House of Echoes by Brendan Duffy

So I know that today is supposed to be a writing post, but I already have something lined up for Monday, and I felt the need to talk about this book before I burst.

So, first, the synopsis:

A young New York City couple with a boy and a baby in tow, Ben and Caroline Tierney had it all…until Ben’s second novel missed the mark, Caroline lost her lucrative banking job, and something went wrong with 8-year-old Charlie. When Ben inherits land way upstate from his grandmother, the two of them began to believe in second chances. But upon arriving in Swannhaven, a town that seems to have been forgotten by time, they’re beset by strange sights and disconcerting developments…and they begin to realize they might have made their worst mistake yet. But what dark secret is buried in this odd place? And will Ben and Caroline figure it out soon enough to save their young family?

Swannhaven sounds like this idyllic little village with these idyllic little people. They're all (well, most) so welcoming to Ben and Caroline, and they want to make sure that those two have everything they need to be successful at the Crofts, the large house the two are turning into an inn. Charlie, their oldest son, is a little weird, but everyone seems to dote on him. Except for the weird Watcher in the woods, who tells him repeatedly to leave or run. 

I don't scare easily. There are few books that makes me stop reading at night and say, "Nope. Not reading this when the sun goes down." This was one of those books. I would pick it up several times before I went to bed and tried to read it, but then it would start to make me nervous and I had to put it down. It's not jump out at you scary. It's not even strange demon running through a dark place scary. It was scary because I knew something was wrong, but I didn't know what exactly. I usually read a book like this and at least take guesses at who or what is the big bad, but my mind shut off during this book. In a good way! One moment I would be on the verge of guessing, but then the character would do something completely nice and it couldn't possibly be them. 

When the end finally comes, it's a complete surprise. I had little hunches and clues, but I was not prepared for what I got. I think I actually said "oh my god" out loud while reading the ending. The last chapter was what got me, and for a little while there, I was so frustrated. But then I pushed through and realized, first, I'm impatient, and second, this was an awesome story. It doesn't come out until April 14th, but if you like dark, scary, suspenseful stories, I recommend snatching it up as soon as it does.

PS - Join me Monday for another Road to Wonderland installment!