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Dark Secrets #4
The Deep End of Fear
Let Sleeping Ghosts LieTwelve years ago Kate's family left the Westbrook estate on a stormy night, just after young Ashley Westbrook drowned in an icy pond. Now kate, alone in the world, has returned to the estate to tutor another spoiled Westbrook child, Patrick. The seven-year-old says he talks to Ashley by the pond. He does dangerous, deadly things because, he says, "Ashley dared me to." Just as Ashley once dared a shy, little Kate twelve years ago.But at seventeen Kate is not so easily intimidated by "Ashley" or hostile members of her family or the forbidding housekeeper. Then Sam, the handsome stranger to whom kate is irresistibly drawn, reveals a tragic piece of the puzzle that connects him to Kate. Sam tells Kate to leave -- either out of concern for her or due to a festering anger, she's not sure. But kate will not abandon Patrick to the evil that is haunting him and threatens to destroy them all.
324 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 18, 2003
14 people are currently reading
1172 people want to read
About the author
Elizabeth Chandler
71 books2,323 followersElizabeth Chandler is a pseudonym for Mary-Claire Helldorfer. She currently lives in Baltimore, Maryland.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 34 reviews
January 22, 2020
This book was okay, not my cup of tea.
April 2, 2024
The Deep End of Fear is probably my least favorite of the four books I have read in this series but it is by no means awful.
The story is a very gripping one with a Modern Gothic tone to it but there are just a few elements of the plot that unnerve me. Not that the other books didn't have some parts that were a little serious but as I explain as much plot as I can without spoilers...you will see why this one disturbs me.
We get a flashback to twelve years ago.
A little girl named Katie is crouched down on the floor of the backseat of a car with her parents in the front. It is a mess of icy sleet coming down as they are driving the road late at night, her father not switching on the headlights until they reach the main roads of Wisteria, Maryland.
They are leaving a place called Mason's Choice and Katie is sad she didn't get to say good-bye to a girl named Ashley. Her mother reminds her that Ashley is dead before she points out to her husband that there is a car behind them.
They try to lose the car and then Katie feels the car spinning as her mother screams and it stops with a loud, reverberating crash. Only her parents see what is behind them and it is bad enough for Katie's mother to pout her head in her hands as they drive on.
Katie asks if anyone got hurt and her mother replies that there were deer in the road while her father says he will find a phone to call someone...
Now seventeen years old, Katie is grown up and is Kate Venerelli.
They left America for England and soon after they landed her mother, Victoria, abandoned her husband and child one night while they were asleep.
Three months ago, Kate's father, Luciano passed away from cancer and left her a note with a few last wishes.
One was to reconcile with her mother as he was the reason she left and not Kate. In the letter was the phone number and place to where she was now living but Kate lost interest in her mother a long time ago.
The second was to find a ring stashed inside a chimney and return it to a man named Adrian Westbrook in Wisteria, Maryland. It was taken by Kate's father the night that they left a place which Kate does not wish to go back...the house called Mason's Choice.
The fact that Kate's father took the ring from the place where he was employed to paint portraits isn't what bothers her but the fact that her mother use to work as a nanny there.
Kate calls and the phone is answered by an older woman that Kate remembers as Mrs. Hopewell, the housekeeper. When she asks to speak with Adrian Westbrook and gives her name, the woman hangs up on Kate.
Kate calls again to ask for a Mrs. Westbrook, hears a younger woman ask Mrs. Hopewell who it is and gets to hear that it is a marketing call before being hung up on again.
Kate finds the woman who owns the B&B where she is staying and knows that she can get any information just by starting a conversation with a woman like Amelia Sutter. Adrian remarried a younger woman named Emily and they have son who is now seven years old while both of his older children have been both married and divorced from their spouses.
Kate remembers the son, Trent, and the woman, Robyn Caulfield, very well.
While looking at the newspaper, Kate finds an ad looking for a tutor for a seven year old child where there will be room and board in the house...that she has been calling.
After finding a payphone, putting on a French accent and asking to speak to Mrs. Emily Westbrook it gets Katie past Mrs. Hopewell and given an interview for later that afternoon. Kate isn't interested in the job but it will be the only way she can get the ring back to Mr. Westbrook and then she can go sightseeing across the U.S.A. so she can then fly back to England to attend one of their many universities.
Kate has Amelia take her to the house and they pass the family cemetery on the way in and this is where Ashley is buried. Ashley Westbrook, who was two years older than Kate, her only friend on the grounds before the other girl fell through the ice of the pond...and drowned.
A different servant opens the door to let Kate in and she is glad because Mrs. Hopewell would have thought Kate was her mother, Victoria. Kate cut her blonde hair very short when her father got sick and his hair started to fall out but it was an excuse not to have the same very long hair her mother always use to have.
Amelia waits in the library as Kate is taken to Emily's office and she finds a strawberry blonde behind the desk. Kate notices pictures of every member of the family through the years but none of Ashley so she wonders if Emily has any idea of who she is...
