Unusual Tess Gerritsen book. I have enjoyed her mysteries and thrillers and was taken by surprise at this 'gothic' departure from her usual. I found it hard to get into and right up to the end wasn't sure if I was reading a bodice ripper, a ghost story or a mystery. Ava, the heroine, was a bit stupid for my taste but I read to the end and the book turned out to be all three: a gothic bodice ripper mystery.

I wouldn't read another of Ms Gerritson's book like this one. I hope she goes back to her tried and true.

Hard to get into and not what I was expecting. I like Tess Gerritsen’s books, but this one was too different from her others. I couldn’t get with “The Ghost and Mrs. Muir” vibe. I’m hoping she will get back to the medical fiction genre or another Rizzoli and Isles book.

Overall Rating = 4.5

Storyline & Concept = 4.5
Writing & Delivery = 4
Cover Marketability = 4.5
Editorial = 5

A tragic incident causes Ava Collette to leave Boston for calmer waters. Believing she is finally at peace is a mistake. When she chose an old rent house in Maine, little did she know it was haunted. Ava develops a surprising and odd relationship with the haunter, a former ship captain, and begins to assist the undead with searching for the killer of past residents. The Shape of Night features a splendid mix of seduction and mystique while keeping the reader on their toes.

Sublime Line: “If you are looking for some suspense, and then some more suspense, and then just a bit more suspense, you’ve come to the perfect haunted house story.”

I love Gerritsen's previous books and her writing style. However this one just didn't work for me. The premise and paranormal story line were just too odd, and the mix of supernatural realism didn't gel.

I was barely able to finish the book, after having skipped around to chapters just to figure out how it ends.

*ARC Provided via Net Galley

Review of Uncorrected eBook file

Planning to finish her long-overdue book, food writer Ava Collette rents an old mansion in the small Maine seaside town of Tucker Cove. Here she will write, test her recipes, and try to forget a singular event that she cannot change and cannot find a way to accept. It is this secret that keeps Ava trapped in a purgatory of her own making and haunts her every waking moment.

But that may not be the only haunting that occurs in the little town: the ship’s captain who built the house more than one hundred fifty years earlier and who died at sea may still haunt the place himself. Is the haunting of Brodie’s Watch common knowledge among the Tucker Cove residents? Can Ava unravel the enigmatic mystery of Brodie’s Watch? And what will happen if she meets the ghost of Jeremiah Brodie one dark night?

The atmospheric setting draws readers into the telling of the tale; evocative writing brings the Maine seacoast to life but the story itself is a mish-mash: part mystery, part “The Ghost and Mrs. Muir,” and part “50 Shades of Grey.”

Ava spends almost every waking moment gulping huge amounts of alcohol, an activity that does not engender any great degree of sympathy for her. And her predilection for sexual encounters with the “ghost” is both creepy and off-putting.

Astute readers will easily identify the cause of Ava’s misery and guilt. And while the “mystery” of the otherworldly goings-on at Brodie’s Watch creates an unnerving atmosphere, Ava’s tiresome fascination with ghostly sex results in the story being more annoying than intriguing.

I received a free copy of this eBook from Random House Publishing Group --- Ballantine and NetGalley
#TheShapeOfNight #NetGalley

I've never read any of Gerritsen's work, although I gather this is a departure from her usual genre. I thought it was well-written overall, but it had me rolling my eyes a bit, too, mostly because in spite of being a paranormal investigator myself, I'm a skeptic at heart. And I'm completely a skeptic when it comes to the notion of "paranormal romance". I also think that the bit with the town doctor felt a bit disjointed and rushed. I think I'm probably going to read some of the author's other works, so I can't say I was horribly disappointed in this one and it would probably make a blockbuster movie (or Lifetime movie?) but I think her medical mysteries might be a better fit.

This novel was a real surprise for me. I expected a mystery similar to the ones the author has written in the past and instead got a Twenty-First century version of the Ghost and Mrs. Muir...and really enjoyed every minute of it. Our heroine is a woman who is writing a book about New England cooking and who is running away from mistakes she made in the past. She comes up to a small coastal town in Maine where she has, sight unseen, rented a seaside mansion. When she sees the house she has second thoughts, but when she enters it she feels welcome and stays. While there she resumes writing her latest book and also drinking a lot. She comes to believe that she is having experiences with the ghost of the sea captain who built the house 150 years earlier. There are also deaths and mysterious disappearances that she begins to investigate as best she can. I am not going to go any further into the plot because of spoilers nor am I going to speculate about the ghost. I will add, however, that, back in the day, I did love the Ghost and Mrs. Muir! Thanks to Net Galley and Ballantine for an ARC for an honest review.

I’ve always enjoyed the writings of this author. This book didn’t “rein me in” as past books have. It was a little too raw/descriptive for me. Storyline was good and it was a bit spooky at times. Just not my style.

I have read and enjoyed the author in the past, and I usually appreciate when an author steps away from their usual to try something new.

Usually.

But…BDSM Ghost & Mrs. Muir with whips and leather cuffs and things being inserted…places…wasn’t exactly what I was expecting. I hated our characters, didn’t find the romances at all interesting, and really didn’t like the reason behind everything.

