steps.
His right leg stretched forward, raised high, and his foot found the top of the rampart. He swung his arms back, heaved himself forward, and led off into the air with his left foot.
His right foot left the rampart, and he was suspended in mid-air.
And time seemed to stop, stretching into eternity......
-Chapter 36
"You can't run away from memories, no matter how hard you try."
-Epilogue
July 28, 2018
Continuing with John Saul I read Midnight Voices and was absolutely flabbergasted how good this novel is. After a slow start on the murder of a beloved husband and an eerie dream sequence the horror takes off into a spellbinding story with great reference to Rosmary's Baby and a bit of Ken Eulo's Brownstone series. What is the reason for the elderly people being that friendly to Caroline and her kids? Why is the other young girl living with her foster parants in the Blackwell building constantly ill? Was it coincidence that Tony met Caroline and she moved into his flat together with her kids? Who really is the once famous actress and what about her age? There is some similarity to Rosemary's Baby but the characters and their love for kids is completely different and explained in a very interesting manner. If you're looking for an extremely eerie book with a great story this is the book for you to read. An absolute page turner with a great ending. The book is crying out for a sequel or even a prequel to tell the background story. Horror at its best!
September 19, 2021
Midnight voices is an entertaining, creepy and eventually horrifying story.
February 10, 2022
This is the perfect example of why John Saul has been and will always be one of my 2 favorite horror authors of all time along with Robert R. McCammon and Michael McDowell! This novel STILL after 20 plus years creeps the hell out of me and makes me leary about Central Park and Manhattan!!
Carolyn Evans lives the beautiful and almost perfect life in New York; two beautiful children a boy and girl, ages 10 and 12, and has a successful and handsome husband, that is until he is murdered while running in Central Park. Now she is alone and struggling to pay rent and raise the kids on her own.
Then one day while in the park she meets Anthony Fleming, and another odd elderly woman who turns her life around. After falling in love and remarrying, she moves into the Rockwell building in Manhattan's Central Park West and life as she knows it will never be the same!! Get ready to experience John Saul's "Midnigt Voices" and get ready for nightmares! Saul takes the genres of terror of a new home, Voices and horrors in the night, and even what I guess you could call Vampires and demons, and makes you look at them in a way you have never done before.
When her kids 12 year old Laurie and 10 year old Ryan start having nightmares, hearing voices and things in the walls, Carolyn starts looking at life in the Rockwell in a different light. Are the things really happening that the kids are telling her about or is this their way of getting back for her getting remarried so soon after they lose their Dad?. When their mother takes up a job at an Antiques store and is thrilled, but when she meets elderly and very strange Irene at the park and as a client, this is when her life goes to hell in a handbasket. Her best friend Andrea is a social worker and one of her foster kids is adopted by a couple who lives in the Rockwell. When she is suddenly sick with s mysterious illness Andrea makes Caroline realize that something is going on in the building that involves all the tenants, and it is the most creepy and disturbing thing you will ever imagine. The book is one of Sauls most disturbing in my opinion, and it is one of his best that did not involve fucked up and evil kids or a past of 100 years ago, and he really makes the fear come at you very fast!
Some readers compared this as a 'Rosemary's Baby' rip off, I never thought of it that way, however there are some scenes that will make you think of that book but this was so much more terrifying than 'Baby' and this was actually gruesomely scary and very thought provoking. I have read this more than twice and this is the first time I listened to it....and it was INCREDIBLY WELL DONE! The scenes of death, disemboweling and gore are unlike ones that Saul has written before. I have been to Central Park before, and now it makes me only want to go again, to see if there is really a building that could be harboring the horrors of The Rockwell. LOVED this book and would recommend this to anyone who wants to be creeped out about where they live, and what could possibly be living in the walls.
5 🩸🩸🩸🩸🩸
Carolyn Evans lives the beautiful and almost perfect life in New York; two beautiful children a boy and girl, ages 10 and 12, and has a successful and handsome husband, that is until he is murdered while running in Central Park. Now she is alone and struggling to pay rent and raise the kids on her own.
Then one day while in the park she meets Anthony Fleming, and another odd elderly woman who turns her life around. After falling in love and remarrying, she moves into the Rockwell building in Manhattan's Central Park West and life as she knows it will never be the same!! Get ready to experience John Saul's "Midnigt Voices" and get ready for nightmares! Saul takes the genres of terror of a new home, Voices and horrors in the night, and even what I guess you could call Vampires and demons, and makes you look at them in a way you have never done before.
