The Night Visitors by Carol Goodman (Review by Lara Ferguson)
How does where you came from effect who you are? In The Night Visitors, Carol Goodman begins with what seems to be a comfortable, predictable story. Mom and boy on run from a bad partner, call hotline, find a nice old lady to help them get away. Then something changes, the story becomes less predictable. There are secrets, suspicions, questions… The tale pulls you in, encouraging you to get to know the characters who each have their own motivations and histories. Goodman manages to make each character likable and unlikeable, just like the real people in our lives. Everyone has a secret, everyone has a story, everyone has an angle.
As in real life, each character is a product of their path and as the author slowly reveals pieces of each, the reader is allowed to see a larger picture and understand how Alice, Oren, and Mattie have come to be where they are.
This book combines thriller, mystery, and drama with a touch of the supernatural in a perfect storm of intrigue. As you read, there are surprises around every page turn, and you never quite know who is really the good guy. I didn’t want to put it down…truly a book that made me say, “Hmmm.”