While I am very supportive of authors who stretch themselves, especially after a successful series, I wasn't sure what to do with this one. I am not sure Ms. Gerritsen knew where she wanted to go with the story as there is a ghost, there is a romantic relationship with the ghost, there is a a murder, and there is a woman dealing with her own guilty past. The story almost felt distracted by itself and wasn't sure where it was going. I was also a bit startled by the bodice-ripping almost BDSM aspect to the story. Maybe it was like a kid who was only allowed to do one sport and is finally freed to do whatever they want and bounces around trying to do all the things? That is somewhat how this book felt.

A bit of a departure from my normal contemporary romance genre, but I was excited for this read and it did not fail. It was very suspenseful and entertaining, while you could also say eerie, it was enough to keep your mind wondering if it real or attributed to others things going on in Ava's life.

Loved the words of Jeremiah Brodie- 'here in my house, what you seek is what you will find'.

Bestselling author Tess Gerritsen takes a break from her popular Rizzoli and Isles mystery series with The Shape of Night, a standalone thriller about a girl, a house and a very alluring ghost.

Nearly incapacitated by guilt, stagnated cookbook author Ava Collette takes a summer rental in a remote, seaside village in Maine, hoping the fresh air and peaceful country existence will reignite her creative fires. But her first sight of her vacation cottage is an unpleasant surprise. Travelling up an isolated, fog ridden driveway she finds herself facing not a welcoming, cozy retreat but a foreboding, secluded and strangely unwelcoming mansion. Brodie’s Watch, the home of a former sea captain, seems almost menacing as she approaches it, as though the residence is rejecting her presence. She’s tempted to just walk away and find another place to stay.

That quickly changes when she opens the door and feels an unseen presence assess and then accept her. In that moment, as she takes her first tentative steps into her temporary refuge, she feels as though someone or something has decided to extend the full hospitality of the abode to her. Suddenly, she is enchanted by the thought of staying – and then she meets the ghost.

She recognizes Captain Jeremiah Brodie from the painting of him in the house but he seems more flesh and blood than spectre. She can feel his hands when they caress her, hear his voice as he speaks to her of pleasure – and pain. His sole purpose seems to be a BDSM style of seduction. Night time finds her swooning at his touch,and anxiously awaiting his every visit but the dawn brings doubts, making Ava skeptical and scared of what is happening. Reaching out to Help for the Haunted. Professional Ghost Investigations, Maine, she asks them to find information on who or what is sharing the dwelling with her. The kindly, efficient Maeve Cerridwyn responds and researches Brodie’s Watch – and makes a disturbing discovery. Since the Captain’s death, only women have lived there, each of them becoming increasingly isolated from family and friends until they die alone in the manse.

“Here in my house what you seek is what you will find,” Captain Brodie tells Ava. But there is peril behind those beguiling words – for maybe, in some dark part of herself, Ava seeks not redemption from her sins but punishment for them. Has she handed herself over to some macabre form of phantasmal justice or is a flesh and blood predator at work, hiding behind a fantasy, preparing to mete out the judgment Ava deeply believes she deserves?

Ms. Gerritsen is a consummate professional whose skillful prose quickly hooks readers into her story and doesn’t release them until the last page. She has created an intriguing heroine in Ava, a smart, talented woman who is also a touch cold and reclusive. We know she did something disturbing in her past – information about this event is slowly doled out in dollops throughout the first part of the tale – and we know she hurt someone she loved badly as a result of her actions. What we don’t know is what she did or why. We also know she has a self-confessed drinking problem and consumes copious quantities of alcohol, mainly at night, to help her sleep. That’s part of what drives her to seek Maeve’s help – could some sort of drunken stupor be causing her to imagine Captain Brodie or worse, could someone be taking advantage of her inebriated state to deceive her? I liked that Ava was practical enough not to immediately accept the idea of a haunted house but also open minded enough to accept the possibility of one.

