صداهای نیمه‌شب: یک رمان

What if insidious evil flourished in the one place where you feel most safe: your very own home? The chilling answer comes from New York Times bestselling master of suspense John Saul–in a new novel that makes terror a household word. The sudden, tragic death of her husband leaves Carolyn Evans alone in New York City to raise an eleven year-old son and a twelve-year-old daughter on little money and even less hope. But then she meets and marries handsome, successful Anthony Fleming, who wins her heart and embraces her children. When Carolyn settles her family into AnthonyвЂTMs spacious apartment on ManhattanвЂTMs Central Park West, her fears of an uncertain future give way to a sense of abundant happiness. But soon, new terrors will come home to roost in the luxurious, exclusive building named The Rockwell. Midnight voices whisper of a cruel and hungry presence that also calls The Rockwell home. First, CarolynвЂTMs daughter begins to suffer from recurring nightmares of strangers in her room at night. Then her son insists that a neighborвЂTMs recently deceased child isnвЂTMt dead at all–but being held captive somewhere in The Rockwell. And when Carolyn discovers a startling secret about AnthonyвЂTMs past, it seems she, too, is falling victim to the creeping paranoia infecting her family. Should she doubt her perfect husband, their kindly fellow tenants, or her own sanity? Does someone–or something–in her new home have sinister designs on Carolyn and her children? Is her new life charmed or cursed ? Step across the threshold of The Rockwell–and into the dark realm of John Saul . . . in a spine-tingling novel that will haunt you wherever you live. From the Hardcover edition. Amazon.com Review In a Rosemary's Baby meets Hansel and Gretel thriller, John Saul's Midnight Voices is packed with bump-in-the-night chills that will frighten and delight readers with its nostalgic nod to urban legends and campfire tales. With short, edgy chapters and all-too-vivid imagery, Midnight Voices begs to be enjoyed in one sitting, in the dark, huddled on the corner of your couch. As usual in Saul's world, strange things are afoot in the city, and the Evans family is the target. At the heart of this spooky tale are the children, Laurie and Ryan Evans, who are unwittingly exposed to danger when their recently widowed mother marries widower Anthony Fleming. The too-good-to-be-anything-but-evil Fleming lives in the Rockwell, a building rumored to be inhabited by witches and vampires, that has the children in the neighborhood terrified: "Amber's eyes were still fixed on the building. They were just stories, she told herself once again. They weren't true. But even as she silently spoke the words to herself, a strange chill of apprehension ran through her and she turned away ... I'll die, she thought. If I go in there, I'll die." Of course, the newly married Caroline does not share the anxiety of her children, despite Fleming's Bluebeard-like determination to keep everyone out of his study, not to mention the horrible whispers and strange sounds coming from empty rooms in the middle of the night. It is this tension, and Caroline's dawning realization of her new husband's shortcomings, that drives the novel to its startling conclusion. Saul uses familiar horror images--an ancient building with even older residents, creepy neighbors that are not quite right, whispers in your room after midnight--to spin a new tale of evil that will remind readers why one should always leave the closet light on. --Daphne Durham From Publishers Weekly Saul knows how to dish out thrills, and with a sly tribute to Ira Levin's Rosemary's Baby, as well as other horror classics, this latest pulp shocker should have fans lining up. Mother of two and widow of a murdered Central Park jogger, Caroline evans thinks she has found the answer to her prayers in her new husband, Anthony Fleming. The family moves into his apartment in the Rockwell, a storied old Upper West Side building. Ryan and Laurie, the children, quickly begin to have nightmares in which they are haunted by menacing voices, while Ryan realizes that he doesn't like his creepy stepfather. Elderly, eccentric neighbors bring them strangely flavored food. Laurie befriends ailing Rebecca, the foster child of a neighbor couple, who is mysteriously wasting away. Tension mounts when Rebecca's social worker, a close friend of Caroline's, can get no information from Rebecca's doctor - yet another elderly resident of the Rockwell - despite her threat to obtain a subpoena. Soon the social worker disappears, Rebecca follows on her heels and Laurie herself becomes ill with whatever Rebecca had. Meanwhile, the "niece" of an elderly neighbor, who looks suspiciously like a younger replica of the old woman, replaces her aunt in the Rockwell. Readers who appreciate Saul's homage to undead fiction will probably see the plot twists coming, but die-hard devotees should enjoy the chilling, sometimes gruesome goings-on at the Rockwell nonetheless. Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc. What if insidious evil flourished in the one place where you feel most safe: your very own home? The chilling answer comes from New York Times bestselling master of suspense John Saul–in a new novel that makes terror a household word. The sudden, tragic death of her husband leaves Carolyn Evans alone in New York City to raise an eleven year-old son and a twelve-year-old daughter on little money and even less hope. But then she meets and marries handsome, successful Anthony Fleming, who wins her heart and embraces her children. When Carolyn settles her family into Anthony’s spacious apartment on Manhattan’s Central Park West, her fears of an uncertain future give way to a sense of abundant happiness. But soon, new terrors will come home to roost in the luxurious, exclusive building named The Rockwell. Midnight voices whisper of a cruel and hungry presence that also calls The Rockwell home. First, Carolyn’s daughter begins to suffer from recurring nightmares of strangers in her room at night. Then her son insists that a neighbor’s recently deceased child isn’t dead at all–but being held captive somewhere in The Rockwell. And when Carolyn discovers a startling secret about Anthony’s past, it seems she, too, is falling victim to the creeping paranoia infecting her family. Should she doubt her perfect husband, their kindly fellow tenants, or her own sanity? Does someone–or something–in her new home have sinister designs on Carolyn and her children? Is her new life charmed or cursed ? Step across the threshold of The Rockwell–and into the dark realm of John Saul . . . in a spine-tingling novel that will haunt you wherever you live. From the Hardcover edition. Amazon.com Review In a Rosemary's Baby meets Hansel and Gretel thriller, John Saul's Midnight Voices is packed with bump-in-the-night chills that will frighten and delight readers with its nostalgic nod to urban legends and campfire tales. With short, edgy chapters and all-too-vivid imagery, Midnight Voices begs to be enjoyed in one sitting, in the dark, huddled on the corner of your couch. As usual in Saul's world, strange things are afoot in the city, and the Evans family is the target. At the heart of this spooky tale are the children, Laurie and Ryan Evans, who are unwittingly exposed to danger when their recently widowed mother marries widower Anthony Fleming. The too-good-to-be-anything-but-evil Fleming lives in the Rockwell, a building rumored to be inhabited by witches and vampires, that has the children in the neighborhood terrified: "Amber's eyes were still fixed on the building. They were just stories, she told herself once again. They weren't true. But even as she silently spoke the words to herself, a strange chill of apprehension ran through her and she turned away ... I'll die, she thought. If I go in there, I'll die." Of course, the newly married Caroline does not share the anxiety of her children, despite Fleming's Bluebeard-like determination to keep everyone out of his study, not to mention the horrible whispers and strange sounds coming from empty rooms in the middle of the night. It is this tension, and Caroline's dawning realization of her new husband's shortcomings, that drives the novel to its startling conclusion. Saul uses familiar horror images--an ancient building with even older residents, creepy neighbors that are not quite right, whispers in your room after midnight--to spin a new tale of evil that will remind readers why one should always leave the closet light on. --Daphne Durham From Publishers Weekly Saul knows how to dish out thrills, and with a sly tribute to Ira Levin's Rosemary's Baby, as well as other horror classics, this latest pulp shocker should have fans lining up. Mother of two and widow of a murdered Central Park jogger, Caroline evans thinks she has found the answer to her prayers in her new husband, Anthony Fleming. The family moves into his apartment in the Rockwell, a storied old Upper West Side building. Ryan and Laurie, the children, quickly begin to have nightmares in which they are haunted by menacing voices, while Ryan realizes that he doesn't like his creepy stepfather. Elderly, eccentric neighbors bring them strangely flavored food. Laurie befriends ailing Rebecca, the foster child of a neighbor couple, who is mysteriously wasting away. Tension mounts when Rebecca's social worker, a close friend of Caroline's, can get no information from Rebecca's doctor - yet another elderly resident of the Rockwell - despite her threat to obtain a subpoena. Soon the social worker disappears, Rebecca follows on her heels and Laurie herself becomes ill with whatever Rebecca had. Meanwhile, the "niece" of an elderly neighbor, who looks suspiciously like a younger replica of the old woman, replaces her aunt in the Rockwell. Readers who appreciate Saul's homage to undead fiction will probably see the plot twists coming, but die-hard devotees should enjoy the chilling, sometimes gruesome goings-on at the Rockwell nonetheless. Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc. Mystery,Horror,Suspense,Thriller,Azizex666