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Type of bind: Mass Market Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.54
EAN num: 9780449006542
ISBN number: 0449006549
Label: Ballantine Books
Manufacturer: Ballantine Books
Quantity: 1
Page Count: 480
Printing Date: May 31, 2005
Publishing house: Ballantine Books
Release Date: May 31, 2005
Sale Popularity Level: 334157
Studio: Ballantine Books
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Product Description:
The dark history and dire secrets of a peaceful small town are summoned from the shadows of the past. Unholy forces are stirred from long slumber to monstrous new life. And two young misfits discover the chilling art of turning persecution into retribution. With these eerie ingredients, bestselling master John Saul once again works his unique brand of sinister magic to conjure an unforgettable tale of unspeakable terror.
For most of her young life, thirteen-year-old Angel Sullivan has been on the outside looking in, enduring the taunts of cruel schoolmates and the angry abuse of a bitter father. Then Angel’s family moves to the quaint town of Roundtree, Massachusetts—where a charming home is available, a promising job awaits Angel’s unemployed father, and most of all, the chance to make a new start beckons to the shy, hopeful teenager. But when she is shunned by her new classmates, Angel falls deeper into despair. Until she meets Seth Baker, a fellow outcast—and a fateful kinship is forged.
It’s Seth who tells Angel the unspoken truth about the legacy of murder that hangs over her family’s home—and the whispered rumors that something supernatural still dwells there. Uncertain whether the stories are true, and desperate to escape the torment of their daily lives, Angel and Seth devote themselves to contacting whatever restless soul haunts the dark recesses of Black Creek Crossing. But once they have begun, there is no turning back.
Guided by an anguished and vengeful spirit, they uncover the shocking events and centuries-old horrors that lay buried beneath the placid veneer of Roundtree. And along with the ghastly revelations comes a terrifying power—one that feeds upon the rage of the victimized, turning the basest impulses and most dangerous desires into devastating weapons. Now, the closer Angel and Seth are pushed toward the edge by their tormentors, the deeper they descend into the maelstrom of dark forces they’ve unleashed . . . and the more unspeakable the hour of reckoning will be.
From the Hardcover edition.
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Rated by buyers 
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This book was entertaining enough that I kept wanting to read. However, there are so many haunted house stories very similar to this one. There is no originality. Nevertheless, it's a great book that I'd recommend. Nothing ground-breaking though.
Rated by buyers 
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Chilling? Not so much. Mildly entertaining? Sure. There wasn't really anything in this book that shocked, scared, or made me crazy with the urge to read more. But I did read the whole thing in a timely manner, and I did enjoy what I read. It isn't amazing, it isn't terrible, it just is. The premise is very overdone in the horror genre, and there wasn't anything original to really make it stand out.
Angel Sullivan is the outcast at her school. With a slightly unusual name, and a less than perfect figure and face, she is fodder for all the jokes her classmates can think up. And her home life with her alcoholic father and hyper-religious mother is no better. She thinks all that is going to change when her family moves to an old house known to the locals as Black Creek Crossing. The house has a reputation as being haunted thanks to the grisly and unexplained double murder of the earlier tenants by their patriarch. But they forge ahead, and Angel soon learns that things are no better for her in her new town and her new school. The only difference is her new friendships with a grey cat that roams her house at leisure and another outcast, Seth Baker. Together they investigate the rumors of witchcraft that surround her home, and learn that there are just some things that should never be conjured up.
Hard core fans of the horror genre should steer clear of this one, since it is such an overdone plot. Casual readers will probably enjoy this as a light read to while away an afternoon. Just don't expect a happy ending when you pick this one up.
Rated by buyers -
This was the very first John Saul novel I've read and I found it interesting, but not really all that frightening. Those looking for truly chilling horror probably won't find it here. The premise for the novel was intriguing and the two main characters were compelling to me. The novel begins when Angel Sullivan's family purchases a home in Roundtree. The house they buy was the scene of a grisly double-murder and may have an even darker history. Angel is 15 and a misfit with a religious mother and a drunken loser of a father. Her hopes of fitting in at her new school are quickly dashed, but she does become friends with Seth Baker, another social outcast. Seth is a shy photographer with an abusive, sports-obsessed father and an indifferent mother. Aided by a mysterious grey cat that seemingly appears and disappears, the two teenagers find a secret that may enable them to protect themselves from their abusers, as well as exact a measure of revenge on their school tormentors.
This novel had a great premise and kept me involved for a good 2/3rds of the novel. The resolution to the novel left me cold and it had somewhat of a tacked on feeling. The actions of the two main protagonists at the end seemed forced and out of character with what occurred in the beginning. Without revealing too much of the plot, it just seemed to me that there were too many loose ends and no explanation for why the protective supernatural force aiding the main characters would suddenly turn as malevolent as it did.
The book was well-written if a tad dry in places. Saul captured the teenage mindset perfectly and has a great sense for the every day human evil, not just the supernatural kind. I think this book could have been a four or five star effort, but for the ending, which left me wondering at the sudden shift in direction and character motivation.
Rated by buyers -
Maybe it's me, maybe I don't get it but so many people review books on here and say it's not believable or not imaginative enough. True, Saul didn't have to kill himself to think this one up, but it's a good story that will keep you entertained. I didn't think fiction had to be believable, isn't that what makes it a fiction? The story of Angel and Seth is good, and I only wish the revenge went on for longer, it almost seemed as if Saul got bored and said 'we'll just end it here' I've read a few of his books and the ending is never final and never clear so by now I'm used to it. If you pick up John Saul there will be loose ends when you finally close it, it's just what he does.
Rated by buyers -
I would give this 2 1/2 stars if I could.
This is 1 of those bks. I do believe I woulda liked better 20 yrs. ago.... The whole theme of unpopular teens that are tormented by school bullies & have uncaring/abusive parents that finally seek revenge on their tormentors has gotten a bit old. This theme is so similar to Mr. Saul's older books. Maybe Mr. Saul had a really bad childhood & after 40+ yrs. he can't move on....
Besides the troubled teen theme, there are a lot of similarities to this bk. & others he has written - Old abandoned house w/ dark secrets in a small town & main character is befriended by something "evil." I think he wrote this bk. before w/ a different title. Okay maybe not, but it's similar to others....
The plot is fairly good/spooky - old haunted house w/ legends of witches, ghosts & murders. However, there is all this build up & nothing is ever fully explained/resolved. It's like Mr. Saul just decided to wrap everything up quickly at the end. LOTS of loose ends.
I woulda rather him not gone on about golf (which was totally boring) &/or so much about the kids being tormented by their classmates. Instead I wish he would have given more history about Wynton family or explained other things. For example, there is this big mystery surrounding a tree & it's a big part of the story, however it's never fully explained. The book left me w/ all these unanswered ?'s. Why did people go crazy? Was the house evil or did things happen cuz of the Wynton family? Why did just the daughter & father haunt the house? It's like everything that might have been interesting Mr. Saul skipped over & decided to tell me everything I never wanted to know about golf.
The ending just sucked. I don't care that everyone dies (although, I think Zack & Heather shoulda died too or something should have happened to Heather too). It's just that there were all these loose ends. I'm not even sure why Angel & Seth hung themselves cuz they wouldn't have been found guilty of murder. Not to mention they could have brought everyone back to life if they were so upset....
Besides the whole fizzle of the bk. - Marty's character was so unrealistic. Through out the bk. he was Mr. tough guy, close to being abusive to his wife, but then a couple times his wife yells at him & he does a 360. It just didn't fit.
My advice - get a used copy or go to the library & check this out unless you are a teenager &/or a big fan of John Saul.
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