Review below.
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Help for the Haunted
Author: John Searles
William Morrow
September 17, 2013
Book Description:
It begins with a call in the middle of snowy February evening. Lying in her bed, young Sylvie Mason overhears her parents on the phone across the hall. This is not the first late-night call they have received, since her mother and father have an uncommon occupation, helping "haunted souls" find peace. And yet, something in Sylvie senses that this call is different than the rest, especially when they are lured to the old church on the outskirts of town. Once there, her parents disappear, one after the other, behind the church's red door, leaving Sylvie alone in the car. Not long after, she drifts off to sleep only to wake to the sound of gunfire.
Nearly a year later, we meet Sylvie again struggling with the loss of her parents, and living in the care of her older sister, who may be to blame for what happened the previous winter.
As the story moves back and forth in time, through the years leading up to the crime and the months following, the ever inquisitive and tender-hearted Sylvie pursues the mystery, moving closer to the knowledge of what occurred that night, as she comes to terms with her family's past and uncovers secrets that have haunted them for years.
Idgie Says:
I really enjoyed this novel as it's very different from much of what has crossed my desk recently and that's a welcome change.
The story involves 2 sisters abandoned, by family and basically the system, to fend for themselves after their parents are murdered under very odd circumstances. I say abandoned as the older daughter - at 19 - is made the guardian of the 15 year old. She is less than reliable, often leaving the 15 year old to eat popsicles for dinner.
One year later we find the accused murderer of the parents in jail, waiting for trial. But as the story progresses, it's becomes clear that perhaps the person in jail is not the right one and that Sylvie, the 15 year old, may not have seen what she thought she saw a year ago.
Meanwhile, cracks begin to appear in their parent's life stories and they may not have been the most wonderous parents that Sylvie always thought they were.
A lot of twists and turns with a totally unexpected ending.
Read an excerpt HERE.
(http://www.scribd.com/doc/152943680/Help-for-the-Haunted-by-John-Searles)
Link works, but it's a little "sticky", so cut and paste address directly into web browser if needed.