A woman trying to outrun her past is drawn to a coastal village in Maine—and to a string of unsolved murders—in this novel of romance and psychological suspense from New York Times bestselling author Tess Gerritsen.
“Suspenseful, sexy, and soulful.”—J. R. Ward, bestselling author of the Black Dagger Brotherhood series
After an unspeakable tragedy in Boston, Ava Collette flees to a remote village in Maine, where she rents an old house named Brodie’s Watch.
In that isolated seaside mansion, Ava finally feels at peace . . . until she glimpses the long-dead sea captain who still resides there.
Rumor has it that Captain Jeremiah Brodie has haunted the house for more than a century. One night, Ava confronts the apparition, who feels all too real, and who welcomes her into his world—and into his arms. Even as Ava questions her own sanity, she eagerly looks forward to the captain’s ghostly visits. But she soon learns that the house she loves comes with a terrible secret, a secret that those in the village don’t want to reveal: Every woman who has ever lived in Brodie’s Watch has also died there. Is the ghost of Captain Brodie responsible, or is a flesh-and-blood killer at work? A killer who is even now circling closer to Ava?
Praise for The Shape of Night
“Gerritsen is at her atmospheric best in this spine-tingling tale of a lone woman, an old house, and all the secrets everyone tries to hide.”—Lisa Gardner, #1 New York Times bestselling author
“With a twisty mix of dangerous passion, obsession, and suspense, Tess Gerritsen reinvents the Gothic novel, giving it a razor-sharp, modern edge.”—Jayne Ann Krentz, New York Times bestselling author of Untouchable
“Curl up in your favorite reading chair and let Tess Gerritsen whisk you away to a coastal town reminiscent of Daphne du Maurier’s best settings. You are in for a dark and sexy night, and you will be up very late with Tess’s twisted, haunting tale.”—Iris Johansen, #1 New York Times bestselling author
The Shape of Night by Tess Gerritsen has some beautiful writing! The book starts off with a seriously creepy vibe. If I were Ava, I would NOT have entered Brodie's Watch. Nope, nope, nope. Throughout the story I was saying things like "Dumb white girl move" and "Are you kidding me-get the hell out! Don't go investigate"!
Not gonna lie, the story takes a WEIRD turn. Think Ghost, but not a loved one. Ava has experienced a recent trauma and that is what led her to this creepy old house. But, this has also led her to drinking entire bottles of alcohol a night. So the ghostly visits could be real or imagined during a drunken stupor. But when Ava has bruises from her nightly visitor, she knows something is up. Ava is difficult to like as a protagonist. She did a terrible thing and she is dealing with it poorly. However, I think the story does a very unique way of making her atone. Honestly, I did NOT see it coming. As I was reading I was making mental connections to the characters in Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn-I didn't like any of them either and felt they all got EXACTLY what they deserved.
During the day, when Ava isn't visited by her supernatural host, girls are turning up dead. Ava has become obsessed with learning all she can about the town and Brodie. This gives the story a sort of parallel vibe-the daylight events and the nighttime events. While the daytime events are more your typical murder mystery plot, the nighttime events are more supernatural/psychological plot lines. It was a very interesting parallel because they were so different, and I appreciated it, but it was just weird at times. The Shape of Night is certainly one of the most interesting and unique books I've read. I'm still not sure how I feel about it. Perhaps thats the sign of a good book-one that leaves you wondering what the heck just happened?
- POV: 1st
- Trope: ghosts, small town
- Cliffhanger: no; epilogue included
JD Robb, Gillian Flynn, Sandra Brown...then you will probably like The Shape of Night!
See full review on The Book Disciple
Reading updates
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Started reading
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1 October, 2019:
Finished reading
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1 October, 2019:
Reviewed