When her kids 12 year old Laurie and 10 year old Ryan start having nightmares, hearing voices and things in the walls, Carolyn starts looking at life in the Rockwell in a different light. Are the things really happening that the kids are telling her about or is this their way of getting back for her getting remarried so soon after they lose their Dad?. When their mother takes up a job at an Antiques store and is thrilled, but when she meets elderly and very strange Irene at the park and as a client, this is when her life goes to hell in a handbasket. Her best friend Andrea is a social worker and one of her foster kids is adopted by a couple who lives in the Rockwell. When she is suddenly sick with s mysterious illness Andrea makes Caroline realize that something is going on in the building that involves all the tenants, and it is the most creepy and disturbing thing you will ever imagine. The book is one of Sauls most disturbing in my opinion, and it is one of his best that did not involve fucked up and evil kids or a past of 100 years ago, and he really makes the fear come at you very fast!
Some readers compared this as a 'Rosemary's Baby' rip off, I never thought of it that way, however there are some scenes that will make you think of that book but this was so much more terrifying than 'Baby' and this was actually gruesomely scary and very thought provoking. I have read this more than twice and this is the first time I listened to it....and it was INCREDIBLY WELL DONE! The scenes of death, disemboweling and gore are unlike ones that Saul has written before. I have been to Central Park before, and now it makes me only want to go again, to see if there is really a building that could be harboring the horrors of The Rockwell. LOVED this book and would recommend this to anyone who wants to be creeped out about where they live, and what could possibly be living in the walls.
5 🩸🩸🩸🩸🩸
November 7, 2013
I've read several John Saul books over the past 10 years. In the spring of 2013, My wife picked up Midnight Voices, published in 2002, at a local library sale. I added it to my to-read list and I am glad I did. In my humble opinion, this was one of Saul's better offerings.
A mother, Caroline, meets and marries Tony after her husband was killed while jogging in Central Park in NY. With two kids in tow, the new family takes up residence in hubby's apartment in a haunting old building beside the park. Immediately, the kids start hearing strange voices at night. The son and his new dad don't get along. The daughter becomes sickly. And dad doesn't like people snooping around in his study, which he keeps locked. What's going on? Why is an otherwise "great catch" acting so odd?
I gave Midnight Voices 4 stars, though I think it's more of a 3.5 to 4.0. Good story, but it starts slow and somewhat predictable. Halfway through the book, I was caught up and enjoyed reading it.
A mother, Caroline, meets and marries Tony after her husband was killed while jogging in Central Park in NY. With two kids in tow, the new family takes up residence in hubby's apartment in a haunting old building beside the park. Immediately, the kids start hearing strange voices at night. The son and his new dad don't get along. The daughter becomes sickly. And dad doesn't like people snooping around in his study, which he keeps locked. What's going on? Why is an otherwise "great catch" acting so odd?
I gave Midnight Voices 4 stars, though I think it's more of a 3.5 to 4.0. Good story, but it starts slow and somewhat predictable. Halfway through the book, I was caught up and enjoyed reading it.
March 21, 2023
This is like Lock Every Door! 😂
August 28, 2010
I read somewhere that John Saul was one of the best horror writers in line after Stephen King and Dean Koontz. So I decided to give him a try. But even before (yeah! 'but even before' - you will know what I mean if you read this book) I was half way through it, I realized I was doing a mistake. Though the basic idea of dead people feeding on children to prolong their life (maybe existence - I don't call it a life) is kind of interesting, the way the story moved was way too pathetic. I was waiting for the redemption to happen at some point of time and it did. Yes; it did in the epilogue. I somehow felt that the epilogue would have made a good prologue for a better story. Maybe that is the spark that inspired the author in the first place; But the book is not worth the wait!
The characters never seemed real and the narration was so made up, I really felt a ninth grade kid could write an essay better than he (yeah! 'better than he' - you will know what I mean if you read this book :P). There was absolutely no style to the writing. The book was filled with "but even", "yet even", "even though" and questions. (who was tony?, "a hotel? why would she be in a hotel? why wasn't she at home?", "how long since the noise had stopped?") Come on! Tell me the story, dude!