Only Kate's last name rings a bell to Emily as she says they have many paintings in the house done by a Luciano Venerelli. Kate answers truthfully that it is her father but she only knows the basics of painting and that she can play a little piano when Emily asks her about playing a musical instrument.
Along with the educational information Kate has provided, Emily wants to bring in her son. She calls for the boy named Patrick and Kate is realizing that she may be caught with this job and tries to stall but Emily continues without notice of Kate's nervousness. When the boy enters, Kate notices that Patrick looks like a younger version of Robyn's son, Brook.
Kate is told that she has the job by Emily but is curious about whether Mr. Westbrook would need to interview her as well. Kate is told that Patrick's father has been ill and will be back home after receiving treatments at John Hopkins for cancer.
Thinking that if they get to know each other better, Emily has Patrick take Kate to his room and she is shocked to find that Patrick's room...was once Ashley's. The color scheme is different but all of the furniture is still the same and Patrick has even been given some plastic horses that were once Robyn's but had been Ashley's when Kate was last here.
So eerie...
Patrick shows Kate up to the third floor and she recognizes the room when it belonged to Ashley's tutor, a young man they called mr. Joseph. Patrick shows Kate his pet hamster named Patricia even though he is allergic to animal fur as well as his ice hockey posters with his favorite being a player on the high school team named Sam Koscinski.
Patrick tells Kate that he had a friend named Tim who moved away when she asks if he ever invites any friends over to play but that he also plays with a girl named Ashley. It sends a shiver up Kate's spine when Patrick says that Ashley likes Kate and that the girl has been watching them...
As they come downstairs, Kate and Patrick hear three female voices arguing. It is Mrs. Hopewell and Robyn, Adrian's daughter, arguing with Emily and telling her not to hire Kate but it is clear that Emily is not use to having to fight with them.
Hearing them say some choice things about her family, Kate decides then and there that she is going to take the job as Patrick's tutor to find out the truth about why her parents left that night.
Kate realizes Patrick is lonely and needs friends but she is afraid that once his father gets home, he may just dismiss her and override his wife's decision once he realizes just who Kate is...
Hoping to get air from the frosty reception, Kate goes for a walk through town and finds one of her father's paintings in the window of an antique shop. The owner tells her the shop is closed for inventory but is surprised when Kate tells him that she is interested in looking at the Venerelli in the window because of her age.
When Kate tells him that the man was her father, the shop owner introduces himself as Joseph Oakley. The now middle-aged and plump man was once the college student who lived at Mason's choice and tutored both Kate and Ashley. Joseph is here in town to take care of shop business as it use to be his mother's place but that she recently died and before Kate can answer his question about her mother, the store bell rings again.
A young man around Kate's age has come in to buy a birthday present and even though the shop really is closed, Joseph is helpless and agrees to help. He can't decide between anything in the jewelry case and asks for Kate's opinion in a very guy way by saying she is a girl yet shoots down Kate's choice when she answers him.
Once he leaves, Kate informs Joseph that she is now Patrick's tutor at Mason's Choice and he tells her that none of the Westbrooks can be trusted. Kate always knew that none of them, even Ashley, were very nice but it is one more reason to stay for Patrick...
When Patrick gets home from school with Kate as the groundskeeper Roger has picked them up to show Kate the route, Emily informs them that Trent and Brook are to be here on this the day before Adrian comes home.
As Joseph told Kate, the vultures are circling.
No one has told Trent that Kate is Patrick's new tutor and he looks at her as if he has seen a ghost when Robyn clarifies her last name. Kate knows she looks like her mother and remembers that Ashley looked like her mother, Corrine, when they were little girls.
Trent ignores Patrick and when Brook arrives, he has no fondness in his greeting for Patrick and looks Kate up and down like a piece of meat when he learns who she is. Kate remembers a young boy who was awful to his cousin's pets and that should be a red flag right there that no one has any redeeming qualities in this family except for Patrick and Emily.
The others bicker about who gets what in not so subtle ways and show very little respect to one another so Kate takes Patrick outside to play and he wants to go ice-skating on the pond. Kate tells him that the ice is too thin but Patrick tells her that Ashley said it was okay and it is unnerving enough that Kate has to ask Patrick what Ashley looks like...
Patrick describes Ashley in correct detail about the outfit kate remembers her wearing that was her favorite and is wondering if someone in the family has been showing him a picture of Ashley but a part of her...can't even fathom asking the question.
While Patrick is at school the next day, Kate is informed by Mrs. Hopewell that Adrian will see her now that he is home. He greets Kate warmly and friendly and doesn't seem angered when she gives him back the ring to fulfill the promise to her father. Kate asks why her family was sent away and Adrian tells her that they were not sent packing as Mrs. Hopewell commented to Emily the day of her interview.
It was her father who left with the family of his own decision but why take a ring that he never pawned for money and wanted returned?
