The Unloved » (Reissue)

House of Reckoning is John Saul’s thirty-sixth novel. His first novel, Suffer the Children, published in 1977, was an immediate million-copy bestseller. His other bestselling suspense novels include In the Dark of the Night, Perfect Nightmare, Black Creek Crossing, Midnight Voices, The Manhattan Hunt Club, The Right Hand of Evil, Guardian, and Faces of Fear. Saul divides his time between Seattle, Washington, and Hawaii.

Lush, a deceptively tranquil, the secluded island  basks in splendid isolation off the South Carolina  coast—as does the Devereaux mansion, a once-great  plantation house now crumbling amidst the ancient  oaks. Now, for the first time in two decades,  Kevin Devereaux has returned here with his wife and  children to visit Kevin's hated, and frightening  mother. She said she was ill—but is that really why  the old woman has summoned the son she has not  seen in so many years? Suddenly, horribly, one of  the Devereauxs is going to die. And now, all the  dark secrets of this once-proud family will emerge  to wrap their evil around the unsuspecting  children. Until, in the shadowed corridors and  dust-covered rooms of the decaying old house, they learn the  true terror of The Unloved.

Library Journal

At the request of his dying mother, Kevin returns to his childhood home with his wife, Anne, and their children, but the brief visit turns into a nightmare when his mother's death is followed by seven more-including the demise of Anne. Was her death really accidental? Is the old homestead cursed? Is Kevin's sister insane? Using a wide variation in tone and pitch, reader Sandra Burr adds to the ambiance created by Saul's riveting and descriptive tale by conveying the distinctive voices of a wide cast of characters. Burr's speech is accent free with the exception of a Southern drawl for specific players, and her delivery is paced to match each character's mood and personality. Professionally produced, with no distracting background noises. Though expensive, this program will be in demand by horror and Saul fans; recommended for public libraries.-Laurie Selwyn, Grayson Cty. Law Lib., Sherman, TX Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.