This book really did nothing for me. A bunch of other reviewers talked about how scary this book was, etc. Nope. I didn't find it scary at all, if anything, predictable. Add on to that, that the characters were barely like-able to downright detestable, it made this book a long read. Not worth it in my opinion. ( )

Review: Second Child by John Saul 06/14/2022

Some of John Saul’s books are still on my shelf and every once in a while I decide to take one down and read it. I love his writing and enjoy his books. The story takes place in a small village with well developed characters. This is a real John Saul classic. It starts out with a young girl Teri losing her mother and step-father dying in a house fire.

The story proceeds with Tari moving with her biological father in another state. He has remarried and he has another daughter named Melissa who is younger than Tari. Melissa is happy to have a sister because she is shy and the kids around her make fun of her. She has no friends and she is always lonely. Plus, Phyllis her mother, is always putting Melissa down and abuses her. Her mother is high class and doesn’t understand why her daughter never does anything right.

As the story goes on Melissa thinks things will be different now. Melissa soon finds out that Tari is as cruel as her mother. Tari is good at making herself the good child and Phyllis doesn’t see what goes own around her. Tari manages to get Melissa in trouble all the time and Melissa goes on not knowing what Tari is up too. However, Tari has a big surprise coming her way. There is one person who sees right through here….!! ( )

Low effort cheap thrills filled teen horror . Good for the cleansing of the palate. But lacks a comprehensive and well intended ending that answers all the loose ends. ( )

When Charles Holloway’s ex-wife Polly and her husband die in a fire in their home, Charles brings his pretty daughter Teri (who has been living with her mother Polly for years) to his home at Secret Cove, to live. Charles is now remarried to a woman named Phyllis and has another daughter, in which he dotes on, called Melissa. Charles and his ex-wife Polly were raised with money and had been living in a posh town called Secret Cove. Polly didn’t like the trappings of wealth, moved away, remarried, and gave her money away. Years later, Polly’s daughter Teri resented this. She felt she should be at Secret Cove, receiving the finer things in life.

Teri arrives at Secret Cove and meets her shy half-sister Melissa (who is ridiculed and mocked because she doesn’t fit in… she’s a bit overweight, shy, plain.) Melissa is happy to now have a sister. She’s quite lonely. Add to that, she has a very cruel mother (Phyllis) who abuses her.

There is talk, told by children around campfires at night, about a ghost called D’Arcy who also didn’t fit in. A hundred years ago a terrible thing happened at the August Moon Ball. Now, on the anniversary of that day, is D’Arcy back for revenge?

John Saul really knows how to write captivating stories. I had a hard time putting this book down, I always wanted to know what was going to happen next. Some of the characters were very likable… Melissa, her father Charles, the maid Cora, and Cora’s grandson Tag. And some characters were really horrible. Especially Melissa’s mother Phyllis, the snobbish kids at Secret Cove, and Melissa’s half-sister Teri, who isn’t as sweet as she seemed. I also liked the setting of the coastal town.

Another engrossing and compelling read by John Saul. ( )

When 15-year old Teri’s parents die in a house fire, Teri is the only one to get out. She is collected by her biological father to go live across the country with him, his wife and their 13-year old daughter, Melissa. Melissa is considered by some to be a bit… strange. But she has good reason. (The back of the book doesn’t say much, so I don’t want to give too much away.) They are rich, but Melissa and her mother (Phyllis) don’t really fit in, though Phyllis certainly tries.

This was really good. I was pulled in at the start and it kept me reading and wanting to read. I was quite horrified and disgusted with actions of many of the characters and felt so badly for Melissa. This book has elements of both supernatural and psychological horror, both of which I “enjoy” reading. Just be careful reading through some of the reviews, as much more is given away than I think should be for this book. ( )