As a fan of Tess Gerritsen's "Rizzoli and Isles" series, i was drawn to this book as a "move outside your comfort zone" book for the reader and the author. I was sadly disappointed. This book tries to be too many things, a novel of erotic paranormal romance entwined with a ghost story and a mystery. The alcoholic central character lives temporarily in a stereotypical restored creepy mansion set atop a cliff overlooking the ocean. As far as I could read in this book she was a wholly unlikable character, self-impressed, snooty and blind to her issues. It's a rare occasion that I can't finish a book, but unfortunately this one takes that award. I've gone back twice and still couldn't get through it. I may try again, but not for some time.

I love pretty much everything by Tess Gerritsen but this one was a little tough to get through.

The ghost story mixed in with the murders just didn’t work for me. I really wanted to love the story.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Ballantine Books, and Tess Gerritsen for the opportunity to read and review her latest thriller. I have been a huge fan of Gerritsen's stand alone books as well as her Rizzoli & Isles series so was very excited to be able to read her new book.

Ava is escaping her life and past in Boston when she rents an old mansion in a small town on the coast of Maine. The house is named Brodie's Watch after the sea captain who had it built, but was then lost at sea. Ava thinks she found the perfect location to perfect the recipes she wants to include in her cookbook based on New England foods and history. Then Ava finds out that the renter before her left suddenly and is not returning emails. She starts having encounters with a ghostly figure that looks like Capt Brodie and even visits a "ghostbuster" to try and figure out if her house is indeed haunted.

While this is a bit different from Gerritsen's other books, the wonderful writing and suspense will keep you glued to the pages. I loved the setting of the book - the fog and craggy shoreline and creepy house descriptions enhance the storyline. Great read!

Fans of Rizzoli and Isles should give Gerritsen a break and try this one. It's a paranormal (yes, I know), sorta Gothic, sorta romantic suspense story featuring Ava, a food writer, and Captain Brodie, a ghost. Ava has rented Brodies Watch to finish a cookbook she's been working in and to deal with issues related to something (no spoilers) with her sister. Turns out the place is a mess; her cat has a boffo time with the mice but, really? Then one night the apparition appears. Is Brodie real? There's a long history of women in this house and there's some problems in the town. Ava has to decide if she's been drinking too much and what to do. Brodie's a little, well, more out there than other ghosts we have read about (there's some bdsm stuff). The characters are well done, there are good atmospherics and if occasionally it seems a little out there, well, just go with it. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. Something different from a popular writer.

The Shape of Night is a gothic paranormal mystery from the author of Rizzoli & Isles series. When I picked up this book, I did not expect it to be quite so creepy and erotic at the same time. I was pleasantly surprised.

The main heroine Ava leaves Boston and moves into an old house on the coast of Maine to write her cookbook and to escape some traumatic events of her past. The house appears to be haunted by the original owner, Captain Brodie, who died more than a hundred years ago. Also, the previous tenant, Charlotte, mysteriously disappeared. Was the ghost the reason for Charlotte's disappearance or someone even more sinister? The longer Ava stays in the house, the more she believes she is in danger herself.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. As soon as I started reading it, I was engrossed and could not put it down. I did have to stop reading at night because I was too spooked. The Shape of Night is the perfect fall read; it's creepy and atmospheric, an excellent ghost story to read in time for Haloween.

Wow, this isn't the usual type of book I've read by this author. This was different, unique and engrossing!

Ava Collette, a chef, is dealing with guilt and escapes to a very small town in Maine with her cat, Hannibal. She rents a very old home, Brodie Watch that is undergoing renovations so she can test and write her recipe book. The house was built by a sea captain, Jeremiah Brodie, who died at sea over a century ago. He is rumored to haunt the house. Ava doesn't believe in ghosts.

Then one night, Ava notices her cat staring at something and soon hides under the bed. Ava sees an apparition who seems like a real person. The ghost promises that no harm will come to her while she is in his home. The ghost seems to know what she wants and knows her secrets. She begins to welcomes his visits and being in his arms. Ava develops a dependency on the ghost and starts to contemplate staying in the town.

Ava starts to question if the ghost is real and wants confirmation that she's sane. She goes to the historical society to learn more about Jeremiah Brodie, and then seeks out a ghost hunter, Maeve Cerridwyn. Ava, also; reaches out to the previous renter to see if she noticed anything strange about the house.

