CUSP OF NIGHT
Hode’s Hill
#1
by
Mae Clair
Genre: Thriller/Suspense
Pub
Date: 6/12/2018
The truth hides in dark places…
Recently settled in Hode’s Hill,
Pennsylvania, Maya Sinclair is enthralled by the town’s folklore,
especially the legend about a centuries-old monster. A devil-like
creature with uncanny abilities responsible for several horrific
murders, the Fiend has evolved into the stuff of urban myth. But the
past lives again when Maya witnesses an assault during the annual
“Fiend Fest.” The victim is developer Leland Hode, patriarch of
the town’s most powerful family, and he was attacked by someone
dressed like the Fiend.
Compelled to discover who is behind the
attack and why, Maya uncovers a shortlist of enemies of the Hode
clan. The mystery deepens when she finds the journal of a late
nineteenth-century spiritualist who once lived in Maya’s house—a
woman whose ghost may still linger. Known as the Blue Lady of Hode’s
Hill due to a genetic condition, Lucinda Glass vanished without a
trace and was believed to be one of the Fiend’s tragic victims. The
disappearance of a young couple, combined with more sightings of the
monster, trigger Maya to join forces with Leland’s son Collin. But
the closer she gets to the truth, the closer she comes to a hidden
world of twisted secrets, insanity, and evil that refuses to die…
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Within
moments, Charlotte was outside in the dismal weather. The drizzle had steadied
into a light rain, pattering in a ceaseless rhythm against the cobblestones.
The gas lamp on the corner was barely visible through the thickening fog. It
would be a rough ride back in the carriage, bordering on miserable, now that
she’d lost the opportunity to communicate with her deceased mother and share
the news of Reginald’s birth. Drawing the collar of her cloak about her throat,
Charlotte hurried down Chicory toward the alley. How far to the carriage? The
fog played tricks with the
distance,
shapes materializing from the mist with an abruptness that made her regret not
taking the lamp Frederick offered. When a cat shot out in front of her, she
gasped.
“Silly
animal.” Pressing a hand to her heart, she breathed deeply.
The
feline darted across the alley, vanishing into the mist. Were those footsteps
behind her?
She
glanced over her shoulder, but it was impossible to see more than a few feet.
Rain trickled from the edge of the umbrella and splattered onto her gloves.
Quickening her pace, she scurried forward. She’d only managed a few steps when
the footsteps echoed again.
Once
more she looked over her shoulder. “Frederick.” Perhaps he’d left the carriage
in search of her when the rain grew heavier. “Frederick?”
The
footsteps quickened, lengthening into a fleet run. Hair prickled on the back of
her neck. She hesitated, torn between fleeing and needing to see who followed.
Within seconds, a painted face bobbed in front of her from the fog. The macabre
mask hung disembodied, a leering devil with ice white eyes and cadaverous grin.
The
Fiend! Dear God, the monster was real.
Charlotte
screamed and tried to run, her long skirts twisting about her ankles.
Stumbling, she dropped her umbrella. “Frederick!” Her frightened cry echoed
through the night, swallowed by the fog. “Oh, Frederick, please help!”
Fingers
fisted on the back of her cloak and yanked hard, wheeling her around and
tugging, until she was pressed up against the hard body of the Fiend. Trapped
mere inches from that demonic face and hateful gaze, she swooned. Her vision
spun into a funnel curtained with fog and rain as if the night had blindfolded
her. A stinging flare of heat ripped across her stomach, chased by something
sticky and damp. She tried to find her breath and wheezed out a faint bubble.
“Oh!”
Pain
ruptured upward from her navel. Fire seared her voice and left her choking
soundlessly on cold air. Her knees buckled. The Fiend released her, and she
wilted to the cobblestones, conscious of a dark stain spreading beneath her.
Blood.
The
stench of hot metal and damp wool clotted her nostrils. She choked on tears,
overcome by the realization she would never cradle her baby again or see the
husband who had given her such a precious gift. A foolish woman, she’d paid for
her folly. Why hadn’t she heeded Henry and stayed safe at home? Blood plastered
her bodice to her skin, sticky heat against the rain. She folded to the
side—down to the damp press of cobblestones
against
her cheek, the thick gathering silt of the dead.
The
Fiend stepped closer. Hunkered down near her head.
Charlotte
forced herself to grip the hand that clutched the bloody knife.
Twisting her
neck, she stared up into the awful leering face. “Why? Please…tell me why.”
The
slice of the blade across her throat paid her passage to Summerland.
As with most places the people of Hode’s Hill, Pennsylvania have
their share of ghost and legends as well as a long line of secrets that may be
connected to the legend of Hode’s Hill.
Every year at Halloween the people of Hode’s Hill celebrate
the legend of the Fiend with the “Fiend Fest”. In the late 1800’s people were
being murdered by what people described as being a monster which has escalated into
some kind of creature.
After attending the “Fiend Fest” Maya Sinclair is on her way
home when she hears someone call for help when she approaches the alley she
sees a man, Leland Hode has been attached. She also gets a glimpse of his attacker;
Maya’s description of the attacker seems to be that of the Fiend.
The house that Maya moved into just happens to be that of
the Blue Lady, Lucinda Glass who is also a part of the legend. After spending a
few nights in the house Maya comes to believe that her house is haunted so she starts
looking into the legend of the Blue Lady and of the Fiend.
Maya seeks the help of Collin Hode the son of the man who
was attacked. After they dig into to the past not only do they find a lot of
info on the Fiend and the Blue Lady. Collin finds some well-hidden family
secrets of his own.
Cusp of Night is filled with mystery and suspense on almost
every page that will keep you turning the pages long into the night. I liked
that it kept switching between the past and the present it was like getting two
stories in one. The story line moved along at a great pace. I had no issues
with following the story from the past or the present. The characters were well
developed and I could really believe in them and their stories. I love that it
had a smidgen of the paranormal. Although I felt as if the story tied up
everything neatly I would like to see more of these characters in future books.
Cusp of Night is for anyone who likes a good mystery with a
hint of the paranormal on the side.
Mae Clair opened a Pandora’s
Box of characters when she was a child and never looked back. Her
father, an artist who tinkered with writing, encouraged her to create
make-believe worlds by spinning tales of far-off places on summer
nights beneath the stars.
Mae loves creating character-driven
fiction in settings that vary from contemporary to mythical. Wherever
her pen takes her, she flavors her stories with conflict, romance and
elements of mystery. Married to her high school sweetheart, she lives
in Pennsylvania and is passionate about writing, old photographs, a
good Maine lobster tail and cats.
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2 comments:
Thank you for the wonderful review of Cusp of Night and for hosting me today. I appreciate it and am so glad you enjoyed the novel!
Love the cover and concept.
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