PRAISE FOR LISTEN TO THE SHADOWS
New author, Joan Hall Hovey, packs quite a terrifying punch as her first novel, 'Listen to the Shadows', spins a chilling tale of revenge, murder and madness whose true horror is cleverly cloaked with a misleadingly attractive face. An author to watch in the future. Jill M. Smith Rave Reviews, N.Y.
"...a blend a various genres...will appeal to fans of romance, gothic and suspense novels. Hovey's scenes focusing on this deranged psychopath are razor sharp, and one is reminded of author Ruth Rendell." -Evening Times Globe, Saint John, NB
Written with the finesse and grace of a master, Joan Hall Hovey's first novel, LISTEN To THE SHADOWS, is an engrossing tale of fear and danger certain to keep the reader awake, turning pages long after bed time, and listening carefully to everything around them. ... a powerful new voice in the world of suspense and mystery. Her tight plot, well-developed characters and originality will satisfy the reader's craving for tension and danger. I certainly look forward to more novels by the promising author with great eagerness...Cindy Penn -Wordweaving.com
"...a work so accomplished, so fluid and so suspenseful it is difficult to believe it really is a first novel!"-Felix Griffin, Rave Reviews, NY
...This one will put goosebumps all over you ...chilling. I read it during a thunderstorm and found myself jumping several times. Excellent! ***Huntress Books Reviews
Have you ever read a book that grabs your attention by the first sentence and never lets go? Well, LISTEN TO THE SHADOWS is an excellent romantic mystery that is exciting, tensed, and the elements of mystery, fear, and courage so masterfully woven in one masterpiece that I can't believe this is the author's debut! Grab a copy now, or you'll be missing a great read...Defelah Morgan
In Listen to the Shadows, Ms. Hovey gives us a chilling, and very believable, insight into the mind and motivations of a true sociopathic killer. Obsession, icy lack of emotion or real feeling for another human being, and more. To say this book is a spine-tingler of the first order, is to do it a grave injustice. It is a brilliant novel that portrays just how wrong a human mind can go; to the limits of insanity. Sharpwriter.com -Novelist, Ariana Overton
...This is a book that will stick with me for a long while, as I was reading it my heart would beat fast and the hair on the back of my neck stood straight, and to me that is the true sign of a good thriller. When you read this one make sure that the lights are on and that all your doors are locked... Myshelf.com-Pam Stone
PRAISE FOR NOWHERE TO HIDE
"...highly professional thriller... more than a series of twists and turns, Joan Hall Hovey weaves in scenes which show us the background of this crime and how the killer got started. She deftly develops this aspect of the plot right up to the last scene, which is too ironically good to reveal here..." - E.E. Cran - Telegraph Journal
"Goodbumps are the very least you'll experience while travelling with Ellen through a murderer's hell." -VAD
Joan Hall Hovey is a mistress at description and in bringing characters alive. The reader always has a feeling of place as well as being inside each person's mind. Ms. Hovey even teases the reader with the first name of the killer, but this reviewer can guarantee that the reader will know the chilling things that go through the killer's head and still not know the true identity.
This is a chiller of a book, and falls in the "I don't want to put it down" category. Unless the reader has very strong nerves, this is NOT recommended as a bedtime story.
Reviewed by Shirley Truax for The Blue Iris Journal
Extremely well structured, good plot, realistic and credible characters. It is the ordinariness of the actors in the play that make this book excellent. It's a type of puzzle with each story, seemingly unconnected to each other, falling into place at the end. An example is Myra (a friend of Ellen's) who, do to her affection for Ellen, is able to re-live extremely painful events that she had removed from her past. The latter will prove vital for the conclusion of the story. The serial killer is presented in the first chapter thirteen years before the events take place, a chapter fundamental as Ellen goes through pain, physical and emotional, to find the strength she needs to challenge her sister's killer. In conclusion one can say that Nowhere to Hide is impossible to put down until the last page is reached.
BASTULLI MYSTERY LIBRARY
"Joan Hall Hovey clearly takes her place among today's contemporary writers as this page-turner can compete with any mystery novel on the bookshelves. So if you're a chill-seeker, Nowhere to Hide is guaranteed to provide more than its share of whodunnit thrills. ...a gripping style that wrings emotions from everyday settings that toy with the fragile line separating insanity and tolerable normality. Oh and by the way ...is your door locked?" Linda Hersey - Fredericton Gleaner |
