The Wedding Gift
Kathleen McKenna
Bell Bridge, Oct 7 2011, $14.95
ISBN: 978-1611940527
In December 1975 in Dalton City, Oklahoma, thirtyish Robina Willets murdered her spouse Roger and their five young children before committing suicide. Empty since the mass murders, on Halloween 1986, two teenagers Charlie Worthier and Donald Readle are found severely injured and in comas in the Willets House swimming pool; Charlie dies the next day while Donald survives their harrowing experience.
In 2004, pregnant Leeann Worthier the beauty queen and George Willets the heir to Willets Petroleum Services marry. As a wedding present to his bride, George declares the still empty Willets House is where they will reside so that the can have their own home. Leeann is concerned with moving into a place with such a recent tragic history, but does so. When unexplainable eerie and nasty events happen including seeing when awake and asleep Robina’s restless spirit, Leeann refuses to leave; instead she vows to risk her life to learn the truth as to what haunts Willets House.
The superb opening and closing sections use newspaper clippings that read like real deadly incidents, which sets the atmospheric tone of the small-town supernatural thriller. However, much of the story line stays away from the exciting Amityville like Sooner state haunting to focus on the dysfunctional relationships between egocentric Leeann, stoic George and their respective families. Still overall this is an engaging haunted house tale.
Harriet Klausner
Kathleen McKenna
Bell Bridge, Oct 7 2011, $14.95
ISBN: 978-1611940527
In December 1975 in Dalton City, Oklahoma, thirtyish Robina Willets murdered her spouse Roger and their five young children before committing suicide. Empty since the mass murders, on Halloween 1986, two teenagers Charlie Worthier and Donald Readle are found severely injured and in comas in the Willets House swimming pool; Charlie dies the next day while Donald survives their harrowing experience.
In 2004, pregnant Leeann Worthier the beauty queen and George Willets the heir to Willets Petroleum Services marry. As a wedding present to his bride, George declares the still empty Willets House is where they will reside so that the can have their own home. Leeann is concerned with moving into a place with such a recent tragic history, but does so. When unexplainable eerie and nasty events happen including seeing when awake and asleep Robina’s restless spirit, Leeann refuses to leave; instead she vows to risk her life to learn the truth as to what haunts Willets House.
The superb opening and closing sections use newspaper clippings that read like real deadly incidents, which sets the atmospheric tone of the small-town supernatural thriller. However, much of the story line stays away from the exciting Amityville like Sooner state haunting to focus on the dysfunctional relationships between egocentric Leeann, stoic George and their respective families. Still overall this is an engaging haunted house tale.
Harriet Klausner
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