Book Review: 'Veronica's Room: A Melodrama' by Ira Levin

✰✰✰✰✰ It’s 1973, and a young couple is enticed to visit a mansion. The young woman, Susan, is asked to play a simple role to ease the mind of a dying woman. All she has to do is pretend to be someone else for a few minutes, and there’s only one line to say. Susan is intrigued, but hesitant. Who is this Veronica that she would be pretending to be? Wanting to be helpful, Susan ignores the red flags and dresses up as Veronica. The resemblance is uncanny, and Susan is sure she can pull this off. However, the tables are turned when she finds herself locked inside Veronica’s bedroom. With everyone now insisting that it’s 1935 and that Susan is actually Veronica, Susan starts to question reality. Is she Susan, a student at BU? Or is she the insane Veronica, who needs to be kept locked up? The ending will shock you.

The Bottom Line: I was actually searching for a copy of The Stepford Wives, when I stumbled upon this gem. This slim volume is a real attention getter, and it will keep you guessing right up to the very end. With just a few characters, this play blurs the line between fantasy and madness. It actually gave me chills, and I would love to see this performed at the theatre. Highly recommended for fans of dramas, thrillers, horror, and mystery.

Details: Veronica’s Room: A Melodrama by Ira Levin Hardcover published by Random House in 1974. 87 p. ISBN: 0394491459 

Book Review: 'Body on Ice: A Vermont Murder Mystery' by Alan S. Kessler

✰✰✰✰ A pastor's wife, known for her contributions as a Red Cross Volunteer, has hidden a secret life for years. When she's found dead under scandalous circumstances, her secret comes to light. Her marriage has been a sham, and she has enjoyed the "sporting" life. There's no shortage of suspects, but with city corruption manipulating the investigation, it's questionable whether justice will ever be served. This fast-paced story of sex, lies, and corruption will keep your attention as you try to keep track of the clues. 1919 was definitely a year to be remembered.

The Bottom Line: Based on a true story, this novella keeps you guessing with twists and turns and layers of corruption. Just when you think you have it figured out, there’s a surprise at the end. This is a page-turner that left me wishing it had been longer. Enthusiastically recommended for adult fans of mystery based on true events.

Details: Body on Ice: A Vermont Murder Mystery by Alan S. Kessler. Paperback published by Leviathan Books in 2024. 110 p. 978-1938394850 [NOTE: I received a free copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This was made possible via the LibraryThing Early Reviewers program.] 

Book Review: 'Green Angel" by Alice Hoffman

✰✰✰✰ Fifteen-year-old Green is a quiet and shy teen. When Green’s family goes into the city to sell their goods, Green is left behind to tend the gardens.  Unhappy at the prospect of being left behind, Green doesn’t even bother to say goodbye to them. Little does she know it’s a decision that will soon haunt her.

When the unthinkable happens and the city is destroyed along with all the people in it, Green is left alone to deal her grief and her guilt. In a way, a little part of Green died the day her family died. With only her sister’s dog, Onion, for company, Green doesn’t even bother to heal her damaged eyes. She retreats into a protective shell by wearing black clothes, cutting off her long hair, and putting nails in her boots.  She even covers her body with black tattoos. Thus, Green loses herself for a while and becomes Ash, a girl who doesn’t care.

Partially blinded and unrecognizable as Ash, she must learn survival skills. Then something amazing happens, the girl who refused to heal herself begins to heal others. There's a hawk, baby birds, a greyhound, and more; one by one they come to Ash for help. As she begins to take care of others, Ash learns how to care about herself and becomes Green once again. 

The Bottom Line: This very brief tale of loss and love is haunting and has a dreamlike quality. Alice Hoffman’s writing is very descriptive and appeals to the senses; it is full of symbolism and imagery. Hoffman manages to pack lots of emotion into this slim little book. Told from the viewpoint of fifteen year old Green, this story of survival uses little dialogue. 

Teens who have suffered a loss will relate to Green. Hoffman expertly guides the reader through the grieving process by following Green’s journey from loss and despair to anger, acceptance, and finally hope. Green discovers that by losing herself, she finally finds herself.

Highly recommended reading for teens. The contemporary setting evoked images of 9/11 making this a possible pick for a YA book club. (You can find discussion questions here.) Green Angel is sad and enchanting all at the same time.

Note: I received this as a gift from the SantaThing program at LibraryThing. It’s different from the types of books I usually choose for myself, which is why I love the program.

Details: Green Angel by Alice Hoffman. Paperback published by Scholastic Inc. in 2010. 144 p. ISBN: 978-0-545-20411-8

Book Review: 'Blockade Billy' by Stephen King

✰✰✰✰ The orange signs said it all: ROAD CLOSED BY ORDER OF BLOCKADE BILLY. However, no one remembers William "Blockade Billy" Blakely today, and his team, the New Jersey Titans, have long since been forgotten. But when Mr. King interviews the elderly George "Granny" Grantham, the team's former third base coach, strange things come to light.

