The past is never truly buried…
Generations of Jillian Cley’s family have been tasked with a strange duty—tending the burial plot of Gabriel Vane, whose body was the first to be interred in the Hode’s Hill cemetery. Jillian faithfully continues the long-standing tradition—until one October night, Vane’s body is stolen from its resting place. Is it a Halloween prank? Or something more sinister?
As the descendants of those buried in the church yard begin to experience bizarre “accidents,” Jillian tries to uncover the cause. Deeply empathic, she does not make friends easily, or lightly. But to fend off the terror taking over her town, she must join forces with artist Dante DeLuca, whose sensitivity to the spirit world has been both a blessing and a curse. The two soon realize Jillian’s murky family history is entwined with a tragic legacy tracing back to the founding of Hode’s Hill. To set matters right, an ancient wrong must be avenged…or Jillian, Dante, and everyone in town will forever be at the mercy of a vengeful spirit.
Biography
A member of the Mystery Writers of America and International Thriller Writers, Mae loves creating character driven fiction in settings that weave contemporary elements of mystery and suspense with urban legend and folklore. Married to her high school sweetheart, she lives in Pennsylvania, and is passionate about writing, old photographs, a good Maine lobster tail and cats.
Discover more about Mae on her website, MaeClair.net
My Review
Beware of powers that push the boundaries of time!
In this second installment to the Hode Hill mysteries, we learn of a horrific crime committed over two centuries ago that still holds a town in its fearsome grip today.
Jillian Cley follows a long line of ancestors whose duty it is to tend the burial plot of Hode’s Hill Cemetery’s first ‘victim‘, Gabriel Vane. But when Gabriel’s remains are stolen just days before All Hallows Eve, it unleashes a string of macabre accidents all tied to the town’s early descendants.
Coincidence? Or is something, or someone, wreaking havoc on Hode’s Hill citizens?
Jillian must use her empathic powers as she joins forces with Dante DeLuca to end a curse centuries old.
Ms. Clair does a stellar job building tension and atmosphere as she guides the reader between events of the past and the consequences to be faced when greed uncovers murder and brings mayhem to the town.
The book is filled with expressive passages that let the reader immerse themselves in the world Clair has so perfectly created.
Here are a couple of my favorites:
Gabriel Vane wiped sweat from his face and zigzagged deeper into the woods. A sliver of moon shadowed him, ghost-white behind the frantic scuttle of spider clouds.
The old hickory tree overshadowing the grave rattled its branches with a sound like bones clacking together.
I give End of Day 5+ lovely kisses- a must read mystery!
About SAMANTHA CHASE