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September 30, 2016

STARTER HOUSE

STARTER HOUSE
A Novel
by
Sonja Condit


Her Dream Home Is About To
Become A House of Nightmares.....


From the moment Lacey glimpses the dusty-rose colonial cottage with its angled dormer windows and quaint wooden shutters, she knows she's found her dream house. Walking through its cozy rooms, the expectant mother can see her future children sitting on the round bottom step of the house;s beautifully carved staircase, and she imagines them playing beneath the giant maple tree in the warm South Carolina sun. It doesn't matter to Lacey and her husband, Eric, that people had died there years before.

But soon their warm and welcoming house turns cold. There is something malevolent within  the walls - a disturbing presence that only Lacey can sense. And there is Drew, a demanding and jealous little boy who mysteriously appears when Lacey is alone.  Protective of this enigmatic child who reminds her of the troubled students she used to teach, Lackey bakes cookies and plays games to amuse him. Yet, as she quickly discovers, Drew is unpredictable - and dangerous.

Fearing for her baby's safety, Lacey sets out to uncover the truth about Drew and her dream house - a search for answers that takes her into the past, into the lives of a long dead family whose tragic secrets could destroy her. To save er loved ones, Lacey must find a way to lay a terrifying evil to rest...before she, Eric and their child become its next victims.

  • Series: P.S.
  • Paperback: 400 pages
  • Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks (December 31, 2013)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0062283057
  • ISBN-13: 978-0062283054

THE AUTHOR
Sonja Condit received her MFA from Converse College, where she studied with Robert Olmstead, Leslie Pietrzyk, R.T. Smith, and Marlin Barton. Her short fiction has appeared in Shenandoah magazine, among other publications. She plays principal bassoon in the Hendersonville Symphony Orchestra and the Greater Anderson Musical Arts Consortium. She teaches at the South Carolina Governor's School for the Arts and Humanities.


MY THOUGHTS

House hunting for that perfect home to raise the baby that is coming, Lacey and her husband, Eric can't seem to agree.  Everybody wants that perfect home to raise your children in.   Finally, after looking for a long time, Lacey finds her perfect home.   It's a Cap Cod that needs some loving care.   She knows this is the right house.  Eric doesn't agree but to make Lacey happy, he goes along with her.  What's odd is their realtor is trying to steer them away from this particular house.   Why?   One reason is that people have died in the house, but people die in houses all the time.  Finally, Eric and Lacey are moving in to their dream home, or is it their nightmare?   The neighbor, Harry Rakoczy owns the house and has given them a good deal.
Lacey is carrying in boxes to the house when a little boy appears.  The odd thing is, he only rides his bike to the property lines and then turns around.    While doing this the little boys rubs against Lacey's shoulder and she drops a box of dishes.   Eric gets angry.  He doesn't see the little boy, only Lacey.
This book is the author's first  novel and I must say, it's a keeper.   It will put you on the edge of your chair and those pages can't be turned fast enough.  Who is this little boy that no one can see except Lacey?   Where does he live and what does he have to do with the house?   Strange things are happening in the house. Rooms are exploding, people are falling down stairs,  People have died from drowning or being drowned.  What is going on?   Is this little boy real or is he a figment of Lacey's imagination?  At times the baby is in danger and so is Lacey.  Will they survive?   All of this brings about problems in Eric's and Lacey's marriage.  Will the marriage survive?   Will they find a solution to the haunted house that started out being a dream home for Lacey and Eric and others before them?   Once you start, you may look around you to make sure there isn't a little boy watching you.  The noises in the house that never bothered you before, may now make you wonder who is there and what are they doing?  Are you safe?   Look out the window.  If there's a little boy on a bicycle riding down the side walk,  think twice about staying in the house.  Locking the doors won't help.  That little boy just appears as though  locked doors aren't there.  The story will put goose bumps on your arms and make you feel a chill in the air.   Try reading if you've got the nerve!

I would give this book 4 STARS.

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