Maeve and her crew show up with their equipment, and Kim, the team sensitive. Kim goes room to room to get a feel of the energy in the house, while the team sets up for an overnight stay. When Kim senses something terrible and evil, she announces that she can't stay and flees.

After investigating, Maeve pleads with Ava to leave the house, because she uncovers that every woman that has lived in the house, they have also died there. Just as Ava is about to leave, Hannibal, is no where to be found.

I love the paranormal aspect of this story. The ending left me just wondering if the ghost was indeed real or imagined. At the beginning, the reader gets a feel that something horrific happened in Ava's life, but we are left to wonder why she is so filled with guilt. It isn't until all the pieces are put together that the reader learns it's more than what was first thought.

I received an Advanced Reader's Copy from NetGalley via Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine and I have voluntarily reviewed this book.

The Shape of Night by Tess Gerritsen is a novel of psychological suspense which is eerily evocative of Daphne du Maurier's Rebecca. Equal parts mystery and Gothic novel, Gerritsen is able to transport us to Tucker Cove, a quaint small town nestled on the coast of Maine, using her descriptive prose. In a departure from her very popular Rizzoli and Isles series, this foray into a different genre was a pleasant surprise.

The protagonist of the story is Ava Collette who is seeking sanctuary from the memory of a New Year's Eve celebration in her Boston apartment. Ava is a cookbook author who rents a seaside mansion called Brodie's Watch to finish researching and writing her book on traditional New England cooking. The house is replete with beautiful architectural details but also harbors many secrets. Captain Jeremiah Brodie, who died at sea more than a century ago, is rumored to have haunted the house. There have also been unexplained deaths of women who have lived in the house.

Ava tries to drown her anxiety in chianti and whiskey every night, but realizes that..."Wherever you go, you drag along your own misery like a rotting carcass..." Through alcohol induced vision, she sees apparitions of the late Jeremiah Brodie. On top of this, the previous tenant had left the house in a hurry and is purportedly missing.

As Ava tries to grapple with her past demons she becomes embroiled in trying to uncover the past and present secrets of Brodie's Watch. I thoroughly enjoyed this latest book from Tess Gerritsen. Many thanks to NetGalley, Ballentine Books and Tess Gerritsen for an ARC copy in exchange for an honest review.

Wow! The Shape of Night is unlike any other book I have ever read and I truly enjoyed it! I admit that I had to almost roll my eyes and groan with disbelief when the true identity of the ghost was revealed, but because I was so completely engrossed in the story and with Ava's character, I quickly moved past those feelings. The writing of this novel, the story, the characters and personalities, the relationships and emotions, the beautiful descriptive settings, simply everything was just so spot-on perfect! Having always lived in New England and having traveled throughout, I recognized, appreciated, and loved how accurate it was all described. What better location for a beautiful ghost and love story than a little old town in Maine that has an alluring history of its own.

Tess Gerritsen has given me the book I've been seeking all year.

The Shape of Night is true Gothic suspense, in the vein of Shirley Jackson's Haunting of Hill House, in which the house feels like a character in its own right. Sitting safely in my not-haunted house, I could feel the unsettling energy and pull of Brodie's Watch.

At about the one-third point, I thought I knew where this story was going, and I confess to a slight eye roll, but I should've known better. The layers and subtle complexities of this story add surprising depth, intensity, and emotion. This is a story about desire, punishment, secrets, lies, and guilt, and how these things manifest almost as living entities when we allow them to fester.

While I love Tess Gerritsen's Rizzoli and Isles Series, I'm thrilled that she has taken us in an entirely different direction.

Ava, a cookbook author, flees from Boston and a dark secret to a house in Maine for the summer. There she meets the town doctor and a sexy ghost who is sharing the house with her.
Tess Gerritsen went far from her usual genre (suspense thriller) into the world of paranormal, BDSM, and romantic suspense.
While this was an interesting story idea, none of the protagonists could convince me as being real. The ghost was ever changing between nice and brutal, the doctor too good to be true, and the female protagonist (with the obligatory gay friend) not very likeable.

Ava Collette, a cookbook author, has rented a home in a coastal town in Maine in order to get some distance from her past and her life in Boston. She tells everyone that she needs the space and quiet in order to focus on her book about New England Cuisine. The old beautiful house she has rented is named Brodie's Watch which was named after its owner Brodie who was a sea captain who was lost at sea.

