Twenty years after prom queen Cassie Kennedy is brutally murdered, six teenagers break into the house where she was killed to hold a séance. Haven knows his cousin Elise only wants to scare the crap out of him and his friends, but he’s willing to put up with one of her pranks if it means a chance to spend a few hours with the new kid in town, Pierce Hunter.But when morning comes, Elise has … has disappeared without a trace.
Twelve years later, Pierce and his twin brother Jordan are professional paranormal investigators, starring in their own ghost-hunting TV show. When Pierce calls Haven, insisting they return to the supposedly haunted building one last time, Haven reluctantly agrees. He’s nervous about seeing Pierce again, but he’s determined to get some answers. Did they really speak to Cassie’s ghost that night? What happened to Elise? And the biggest mystery of all – how did she know the secret of the well?
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This was such a great mystery with a eerie feel and a deep message. It’s about friendship and how far you’ll go to protect those you love. It’s about accepting who you are and not being ashamed. It’s also about how secrets don’t stay buried forever. And sometimes you never know who you really can trust. I am not going to give any details away. It’s a wild ride from start to finish. I will say that it’s a great mystery that will shock you and keep you guessing. You will feel personally connected to all the characters, living and deceased. This narrator is the perfect voice to tell the story. I didn’t want it to end! A must read/listen to book.
I’m reviewing the audio edition. It always attracts me when I get a romance/ mystery that starts with kids and finishes when these kids are adults. The author does a great job of pulling you into the story and the narrator, John Solo brings the characters to life. There is plenty of twists and a twin that gets in the way of romance. The story flow kept my attention.
Someone recommended this book to me on a Facebook group, and I’m really glad they did. At first glance it’s a murder mystery combined with romance, but on closer inspection there are creepier elements too.
The book centres on a dilapidated old house in small-town America, and an ill-advised séance a group of teenagers hold there. Their fumbling attempts to contact the spirit of a young woman who supposedly haunts the house raise spectres both in the real world – and beyond. And when one of their own group goes missing that same night, it has repercussions that follow them into their adult lives.
Everything about the book was nicely done: good observation, well-drawn characters, great descriptions of both the old house and its environs, and small-town life. The romance was sweet and believable while the supernatural events genuinely raised the hairs on the back of my neck. I wasn’t 100% convinced by the epilogue but apart from that this is a good read for anyone who likes ghost tales grounded in reality, or murder mysteries with a hint of the paranormal.
Do You Believe In Ghosts?
I generally avoid the “horror” genre but this tale is not nightmare-inducing so much as an exploration of the possibilities of the paranormal (ghosts) and the energy associated with evil. In this almost YA coming of age story, a group of kids hold a séance in a haunted house and one . . . disappears. Twelve years later, two of the original group have become ghost-hunting TV stars and a third writes horror novels. When they come together they attempt to solve the puzzle of what happened to Elise–a cold-case mystery! As secrets are revealed it seems there is more tragedy in store.
Narrator John Solo does a wonderful job bringing to life the various characters in this well-developed novel which explores a wide variety of themes.
Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC, provided by the author and/or the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
The Well was a fun mix of horror and mystery/thriller that kept me turning pages. Throughout the book, we’re uncertain of which characters are “good” and which are “bad” – most of them are fingered as a suspect in Elise’s disappearance at one point. We’re also made to question what is “real” and not: was the seance real, or one of Elise’s tricks? How *did* she know about the well? Was there someone helping Haven, Pierce and Jordan at the end? The Well never explicitly answers these questions so the reader is left to wonder, which adds to the magic and mystery of the story.