February 2, 2015
In Duffy’s chilling debut, author Ben Tierney, who’s coping with writer’s block, moves with his family from Manhattan to Swannhaven, a village in upstate New York. Ben and his wife, Caroline, who has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder, hope to build a new and better life by converting an old farming estate into a country inn. Instead of the idyllic life they expected, alarming things start happening. A shed on their property mysteriously catches on fire. Someone, whom the Tierneys’ eight-year-old son names “the Watcher,” leaves disturbing messages and animal carcasses in the nearby woods. On one occasion, a deer’s head is left on their stoop. To make matters worse, Caroline becomes increasingly paranoid. Ben needs to discover who or what is responsible. Having decided to write about the village, he begins seeing eerie connections between events in the past and the present. Duffy does a good job building the suspense, but some readers may feel let down by the implausible ending. Agent: Elisabeth Weed, Weed Literary.
Starred review from February 1, 2015
In an isolated village in upstate New York, a young family finds "[d]emons in the wood and devils at the door."When novelist Ben Tierney inherits a large estate overlooking the village of Swannhaven, it seems like the perfect opportunity for a fresh start in the country. Life in Manhattan was becoming increasingly difficult, with his wife, Caroline, diagnosed with bipolar illness after giving birth to their infant son and their 8-year-old boy, Charlie, being brutally bullied at school. Ben moves his family into the Crofts, built in the 1700s as the original home of the Swann family, with the idea of turning the house into an inn. He and Caroline begin to forge relationships with the villagers of Swannhaven while digging into the history of the estate. On the surface, the move was a good idea. Ben gets a new idea for a novel, Caroline's manic energy helps her make progress on renovations, and Charlie is enjoying his explorations of the surrounding woods using an outdoor survival manual called The Book of Secrets, but there's an underlying tension in the family's interactions with each other. Ben and Caroline's relationship is tenuous, and Charlie hasn't told his parents about the "Watcher" in the woods. It's clear that the Tierneys have lost each other. Whether they can become a family again before they face tragic consequences is the real mystery. The terror builds slowly, starting with an eviscerated deer and the foreboding atmosphere surrounding the Crofts, the wind slamming doors in the house and screaming through the trees in the forest. As winter sets in, the Tierneys find themselves haunted by echoes of Swannhaven's tragic history of starvation, war and bitter struggles for survival. Debut author Duffy has delivered a fluid, suspenseful yet subtle thriller, with touches of humor, evocative writing, and characters that are both familiar and uniquely fascinating. A wonderfully tense and heart-wrenching debut.
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February 15, 2015
Ben and Caroline Tierney had several reasons for moving their family to the Crofts, an old mansion nestled near the mountains of upstate New York. Having lost her job and struggling with a recent diagnosis of bipolar disorder, Caroline throws herself into renovating the old house with the hopes of opening a B&B. Ben tries to placate his volatile wife, even though his heart isn't in the renovation, and eight-year-old Charlie increasingly spends more time in the woods with a presence he calls The Watcher. In the meantime, Ben feels strangely compelled to learn as much as he can about the home, its former inhabitants, and the nearby village of Swannhaven. The locals indulge his curiosity and accept him as one of their own, but little does he know the cost of learning the town's secrets. VERDICT Debut novelist Duffy expertly builds suspense, leaving readers eager to know what happens while simultaneously dreading the outcome. This creepy page-turner will appeal to fans of Stephen King and anyone who loves a good ghost story.--Vicki Briner, Westminster, CO
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Starred review from February 1, 2015
After their son, Charlie, falls prey to sadistic bullies, Ben and Caroline Tierney abandon New York City to start an inn at the historic Crofts estate in the remote upstate village of Swannhaven. For Ben, it's culture shock; although his grandmother's family originated in Swannhaven, he feels alienated from the tight-knit, standoffish villagers. For the sake of their inn, Ben and Caroline begin making local connections by meeting with the Historical Preservation Society. There they learn that Ben is a descendant of the Winter Families, a revered group of Swannhaven's ancestors who survived a brutal Iroquois attack and a starving winter huddled in the Crofts. But Ben's satisfaction at making social inroads is overshadowed by his sense that someone or something evil lurks at the Crofts, as Charlie becomes obsessively preoccupied with his forays into the surrounding forest, and Ben discovers mutilated animal offerings left around the estate. Duffy walks a fine line between crime and horror, skillfully manipulating the threats of a punishing winter, creepy historic setting, and strange villagers. Readers will find it deliciously challenging to decide if these threats are ironically familiar red herrings or co-conspirators in the Tierneys' untimely end. This unsettling, atmospheric tale is right up the alley of those who enjoyed Jennifer McMahon's Winter People (2014); and the shared appeal with Stephen King's The Shining (1977) is undeniable.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2015, American Library Association.)