Title: The Night Visitors by Carol Goodman
Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery, Suspense, Supernatural Elements
Length: 316 pages
Book Rating: B+
Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through Edelweiss
Summary:
The latest thriller from the internationally bestselling author of The Lake of Dead Languages and The Other Mother, a story of mistaken identities and missed chances, forgiveness, and vengeance.
“Carol Goodman is, simply put, a stellar writer.”—Lisa Unger, New York Times bestselling author of The Red Hunter
ALICE gets off a bus in the middle of a snowstorm in Delphi, NY. She is fleeing an abusive relationship and desperate to protect…
OREN, ten years old, a major Star Wars fan and wise beyond his years. Though Alice is wary, Oren bonds nearly instantly with…
MATTIE, a social worker in her fifties who lives in an enormous run-down house in the middle of the woods. Mattie lives alone and is always available, and so she is the person the hotline always calls when they need a late-night pickup. And although according to protocol Mattie should take Alice and Oren to a local shelter, instead she brings them home for the night. She has plenty of room, she says. What she doesn’t say is that Oren reminds her of her little brother, who died thirty years ago at the age of ten.
But Mattie isn’t the only one withholding elements of the truth. Alice is keeping her own secrets. And as the snowstorm worsens around them, each woman’s past will prove itself unburied, stirring up threats both within and without.
Review:
The Night Visitors by Carol Goodman is a spine-tingling mystery with slight supernatural elements.
Alice and ten year old Oren are desperate to escape from an abusive relationship. Their bus journey takes them a small town where social worker Mattie Lane meets them in the middle of the night and takes them to her dilapidated home in the country. In the morning, Mattie learns unexpected information about Alice but she does not let this stop her from offering the pair her help. Unable to secure them safe accommodations until the following day, Mattie brings them back to her house for another night. With a blizzard raging outside, Alice has reason to believe her past might have caught up with her. Will she and Mattie save themselves and Oren from an increasingly dangerous situation?
Alice is no stranger to social workers so she is reluctant to accept Mattie’s help. But fearing Oren will end up in foster care, she agrees to wait another day for a secure place for them to stay. Snooping around her hostess’s home, Alice is perplexed by some of the things she discovers. She is also worried about Oren whose somewhat peculiar behavior is becoming concerning. Unsure what is going on with the ten year old boy, she nonetheless hunkers down with Mattie as they wait out the blizzard.
Oren rather easily adapts to their new situation. He is a smart boy whose fascination with Greek lore is rivaled by his love of Star Wars. Oren is surprisingly intuitive and he has knowledge that is shockingly accurate. It is not until Oren, Mattie and Alice are trapped during the blizzard that the source of this information becomes startling clear.
Mattie has never married and she lives in the family home she inherited after her parents’ and brother Caleb’s deaths. There is nothing she won’t do for the women and children who are escaping from domestic violence but she is fully aware she is crossing a line taking Alice and Oren into her home. Mattie is drawn to young Oren who eerily reminds her of her deceased brother, Caleb. She is suspicious of Alice but Mattie knows she has to do whatever she can to protect her and Oren.
The Night Visitors is a suspense-laden mystery that is quite riveting. Alice and Oren are sympathetic characters, but Alice is clearly hiding something. Oren is a charming little boy but his premonitions are a little unnerving. Mattie is dedicated to helping victims of domestic violence but she is keeping dark secrets of her own. The setting is quite atmospheric and the ramshackle house becomes even more eerie and isolated during the blizzard and power outage. With some very shocking twists, jaw-dropping turns and a ghostly presence, Carol Goodman brings this spell-binding mystery to an adrenaline-laced conclusion. Highly recommend this fantastic novel to fans of the genre.