Complicating the situation is the body that washes up on shore early during Ava’s tenancy. In addition to some of the mysterious deaths that have taken place in the village over the last several decades (which the townspeople seem more concerned with covering up than with solving) the appearance of this corpse has Ava wondering if some kind of deadly menace is actively stalking the people of this solitary community. And if so, why?

And yet, even with all of that going on, she finds herself mesmerized by the Captain, easily beguiled by his presence and eager to participate in the ‘games’ he invites her to. The part of her that sees the cold light of reason in the day is no match for the enchanting seducer she faces in the night. It was this push and pull that kept me engaged in the tale. I found myself as fascinated by Captain Brodie as Ava was, as eager to spend time with him as she was. He was tantalizing, strong and handsome and drawn with an eerie eroticism that made him irresistible.

The book has only one flaw, which was that the practical, day time mystery sometimes didn’t blend well with the chilling, atmospheric nature of the house and its environs. It disrupted the sense of eminent supernatural danger that typically accompanies the gothic tale. That doesn’t keep it from being a very readable, riveting narrative though.

Part mystery and part gothic, Shape of Night is a spooky tale, perfect for fall reading. The forlorn setting and descriptions of the fog ridden, cool climate will have you reaching for a cup of something hot and the deliciously chilling story will have you snuggling into your favorite comfy chair, secure in the knowledge that you’re safe and cozy, even if the heroine isn’t. This novel is that perfect blend of scary but not too scary and I think readers searching for a (mildly) creepy Halloween season read will find exactly what they are looking for in this book.

I’ve been a fan of Tess Gerritsen’s novels for years, especially her Rizzoli and Isles thriller series, so when I saw she had a new novel coming out, The Shape of Night, I couldn’t wait to get my hands on a copy.

The Shape of Night is set in a remote coastal town in Maine where the protagonist, food writer Ava Collette, has rented a house, in hopes of escaping her troubles so that she can focus on finishing her latest cookbook, which is way overdue to her publishers. The home, Brodie’s Watch, is named after its original owner Captain Jeremiah Brodie, who died at sea over 150 years ago. When Ava firsts arrives at Brodie’s Watch, the outside does not look at all like the quiet, peaceful spot she was hoping for. Instead, it actually looks quite menacing and unwelcoming. Once inside, however, it’s exactly what Ava was hoping for and so she settles in quickly, feeling at peace with the place.

That is, until she starts feeling like she’s being watched. And not only that, she also starts hearing strange noises and seeing things at night that have her questioning her own sanity. When she also starts to find random personal items that clearly belonged to the prior tenant, Ava contacts her realtor to see about forwarding the items to the prior tenant and to try to get some answers about the house. The realtor gives her the runaround at first but then finally admits that the prior tenant left very abruptly and without explanation. Unsatisfied with the answers she is given, Ava starts to do some digging to learn as much as she can about the house and its prior owners. What she finds regarding the prior owners is not only incredibly disturbing, but it could actually end up costing Ava her life.

While The Shape of Night is quite different from those Rizzoli and Isles novels I love so much because it features a paranormal element, it still kept me on the edge of my seat with the riveting mystery of what is going on at Brodie’s Watch. I was very engrossed in the mystery of the house and whether or not it was actually haunted, and so found Ava’s investigation very entertaining. I was also very invested in the character of Ava and wanted to know more about what had happened in her personal life to have her fleeing to such a remote location and avoiding phone calls from her friends and family.

I also loved the creepy, atmospheric, almost Gothic feel that Brodie’s Watch has at night and all of the supernatural touches that Gerritsen has added. Ava’s paranoia about what she was experiencing was also quite contagious and had me looking over my own shoulder to make sure no one was watching me!

All in all, this was a gripping read that I was able to fly through in just a couple of sittings. My only real issue with the book was that there were some sexual scenes in the book that I could have done without. They didn’t really add anything to the storyline and were a little more graphic than necessary, veering into BDSM territory. Even with that issue though, it was definitely still a very solid read for me.

