Product Description

Andrea Torgesen is certain that hard work is exactly what her younger brother Jim needs to help him recover from the trauma of a serious car accident—and turning a decrepit old mansion into a beautiful country inn seems to be the perfect project. But unearthly voices and eerie visions haunt Jim from almost the first instant he sets foot in the dreary old house. And his strange obsession with a long-neglected graveyard is most troubling to his concerned sibling. There is evil in this place where the unthinkable is possible—a terrifying force that Andrea and Jim must confront . . . or forfeit their lives.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #593760 in Books
• Published on: 2007-02-01
• Released on: 2007-01-30
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Mass Market Paperback
• 352 pages

Review
"An absolutely first-rate job of summoning up the spooky... a very good ghost story." -- Publishers Weekly

"I loved it. Extra fine." -- Phyllis A. Whitney

"Scary, interesting. A winner." -- Pittsburgh Press

Review

About the Author

Elizabeth Peters (writing as Barbara Michaels) was born and brought up in Illinois and earned her Ph.D. in Egyptology from the University of Chicago's famed Oriental Institute. Peters was named Grandmaster at the inaugural Anthony Awards in 1986, Grandmaster by the Mystery Writers of America at the Edgar® Awards in 1998, and given The Lifetime Achievement Award at Malice Domestic in 2003. She lives in an historic farmhouse in western Maryland.

Customer Reviews

Great anti-cliché
Since I don't like romantic novels -that is, novels that are centered on the romance between the characters- I began to read this with extra caution and a pinch of prejudice. I also bore in mind that it is extremely difficult to find a "gothic" novel that is not full of the usual "blood-curdling" clichés. But I knew this author already as Elizabeth Peters and thought that she narrated wonderfully well with a great sense of humour, and I had heard such good things of her as Barbara Michaels that I decided to give it a try .... Boy, was I wrong! This writer is particularly good at character building (more so than in the Amelia Peabody series, where the characters are funnier but more like charicatures), so much so that we feel we are getting to know real people. This is especially the case with the main character, Andrea, who is bound to learn a great lesson and evolve throughout the story, and from whose point of view the events are told.The romance comes really as a natural consequence of the evolution of these characters, and it is never forced or far-fetched -and, of course, thank heavens!, it is not a romance between physically perfect, young and extraordinary people, but quite a realistic affair between two common middle-aged persons. The "gothic" atmosphere is never cliché and it is very intelligently contrived, so that rational, intelligent readers don't have to laugh or feel indignation...It is, well, there and not there (I can't say more without revealing). But the most important thing is that this novel centers on the evolution of well-built, round characters and the lessons they learn about life. The romance is part of this evolution, and never the most important element, and the "gothic" is part of the setting and never full of clichés or the justification of the events. I expect to read more from this author soon.

I've loved this novel for years ...
I read it at least once a year. I love the story, the atmosphere, and the characters--including Andrea, the main character. Many reviewers here have found her off-putting, and she certainly is at first. She's selfish, opinionated and abrasive, not to put too fine a point on it. But she evolves. The sharp tongue doesn't completely go away, but she softens--love for Martin softens her, and although she doesn't submit to it willingly, it happens all the same. There's a haunting incident at the end in which she recognizes and repudiates the way she's tried to control Jim (her brother), has tried to clip his wings, metaphorically speaking. It sickens her, and she draws back from it. Her personal growth is one of the reasons I like this book so much.

100% Enjoyable
Like all Barbara Michaels' novels, Here I Stay is a superb book. I couldn't put it down. Michaels recreates the atmosphere of a country inn in a small town with consummate skill, and the characters are cleverly drawn. If you've read this author's works before, you know that she relies on certain formulas, and most of them are again in evidence here. So what! They are formulas that work, and Michael's tale is, as always, intelligently written. Be forewarned: the heroine of this particular novel is bitter, extremely unlikable, and astonishingly old-ladyish for 31. Nevertheless, that doesn't stop her from being believable, and it shouldn't put you off from this wonderful, suspenseful book.