The latest tale from Heather Graham, an author with an
admirable backlist, is set in a haunted historic house in
Philadelphia. THE UNINVITED focuses on the Tarleton-
Dandridge House, owned by a not-for-profit organization and
supervised by docents who lead groups and introduce them to
the features and past owners.
Allison Leigh, one of the docents, is leading a group which
includes a boy who claims he gets
scary feelings from a portrait of 'The Beast' Bradley. He
also appears to know far too much about past deaths on the
property, such as a student playing a prank and a staff
member's heart attack. A young man is unexpectedly found
dead in a macabre fashion and Allison dwells on the
situation. A ghost-hunter called Agent Montague comes along
to try to communicate with the spirits present, including a
ghost horse and ghost hound. Allison however has her own
pet ghost who communicates with her. When other strange and
potentially deadly accidents occur, it is easy to see that
there is a sinister hand behind the whole business.
Fans of Heather Graham, or inhabitants of Philadelphia, will
probably get much out of this story. The touching care that
Allison's spectral friend has for her brings a cheerful
flavor. I found the story a little heavy on details about
the house and did not find the haunting situations
particularly frightening.
A Philadelphia mansion plays host to uninvited death
1777: In the throes of the Revolutionary War, Landon Mansion
is commandeered by British Lord "Butcher" Bedford. He stabs
Lucy Tarleton-who spurned his king and his love-leaving her
to die in her father's arms.
Now: After the day's final tour, docent Allison Leigh makes
her rounds while locking up...and finds a colleague slumped
over Bedford's desk, impaled on his own replica bayonet.
Resident ghosts may be the stock-in-trade of stately
Philadelphia homes, but Allison-a noted historian-is
indignant at the prospect of "ghost hunters" investigating
this apparent murder.
Agent Tyler Montague knows his hauntings and his history.
But while Allison is skeptical of the newcomer, a second
mysterious murder occurs. Has "Butcher" Bedford resurfaced?
Or is there another malevolent force at work in Landon
Mansion? Wary, yet deeply attracted, Allison has to trust in
Tyler and work with him to discover just what uninvited
guest-dead or alive-has taken over the house. Or their lives
could become history!
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