If you’re into mysteries and/or paranormal stories, Tess Gerritsen’s The Shape of Night may be exactly the book you’re looking for. It’s a perfect read for fall!

This was a much different Tess Gerritsen than any of hers I've read before. In The Shape of Night, Gerritsen tells a tale of gothic romance and suspense that is not so much nail-biting, but rather a winding drive through a twisting stretch of road. We know, or are pretty certain, early on about the paranormal activity and what our character is facing, though our character and ourselves as readers, go back and forth with the truth. All is not as it seems is the theme here. While this wasn't a fast paced page turner, it was a compelling read that was entertaining. I could have done without the explicit eroticism, as I didn't feel it was necessary to the story, but it didn't turn me off from reading it. Go into this one expecting something completely different from Gerritsen. Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Haunted houses, tragic pasts, and a murderer on the loose....what’s not to love about this page-turning modern gothic romance?! I highly recommend this book.

ARC given to me by NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. #TheShapeOfNight #NetGalley

Not my cup of tea

I have read and enjoyed part of author Gerritsen's Rizzoli and Isles series and enjoyed the books very much.

This book just wasn't the right fit for me. I read a lot of gothic romances when I was younger, enjoyed them, and outgrew them. This book just is too close to many of those books I used to read.

Ava Collette writes about food, embellishing her cookbooks with interesting info she happens across while researching.

She's based in Boston but a tragedy piles on the guilt and shame and she decides to leave the big city for the summer. She ends up renting a mansion that overlooks the ocean and decides it's a perfect place to finish her past-due project, get some rest, and drink a lot. And of course the mansion is haunted.

The book was written well (like all of Gerritsen's work) but I didn't like any of the characters and, as I wrote previously, I just didn't like the storyline.

I received this book from Random House through Net Galley in the hopes that I would read it and leave an unbiased review.

While I usually love this author, I was disappointed in this title. It was a mish mosh of ideas that didn't really pull together. A missing tenant, a protective or threatening ghost protecting his home, a devious doctor, and an alcoholic author. While not a terrible book, it was not my favorite.

I received an ARC of this book. I read it in one day! I hated to put it down. It grabbed my interest from the first chapter. It is a haunting mystery with interesting characters set in a small Maine town. I really enjoyed this book.

The ghosts of our past often follow us into our present and shape our future. “The Shape of Night” kept me on the edge of my seat exploring the ghosts of the old house, the old town and the main character, Ava, herself. A fabulous read certain to be another best seller for the amazing author, Tess Gerritsen.

This author is so good. This book had it all chemistry, good characters, the writing was good. This book also had me on the edge of my seat. I was turning the pages as fast as I could to see what happened.

I am in the process of reading it and there are elements I love, but by Chapter 15, it's just not my cup of tea.

I have liked a couple of Gerritsen's other stand alones, and so I thought I'd give this one a try. Yeah, I definitely didn't like this one as much.

It's set in Maine. A cooking writer needs to get out of Boston, and so she goes up to Maine to finish her book. She rents a house that just happens to be available at short notice (that's never a great thing).

And then the supernatural (maybe) comes into the story. There was also a mystery of a dead body too, but, it was a small one (and, I sorta guessed what its answer would be).

I did waffle a little bit to if everything was in her head or if the supernatural stuff was read, but, whichever it was, that was not my favorite part of the story unfortunately.

It was an okay book, but, maybe in the future I'll stick to the Rizzoli and Isles series more.

I received this book via Netgalley thanks to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine.

Ava Collette, on the run from memories she would rather forget, rents an old house in Maine where she can finish her latest cookbook and try to heal. What Ava did not know, is that the house has a past. The house is named Brodie’s Watch and it is supposedly haunted by the long-dead sea captain Jeremiah Brodie. Ava sees the apparition and begins to feel all too comfortable with him. However, dead women are piling up and Ava needs to know if it is because of the ghost or if there is an actual killer on the loose....a killer who now has his sights set on Ava.
This book was a lot different than her usual books, but I thought she did an excellent job branching out into new territory. It was a combination of supernatural, romance and mystery, so if you are a fan of any of those you should enjoy this one.

