Ginette B. (Niteowl7) reviewed on 1/23/2006 + 242 more book reviews

Helpful Score: 4

In my opinion, Clegg is no competition for Dean Koontz or Peter Straub. But those 2 authors have put many years into their writings and Clegg is relatively new. I didn't use Stephen King as an example because I find him too wordy in his latest books. "The Abandoned's" main character is a dark and isolated mansion, named Harrow. No one has been able to live at Harrow and many of those who did live there died horrible deaths. Then there are those mysterious disappearances of people who managed to break into Harrow for a peak at its infamous reputation. But lately, Harrow House has been quiet. That is until a new caretaker, who is called The Nightwatchman by nearly everyone in the village, is hired to watch Harrow. He has his own plans for Harrow and the villages' people. It's as if The Nightwatchman was summoned by Harrow House to do its dark deeds. Meanwhile, the mansion has begun to spring a nasty, supernatural leak which effects many of the townspeople. People start killing each other for no reason; set fires for no reason; and have paranoid delusions for no reason. The book starts out slow and when the action finally starts happening, it continues nonstop on a downward spiral. The violent events committed by people who never would have thought of committing any violent act, is way over the top. These people are being influenced by Harrow Mansion to commit unspeakable acts. But where's the motivation for these people to be so influenced my a malevolent spirit? Was it in their background somewhere hidden behind masks of respectability and kindness? Neither this or any other plausible reason foreshadows these villagers' evil actions. And why do some villagers escape the influence of the house altogether? Again, no hint provided. Such ommissions tend to give this book an unreal plot. There are many characters but no one or a group of characters are in the book long enough for us to care about their fate. It reminds me of slasher films: you have some dumb characters falling into the slasher's avoidable net while the slashers themselves are too one dimensional to have us believe in their evil. Yet you may like this book if you're into reading something that's filled with tension and reads quickly.

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