Kate picks up patrick from school and has to remember that she is not driving in England anymore so he finds it funny that she keeps repeating about staying on the right. The news that his dad is back also makes him happy but when he makes a comment about one of Ashley's plastic horses with a name only the two girls knew...it spooks her.
Kate's concentration has her turn the corner to the wrong side of the road and she almost hits another car but they stop in enough time to only be nose to nose. Kate makes sure Patrick is okay and the boy seems unfazed as he points out that the other driver is mad.
As Kate gets closer, she recognizes the young man from the antique shop as the irate driver but he has yet to recognize Kate until she starts using British terms for the parts of the car...then he stares at her as if she were from another planet and not another continent.
That jogs his memory and he tries to instruct her on the correct terms with a smug smile on his lips and in his eyes and Kate can't help but remember how handsome he was. Realizing Patrick is behind her, Kate tries to tell him to go back to the car so they can leave and receives some news.
This is Sam Koscinski, Patrick's favorite hockey player on the Wisteria High School team.
Sam is pleased at having a fan but it all but fades once he learns that Patrick is Adrian Westbrook's son. Kate has to remind him that the little boy is a fan while Patrick is finding some paper for Sam to sign some autographs but he leaves soon after.
That night at dinner, the conversation is not very pleasant amongst the wolves. All of the conversation comes to a stop when there is a big gust of wind against the window panes and the orange tabby cat appears outside wanting to be let in...
Kate recognizes the coloring but also the bitten off tail and the half of its left ear missing as the same feral cat that use to belong to Ashley Westbrook. To everyone but Patrick and Emily, this animal is like another ghost of the past appearing on the doorstep...just like Kate.
Kate goes with Patrick to the last hockey game before the playoffs to watch Sam's team after getting his mother's permission. Patrick holds up a sign for Sam that Kate helped him to make and he is so excited as he watches the game, cheering him on. Kate notices how manic Sam is playing the sport but can't help but still be attracted to his energy.
When the team wins and the game is over, Patrick wants Sam to autograph his sign so Kate hangs back with the crowd. Despite his good looks, Kate isn't happy with how Sam acted the other day.
An older woman asks Kate if she is a fan of Sam's and she tries to hide her rude reply with the fact that the little boy she is with is the real fan. Sam yells to the crowd with words to his mother that they won and Kate is shocked to find that...it is the lady beside her when she answers back.
Mrs. Koscinski points out Patrick to Sam in the crowd and Kate can't help but get a tear in her eye to see the smile on Patrick's face when Sam makes his way toward him, a hand on the older boy's shoulder. When Sam meets his mom as Patrick gets ready to leave with Kate, he tells her that the sign they made was great and he could see it from the ice during the game.
Kate denies helping but Sam smiles and looks down at her hands before leaving with his mother.
There is poster paint underneath her fingernails...
Things that happen after such a warm moment are in stark contrast as they are very horrible things that I don't even really want to discuss because they involve cruelly hurting the feelings and psyche of a seven year old child...
It also doesn't get any better for Kate because just when it seems that she and Sam are finally connecting...details she shares in trying to open up put a wedge between them. Not only that but Patrick isn't keeping Ashley a secret and the rest of the Westbrook family believe it is Kate's fault that after so long her name is being brought up again like a curse from Hell or the depths...of the family pond.
Everything revealed and all of the twists make the mystery aspect intriguing but I was left holding my breath at all of the terrible things that kept happening. The story kept getting so much darker than I thought it would and if there wasn't the side plot of Kate and Sam and even how Sam started to care for Patrick along with Kate...I would have made myself depressed and sick reading further.
Don't let my feelings influence you because despite all of the drama, The Deep End of Fear is worth reading.
The story is a very gripping one with a Modern Gothic tone to it but there are just a few elements of the plot that unnerve me. Not that the other books didn't have some parts that were a little serious but as I explain as much plot as I can without spoilers...you will see why this one disturbs me.
We get a flashback to twelve years ago.
A little girl named Katie is crouched down on the floor of the backseat of a car with her parents in the front. It is a mess of icy sleet coming down as they are driving the road late at night, her father not switching on the headlights until they reach the main roads of Wisteria, Maryland.
They are leaving a place called Mason's Choice and Katie is sad she didn't get to say good-bye to a girl named Ashley. Her mother reminds her that Ashley is dead before she points out to her husband that there is a car behind them.
They try to lose the car and then Katie feels the car spinning as her mother screams and it stops with a loud, reverberating crash. Only her parents see what is behind them and it is bad enough for Katie's mother to pout her head in her hands as they drive on.
Katie asks if anyone got hurt and her mother replies that there were deer in the road while her father says he will find a phone to call someone...
Now seventeen years old, Katie is grown up and is Kate Venerelli.
They left America for England and soon after they landed her mother, Victoria, abandoned her husband and child one night while they were asleep.
Three months ago, Kate's father, Luciano passed away from cancer and left her a note with a few last wishes.