I enjoyed Gerritsen’s prior series, Rizzoli and Isles, so I was willing to give this standalone a try. Now, I’ll be the first to admit that paranormal, gothic mysteries are not my normal cup of tea but I need to step outside my favorites every now and then.

Ava is a food writer, looking to work on her cookbook. She rents an almost renovated mansion in Maine to have the peace and quiet she needs. She’s also running away from her prior life in Boston. We are only given small illusions as to how she screwed up there.

Once again, I’m going to give away my age by saying my first impression of this book was that it was a weird take off on the old (very old) tv show called The Ghost and Mrs. Muir with a bit of Fifty Shades of Grey thrown in.

Ava is your typical unreliable narrator. She’s got a severe alcohol dependency going on.

This one is a bodice ripper of the first order. If that’s your thing, you’ll love this. I, on the other hand, plan to return to a good old fashion murder mystery next. One, hopefully, with a little less predictable ending than this one.

My thanks to netgalley and Random House for an advance copy of this book.

The Shape of Night by Tess Gerritsen pulled me in immediately. I really enjoyed this paranormal story with a hint of bdsm, and found the character of Ava to be intriguing. The book has many twists, red herrings, and a surprise ending. Kudos to the author for that surprise. I didn't see it coming! The book does not end in a cliffhanger, so know you will not be disappointed. The descriptions and imagery in this story were so well done. The recipes described in Ava's cookbook sound so good and made me want to explore a cookbook like The Captain's Table.

There is so much suspense. Did Ava really see a ghost or is there something/someone else causing the strange happenings? Or is Ava merely losing her mind. She came to Brodie's Watch because she needed to get away from everything and to wrestle with her terrible guilt. She has seen the original owner of the house and some very strange things have happened, is it a ghost or some other entity. She gets to know some of the locals and realizes that some really weird things have happened over the years in the house. Will it happen to her? Will she die in the house like others before her?

Wow. Crazy and spooky story!
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I just love it when a book blows me away. I’ve had several instances this month that a book completely surprised me. The Shape of Night is one of those books.

This is a story within a story. You know she is escaping from something, you just don’t know what or why, but we get glimpses along the way.

You know the house is more than what it seems. The town thinks it’s haunted and it very well may be. But there’s also secrets about this house. Things have happened in the past. Things are happening right now.

The Shape of Night definitely sets your emotions on edge. It’s incredibly sensual and explosive in many ways. It’s also very creepy and in several places I was thinking “why am I reading this at night before I go to bed??!!”

The reason is I could not stop reading it. I was consumed by the story. Ultra sexy but so very bizarre. A bit of paranormal romance that just is off the rails and takes you on a wicked journey. It’s loaded with suspense and thrills.

It is just one of those books you have to experience as it’s very difficult to explain how this author really got to me. I am not giving any spoilers either!

If you want a story you will never forget, you have to grab this book. It is intense, twisted, psychologically creepy, and even a bit scary! You’ll love it!

This book was different than Tess Gerritsen's other stand alone books. There is a big paranormal / supernatural aspect to this book that I didn't enjoy very much. It may be better suited to those who truly believe that supernatural things exist in this world. However, I did enjoy the main character, Ava, her troubling backstory, and her desire to take a break and live alone with her cat Hannibal in a secluded home in a coastal town in Maine.

There are some good twists in this book, but there there are a lot of things left unexplained and left up to you to believe they are either figments of Ava's imagination or truly paranormal happenings in the house she has rented. I enjoyed the book, but was left questioning many things at the end.

Omg this book was so good. I'm a big fan of this authors. Suspense, sexy, everything in this book was on point.
Thanks Netgalley for the Arc
4.5 stars