The Walker in Shadows - Keeper Shelf Review

Goodreads:  The Walker in Shadows by Barbara Michaels

Rating:  Really Liked It!
Source:   Purchased

Description:  The house next door to Pat Robbins—eerily identical to the home Pat shares with her college-aged son, Mark—has been empty for years, the darkness within seeming to warn all to stay away. Now new tenants are moving in: affable Josef Friedrichs and his lovely daughter, Kathy, who has stolen Mark's heart on first glance. But something is not right—something old and secret lurking in the shadows that fresh paint and new furnishings cannot mask or exorcise. There is evil alive in the heart of the house next door—and it means to feed on the fears of two families . . . and drag Kathy Friedrichs with it into peril.

Genre: Mystery - Romantic Suspense


My Impression:  Oh this was such a fun read!  There's history and mystery and secrets and ghosts and haunted houses all rolled into one fast paced story.  This is the kind of book that reminds me just why I enjoy Barbara Michaels' books so much.  Her writing style pulls you in and she is able to pull in the Gothic atmosphere without taking it over the top.  The age of the book definitely shows but for the most part in the most delightful of ways.  There's a lack of technology and at one point while the characters are researching they actually go to the historical society and page through actual books and if I remember correctly microfilm is even involved.  

I love Pat and Mark and their mother/son relationship.  They're very close but there are some complicated moments as there are in any parent/child relationship. I also really liked Kathy.  She's got a bit of baggage and at the beginning seems kind of low personality but she is intelligent and gets better about sticking to her opinions.  Pat is practical and good natured and a great main character.  The main thing that keeps this book from being a total winner for me is Josef.  By himself or with Pat or Kathy he's fine if a bit uptight and bossy but the way he treats Mark makes me cringe.  It does get better as the book goes on but never quite enough to make up for the disdain he shows periodically throughout the bulk of the book.

This is the kind of book that cements Barbara Michaels as one of my favorite authors list.  It's a fun read with some solid history mixed in that doesn't feel like a history lesson.  Plus, I can never resist a ghost!  

Would I Read More of this Series/Author?  Of course!  Michaels is one of my favorite authors and I love rereading her books.

Would I Recommend this Book?   If you enjoy a Gothic style mystery with ghosts and some historical research this is a must read!