It seems that back in the day, Blakely was a great ball player; in fact, he was on his way to breaking every Rookie record in Major League Baseball history. It didn't matter that there was something just a little bit off about him. Neither did it matter that Blakely had a habit of repeating everything other people said or that he referred to himself in the third person. As the Titans' last minute replacement catcher, no one cared about his peculiar habits as long as he kept hitting home runs and could save the season. Unfortunately, Billy had a very dark secret to hide. Once uncovered, the scandal was so great that his scores were wiped off the record books forever.

The Bottom Line: This story is written entirely as a monologue, which is one of the reasons I liked it so well. While Blockade Billy is not a particularly scary story, it is an enjoyable, quick read. I read it in one sitting and especially enjoyed the twist at the end. There is nothing supernatural about this well written baseball yarn, and you don't need to be a baseball fan to appreciate this novella. Since this book includes profanity, it is recommended for adult fans of Stephen King, baseball, horror, and short stories.

Details: Blockade Billy by Stephen King. Hardcover published by Cemetery Dance Publications in 2012. 112 p. ISBN: 978-1-58767-228-6

Book Review: 'Island Funeral' by Keith Minnion

✰✰✰✰½ On their honeymoon, newlywed Sarah makes her new husband, Tim Moser, promise that if she should die, he will see that she is buried in the family plot on the mainland. It's so important to her that he agrees. But promises are made to be broken, and just four years later, Tim replays that conversation in his head as he follows the hearse carrying his wife's body back to her hometown. Tim does his best to follow through with her request, but when an accident puts Tim in a coma, Sarah's family proceeds with the funeral without him. As Tim slowly makes his physical recovery, he has an uneasy feeling that the townspeople are hiding something from him. As soon as his broken body will allow, Tim begins to search for answers. When he finally learns the horrifying truth about the difference between a mainland funeral and an island funeral, he knows that nothing will ever be the same.

The Bottom Line: Keith Minnion's chapbook is the perfect read for a stormy autumn night. It's an eerie delight and quick to read, but it stays with you for a long time. I finished it in about an hour, but I've reread it several times. Island Funeral is reminiscent of Stephen King's Pet Sematary and will appeal to fans of horror and those who enjoy well-written stories. Very highly recommended.

Details: Island Funeral by Keith Minnion. Paperback published by Cemetery Dance Publications in 2011. 40 p. ISBN: 978-1587672682

Book Review: Torn by Lee Thomas

✰✰✰✰½ Luther's Bend is a quiet, tiny town where very little happens. Despite a rocky marriage and personal trouble, Sheriff Bill Cranston has the responsibility to ensure the safety of the town's citizens. Unfortunately, his world begins to fall apart when little Maggie Louise Mayflower disappears one evening.

As the town organizes a search for the little girl, Cranston realizes too late that Maggie was only being used as bait when a member of the search is taken. Soon a naked stranger named Douglas Sykes is taken into custody, and Cranston begins to uncover a truth that is stranger than fiction. Sykes claims to be a creature of sorts that is being hunted by a pack of his kind. The pack will stop at nothing, destroying everything in its path, until their prey is killed. Unless Cranston and his men can stop the pack, the townspeople, including Cranston's own family, are doomed.

The Bottom Line: You'll want to sleep with the lights on after reading this one. This tightly written novella features a nice balance of story and plot that will keep you in suspense until the end. As Book 23 in the Cemetery Dance Novella Series, it also features fantastically realistic and gruesome black and white illustrations by Vincent Chong. Torn contains graphic descriptions of violence and is highly recommended for mature fans of horror who enjoy stories with a little twist of sadness.

Details: Torn by Lee Thomas. Advance Uncorrected Proof published by Cemetery Dance Publications in 2011. 130 p. ISBN: 978-1-58767-265-1

Book Review: Pork Pie Hat by Peter Straub

✰✰✰✰½ Fans of supernatural horror will enjoy this excellent coming-of-age story. A Columbia University graduate student (we never learn his name) arrives in New York City with visions of getting his M.A. in English and enjoying the city's jazz scene. Upon learning that jazz legend Pork Pie Hat is still alive and performing at a nearby club, the narrator slips into the bar for a life changing experience. Hat's music is mesmerizing and the student becomes intent on finding out all he can about the old musician. However, when Hat agrees to a rare interview on Halloween night, the narrator gets more than he bargained for.

Hat shares his horrific tale as he downs a bottle of gin. While the story seems too fantastic to believe, the narrator can't help but to wonder about it for years to come. Indeed, Hat's coming-of-age story about the horrors he and a close friend witnessed as kids on
another Halloween night out in a forbidden area known as The Backs will leave you wondering too. Were the horrors created in Hat's mind or something he experienced at the hands of others?

The Bottom Line: Peter Straub's Pork Pie Hat took me back to my own grad school days. The story is realistically written; I felt like I was sitting in the bar listening to Hat play as I read this book. It's an excellent weekend read if you are in the mood for a classic, supernatural, horror tale. Jill Bauman's black & white illustrations enhance this eerie tale. Read it around Halloween for best effect. Highly recommended for fans of horror.

Details: Pork Pie Hat by Peter Straub. Hardcover published by Cemetery Dance Publications in 2010. 175 p. ISBN: 978-1-58767-232-3 Note: This spooky tale first appeared in the anthology October Dreams: A Celebration of Halloween.