"In many places I thought this was a dream. I was in a dream. I am not reading this. It cannot be. I just came back from office and I went to bed and I slept immediately. I can't be reading this. This cannot be a book that was published by a leading publisher. How could I be reading this?" This is how the whole the narration was!!
I wanted to warn people who are planning to try this piece of very poorly executed horror (where is my horror?) - He is no where near SK or DK. I am wondering how this could be a bestseller with an average >3.5 in goodreads. I was cheated by the other reviews. Don't get yourself cheated.
The characters never seemed real and the narration was so made up, I really felt a ninth grade kid could write an essay better than he (yeah! 'better than he' - you will know what I mean if you read this book :P). There was absolutely no style to the writing. The book was filled with "but even", "yet even", "even though" and questions. (who was tony?, "a hotel? why would she be in a hotel? why wasn't she at home?", "how long since the noise had stopped?") Come on! Tell me the story, dude!
"In many places I thought this was a dream. I was in a dream. I am not reading this. It cannot be. I just came back from office and I went to bed and I slept immediately. I can't be reading this. This cannot be a book that was published by a leading publisher. How could I be reading this?" This is how the whole the narration was!!
I wanted to warn people who are planning to try this piece of very poorly executed horror (where is my horror?) - He is no where near SK or DK. I am wondering how this could be a bestseller with an average >3.5 in goodreads. I was cheated by the other reviews. Don't get yourself cheated.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 13, 2011
I had a difficult time with this book. I did not know anything about it and was expecting it to be a mystery...which it was, but I don't go for the beyond reality sort of mystery unless it is clear that is the genre. E.g., it features wizards or magic or whatnot.
Also, this author began too many sentences with the word "but" which as any high school english might tell you, it just not right. Ok, I can allow for this some of the time, because that is how people talk. However, when several sentences in a row start with "but" it takes away from my reading pleasure.
Also, I found the female lead to be weak. Pet peeve of mine. Would have given it only 1 star, but I reserve that for books I do not finish. I finished it, and it was not unpleasant to read, just not what I was looking for.
Also, this author began too many sentences with the word "but" which as any high school english might tell you, it just not right. Ok, I can allow for this some of the time, because that is how people talk. However, when several sentences in a row start with "but" it takes away from my reading pleasure.
Also, I found the female lead to be weak. Pet peeve of mine. Would have given it only 1 star, but I reserve that for books I do not finish. I finished it, and it was not unpleasant to read, just not what I was looking for.
September 22, 2016
I will never read another Saul book if I can help it. You know the entire plot from about p. 5. The writing was repetitive, overlong, the opposite of suspenseful. What King can do in a few words Saul needs and always takes three papargraphs to describe. He recycles blurbs about people feeling apprehension, terror, unease. It is so plodding as to be maddening. Completely predictable. I couldn't wait to finish & get rid of it. Especially annoying was his overuse of "as well." No wonder he has written so many books. They take very little effort.They must all be the same but I'm not going to confirm that.
May 1, 2016
"Maestru" al genului horror...
March 19, 2022
⭐Rating: 5+/5⭐
Nu mai citisem de mult timp o carte de John Saul (sau una horror). "Vocile" mi-a reamintit de cât de bine scrie autorul și cum reușește să te țină în suspans până la ultimul rând.
Cam până pe la jumătatea cărții se formează miezul poveștii iar mai apoi am devenit din ce în ce mai curioasă de ce urmează. Suspansul a crescut din ce în ce mai mult așa că a fost greu să mai las cartea din mână!
Finalul a fost foarte tare și mi-a plăcut de legătura subiectului cu...ceva anume ce nu aș vrea să numesc ca să nu dau spoiler. 😅
Nu mai citisem de mult timp o carte de John Saul (sau una horror). "Vocile" mi-a reamintit de cât de bine scrie autorul și cum reușește să te țină în suspans până la ultimul rând.
Cam până pe la jumătatea cărții se formează miezul poveștii iar mai apoi am devenit din ce în ce mai curioasă de ce urmează. Suspansul a crescut din ce în ce mai mult așa că a fost greu să mai las cartea din mână!