Soon after moving in, she learns that another woman had rented the home before her but left abruptly before her lease was up. Even more troubling is that Ava begins to hear things that go bump in the night and one night comes face to face with a ghost who looks, sounds, and feels real. Is this Captain Brodie's ghost who has long been rumored to haunt the home? Is what she is seeing real or is she imagining things? Curious about the home’s history and her increasing bond to the home, Ava begins to investigate the homes history. Will she like what she finds out?


Mystery, suspense and some chills flow throughout this book. I found this book to have a Gothic feel. It also has the perfect setting - an isolated old New England home, located on a bluff overlooking the ocean. This book is not like other books by Gerritsen. This book has a supernatural element to it. She perfectly blends romance, obsession, fear, dread, suspense, and mystery in this book. She literally had me hooked from the very beginning and I finished this book in one day. I thought Gerritsen did a great job of having the tension mount as the story progressed. The pacing was spot on, nothing felt rushed or drawn out. As with her other books, I found this book to be very well written with some beautiful passages such as "Sometimes, silence is the one true way to prove your love." and "We keep our darkest secrets to ourselves. We keep them, most of all, from those we love."

Sure, the reader will need to suspend some disbelief with this book, but in no way did I feel that this distracted from the story at all, in fact it enhanced my enjoyment. There is a rumored haunted house in this book, after all. I found this book to be captivating, suspenseful and enjoyable.


Thank you to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

*Received at ARC from NetGalley for an honest review* First off this is my first book by this author, it is also my first book in this particular genre, however the blurb for this book really caught my interest as I'm a born and bred New Englander and who doesn't like a good ghost story. This story was very intriguing, and Tess Gerritsen rich descriptions can bring to life the movie like quality of the story in ones head. It was so amazingly easy to picture what was happening as I read it. The depth of the story telling was so rich because of the physical description of location, however it did lack a little when describing people, it fell a little flat. When it came to slowly revealing what Ava's personal struggle was, and how Gerritsen used the ghost story to bring it out, it felt a little too drawn out and I grew a little frustrated with the lag. Gerritsen did not lack in the suspense factor and knows how to keep a person on the edge of wondering what is really going on, and what the real scene is. The supernatural was just at added touch that was perfect. All in all, it was a good read.

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I love Read Gerritsen's books! She is an extraordinary writer. Her books are all very well written with enthralling plots and superb characters. This book is full of twists and turns, rediscovering oneself, letting the past go, and murder! I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good mystery. Enjoy! 📚

A little bit paranormal, a little bit mystery, and a bit more of romance. The Shape of Night pulled me in from the beginning and kept the pages turning into the night.

Ava Collette has a devastating secret that she can't bear to face, and so she hides away in Maine, renting a place called Brodie's Watch. A food/cookbook author, Ava spends her day in this small town, finishing her latest book while hiding from her sister. What Ava quickly finds out is she's not the only spirit in the home. The original owner, Captain Brodie, it appears, still lingers in the home. Only he's so much more than a ghost. He is able to become a corporeal being with Ava, and their evenings become swept up in pain, lust, and passion.

Meanwhile, there are unsolved mysteries surrounding the home where a young women met her demise. And when Ava moves in to rent the home, the previous tenant is nowhere to be found.

As Ava unravels the secrets of the town, she's able to face her own demons.

Ava and Brodie are an unlikely match, though in this context, the romance works. And there is some BDSM elements that fit with Ava's character and is consensual. Putting this type of paranormal activity in a romance is not something I'd typically think would work, but for this story, it worked for me.

I enjoy Tess Gerritsen's books a lot. I received an advance reader copy of this from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All in all, I liked the book. It is about a woman named Ava who is a food writer. She is finishing a book and moves up to Maine and rents a large house to finish writing and to escape from some other things that are going on in her life. Shortly after arriving it becomes apparent that she is not alone in the house. SPOILERS- There were 2 things I disliked about the book. 1) Ava's self-worth is pretty low and I'm not usually used to reading about women thinking that they deserve to be punished and then enjoying it. 2) The whole paranormal romance thing was kind of weird too.