One was to reconcile with her mother as he was the reason she left and not Kate. In the letter was the phone number and place to where she was now living but Kate lost interest in her mother a long time ago.
The second was to find a ring stashed inside a chimney and return it to a man named Adrian Westbrook in Wisteria, Maryland. It was taken by Kate's father the night that they left a place which Kate does not wish to go back...the house called Mason's Choice.
The fact that Kate's father took the ring from the place where he was employed to paint portraits isn't what bothers her but the fact that her mother use to work as a nanny there.
Kate calls and the phone is answered by an older woman that Kate remembers as Mrs. Hopewell, the housekeeper. When she asks to speak with Adrian Westbrook and gives her name, the woman hangs up on Kate.
Kate calls again to ask for a Mrs. Westbrook, hears a younger woman ask Mrs. Hopewell who it is and gets to hear that it is a marketing call before being hung up on again.
Kate finds the woman who owns the B&B where she is staying and knows that she can get any information just by starting a conversation with a woman like Amelia Sutter. Adrian remarried a younger woman named Emily and they have son who is now seven years old while both of his older children have been both married and divorced from their spouses.
Kate remembers the son, Trent, and the woman, Robyn Caulfield, very well.
While looking at the newspaper, Kate finds an ad looking for a tutor for a seven year old child where there will be room and board in the house...that she has been calling.
After finding a payphone, putting on a French accent and asking to speak to Mrs. Emily Westbrook it gets Katie past Mrs. Hopewell and given an interview for later that afternoon. Kate isn't interested in the job but it will be the only way she can get the ring back to Mr. Westbrook and then she can go sightseeing across the U.S.A. so she can then fly back to England to attend one of their many universities.
Kate has Amelia take her to the house and they pass the family cemetery on the way in and this is where Ashley is buried. Ashley Westbrook, who was two years older than Kate, her only friend on the grounds before the other girl fell through the ice of the pond...and drowned.
A different servant opens the door to let Kate in and she is glad because Mrs. Hopewell would have thought Kate was her mother, Victoria. Kate cut her blonde hair very short when her father got sick and his hair started to fall out but it was an excuse not to have the same very long hair her mother always use to have.
Amelia waits in the library as Kate is taken to Emily's office and she finds a strawberry blonde behind the desk. Kate notices pictures of every member of the family through the years but none of Ashley so she wonders if Emily has any idea of who she is...
Only Kate's last name rings a bell to Emily as she says they have many paintings in the house done by a Luciano Venerelli. Kate answers truthfully that it is her father but she only knows the basics of painting and that she can play a little piano when Emily asks her about playing a musical instrument.
Along with the educational information Kate has provided, Emily wants to bring in her son. She calls for the boy named Patrick and Kate is realizing that she may be caught with this job and tries to stall but Emily continues without notice of Kate's nervousness. When the boy enters, Kate notices that Patrick looks like a younger version of Robyn's son, Brook.
Kate is told that she has the job by Emily but is curious about whether Mr. Westbrook would need to interview her as well. Kate is told that Patrick's father has been ill and will be back home after receiving treatments at John Hopkins for cancer.
Thinking that if they get to know each other better, Emily has Patrick take Kate to his room and she is shocked to find that Patrick's room...was once Ashley's. The color scheme is different but all of the furniture is still the same and Patrick has even been given some plastic horses that were once Robyn's but had been Ashley's when Kate was last here.
So eerie...
Patrick shows Kate up to the third floor and she recognizes the room when it belonged to Ashley's tutor, a young man they called mr. Joseph. Patrick shows Kate his pet hamster named Patricia even though he is allergic to animal fur as well as his ice hockey posters with his favorite being a player on the high school team named Sam Koscinski.
Patrick tells Kate that he had a friend named Tim who moved away when she asks if he ever invites any friends over to play but that he also plays with a girl named Ashley. It sends a shiver up Kate's spine when Patrick says that Ashley likes Kate and that the girl has been watching them...
As they come downstairs, Kate and Patrick hear three female voices arguing. It is Mrs. Hopewell and Robyn, Adrian's daughter, arguing with Emily and telling her not to hire Kate but it is clear that Emily is not use to having to fight with them.
Hearing them say some choice things about her family, Kate decides then and there that she is going to take the job as Patrick's tutor to find out the truth about why her parents left that night.
Kate realizes Patrick is lonely and needs friends but she is afraid that once his father gets home, he may just dismiss her and override his wife's decision once he realizes just who Kate is...
Hoping to get air from the frosty reception, Kate goes for a walk through town and finds one of her father's paintings in the window of an antique shop. The owner tells her the shop is closed for inventory but is surprised when Kate tells him that she is interested in looking at the Venerelli in the window because of her age.
When Kate tells him that the man was her father, the shop owner introduces himself as Joseph Oakley. The now middle-aged and plump man was once the college student who lived at Mason's choice and tutored both Kate and Ashley. Joseph is here in town to take care of shop business as it use to be his mother's place but that she recently died and before Kate can answer his question about her mother, the store bell rings again.
