Elena Santangelo

Pat Montella, living a dreary life as a single cubicle worker in New Jersey (or is it Pennsylvania? it's dreary, anyway), receives a mysterious invitation to an old house in Virginia which may someday be hers. She enjoys meeting the house's owner, an elderly lady who wants to leave the house and grounds to Pat in her will. Some of the neighbors are not so friendly, and developers are eager to get her to promise in advance to sell the land to them. And, Pat begins having some very strange feelings -- visions? hallucinations? -- as if she is back in Civil War days on this same land. The reasons for all this eventually become clear and there is a thrilling climax. This book reminded me of some of Barbara Michaels' work, which is high praise indeed. I'm glad there are more books in this series. Recommended for those who like history, genealogy, and, while it's not strictly time travel, it's good for time travel aficionados as well.… (plus d'informations)

Sara and Gen aren't getting along too well as the twin sisters aren't identical in their preferences. The last thing Sara wanted to do was spend the weekend working in their yard. Gen did and thought that planting vegetables and getting the mess cleared up was the way to do things. There is tension between the Ziegler two sisters and they don't seem to be the only ones feeling stress in the neighborhood.

Right behind their house is the Allen's place. Apparently the newlyweds who recently moved in are having quite the argument. Words can't be understood, but, clearly there is a heated argument underway. It seems like a normal domestic squabble until “a horrifying scream ripped through the air.” The neighborhood goes silent, police eventually arrive, and then the real mystery begins.

Originally Published in Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine in the 1995 December issue, the story features interesting characters, a mystery with a couple of twists, and plenty of suspense. Also included is chapter one of Two-Faced which is a novel featuring the two sisters.

Ring Of Truth: A Len and Sarah Short Story
Elena Santangelo
http://www.elenasantangelo.com
Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine (December 15, 1995)
ASIN: B0042P553Q
E-Book (Print Length-- 13 pages)
$0.99

Material was picked up during the author’s free read promotion for use in an objective review.

Kevin R. Tipple ©2013… (plus d'informations)

This is the third in a series featuring Pat Montella, a woman from a large Italian family from Philadelphia who moved to Virginia to inherit an old estate, since she is the only remaining member of an old Confederate family. It is in Virginia that she first encounters both history and ghosts.

It is Christmas Eve when our plucky Nancy Drew-like heroine travels to Williamsburg to meet her boyfriend's family for the first time and to spend a few days in one of the colonial houses that were part of the original dwellings present at the time of the Revolutionary War.

As soon as Pat enters the house, she begins getting strange sensations, which she tries to ignore, but this isn't like any haunting she had ever experienced before. Her prior spook sessions had never been frightening; at least she hadn't feared for her personal safety.

The narrative comes from two first-person characters, as the story skids to 1783, then back to the present. One of these is Pat and the other is Ben, a somewhat mysterious man who was in the war and is now making his way in Williamsburg, taking what work he can, as well as entertaining many with his excellent fiddle.

As in Santangelo's previous stories, Pat acts like a conduit from the past to the future. But she is also astute enough to help solve murders that happen around her and she solves past mysterious happening as well.

The background of the story was very entertaining as well, because Pat experiences in her own life certain traditions and customs of the past. Her hostess is an expert at historic recreations, such as the typical festive meals that would have been identical in the hard days of the new republic.

There is a fine balance between the two story lines of the past and the present, and one reason for this is that methods of murder don't seem to change much over the centuries, except that the actual implements have improved over time.

… (plus d'informations)