Ava Collette is a food writer from Boston who has come to the Maine coast to finish her most recent book on traditional New England recipes and to escape her guilty conscience. She got an amazing rental deal on a beautiful, recently restored mansion that the previous tennant had suddenly moved out of. When Ava arrives at the house, she feels a sense of foreboding but then peace - as though the house has accepted her. Sure, there are tales of a haunting at the old mansion, but what old house isn't at the center of such legends. As Ava's stay in the house progresses, she finds herself pulled into the mystery of what has happened to the last tennant and other women who lived there as she is becoming increasingly enraptured with the house and with her experiences in it. She may not ever want to let go of the house, or it may just not want to let go of her.

The storyline does have a heavy dose of the paranormal and some semi-explicit sexual content, so it may not be for everyone, but I found the story to be engaging and compulsively readable.

The Shape of Night is a dark gothic mystery that engaged me from the start that I couldn't put down.

This book was received as an ARC from Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine in exchange for an honest review. Opinions and thoughts expressed in this review are completely my own.

A woman escaping what has happened in her past to escape to Maine only to be involved in one of the most shocking adventures of her life. When Ava and Captain Brodie meet for the first time, as the read I felt that the earth stood still and all that was fine in the world is completely twisted upside down. It was so thrilling to read all about Captain Jeremiah Brodie and the secrets of his past and woven into the story of Ava made the plot more compelling where this was not only your typical murder mystery but a thrilling joyride that I was excited to take. Tess Gerritsen's work does very well in our Mystery collection and the Shape of Night will be no different.

We will consider adding this title to our Mystery collection at the library. That is why we give this book 5 stars.

Best enjoyed at night. Alone.

Tess Gerritsen has been one of my favorite authors for the last 15 years, so I was super excited to be approved for this one--thanks to NetGalley and Random House for the advanced copy of this book in exchange for the below fair review!

Ava is a food writer who trades a few months in Boston for a new backdrop in Brodie's Watch, a large, beautiful rental house on the coast of Maine. It's the perfect place to finish her latest book on New England coastal cuisine, and also far enough away to try to escape the secrets that have haunted her since New Year's Eve. However, it soon becomes clear that she is not the only resident haunting the stately home perched on the seaside cliff outside of Tucker's Cove, Maine. It seems that the master of the house, Captain Jeremiah Brodie, also walks the halls of the historic home, and has his sights set on being more than just a spectral presence to Ava. However, it soon becomes apparent that there are dangerous forces at play both inside and outside of the cliffside estate...and that Ava is not the only person in Tucker's Cove with deadly secrets.

The Shape of Night is a much different fare than I am used to coming from Gerritsen, but it was nonetheless a wonderful escapist read. It was part mystery/thriller, part paranormal romance. As always, she wrote characters that were well fleshed-out, places that I felt I could step into, and described smells and flavors that lifted themselves off the pages. I found my mouth watering at some of the descriptions of the food that Ava created for her book. There are other scenes that are delicious, hot, and completely unrelated to roasting meats and simmering soups. I also really felt for Ava. Her need for redemption for her heinous secret was palpable, and it was clear that no matter how much she tried to bury herself beneath empty wine bottles and distance herself from the place it happened, she couldn't escape the pain on her own, and, not to give too much away, the house seemed to be well aware of that fact.

Gerritsen also proves that she remains a master of mystery--there were so many different questions that needed to be answered that it was enough to keep the reader guessing at every turn until the epilogue. The imagery lent a creepy, fall-worthy vibe to the entire story, absolutely perfect for the season.

I will leave a review on Amazon on Oct 1. 2019

I received this book from NetGalley and the publisher and this is my honest review.

I believe this was my first book by the author, and overall I found it to be very well written with lots of twists and turns. Ava rents a house in Maine for the summer to finish up her book, at first glance she decided she wouldn't stay but once she entered the house she felt comfortable. What follows is a paranormal book that leaves you wanting more, it was hard to put the book down. I was surprised at how much I did enjoy the book. I would definitely recommend this book to those that enjoy supernatural or paranormal books.

The last couple of chapters made this book impossible to put down! I needed a whiskey after finishing this one.

Ava travels to a small coastal town in Maine to get away from her life in Boston and most importantly a tragic secret. The minute she walks into Brodie's Watch, the old home she is renting, she feels at peace in the home-until she starts to hear strange noises.

Right away this book drew me in and kept my attention from beginning to end.

#TheShapeOfNight #NetGalley