RITA Finalist for paranormal suspense Return to the haunted town of Tuonela, Wisconsin, with the USA Today bestselling author of Pale Immortal. And find out if the rumors are true. Rachel Burton tried to leave, but the killing brought her back. The skinned body was found in the woods, just as Rachel—the town medical examiner—was driving out of Tuonela for good, or so she thought. Now her baby will be born here, and the betrayal of Evan Stroud—the man she’s always loved, the man who can never see the light of day—will continue to haunt her waking and sleeping hours… Others are coming to Tuonela, drawn to the legend of the Pale Immortal, the so-called vampire whose exhumed body is now on display. And others will die. As Evan succumbs to madness, those around him will suspect the worst of him. But everything he is rumored to be will pale in comparison to the one who has been awakened… Garden of Darkness was originally released by Penguin Putnam and was a RITA finalist. Anne Frasier (a.k.a. Theresa Weir) is an award-winning, USA Today bestselling author of twenty-one books and numerous short stories that have spanned the genres of suspense, mystery, thriller, romantic suspense, paranormal, and memoir. Her titles have been printed in both hardcover and paperback and translated into twenty languages. Her memoir, The Orchard, was a 2011 Oprah Magazine Fall Pick, Number Two on the Indie Next list, a featured B+ review in Entertainment Weekly, and a Librarians’ Best Books of 2011. Going back to 1988, Weir’s debut title was the cult phenomenon AMAZON LILY, initially published by Pocket Books and later reissued by Bantam Books. Writing as Theresa Weir she won a RITA for romantic suspense (COOL SHADE), and a year later the Daphne du Maurier for paranormal romance (BAD KARMA). In her more recent Anne Frasier career, her thriller and suspense titles hit the USA Today list (HUSH, SLEEP TIGHT, PLAY DEAD) and were featured in Mystery Guild, Literary Guild, and Book of the Month Club. HUSH was both a RITA and Daphne du Maurier finalist. Her short stories and poetry can be found in DISCOUNT NOIR, ONCE UPON A CRIME, and THE LINEUP, POEMS ON CRIME. She is a member of Sisters in Crime and International Thriller Writers.
Anne Frasier is the New York Times, #1 Amazon Charts, and USA Today bestselling author of the Detective Jude Fontaine Mysteries, the Elise Sandburg series, and the Inland Empire novels. With more than a million copies sold, her award-winning books span the genres of suspense, mystery, thriller, romantic suspense, paranormal, and memoir. The Body Reader received the 2017 Thriller Award for Best Original Paperback Novel from International Thriller Writers. Other honors include a RITA for Romantic Suspense and a Daphne du Maurier Award for Paranormal Romantic Mystery/Suspense. Her thrillers have hit the USA Today bestseller list and have been featured in Mystery Guild, the Literary Guild, and Book of the Month. Her memoir, The Orchard, was an O, The Oprah Magazine Fall Pick; a One Book, One Community read; and one of the Librarians’ Best Books of 2011. Visit her website at www.annefrasier.com.
Although I found book#1 intriguing (in a creepy way), I was not pulled into the sequel. I didn't care about the main characters this time around and found the plot slow and boring. There was some nice points and paranormal elements but not enough for me to enjoy the read.
An easy read, but that's about all I can say for it. Not a good sequel at all. Pale Immortal was a good mystery, not supernatural at all. This was way into the supernatural and just didn't fit.
What's with not clarifying who (or what) committed the two murders? And what was with having the chapters with Kristin's character told in first-person, when the rest of the book was told in third-person? I just didn't understand the need for that.
It's definitely left open in the end for another sequel; I'll more than likely read that if one is written, however, I'd love to see this author get back to what she did so right in Hush.
I looked over Amazon reviews, and they pretty much echo what I felt about the book. I didn't have any problems with line breaks and scene changes, though.
Good can evil, sane vs insane, this just got crazier and crazier in that eerie Stephen King kind of way, with undead and blood and other unexplained things thrown in with the ghoulish need of humanity to document and hide at the same time, and laugh at the weirdness in others but not in ourselves. Worth a read of you're up for a bit of ghoulishness. I loved how the author wrapped up everything in the denouement. That was excellently done! Nice little montage of scenes that were sufficient and efficient, with humor thrown in. Maybe the best I've ever read.
I liked this book but not as much as the first. Its a bit erratic and restless. I know the author had a better grasp of the story in her first book. This story seems to get away from her and there are a lot of ideas, some seem disjointed. The basics from the first book hold together, and I want more of those. The other stuff wasn't my favorite, and I don't see those going anywhere. There's ghosts, vampires, disgruntled spirits, mental illness, and a town's tragic history at play. Its too much and it's too messy. The author actually had trouble linking it all, the reader will as well. The love story and the characters are good. That's what kept this reader reading. Three stars.
I'm not happy how the book ended. The baby doesn't have name and he has his father's disorder. One more book. Open with naming the baby. Graham and his girlfriend off to College. Few years later Evan has founded a new town for people the sun allergies and with their family. They are still haunted by the past, sh was still having visions of dead and Evan still battles his demons. Then there's the baby with his issues. Maybe throw a marriage or two.
Although I like vampire and supernatural thrillers, this one didn’t seem to follow any of the “rules” I’ve come to expect. The story is unique, but I didn’t really understand all that happened or what the “rules” of this world is. I read the first book and liked it better. I probably won’t read more of this series.
Another fantastic, well written book, although I would say you need to read the first, to fully understand the story. Really enjoyed this, it kept me guessing and hooked until the end.
The author does an amazing job of keeping the reader hooked in all of her books.
This is the second book in the Pale Immortal duo. We find Rachel attempting to leave town again, only to be drawn right back in by a strange murder. And she’s pregnant. Although this book wraps up the story, I would love more! Well written and executed, fans of horror and mystery will enjoy this two book series.
I'm not a fan of horror books but Anne Frasier's excellent writing carried me through this book. The character of Evan was way out of sync with the man from book 1. I found that difficult to reconcile. The genre doesn't work for me. I hope her next release is a return to suspense. Because this woman can write!
A multifaceted parapsychological story taking place in a Twilight Zone town that's hard to leave, even when just reading about it. I am addicted to this author's work.
This was weirdest book I've ever read. It was boring and twisted crazy good. I don't like this type storyline but I had to read till the end and find out how it ended
Garden of Darkness is certainly a dark story and one that I find different from Anne Frasier's other books. There were some technical issues with formatting on my Kindle version that made it hard to follow the story easily. What a relief to get to the end! Will there be a sequel?
I liked this book, the story was good and the characters almost believable. It was difficult to really get into, not quite a vampire/witchcraft story, but not realistic. It’s a fun read, but not compelling.
Lord but this woman can spin a tale. I've met a lot of old people in my life that could spin some yarns but I don't think any of them were this creepy, and I grew up in a town that claimed to have ghost too.
Excellent writing, strong characters and I had a strange longing to go visit Old Tuenela myself. Loved the blending of psychological thriller and vampire fantasy together!
Old Tuonela has been thru some horrible history. They say you always return. Hopefully the past will change but there are a lot of pitfalls to overcome first!
I loved the first book but this sequel was not up to the same standard as far as I am concerned . Where as the first book was definitely creepy and had a good storyline this one just seemed weird .