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Click here to buy Ethan Gravesend travels from Boston to the New England countryside in 1926 to claim his inheritance, a mansion called Harrow House. Recently divorced, the 29-year-old arrives at the home his grandfather built, ready to make a new life for himself. Outside of a bricked-up window, he finds the mansion little changed from the days of his childhood when he and his father traveled to Harrow House for brief visits each summer. All seems calm and quiet until nightfall when Ethan visits the gardens that extend from the back of the house to the chapel and family crypt near the forested edge of the property. What Ethan believes to be a statue come to life turns out to be nothing more than Maggie, the part-time housekeeper for Harrow House. Irish Maggie quickly puts Ethan in his place with her sharp tongue and ready wit. Enamored by the woman, Ethan quickly learns to enjoy being both with Maggie and her young son Alf. With Maggie’s help, Ethan explores his grandfather’s home. Their exploration takes them to a locked room in the tower from which emanates an evil odor. After breaking down the door and a brick wall behind it, they discover the dead body of a woman. Ethan calls in the local constable, Mr Pocket, after supernatural forces send him and Maggie scurrying back downstairs. Voices call out to Ethan as he moves through the house, and forces beyond his comprehension seem to reach as if to capture him in their embrace. Pocket’s arrival at Harrow House brings further surprises when he tells Ethan about the secret life lived by his grandfather. Ethan’s horror at the tale turns to fear when Maggie suddenly goes missing from the house. Has Ethan unwittingly released a devil from the tower room of Harrow House? Will the supernatural claim Maggie, or can Ethan find her before the spirit world drains the life from the woman he’s begun to love. Michael Taylor does an admirable job of switching voices from a young Ethan to an old and dying Mr Gravesend, the narrator of this first book in the Harrow House series by Douglas Clegg. Taylor’s interpretation of Pocket is equally well done, being vastly different than the voices given to Ethan. These distinct vocal changes reflect the conversational styles of the early 1900s and definitely enhance the creepy quality of the story. Clegg is not Stephen King, but with this book, he’s well on the way to making a name for himself in the horror and paranormal genre. I look forward to the next book in this promising series.
Reviewed by Mary V. Welk, January 2007
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Contact: Yvonne Klein (ymk@reviewingtheevidence.com)
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