This book begins with a double tragedy.  Nancy Underhill's son, Mark, is obsessed about a house once owned by his mother's cousin.  Mark breaks into the house and his mother commits suicide.  What she forgot to tell Mark is that her cousin, who once owned the house, is a serial killer.  She did insist that Mark keep away from the house.  Mark was the one who found his mother's body in the bathtub with her wrists slit.  He also sensed that the abandoned house had something to do with her death. 

When Mark begins to investigate the house, he finds some secrets.  However, Mark soon disappears and his uncle, Tim Underhill, searches his hometown of Millhaven for clues. 

What has happened to Mark?  Is he the victim of a serial killer?  Who is the lost girl?

This book is a combination of a murder mystery and ghost story put together.  It has the characteristics needed for both such as the abandoned house, which appears to be haunted, and the history of a serial killer in the area.    Peter Straub shows us once again that he is a master at writing thrilling novels.  This is one you won't want to miss!

REVIEWED BY NANCY EATON

DO NOT REPRINT WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE AUTHOR, NANCY EATON