A young man around Kate's age has come in to buy a birthday present and even though the shop really is closed, Joseph is helpless and agrees to help. He can't decide between anything in the jewelry case and asks for Kate's opinion in a very guy way by saying she is a girl yet shoots down Kate's choice when she answers him.
Once he leaves, Kate informs Joseph that she is now Patrick's tutor at Mason's Choice and he tells her that none of the Westbrooks can be trusted. Kate always knew that none of them, even Ashley, were very nice but it is one more reason to stay for Patrick...
When Patrick gets home from school with Kate as the groundskeeper Roger has picked them up to show Kate the route, Emily informs them that Trent and Brook are to be here on this the day before Adrian comes home.
As Joseph told Kate, the vultures are circling.
No one has told Trent that Kate is Patrick's new tutor and he looks at her as if he has seen a ghost when Robyn clarifies her last name. Kate knows she looks like her mother and remembers that Ashley looked like her mother, Corrine, when they were little girls.
Trent ignores Patrick and when Brook arrives, he has no fondness in his greeting for Patrick and looks Kate up and down like a piece of meat when he learns who she is. Kate remembers a young boy who was awful to his cousin's pets and that should be a red flag right there that no one has any redeeming qualities in this family except for Patrick and Emily.
The others bicker about who gets what in not so subtle ways and show very little respect to one another so Kate takes Patrick outside to play and he wants to go ice-skating on the pond. Kate tells him that the ice is too thin but Patrick tells her that Ashley said it was okay and it is unnerving enough that Kate has to ask Patrick what Ashley looks like...
Patrick describes Ashley in correct detail about the outfit kate remembers her wearing that was her favorite and is wondering if someone in the family has been showing him a picture of Ashley but a part of her...can't even fathom asking the question.
While Patrick is at school the next day, Kate is informed by Mrs. Hopewell that Adrian will see her now that he is home. He greets Kate warmly and friendly and doesn't seem angered when she gives him back the ring to fulfill the promise to her father. Kate asks why her family was sent away and Adrian tells her that they were not sent packing as Mrs. Hopewell commented to Emily the day of her interview.
It was her father who left with the family of his own decision but why take a ring that he never pawned for money and wanted returned?
Kate picks up patrick from school and has to remember that she is not driving in England anymore so he finds it funny that she keeps repeating about staying on the right. The news that his dad is back also makes him happy but when he makes a comment about one of Ashley's plastic horses with a name only the two girls knew...it spooks her.
Kate's concentration has her turn the corner to the wrong side of the road and she almost hits another car but they stop in enough time to only be nose to nose. Kate makes sure Patrick is okay and the boy seems unfazed as he points out that the other driver is mad.
As Kate gets closer, she recognizes the young man from the antique shop as the irate driver but he has yet to recognize Kate until she starts using British terms for the parts of the car...then he stares at her as if she were from another planet and not another continent.
That jogs his memory and he tries to instruct her on the correct terms with a smug smile on his lips and in his eyes and Kate can't help but remember how handsome he was. Realizing Patrick is behind her, Kate tries to tell him to go back to the car so they can leave and receives some news.
This is Sam Koscinski, Patrick's favorite hockey player on the Wisteria High School team.
Sam is pleased at having a fan but it all but fades once he learns that Patrick is Adrian Westbrook's son. Kate has to remind him that the little boy is a fan while Patrick is finding some paper for Sam to sign some autographs but he leaves soon after.
That night at dinner, the conversation is not very pleasant amongst the wolves. All of the conversation comes to a stop when there is a big gust of wind against the window panes and the orange tabby cat appears outside wanting to be let in...
Kate recognizes the coloring but also the bitten off tail and the half of its left ear missing as the same feral cat that use to belong to Ashley Westbrook. To everyone but Patrick and Emily, this animal is like another ghost of the past appearing on the doorstep...just like Kate.
Kate goes with Patrick to the last hockey game before the playoffs to watch Sam's team after getting his mother's permission. Patrick holds up a sign for Sam that Kate helped him to make and he is so excited as he watches the game, cheering him on. Kate notices how manic Sam is playing the sport but can't help but still be attracted to his energy.
When the team wins and the game is over, Patrick wants Sam to autograph his sign so Kate hangs back with the crowd. Despite his good looks, Kate isn't happy with how Sam acted the other day.
An older woman asks Kate if she is a fan of Sam's and she tries to hide her rude reply with the fact that the little boy she is with is the real fan. Sam yells to the crowd with words to his mother that they won and Kate is shocked to find that...it is the lady beside her when she answers back.
Mrs. Koscinski points out Patrick to Sam in the crowd and Kate can't help but get a tear in her eye to see the smile on Patrick's face when Sam makes his way toward him, a hand on the older boy's shoulder. When Sam meets his mom as Patrick gets ready to leave with Kate, he tells her that the sign they made was great and he could see it from the ice during the game.
Kate denies helping but Sam smiles and looks down at her hands before leaving with his mother.
