Maury’s life changes the day he tangles with the Corbetts. Refusing to permit one of the youngest ones to shoplift a hammer, he incurs the wrath of the entire clan. First, his dog disappears and then the town mutely watches and wonders when Maury himself disappears. Stoically, they board up his store and wait; it is well known, that those who cause the Corbetts’ trouble do not survive. And to make matters worse, a new Corbett has shown up from the Midwest.

At the same time in another city, Ellen Wilder's life is about to converge with the inhabitants of Wilshire. Ellen buys the defunct town newspaper. Her first big story is the death of James Corbett, the scion of the family. The Sheriff is all too willing to bury Corbett and forget about it. But State Police homicide detective, Mike Chandler, is certain ending one's life impaled upon a pitchfork is not a normal type of accident.

Chandler, having escaped a near death experience has become prescient, and his “feelings" coupled with the irrational fears that Ellen starts experiencing alert the reader that something supernatural is occurring. This is all interwoven with a series of new murders. The author does a good job of understanding fear in a small town when citizens are confronted with evil beyond their understanding and ability.

The plot is macabre. But while it is bizarre, it is also predictable. The characters are curiously flat for all the fleshing out the author tries to do. Often the dialogue is pedantic, and the tension that is maintained is done so from a distance. The author also relies too heavily on the technique of slyly telling the reader what to feel.

Readers who have a great love of the supernatural or a great compassion for those suffering from irrational fears will find much to admire in the way the author capitalizes on both elements. Unfortunately, that technique can also elicit the criticism that there is too much contrived action, with an unsurprising ending.

--Thea Davis