FROM THE PUBLISHER

What if insidious evil flourished in the one place where you feel most safe: your very own home? The chilling answer comes from New York Times bestselling master of suspense John Saul–in a new novel that makes terror a household word.

The sudden, tragic death of her husband leaves Carolyn Evans alone in New York City to raise an eleven year-old son and a twelve-year-old daughter on little money and even less hope. But then she meets and marries handsome, successful Anthony Fleming, who wins her heart and embraces her children. When Carolyn settles her family into Anthony’s spacious apartment on Manhattan’s Central Park West, her fears of an uncertain future give way to a sense of abundant happiness. But soon, new terrors will come home to roost in the luxurious, exclusive building named The Rockwell. Midnight voices whisper of a cruel and hungry presence that also calls The Rockwell home.

First, Carolyn’s daughter begins to suffer from recurring nightmares of strangers in her room at night. Then her son insists that a neighbor’s recently deceased child isn’t dead at all–but being held captive somewhere in The Rockwell. And when Carolyn discovers a startling secret about Anthony’s past, it seems she, too, is falling victim to the creeping paranoia infecting her family. Should she doubt her perfect husband, their kindly fellow tenants, or her own sanity? Does someone–or something–in her new home have sinister designs on Carolyn and her children? Is her new life charmed or cursed?

Step across the threshold of The Rockwell–and into the dark realm of John Saul . . . in aspine-tingling novel that will haunt you wherever you live.

SYNOPSIS

What if insidious evil flourished in the one place where you feel most safe: your very own home? The chilling answer comes from New York Times bestselling master of suspense John Saul￯﾿ﾽin a new novel that makes terror a household word.

FROM THE CRITICS

Publishers Weekly

Saul knows how to dish out thrills, and with a sly tribute to Ira Levin's Rosemary's Baby, as well as other horror classics, this latest pulp shocker should have fans lining up. Mother of two and widow of a murdered Central Park jogger, Caroline evans thinks she has found the answer to her prayers in her new husband, Anthony Fleming. The family moves into his apartment in the Rockwell, a storied old Upper West Side building. Ryan and Laurie, the children, quickly begin to have nightmares in which they are haunted by menacing voices, while Ryan realizes that he doesn't like his creepy stepfather. Elderly, eccentric neighbors bring them strangely flavored food. Laurie befriends ailing Rebecca, the foster child of a neighbor couple, who is mysteriously wasting away. Tension mounts when Rebecca's social worker, a close friend of Caroline's, can get no information from Rebecca's doctor - yet another elderly resident of the Rockwell - despite her threat to obtain a subpoena. Soon the social worker disappears, Rebecca follows on her heels and Laurie herself becomes ill with whatever Rebecca had. Meanwhile, the "niece" of an elderly neighbor, who looks suspiciously like a younger replica of the old woman, replaces her aunt in the Rockwell. Readers who appreciate Saul's homage to undead fiction will probably see the plot twists coming, but die-hard devotees should enjoy the chilling, sometimes gruesome goings-on at the Rockwell nonetheless. (June) Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.

Library Journal

Carolyn Evans's life as a new widow and single parent of two takes a frightening turn when she meets then marries the seemingly ideal widower, Anthony Fleming. Shortly after Carolyn, her children, Laurie and Ryan, and Tony return from their family honeymoon and move into Tony's Central Park apartment, both children begin hearing strange noises at night. Then Laurie becomes weak and tired while Ryan develops a fear of Tony and their neighbors, who, it seems, have discovered eternal youth by feeding on children's blood. Employing a range of voices, Aasne Vigesaa does an admirable job of losing her listeners in the world of modern-day vampires with her smooth, expressive, and well-paced delivery. Background music at the beginning and end of each side adds to the spooky atmosphere. Highly recommended.-Laurie Selwyn, Law Lib., Grayson Cty., Sherman, TX Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.

AudioFile

Strange doings are happening at the Rockwell, a creepy nineteenth-century building on Central Park West. The recently widowed Caroline Evans meets and marries Anthony Fleming within a few short months. When they move into his apartment in the Rockwell, the midnight voices scare Caroline's children and drain them of energy. Lee Meriwether creates the tense atmosphere of the Rockwell and produces believable voices for the building's creepy inhabitants. As the suspense builds, Meriwether doesn't lose track of the underlying plot, which is thick with bone-chilling secrets. M.B.K. © AudioFile 2003, Portland, Maine

Kirkus Reviews