Finalul a fost foarte tare și mi-a plăcut de legătura subiectului cu...ceva anume ce nu aș vrea să numesc ca să nu dau spoiler. 😅
November 26, 2010
Having read most of John Saul's books, I would rank Midnight Voices very near the bottom of the list. It's a fairly predictable storyline, but it does mark a slight departure from Saul's typical portrayal of some adolescent facing unknown horrors pretty much on his/her own. That's not to say that this novel doesn't have adolescents in danger because it most certainly does, but I think Saul does a decent job of shifting perspective among several characters this time around. When all is said and done, though, Midnight Voices just isn't all that scary or even engaging. While several of the characters experience dread and fear at the mere sight of the story's prominent location - the old Rockwell apartment building in New York City - the building really doesn't seem to convey a particularly strong atmosphere to the reader. There is nothing evil about the place - the only evil comes in the form of the bulding's occupants.
The novel gets off to a great start, with one poor unfortunate husband and father proving that slightly less than perfect paranoia is far less than perfect awareness. He leaves behind a wife and two children who must now try to adjust to different kind of life - one without a nice home and private schools. Enter Anthony Fleming, who quickly sweeps Caroline off her feet. Sure, the kids don't like moving in to the spooky old Rockwell building, but Caroline finds a new sense of peace and happiness in the marriage. Unfortunately, the kids don't adjust to their new life. Their neighbors in the Rockwell are weird, even for old people, and the only other teenager there is mysteriously sick all of the time. Night time is the worst, as both children are increasingly frightened by the sound of whispering voices inside their rooms. The Rockwell houses a deep, dark secret that ultimately puts the very lives of Caroline and her children at risk - but will Caroline recognize the danger in time to save them?
There are two main problems with Midnight Voices. One, the book may have a creepy moment or two but overall the scare factor just isn't there. More importantly, I found the plot of the novel to be surprisingly weak - I would say that the explanation for the goings on at the Rockwell falls well short of Saul's well-established standards. I also just never came to care a great deal about any of the characters in the story, especially poor dumb Caroline. The old Saul magic just wasn't there this time around.
The novel gets off to a great start, with one poor unfortunate husband and father proving that slightly less than perfect paranoia is far less than perfect awareness. He leaves behind a wife and two children who must now try to adjust to different kind of life - one without a nice home and private schools. Enter Anthony Fleming, who quickly sweeps Caroline off her feet. Sure, the kids don't like moving in to the spooky old Rockwell building, but Caroline finds a new sense of peace and happiness in the marriage. Unfortunately, the kids don't adjust to their new life. Their neighbors in the Rockwell are weird, even for old people, and the only other teenager there is mysteriously sick all of the time. Night time is the worst, as both children are increasingly frightened by the sound of whispering voices inside their rooms. The Rockwell houses a deep, dark secret that ultimately puts the very lives of Caroline and her children at risk - but will Caroline recognize the danger in time to save them?
There are two main problems with Midnight Voices. One, the book may have a creepy moment or two but overall the scare factor just isn't there. More importantly, I found the plot of the novel to be surprisingly weak - I would say that the explanation for the goings on at the Rockwell falls well short of Saul's well-established standards. I also just never came to care a great deal about any of the characters in the story, especially poor dumb Caroline. The old Saul magic just wasn't there this time around.
October 12, 2021
Il mio primo incontro con John Saul risale a più di 20 anni fa, quando durante le scuole medie ho letto ed adorato "Blackwood", che a suo tempo ricordo era venduto in edicola in uscite settimanali. Da giovanissima lettrice di horror che era da poco uscita da Piccoli Brividi e Horror Junior e aveva appena iniziato a conoscere King e Poe, il romanzo di Saul ebbe un eccezionale impatto sul mio immaginario. Sono sicura che se avessi letto "Voci di mezzanotte" nello stesso periodo l'avrei probabilmente amato moltissimo. Pur trattandosi di un romanzo "adulto" a suo modo, avendo fra i personaggi principali due ragazzini di dodici e tredici anni, alle prese con un mondo di adulti misteriosi ed inaffidabili, mi sembra parli bene anche ai lettori più giovani. Una storia che ha un suo fascino, sicuramente racchiuso nella prima metà, con alcune vibes che mi hanno ricordato "Rosemary's Baby", ed un epilogo forse un po' troppo frettoloso e anticlimatico.
La scrittura di Saul è molto lineare e cinematografica, si fa leggere in fretta.
Mi ha fatto molto sorridere la presenza di due personaggi col cognome Barnes and Noble, che mi piace credere sia un riferimento alla celebre catena di librerie americana!
La scrittura di Saul è molto lineare e cinematografica, si fa leggere in fretta.
