Help for the Haunted - Hardcover

Searles, John

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0060779632 ISBN 13: 9780060779634

Publisher: William Morrow & Co, 2013

Synopsis

John Searles's Help for the Haunted is an unforgettable story of a most unusual family, their deep secrets, their harrowing tragedy, and ultimately, a daughter's discovery of a dark and unexpected mystery.

Sylvie Mason's parents have an unusual occupation--helping "haunted souls" find peace. After receiving a strange phone call one winter's night, they leave the house and are later murdered in an old church in a horrifying act of violence.

A year later, Sylvie is living in the care of her older sister, who may be to blame for what happened to their parents. Now, the inquisitive teenager pursues the mystery, moving closer to the knowledge of what occurred that night--and to the truth about her family's past and the secrets that have haunted them for years.

Capturing the vivid eeriness of Stephen King's works with the compelling quirkiness of John Irving's beloved novels, Help for the Haunted is that rare story that brings to life a richly imagined and wholly original world.

About this title

Review:

"Wonderful...A coming of age tale that is poignant and touching...and will scare the living hell out of you. I loved every page of this novel: I loved the sisters and the story and the page-turning mystery. I just may never go downstairs into my basement again."--Chris Bohjalian, bestselling author of Midwives and The Light in the Ruins

"I was completely consumed by HELP FOR THE HAUNTED; I read it in one sitting. I just can't decide what I loved the most: its perfectly pitched teenage narrator; the ghost story that kept me riveted; the thriller that made me say, Oh, just one more chapter."--Jodi Picoult, New York Times-bestselling author of Lone Wolf and The Storyteller

"A quickly paced and boldly rendered ghost story, Searles's dark novel about a young girl haunted by the murder of her parents had me up reading all night. And checking the doors. I found it impossible to put down."--Sara Gruen, bestselling author of Water for Elephants and Ape House

"This is edge-of-your-seat reading of a very high quality, and, be warned, it is seriously spine-tingling."--Robert Goolrick, bestselling author of A Reliable Wife

"I was completely consumed by Help for the Haunted; I read it in one sitting. I just can't decide what I loved the most: its perfectly pitched teenage narrator; the ghost story that kept me riveted; the thriller that made me say, Oh, just one more chapter."--Jodi Picoult, New York Times-bestselling author of Lone Wolf and The Storyteller

Searles successfuly jumps back and forth in time to let these stories unfold, sewing clues and strange details along hte way...A somber, well-paced journey, wrappe din a mysery, that will keep readers guessing until the revealing conclusion.--Kirkus Reviews

"A dazzling, dark portrait of a troubled family beset by the supernatural. Searles ratchets up the tension with every passing chapter, and delivers authentic and well-earned scares--all written through the lens of a lonely teenager searching for answers. The result is a novel both frightening and beautiful."--Gillian Flynn

"A rich and tense suspense story that serves up plenty of genuine thrills but also moves the reader with elegant insights into the enigma that is Family."--Khaled Hosseini, bestselling author of And the Mountains Echoed and The Kite Runner

"Disturbingly engrossing."--People

"A poignant story of a family, of parents navigating an odd and dangerous career, of daughters shaken by doubt and loss and grief -- and the gulf that widens between them all...A compelling mystery."--Miami Herald

Book Description:

'A dazzling, dark portrait of a troubled family ... frightening and beautiful.' Gillian Flynn, author of Gone Girl

About this edition

• Publisher: William Morrow & Co
• Publication date: 2013
• ISBN 10: 0060779632
• ISBN 13: 9780060779634
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 362