This is my first time reading John Searles. I always have some trepidations when reading a new suspense or horror writer. Will I be pleasantly surprised or terribly let down?.. Well, I was pleasantly surprised with this particular novel.

Help for the Haunted by John Searles

The opening scene is a grabber. A young teenage girl, Sylvie and her parents are called to the aide of their other child, Rose who is also a teenager but a bit older and more mundane. They are summoned to meet her at a church after receiving a frantic phone call. The family marches out into a wintry storm. The father is angered at Rose for dragging him out on such a frigid night because of another one of her histrionics . He demands that his wife and his other daughter stay in the car. He will handle the insanity himself. The description of the church, and peaceful snow fall while Sylvie and her mother wait in the car sets such a shocking contrast to the frightening and startling moment when Sylvie awakens to a noise similar to gunshot and finds her mother missing from the front seat. What happens from this point leads you down an interesting journey of murder and the supernatural. This book keeps you fully entranced.

What does electricity, questions about life and death, the story of Lazarus and the element of faith have in common? They are all ingredients in a mix of a fantastic tale of religion, belief systems and the paranormal. It is a recent novel by Stephen King, entitled “Revival.”

Revival – a novel by Stephen King

The main focus of this novel is on the relationship between the main character, Jamie Morton, a young sincere and impressionable semi-religious kid, growing up in 1960’s New England and the spirited preacher, the Reverend Charles Jacob who is torn between his love of science, (specifically electricity), and his belief in God. The story takes us through the journeys of their lives , heroin addiction, loss of loved ones, general tragedies, inventions, creations and obsessions. We explore the main characters metamorphism and their search for “revival” when survival is not enough. Theirs is a revival of hopes and dreams but sometimes it leads to permutations of their obsessions.

Long awaited sequels are usually a serious disappointment especially if the author happens to be one of your favorites. You debate over whether you should even read the second book because nothing could compare to the original. You pray that the characters are strong enough to get you through the rehashed plot.

Doctor Sleep – a novel by Stephen King

Surprisingly, the sequel to “The Shining ” does not let you down. “Doctor Sleep” actually ambushed me with its unique twists and turns from the labyrinth of the original Overlook Maze of Terror that a small boy had to navigate to find his freedom, to the adult trials of Dan Torrance shaking free his vices, addictions and fears while battling old demons. “Doctor Sleep” stands on its own. You do not have to read “The Shining” to really enjoy the sequel. (Although, if you haven’t read The Shining I really recommend you do.)

The book opens with Danny Torrance in the years just following his escape from The Overlook Hotel with his mother Wendy. There is a quick flash back to the events that happened at the hotel and some appearances of ghosts past that have the little boy, Danny, still fearing for his life.