Mi ha fatto molto sorridere la presenza di due personaggi col cognome Barnes and Noble, che mi piace credere sia un riferimento alla celebre catena di librerie americana!
February 9, 2013
I'm not a particularly big fan of John Saul. In the early 90's, I tried Sleepwalk, along with two others, found in John Saul: Hellfire, The Unwanted, Sleepwalk. They did little to nothing for me, due mostly to the the fact that they all felt the same, in a very cliched way.
Years later, I borrowed Midnight Voices from a relative, because it piqued my interest. And at first, I liked it enough to keep reading, but it wasn't really anything I'd praise, or even recommend. Then, about halfway through, my overall opinion drastically changed.
Why the sudden change, you ask? There's such a drastic twist that I totally did not see coming. In hindsight even, I could have NEVER predicted that!
February 26, 2011
This is the first John Saul I have read and it definitely won't be the last. Mr. Saul is an incredible storyteller. His plot is solid as well as descriptions and character development.
As far as the story goes, I was intrigued. It was dark and foreboding but with little of the modern gore that seems to define horror these days. This is a type of story that seeps into your subconscious to make your hairs stand up without you really understanding why.
As far as the story goes, I was intrigued. It was dark and foreboding but with little of the modern gore that seems to define horror these days. This is a type of story that seeps into your subconscious to make your hairs stand up without you really understanding why.
June 2, 2014
I've read better by this author. I think what annoyed me about this one is that all of the women characters were stereotypical types. The protagonist just didn't gain my sympathy because she should have been more careful and cautious all along. She redeems herself, a little, towards the end but...meh. The only female character that is interesting is married to her job, mateless, and is killed. And...what the heck happened to Chloe?
January 28, 2016
Really intense paranormal/horror/suspense set in a creepy NYC apartment.Loved the Central Park setting, and the wonderful character development.I really cared about the widow and her two children.
A very hard to put down read,so read when you have the free time!
Highly recommended for those who love 'clean' horror-suspense without the profanity/graphic sex/and splatter-gore.
A very hard to put down read,so read when you have the free time!
Highly recommended for those who love 'clean' horror-suspense without the profanity/graphic sex/and splatter-gore.
October 26, 2007
I really enjoyed this book I stared it on Monday and I was done reading it Thursday I have never read a book that quick in my life.I had to quite reading it at night because it was so creepy.
December 20, 2012
Creepy! My first book I ever read by John Saul and I believe this iis the book that got me into him! I highly reccomend it!
November 18, 2025
Another John Saul winner, this one from 2002. I knew where this was going after a few chapters, but Saul is like the comfort food of horror for me - consistent, hits the spot, not the best literary content that's good for you, but a real page-turner. The last few chapters and the epilogue raised this novel from a four to a five star for me. He knows what I like and gives it to me. The far-fetched, plot hole-filled stories he is accused of writing by his critics are exactly what make them original and fun for me. What's not to love about a young widow who, with her two young children, marries a mysterious handsome gentleman who then moves them into his condominium apartment in Manhattan New York, the building which has an even more mysterious history where all the owners seem to know each other and go back generational 150 years or more? Classic Saul supernatural happenings ensue, and the mystery builds to a crescendo. Saul is a can't miss for me. Always a fun creepy read.
January 25, 2025
I've read 27 of John Saul's 31 books, and this was the first one that I gave a bad rating to. This felt like a 100 pages story stretched out into a nearly 400 pages book and it was a slog to get through.
June 18, 2023
What can I say. Right up my alley. Great reading with a lot of suspense and mystery. For admirers of John Sauls writing I can for sure recommend this one.
August 14, 2025
boring
September 28, 2018
A solid read. I really REALLY loved the first half, when you're introduced to the characters, the events begin to unfold....and you step into the Rockwell, a strange building on the Upper West Side of Manhattan.
July 18, 2021
Tremendo, aunque recuerda a Rosemary's Baby en algunos detalles (la historia no tiene nada que ver).
August 12, 2020
Every time I see Romania mentioned in foreign fiction it makes me laugh. Please check your facts. Romania was never part of USSR among many other inaccuracies.
However, I liked the thematic of the book and obviously John Saul never disappoints with his stories.
However, I liked the thematic of the book and obviously John Saul never disappoints with his stories.
May 27, 2017
Creepy. Enjoyed it.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 203 reviews