There is poster paint underneath her fingernails...
Things that happen after such a warm moment are in stark contrast as they are very horrible things that I don't even really want to discuss because they involve cruelly hurting the feelings and psyche of a seven year old child...
It also doesn't get any better for Kate because just when it seems that she and Sam are finally connecting...details she shares in trying to open up put a wedge between them. Not only that but Patrick isn't keeping Ashley a secret and the rest of the Westbrook family believe it is Kate's fault that after so long her name is being brought up again like a curse from Hell or the depths...of the family pond.
Everything revealed and all of the twists make the mystery aspect intriguing but I was left holding my breath at all of the terrible things that kept happening. The story kept getting so much darker than I thought it would and if there wasn't the side plot of Kate and Sam and even how Sam started to care for Patrick along with Kate...I would have made myself depressed and sick reading further.
Don't let my feelings influence you because despite all of the drama, The Deep End of Fear is worth reading.
April 21, 2020
I remember reading this when I was younger and loving it. While the mystery aspect still remained that was the only part that made me finish it again because I couldn't remember "who done it?" Reading it now grown up made me realize how the characters lacked and were overall annoying and the plot wasn't all that good. Overall a quick read that I would pass onto my kids one day
April 23, 2018
Review to come
October 28, 2009
I was in the school library with a friend when she handed me this book and told me I should read it. I'm so happy I did! She did forewarn me that it was an odd and creepy book and she was totally right!
I don't really want to say much about it for fear of giving it away, but the ending was such a shocker! I was blown away by this book, honestly! I was kept on the edge of my seat the entire way through the book! I loved the characters. Sam was a definite favorite. He was such a sweet guy, and he was so caring of Kate! I really loved Kate as well. She was put through so much and still remained strong, which I totally admire! I also really liked Patrick. He seemed like such a sweet little boy! :)
All in all, it was an AMAZING read!
I don't really want to say much about it for fear of giving it away, but the ending was such a shocker! I was blown away by this book, honestly! I was kept on the edge of my seat the entire way through the book! I loved the characters. Sam was a definite favorite. He was such a sweet guy, and he was so caring of Kate! I really loved Kate as well. She was put through so much and still remained strong, which I totally admire! I also really liked Patrick. He seemed like such a sweet little boy! :)
All in all, it was an AMAZING read!
June 17, 2020
The description of Mason Choice house was a bit much that I had a hard time to try and visualize.
In this entire series, we have our first repeat character (I’ve been hoping for them) Dr. Parker with the rosy glasses. He was in novel 2 and now again here. Places and roads repeat, but not characters.
Overall, it will keep you hooked in and wanting to read to discover how things in the present unfold and events of the past are solved. I just wished we could have read about the reunion with her mother.
4 out of 5 stars
In this entire series, we have our first repeat character (I’ve been hoping for them) Dr. Parker with the rosy glasses. He was in novel 2 and now again here. Places and roads repeat, but not characters.
Overall, it will keep you hooked in and wanting to read to discover how things in the present unfold and events of the past are solved. I just wished we could have read about the reunion with her mother.
4 out of 5 stars
May 23, 2021
Many years ago, a young girl called Ashley drowned in an icy pond in the mysterious town of Wisteria. On the very same night, Kate & her parents fled the town in the middle of the night & they never looked back.
Until now….
After the recent death of her father, Kate returns to Wisteria on her own & she gets a job as a babysitter for the wealthy Westbrook family. She is tasked with looking after Patrick who is only 7 years old. But Patrick is no ordinary boy. He is a very isolated, quiet & haunted boy who speaks of a girl called Ashley. And Ashley won’t be happy until Patrick completes all her dares. But over the course of a few days, the dares become more reckless & dangerous & this unsettles Kate.
Kate must figure out if Ashley a figment of Patrick’s imagination? Or is she real & back for good? And just what exactly happened the night Ashley drowned? Is she even dead at all?
This is quite a haunting & eerie book. Don’t read it at night! lol I’m now off to read the last book in this series….
Until now….
After the recent death of her father, Kate returns to Wisteria on her own & she gets a job as a babysitter for the wealthy Westbrook family. She is tasked with looking after Patrick who is only 7 years old. But Patrick is no ordinary boy. He is a very isolated, quiet & haunted boy who speaks of a girl called Ashley. And Ashley won’t be happy until Patrick completes all her dares. But over the course of a few days, the dares become more reckless & dangerous & this unsettles Kate.
Kate must figure out if Ashley a figment of Patrick’s imagination? Or is she real & back for good? And just what exactly happened the night Ashley drowned? Is she even dead at all?
This is quite a haunting & eerie book. Don’t read it at night! lol I’m now off to read the last book in this series….
October 14, 2017
The book Dark Secrets is by Elizabeth Chandler. The reading level is 4.6.
