A woman trying to outrun her past is drawn to a coastal village in Maine—and to a string of unsolved murders—in this novel of romance and psychological suspense from New York Times bestselling author Tess Gerritsen.“Suspenseful, sexy, and soulful.”—J. R. Ward, bestselling author of the Black Dagger Brotherhood seriesAfter an unspeakable tragedy in Boston, Ava Collette flees to a remote village in … Ava Collette flees to a remote village in Maine, where she rents an old house named Brodie’s Watch.
In that isolated seaside mansion, Ava finally feels at peace . . . until she glimpses the long-dead sea captain who still resides there.
Rumor has it that Captain Jeremiah Brodie has haunted the house for more than a century. One night, Ava confronts the apparition, who feels all too real, and who welcomes her into his world—and into his arms. Even as Ava questions her own sanity, she eagerly looks forward to the captain’s ghostly visits. But she soon learns that the house she loves comes with a terrible secret, a secret that those in the village don’t want to reveal: Every woman who has ever lived in Brodie’s Watch has also died there. Is the ghost of Captain Brodie responsible, or is a flesh-and-blood killer at work? A killer who is even now circling closer to Ava?
Praise for The Shape of Night
“Gerritsen is at her atmospheric best in this spine-tingling tale of a lone woman, an old house, and all the secrets everyone tries to hide.”—Lisa Gardner, #1 New York Times bestselling author
“With a twisty mix of dangerous passion, obsession, and suspense, Tess Gerritsen reinvents the Gothic novel, giving it a razor-sharp, modern edge.”—Jayne Ann Krentz, New York Times bestselling author of Untouchable
“Curl up in your favorite reading chair and let Tess Gerritsen whisk you away to a coastal town reminiscent of Daphne du Maurier’s best settings. You are in for a dark and sexy night, and you will be up very late with Tess’s twisted, haunting tale.”—Iris Johansen, #1 New York Times bestselling author
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Beguiling! Gerritsen is at her atmospheric best in this spine-tingling tale of a lone woman, an old house, and all the secrets everyone tries to hide.
A captivating and seductive tale exploring the dark embrace of grief and guilt, reminding us that nothing can haunt us as insidiously as our personal demons. This is the incomparable Gerritsen at her finest!
Reminiscent of the best of du Maurier, this modern gothic is eerie, tantalizing, spine-tingling, and sensual… An altogether delicious read.
Gerittsen’s The Shape of Night is reading gold — thought-provoking, loaded with suspense, with an ending to knock your socks off.
Curl up in your favorite reading chair and let Tess Gerritsen whisk you away to a coastal town reminiscent of Daphne Du Maurier’s best settings. As the chills run down your spine, and the creeping sense of danger curls your toes, don’t say I didn’t warn you: You are in for a dark and sexy night, and you will be up very late with Tess’s twisted, haunting tale.
The Shape of Night is one hell of a thrill ride with twists and turns I didn’t see coming. I honestly could not put the book down. Sexy, haunting, and deeply intriguing, this is one of Gerittsen’s best mysteries ever, with Ava Collette an unlikely heroine you’ll not easily forget. Pick up a copy of The Shape of Night. You might be left breathless and reeling, but you won’t be disappointed.
With a twisty mix of dangerous passion, obsession, and suspense, Tess Gerritsen reinvents the Gothic novel, giving it a razor-sharp, modern edge.
The Shape of Night by Tess Gerritsen is a psychological thriller with unexpected twists. Ava is looking forward to several months in a huge old house by the sea. She is past her deadline to finish her cookbook which will also contain histories of the recipes from coastal Maine. As she arrives at the secluded Brodie’s Point, she feels hesitant about the house. After the realtor drives up and goes inside with her, she feels a warmth as if the house has accepted her and Hannibal, her main Coon cat. Ava is carrying the burden of a terrible secret and refuses to answer the calls from her sister. It is apparent that Ava has a little bit of a drinking problem. She drank so much during her first evening at the house until I thought I would be in a stupor myself! Some nights, Ava begins to experience some very strange and sensual encounters after she goes to bed. This begins her obsession with the history of the house, and the builder, Captain Brodie. Soon Ava decides to contact a person to help her understand if the house is haunted. The Shape of Night is a suspenseful story which will keep you reading without taking a break!
Publication Date October 1, 2019
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.
Wow! Another tremendous and haunting story that holds you from the first chapter. Tess Gerritsen does a superb job of writing a thriller that will keep you interested from the very beginning. This one is so different from her other books since it is built around a dead sea captain’s home, a ghost and a woman who is trying to live with her ‘secret’. Once I started it, I got frustrated when I had to put it. I wanted to keep reading it until I finished it.
I was a big fan of Tess Gerritsen’s Rizzoli and Isles series, but I haven’t read anything by her in ages. This book sounded really interesting, so I just had to request it. If you’re expecting a book comparable to those storylines, you will be disappointed. However, if you like gothic suspense tales, I think you will be very pleased.
Ava Collette is a food writer working on a book about New England cuisine who rents a house named Brodie’s Watch in Maine. She’s having trouble writing in Boston and is also running from a terrible past, so she and huge Hannibal the Cat think this seaside town is the perfect writing retreat. She quickly realizes there are some strange goings-on in this historic home. She hears strange noises in the night; is there an intruder in the home, or could it be handsome Captain Brodie, who actually died well over a century ago? Research shows that a number of women died in this house; was it Captain Brodie, or could there be a human culprit?
