On the run from an abusive relationship, Alice with ten-year-old Oren stops in Delphi, New York. She phones a hotline to ask for help, which comes in the form of a middle-aged social worker called Mattie. Instead of dropping them off at a local shelter, Mattie defies protocol and takes them home for the night. She is filled with a desire to help Alice and Oren, but when she realizes that Alice isn’t who she pretends to be, Mattie is faced with a difficult decision. Should she contact the authorities and let them take over? But does Mattie really know the whole story about Alice’s past, and is she telling the truth about her own? The Night Visitors by Carol Goodman takes a look at the complexity of human nature and challenges the notion of life after death.
Carol Goodman has written an enigmatic psychological thriller that will take you on an exciting, but terrifying ride. The language is beautifully simple, but descriptive enough for me to feel as though I were in some of the scenes – Google-Earthed right into the pages, if you like! There is nothing I didn’t enjoy in this fast-paced, cleverly-crafted plot. Oren and Mattie are engaging characters who are difficult to say goodbye to, and Alice – although a more difficult character to become attached to – is admirable in her altruism and desire to do right by Oren despite her own difficulties. If you enjoy psychological thrillers with a touch of mystery, The Night Visitors must be your next read.
Review originally written for and published by Readers’ Favorite.