The book is about a girl named Kate and one of her family member died from drowning in an icy pond, and her name was Ashley. Now Kate lives with a different family, since both of her parents have passed away, and she has a job to babysit a seven year old named Patrick. Patrick says he is friends with Ashley and says she is still alive. He keeps doing things he would usually never do, and he says “Ashley dared me to.” just like how Ashley used to dare the same exact thing to Kate when she was alive. Kate meets this man named Sam and he says he knew Ashley and he is telling Kate to leave but she doesn’t know what to do.
This book wasn’t confusing or hard at all, I recommend it to people who like mysterious books or scary books. My favorite part was when Patrick went missing because you never know what is going to happen next.
The book is about a girl named Kate and one of her family member died from drowning in an icy pond, and her name was Ashley. Now Kate lives with a different family, since both of her parents have passed away, and she has a job to babysit a seven year old named Patrick. Patrick says he is friends with Ashley and says she is still alive. He keeps doing things he would usually never do, and he says “Ashley dared me to.” just like how Ashley used to dare the same exact thing to Kate when she was alive. Kate meets this man named Sam and he says he knew Ashley and he is telling Kate to leave but she doesn’t know what to do.
This book wasn’t confusing or hard at all, I recommend it to people who like mysterious books or scary books. My favorite part was when Patrick went missing because you never know what is going to happen next.
January 28, 2025
This novella of the series was the most creepy to me. I hate paranormal stuff and would have not started this series if I knew what it would contain. I couldn’t read it at night! I’m such a scary cat.
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February 2, 2020Original review 4 stars.
June 8, 2023
This book I think was the best out of the entire series that I've read. It was very intense. Lots of angst, excitement, thrilling, and paranormal moments all mixed together in the plot.
July 31, 2024
So far, the best story in the series.
August 24, 2020
I was interested in the mystery throughout. The Dark Secrets books always does a good job with that, as well as the twists in the conclusions. I also like how they always have a scenic, almost cozy setting/environment, such as a big estate or old place with a haunting background. I felt the ending to this was a little soap opera-ish, but overall, a good enough read.
July 1, 2011
After mysteriously leaving the Westbrooke estate 12 years ago, an orphaned Katie returns in an attempt to return a ring, her father's last wish. Unable to get in at first, she pretends to be interested in a job position as a tutor for seven year old Patrick Westbrooke and then takes an interest and accepts the job. Weird things begin to happen on the estate, Mason's Choice, that involves Patrick "playing" with one of the dead members of the Westbrooke family, Ashley, whom Katie had played with when she was 5 and living at Mason's Choice. Patrick begins doing things that a 7 year old Ashley had done and blames his recklessness as the result of Ashley's daring him. Creeped out by his oddly similar description of Ashley who he had never met or heard about, Katie feels he may be in danger. One top of all of this, the Westbrooke family is constantly fighting among each other over the father's money and being cruel towards Patrick for being the favorite child. With the help of Sam, the dreamy high school hockey player that Patrick looks up to, and Joseph, Ashley's old tutor, Katie discovers the situation at Mason's Choice and how Patrick is associated with Ashley.
By far, this is the creepiest one in the series. The problem within the house is very realistic but the paranormal explanation seemed a little far-fetched to me. The person behind the murder, which there is always one in this series, was also pretty predictable after Chandler's love of making the killer the person who seems to be helping the main character. Despite this, my attention was constantly captured during the entire reading and I can honestly say I enjoyed it.
By far, this is the creepiest one in the series. The problem within the house is very realistic but the paranormal explanation seemed a little far-fetched to me. The person behind the murder, which there is always one in this series, was also pretty predictable after Chandler's love of making the killer the person who seems to be helping the main character. Despite this, my attention was constantly captured during the entire reading and I can honestly say I enjoyed it.
June 9, 2017
The Deep End of Fear is an excellent book to read if you enjoy mystery along with a bit of horror. In the beginning it starts out with 2 little girls, Ashley and Kate who were the best of friends but it all started to go downhill once Ashley drowned in an icy pond in her backyard. On that day, Kate and her family left the estate immediately and never went back. Fast forward to 12 years later, Kate is older now and decides to take up a part time job tutoring kids. She ends up tutoring a 7 year old, spoiled little boy named Patrick. He constantly dares Kate to do dangerous things and does them himself as well but when Kate asks him who dares him to do this he replies with "Ashley". Eventually, Kate starts to realize the house Patrick lives in is the same house Ashley had drowned at. As the story nears the end, Kate also ends up putting the pieces together and discovers the connection Patrick has with Ashley.
In my opinion, this book was great to read and I definitely recommend it. I enjoyed all the surprises and unexpected plot twists I had come across while reading “The Deep End of Fear”. There were times when I had honestly got terrified whenever I came across the horror parts of the book and there were also times when I could not even put it down, which explains why I have read it so many times.
In my opinion, this book was great to read and I definitely recommend it. I enjoyed all the surprises and unexpected plot twists I had come across while reading “The Deep End of Fear”. There were times when I had honestly got terrified whenever I came across the horror parts of the book and there were also times when I could not even put it down, which explains why I have read it so many times.
