''Midnight Voices'' is a thriller

horror novel Horror is a genre of fiction which is intended to frighten, scare, or disgust. Horror is often divided into the sub-genres of psychological horror and supernatural horror, which is in the realm of speculative fiction. Literary historian J. ...

John Saul John Saul (born February 25, 1942) is an American author of suspense and horror novels. Most of his books have appeared on the ''New York Times'' Best Seller List. . Biography Born in Pasadena, Saul grew up in Whittier, California, and grad ...

, published by

Ballantine Books Ballantine Books is a major book publisher located in the United States, founded in 1952 by Ian Ballantine with his wife, Betty Ballantine. It was acquired by Random House in 1973, which in turn was acquired by Bertelsmann in 1998 and remains ...

on May 28, 2002. The novel follows the story of Caroline Evans, who moves with her new husband and children into a new building, which they begin to believe is haunted.

Plot

Caroline Evans was left traumatized by the death of her husband. Now alone with her two children, she worries how they will make ends meet. However, she is soon swept off her feet by Anthony Fleming, who embraces her and her children. Soon they all move into a building named ''The Rockwell'', which becomes more bizarre by the minute. First, Caroline's daughter begins to have recurring nightmares that strangers enter her room at night. Then her son tries to inform everyone that a neighbor's recently deceased son is not dead at all, and being held captive somewhere in the building. And when Caroline discovers a shocking secret about Anthony's past, it seems that she too is falling victim to the creeping paranoia affecting her family.

Critical reception

Critical reception to ''Midnight Voices'' was positive, with

Booklist ''Booklist'' is a publication of the American Library Association that provides critical reviews of books and audiovisual materials for all ages. ''Booklist''s primary audience consists of libraries, educators, and booksellers. The magazine is av ...

calling it "deeply creepy".

Kirkus Reviews ''Kirkus Reviews'' (or ''Kirkus Media'') is an American book review magazine founded in 1933 by Virginia Kirkus (1893–1980). The magazine is headquartered in New York City. ''Kirkus Reviews'' confers the annual Kirkus Prize to authors of fic ...

called ''Midnight Voices'' a "Rosemary’s Remake, with a richly entertaining demonic payoff". AudioFile praised the audiobook's narration by Lee Meriwether, saying that he "creates the tense atmosphere of the Rockwell and produces believable voices for the building's creepy inhabitants".

Publishers Weekly ''Publishers Weekly'' (''PW'') is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers, and literary agents. Published continuously since 1872, it has carried the tagline, "The International News Magazine of B ...

gave a mixed review, saying that "Readers who appreciate Saul's homage to undead fiction will probably see the plot twists coming, but die-hard devotees should enjoy the chilling, sometimes gruesome goings-on at the Rockwell nonetheless."Fiction review: Midnight Voices
Publishers Weekly. Retrieved 29 February 2012.

References

{{Reflist 2002 American novels Ballantine Books books