I did finish the book, only because I wanted to see if a certain something was murder and, if so, who did it. I was not impressed by the answer.

I think I’m going to forget that I read this one.

*ARC Provided via Net Galley

Do you believe in ghosts? Is that old house really haunted? Is the whole town in on it? How many secrets are there? There must be another reason for what’s going on there. Right?

Twists, turns and interesting characters.
I wasn’t sure about the whole ghost thing, because those aren’t my usual genre. But I’m familiar with the author, so I kept reading and I’m glad I did.
You will be too.

My aunt turned me on to Gerritsen years ago with “The Surgeon.” Have devoured her books ever since. Whether featuring Rizzoli and Isles or a stand-alone like this, she always gives the reader a great experience!

As usual, Tess Gerritsen has written a spellbinding mystery. I was hooked from the first page. An old house perched on the edge of the sea, a woman with a secret who rents the house for the summer, and the ghost of an old sea captain who haunts the house. A page turner from start to finish.

I love all of Gerritsen's books so I was looking forward to this one as well! Ava escapes to Brodie's Watch, a magnificent house overlooking the sea in Maine. As a food writer, her plan is to research the local dishes and publish The Captain's Table which will focus on the cuisine that earlier seafaring men enjoyed. And although the house is in disrepair, she feels an instant connection when she steps inside as if the house has welcomed her. But all is not perfect as there are rumors that the house is haunted by Jeremiah Brodie himself who was lost at sea. And when he begins appearing to Ava in the middle of the night, she is both repelled and attracted as she feels se must atone for a secret she harbors in her past. The novel has a great gothic feel to it as the mysteries surrounding the old house are slowly brought to light. I could seriously sense the fog rolling in at night and got caught up in Ava's nightmarish encounters with the specter of Brodie. I thoroughly enjoyed it!

I always have a hard time enjoying any book with too many supernatural aspects, but this one was a bit different... decent read.

This book was not quite what I expected, but still good. There was a good murder mystery and I liked some of the characters, especially Ava and Ned. The paranormal aspect played a more prominent role in the story than I had expected. And at times it seemed a bit "hokey." But overall, the apparition of Captain Brodie worked well as a character in the story. I liked how the theme of punishment was utilized. Ava has escaped to a small town in Maine in large part to escape a terrible, life-shattering event that she is hiding from her family and friends, but she is punishing herself by engaging in self-destructive behavior. Captain Brodie's appearance and actions toward/with Ava involve punishment at times, which she both wants and feels she deserves.

I received a review copy via NetGalley.

Thanks to Netgalley and Ballantine Books for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Lesson learned. Do not assume that because a book is by Tess Gerritsen and is listed as a mystery/thriller on Netgalley that it will be worth reading. Read the synopsis first. Had I realized this was romantic suspense with ghosts, I would NEVER have requested it. This book was so dumb. Basically a woman who drinks to much moves to some haunted house in Maine and has sex with a ghost. The “mystery” came in at about 60% and was totally boring. I can’t even believe this was written by the author of the Rizzoli and Isles series and so many other good stand alones. It is like she had a deadline to meet and dusted off something that hadn’t been published during her romance writing days. I am giving this a 3 because the writing isn’t bad enough to be a 1 star, so it has to be a 2 and I will take some blame for not reading the synopsis and give one more star but fans of Rizzoli and Isles will be disappointed with this nonsense.

I received this from Netgalley.com for a review.

Ava Collette flees Boston and rents an old home named Brodie's Watch on a remote coastal peninsula of Maine, hoping to work on a cookbook inspired by New England cuisine that she's been trying to finish for months. She immediately feels at peace in the isolated house--until she starts to hear strange noises.

So very disappointed with this one, I ditched the last third of the book except the last chapter to see if I had the mystery part of it whodunnit figured out - I did. What could have been an interesting and creepy gothic-like ghost mystery was really just a poor excuse for playing out S & M bondage scenes.

Don't bother unless you like fairly descriptive sex scenes.

1☆

Ava has secrets and an alcohol problem. She also sees’s a ghost named Brody at a house she’s renting for the summer. This is a very interesting thriller. The plot kept the pages turning as fast as I could read them. The writing is wonderful! I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This book was riveting! I was captives from the start when Ava moved into the old Captain Brodie house and things started happening! Ava’s recent past very slowly reveals and you are never sure how much is real or guilt coupled with booze. There are twists and surprises and it never is boring! Supernatural...maybe, or not. Good book,

I've been a fan of Tess Gerritsen for years and the last thing I'd expect from her is a ghost story. I kept expecting a rational explanation for the sensual (long dead) sea captain who visits Ava's bedroom at night. Gerritsen does give us some alternate possibilities. Ava is in danger from someone who is very much alive and wants her out of the house. And since she does drink a lot in the evenings, she sometimes wonders if the Captain is a delusion born of loneliness and alcohol.
Beyond the haunted house and the ghost, Ava is carrying a load of guilt over the death of her sister's fiance and is running away from everything that reminds her of that night, including the sister she has always been close to.
The atmosphere of The Shape of Night reminds me of the old gothic romance novels I used to read. It has the feel of Daphne DuMurier with the solid plotting we expect from Tess Gerritsen.