Finished 8-15-11, rating 4/5, mystery, 300 pages, pub. 1981
God only knows how it all began. After all the searching and seeking, the rationale debate and wild, intuitive guessing. I’m not sure we really arrived at the truth. We poor humans are so imprisoned in narrow boundaries of space and time, so confined by five meager senses. We are like ants, running frantically back and forth on meaningless errands that consume our years, taking a few square inches of earth for a universe.
first paragraph
Grayhaven Manor, an English Gothic mansion, was moved stone by stone (graves in the basement included), to rural Pennsylvania. When Kevin’s parents won the lottery they bought the extravagant home and asked Kevin to live there for the summer to watch over it while they traveled. He invited his fellow college professor, Anne, so they could work on a textbook they were writing together. And then Aunt Bea and opinionated neighbor, Roger, show up and the house seems full, especially with the ghosts that make themselves known at night. They are ghosts, right?
This spooky story is told in first person from Anne’s perspective and she had spunk. I enjoyed her intelligence and identified with her insecurity about her looks. She felt very real to me and if Anne saw a ghost then I believed her. Kevin was a hot guy who everyone woman desired, maybe even Anne, to her disgust. I liked Kevin and his easy-going nature, but did find him a bit shallow.
There was a considerable amount of history and I did love the way the three differing opinions were shown. This book was haunting and I really want to visit a gothic mansion to see if I can detect ghost activity.
I did feel like the end was a little rushed and I was a bit disappointed, but not enough to take away from my enjoyment of the book.
Did you know that Barbara Michaels is Elizabeth Peters? I recomend this for cozy mystery lovers and ghost story fans.
This was from my personal library.
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Stacy's Books 
You’re braver than I am! I don’t believe in ghosts, but I don’t want to to try to detect ghost activity either. The book sounds good to me!
I don’t believe in ghosts either, but I do love a good ghost story now and then.
This one does sound good! I love a good ghost mystery!
Oh OI love books like these! Thanks for the recommendation. This would be a good read for October 🙂
I did not know they were one in the same. Just the title itself has me wanting to read the book.
This doesn’t seem to have the feel of a ghost story, even though there are ghosts in it. From your review, it doesn’t seem spooky to me. I didn’t know that Barbara Michaels and Elizabeth Peters were the same person. Now I’m going to have to go back and look at what I’ve read of the two of them.
I’m getting the in mood for a good ghost story, especially one set in a Gothic manor.
Hi there Stacy,
Why yes I did know that BM is Elizabeth Peters and there is a series that I just love (Amelia Peabody)! I just bought this book for my Kindle…
I actually stopped by to thank you for stopping by my little pink blog and to say…that what you are doing for your neighbor (just keep talking) is just perfect! :))) keep it up, I am sure it is much appreciated as some do not do even that…Kim
Sounds like a good one. I think I’ve read a Barbara Michaels before, but can’t swear to it.
I really do enjoy a good spooky story. This sounds right up my alley.
I think cozy mystery is a genre I would like and the fact that this one has a lot of history probably means I would really enjoy it.
I didn’t know that Barbara Michaels is Elizabeth Peters. I love when authors have “pen names.” Who know which is her real name!
Well, I’ll be! I had no clue that those two authors were actually one and the same. I read Barbara Michaels’ books years ago. Now you’ve got me in the mood to pull them back off the shelf.