April 7, 2012
I love the creepy feel of this book (it actually managed to scare me a little!) and the overall mystery was complex enough to keep me guessing on some of it right up until the info was revealed, but I did guess what I didn't guess was what was really happening to Patrick.
As for the characters... Kate and Sam were smart likeable teens with real chemistry and enough problems to be believable, Patrick was a convincingly scared kid that I really wanted to hug and reassure, most of the supporting characters mananged to seem evil rather they were or not, and Emily (Patrick's mother) was completely annoying and yet still sympathetic (cause what mother that really loved their child wouldn't act in a similar way? In fact, I really hated not liking her because it really wasn't her fault and under different circumstances I would've found her at least interesting)
I really wanted to give this book a 5 star rating but there were a few problems with the (little bit to quick) end and I'm left wondering about one of my favorite characters.
As for the characters... Kate and Sam were smart likeable teens with real chemistry and enough problems to be believable, Patrick was a convincingly scared kid that I really wanted to hug and reassure, most of the supporting characters mananged to seem evil rather they were or not, and Emily (Patrick's mother) was completely annoying and yet still sympathetic (cause what mother that really loved their child wouldn't act in a similar way? In fact, I really hated not liking her because it really wasn't her fault and under different circumstances I would've found her at least interesting)
I really wanted to give this book a 5 star rating but there were a few problems with the (little bit to quick) end and I'm left wondering about one of my favorite characters.
July 29, 2014
as Elizabeth Chandler always do, the surprising turn of events was good yet so dramatic. *SPOILERS* I sensed that Joseph might me involved in Ashley's death, but never have I thought about Adrian as a suspect, I did NOT see that coming. The part where Robyn poisoned herself and Adrian was so dramatic and not needed. I felt like the writer was just getting rid of both of them just for the sake of completing the story.
The reason why I gave it 4 stars (more of 3.5) because there were way too many details, I skipped some because of boredom.
I admire Sam, as much as I admired Matt and Nick :') .. However, she always leaves me eager for more of the romance between the two characters, just a dialogue or anything -.-
The reason why I gave it 4 stars (more of 3.5) because there were way too many details, I skipped some because of boredom.
I admire Sam, as much as I admired Matt and Nick :') .. However, she always leaves me eager for more of the romance between the two characters, just a dialogue or anything -.-
November 23, 2014
i personally don't remember too much about the book any more, but i do know i liked it. The little boy was kinda anorrying just because of his behaviour. he was sweet but then a jerk. I guess i am just not that much of a little kid person. The amount of animals that dies was really upsetting and i was sooo sure it was a haunting not the physic link thingy. I figured that Ashley was murdered but i never even considered the one person didn't have cancer. I was SHOCKED> i actually had a larger argument with myself trying to figure out what he planned to do AFTER the fake cancer didn't kill him. The ending was good i LOVED SAM!!!!!!!!! oh wow! hockey player and all gosh. cute and the teasing was adorable [plus the amount he cared and the joke about the nanny making him crazy. :) :)
September 6, 2013
Im going to say the same thing about every book in this series. Read them. They are short, but they automatically draw you in. Chandler is a phenomenal writer, from the first sentence you are stuck and can't put the book down. I hesitated to read this series, because it was labeled as a YA book but due to my admiration for Harry Potter, The Inheritance Cycle, and other books like it I decided to give this series a shot. So glad I did! The plots are great, with interesting little twists at the end. The characters are fleshed out enough to be lovable and believable even in the short span of pages. If you haven't done so already, READ THIS SERIES!
February 2, 2011
this book is also very exciting and has a love story. but my one bad comment would be that it drags on a bit in the middle, but after i was done i really enjoyed it overall. I recommend it if you like mysteries.
February 4, 2011
Really enjoyable book. Kept me awake till late at night. Filled with suspense, with many characters involved it is hard to figure out who is at the bottom of it. And really I had no idea until the end of the book.Nice ending.
July 17, 2015
Elizabeth Chandler's novels are the kind of books you don't want to be reading in the MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT. I lose a lot of sleep because of this book not only because I can't put the books down, but also because right after I do, the stories still haunt the back of my mind.
May 30, 2009
I liked Elizabeth Chandler's kissed by an angel series and this was enough suspense to keep me reading.
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July 28, 2011good, loved the story behind it but it kinda left some things unsaid. like what happened to her mother after sam invited her?
April 19, 2012
I really did enjoy this book although the "twist" ending wasn't really that out of the blue. Good book though :)
June 9, 2012
I liked this book and this author. There was the right amount of drama and action within these pages!!!!
September 19, 2012
Finally, a romance that seems deserved and actually flows with Chandler's story.
October 9, 2013
Ah, I didn't guess the ending to this one. I was kinda close but not enough to count. That rarely happens to me...it was exciting! This one is my favorite in the series so far!
March 15, 2013
The Westbrook family is so messed up.
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