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Fifty-year-old rock star Judas Coyne never had problems accumulating girlfriends and groupies. There is always one living with him even though the girls are now at least 30 years younger than he is. Judas collects other things as well. He has always had a morbid curiosity about ghosts so when his assistant tells him about a haunted suit being sold on an online auction site, Judas just has to have it. The suit is advertised as being haunted by the owner's stepfather. The suit arrives in a heart-shaped box one day and doesn't really seem to be anything more than just dusty and old. But the first night the suit is in the house Judas sees the ghost of its former owner sitting on a chair. Soon Judas and his girlfriend learn that the ghost is Craddock McDermott, the stepfather of Judas's former girlfriend, a young, disturbed woman who he threw out of his house. After she returned to her stepfather's home she committed suicide. Craddock always blamed Judas for his stepdaughter's suicide and so after he died Craddock's ghost goes after him for revenge. Now Judas and his girlfriend have to somehow stay alive as they figure out how to get rid of the ghost who not only follows them around, but also kills anyone who tries to help them. HEART-SHAPED BOX by Joe Hill is a fast-paced, scary book. There doesn't seem to be anything that Judas can do to get rid of Craddock who is determined to avenge his stepdaughter's death. Even though Judas uses his groupies, he is far from an unsympathetic character. Hill makes the readers understand why he needs these young women to make him feel better. As for Craddock, the ghost, you can understand why he wants to take revenge out on the aging rock star but things are not what they seem. Craddock isn't the only person who hates Judas. His other stepdaughter, who was the girlfriend's sister and the woman who put the suit up on auction, hates him as well. This frightening and dark book holds your interest as we travel with Judas and his girlfriend out of New York and into the South where they meet with Craddock's still living stepdaughter and try to convince her to stop her stepfather from seeking his revenge on them. The plot line is complicated but easy to follow. Hill – son of Stephen King – does a fine job in introducing many characters and having them all blend in nicely with the story. HEART-SHAPED BOX is an excellent book. It's scary, chilling, well-paced and filled with great characters and frightening moments. Once you start this book you will not be able to put it down.
Reviewed by Sharon Katz, February 2007
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Contact: Yvonne Klein (ymk@reviewingtheevidence.com)
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