Formerly The Patience of a Dead Man trilogy
Newly remastered, re-edited, reworked, unabridged, and released as one volume
Perfect for new readers, and old fans will love the new content.
After a bitter and costly divorce, construction handyman Tim Russell buys a farmhouse in the country. Aiming to renovate and re-sell, Tim’s plans take a turn when he discovers the house is haunted by a fractured family whose ancient problems outweigh his own.
Tim sees a soaking-wet ghost boy and his mother, who is often seen chasing him around the house and property. Someone leaves Tim clues and burning candles, but who? Footsteps and wailing can happen anytime and anywhere. Tim, it seems, has been invited to the chaos.
Pressed into duty, Tim soon realizes he’s made a mistake. He’s been tricked and has started a war with a scorned dead woman, a woman whose middle name is Vengeance. Leaving is not an option.
Michael Clark is the author of Hell on High and The Patience of a Dead Man trilogy. He lives in Massachusetts with his wife, Josi, and dog, Bubba, and takes long walks in the woods daily, thinking of new ways to scare you.
My thoughts: I don’t believe in ghosts, never have but my mum reckons that when we moved into my childhood home (I was 6) she felt a distinct presence, that of the old lady who’d previously lived there, and it was only after she decided we were going to look after her house, after my mum reassured her (yes, out loud) that we would take care of it, that she left.
However, Mildred Wells is something altogether less friendly than this presence my mum felt. Instead she, and her family, are deeply unwelcoming. They act out a series of scenes from their lives on the farm that terrify Tim and his girlfriend Holly.
Mildred is angry, violent and driven by a deep seated rage. According to the local stories she killed her son and herself after her husband Thomas died during training for the American Civil War.
Both Thomas and son Elmer appear to Tim too, they seem to be seeking a resolution to their time trapped on Earth, and through the diaries the last home owner left, Holly maps out the events that the trio seem doomed to repeat.
Divided into three sections, first Tim and Holly’s experiences, then Mildred’s story, before returning to Tim and Holly, as they, and Mildred, try to find an end to this cycle of horror, this is a well researched and well written book. It’s gripping and chilling, Mildred’s rage is something else. But when you read the middle section, you will understand her a bit better, the things she saw and went through growing up are pretty dire.
That final section, where she returns, but now just wants to be with her family, leading her to do something desperate but ultimately redeemable, is slightly different, she’s both more sympathetic but more monstrous at the same time.
Both Tim and Holly are changed by their experience at Mildred’s hands, and yet somehow, they haven’t been driven completely mad. The shocking things the returned Mildred does, the number of deaths she leaves in her wake is crazy, but all she truly wants is be done and at peace. If she communicated this better, a lot could be avoided!
Sinister and dark, this isn’t a book to read just before bed, especially if you leave near the woods!
*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in this blog tour, but all opinions remain my own.
ramblingmads 
Fab review!! I love this book – But Mildred *shudder* – thank you for closing the tour x
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