Upon reading the synopsis, I was eager to read this book as I love stories that make me a bit scared, books that make me look over my shoulder and linger in the mind, and while this book did that in the main, there were aspects that infuriated me too. For my way of thinking the main character in any story is often the linchpin of a book, the common thread that everything is connected to and I believe it is important to make the character like-able or at least give them some redeeming qualities but Beth was completely self-centred, annoying and neurotic. The showdowns with her daughters’ father Daniel and his new partner Evelyn were embarrassing; I mean would any self-respecting mum conduct herself that way in public? By about a third of the way in I was almost urging The Man With The Blue Hat to just take her and be done with it! He would have probably done the town a favour. I understand that she was cheated on, it’s awful, and it’s sad that it happens in life but Beth kept going on and on about it as if she was the first woman that had ever been cheated on to the extent that I just didn’t care, the bitterness was just radiating from ever pore, she just kept trying to play the victim and it was winding me up because she refused to take the blame or even acknowledge that that she could be at fault for anything which is probably why it took so long to establish that it was indeed her actions that brought The Man With The Blue Hat to Breckenridge. Also, in many books, the dynamic between best friends is something that can be used as a strength but Beth and Callaghan didn’t have that warmth that I wanted to see, that warmth that should have been there, even before their troubles. They had a terrible way of talking to each other, it was cold, and at times just plain nasty, like they were barely acquaintances let alone best friends and when Beth hatched the revenge plot against Callaghan which culminated in such a shocking way, Beth came out of that particularly badly in my eyes. The stuff with Baphomet was seriously creepy and I found the closing scene at the park with Daniel and Evelyn left a bad taste in the mouth. I was left thinking that family doesn’t really mean a lot in this book which is sad to say the least. Ultimately disappointing. ( )

One of the best books I have read in a quite awhile! At first the story seemed to develop slow, however, it needed to because there was so much intensity throughout the rest of the book! I did not want to put this book down! People can see horror in all kinds of ways, but when Beth did something she wasn't supposed to do in her past it comes back to haunt her! She doesn't want anyone to know what she did, but there are people going crazy in her town and going on killing sprees, so she has to face her demons and figure out how to make this nightmare go away! There are so many twists and turns in the plot and I loved every minute of it! Gabby, which is her daughter's porcelain doll, seems to be talking to her daughter, Kirsten. However, Beth doesn't seem to understand how that could be happening, because it does seem quite unrealistic. But, how could Gabby know what was going to happen? I will be telling a lot of people to pick this book up and make sure they read it all the way through because it was very thrilling! I feel like I lost sleep along with the people of the town because I just wanted to keep reading to know what was going to happen! Was Beth going to sacrifice herself to have the spirit go away from their town, or was she going to sacrifice her daughter? This was the first book I have read in a long time that makes me wish they would produce a movie for it! Such an original horror book, compared to others I have read recently! Thank you Wendy Potocki! I will be reading more of your books soon! ( )

I love this book about a mother (beth) that thought ahe had everything wrapped up in a nice little bow deceiveing everyone in a clever put on. She has recently caught her husband cheating and chooses to deal with it by being the adult. One day she does something horrible that she cant remember that not only will this effect her but the whole town as well. Death,damnation and deception are whats in store for readers that plan to read this old school horror story! While i feel that some of this book is a little rough around a few of the edges i find that i liked it a lot. The attention to detail is wonderful and that author is quite similar to Stephen King! ( )

The Man with the Blue Hat by Wendy Potocki

Beth leads the average life, she has everything well planed and follows all the rules. Then one day the entire town seems to have insomnia, the town drunk Sadie is pointing fingers at Beth, as if it were her fault. It is almost like the old witch hunts in the past. Then a man delivers a message to Beth's daughter Kirsten, now things begin to hit home. Beth finds that she is no longer sure she can trust anyone and she is faced with the toughest decision in her life.

A fabulous horror story. I really liked the plot, very original, just when I thought i had it figured out, a new twist would occur and stump me again. Well written, I could feel every emotion that Beth felt. I Highly recommend to those who love a great scary story! ( )