I’m very surprised how much I liked the book! I didn’t like Ava, with her secrets and drinking, yet she was such an interesting character. Captain Brodie was rather interesting himself, considering he was a dead man with a penchant for domineering and punishing sex! The other characters, from Ben the handsome doctor to Maeve the paranormal investigator to Ned the carpenter, were all solid additions to the story. I must admit, however, that my favorite cast member was Hannibal. That big butterball of a cat had an even bigger personality. I loved when Ava contemplated Hannibal feasting on her dead body. I normally don’t like books told in first person present tense, but I soon overlooked that as I got wrapped up in the story. Definitely a book worth getting lost in.
I received an ARC of this book courtesy of the publisher and NetGalley. I received no compensation for my review, and all thoughts and opinions expressed are entirely my own.
Overall Rating = 4.5
Storyline & Concept = 4.5
Writing & Delivery = 4
Cover Marketability = 4.5
Editorial = 5
A tragic incident causes Ava Collette to leave Boston for calmer waters. Believing she is finally at peace is a mistake. When she chose an old rent house in Maine, little did she know it was haunted. Ava develops a surprising and odd relationship with the haunter, a former ship captain, and begins to assist the undead with searching for the killer of past residents. The Shape of Night features a splendid mix of seduction and mystique while keeping the reader on their toes.
Sublime Line: “If you are looking for some suspense, and then some more suspense, and then just a bit more suspense, you’ve come to the perfect haunted house story.”
Tess Gerritsen is incredibly talented. The Shape of Night is creepy, chilling, and yes, romantic. Who wouldn’t be intrigued by the spooky house, the suspicious history, the lure of doomed romance, and Tess Gerritsen’s iconic and brilliant writing? Highly recommended.
Terrible book…had pre-ordered it…hard to believe Tess G was the author.
3.5 rounded up to 4 stars. Ava Collette is a food writer who rents a house in a small coastal Maine town. She has promised her publisher a book of historic recipes. She decides getting away from her home in Boston will help her write. She experiments by making a dish from each recipe. There are 2 carpenters repairing the house who happily become guinea pigs. They are in heaven because all her cooking is delicious.
But then the ghost of the original owner comes to her. There are some disturbing scenes of sadistic sex. She discovers that the house has a sinister history. There is a killer in town.
This is a stand alone and not part of the Rizzoli series.
One quote for cat lovers: “I haul the pet carrier into the house and release the kraken. Hannibal emerges from the cage, glares at me, and lumbers off towards the kitchen.”
Thanks to Ballantine Books for sending me this eARC through NetGalley.
I received a copy of The Shape of Night by Tess Gerritsen from NetGalley. Can I tell you that I could not put this book down? OMG it had so many good things going for it. I have to tell you this is not the normal book you would expect from Tess. I have read her other books and when I saw the title and who it was by, I said “This book is for me”. I didn’t know what it was about. I am kind of glad that I didn’t. I might not have jumped.
The main character is a cookbook writer and moves into a house that is inhabited by the sea Captain who died at sea and used to own the house. That is all I am going to tell you about the plot. This book has so many other things going on. It truly was a joy to read and only took me a day. I was alone that evening as my husband went out fishing and the first time in many years that I actually got freaked out!
When this book is released, you need to get yourself a copy. Great departure Tess Gerritsen!!
Hold onto your seats, this is a real nail-biter! From the first word to the final gulp, you’ll be mesmerized. Paranormal delight! #Unputdownable! #Gobsmacked
#nailbiter #edgeofyourseatthrills #supersuspense
The Shape of Night, Tess Gerritsen, 2019
My favorite quote: “Even now I still dream about Brodie’s Watch, and the nightmare is always the same. I am standing in the gravel driveway and the house looms before me like a ghost ship adrift in the fog.”
Notable characters: Ava Collette, the troubled heroine; Captain Jeremiah Brodie, the ghost; Ned Haskell, the mysterious carpenter; Ben, the love interest; Hannibal, the cat; Brodie’s Watch, the house
Memorable scenes: The kinky ghost sex, of course
Greatest strength: Precise plotting. It hits all the right notes at all the right times
Standout achievements: Top-notch gothic atmosphere, smooth narrative, clean writing
Fun Facts: I received this book from the author herself, when we interviewed her on our podcast
Other media: N/A
What it taught me about writing: That there are always ways to put new spins on old ideas
How it inspired my own work: There is a haunted house in my current work, book 4 of the Vampires of Crimson Cove (its title is still a secret) and reading this book (among others) has helped me get a feel for how to keep things nice and spooky
Additional thoughts: There’s only one real weakness with this book as far as I can tell, and that is its predictability. As much as I loved this book (and I did!) nothing here surprised me. That’s the downside of sticking too close to a formula.
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Haunt me: alistaircross.com
I enjoyed this book. I like this author and have enjoyed several of her past books. The characters were likable and pretty much believable.
Great imagery of the house and the town. The main character isn’t likable and apparently didn’t learn from the New Year’s debacle.
This is a haunting tale of suspense, obsession, and a dangerous passion… largely reminiscent of the old Gothic novels. There is plenty of action in this well crafted novel. A few twists kept me riveted from the very first to the surprising unpredictable ending.