The Haunted

The Haunted
published by Prestige Books
Copyright 1972

HOUSE
OF
LIES

Something was terribly wrong. Jennifer Stone's
brother, in Vietnam, hadn't heard from his wife
Marcy for six months, and Jennifer had to find out
why. But she had hardly arrived at the
Barnsted farm, where Marcy was staying, when
Uncle Horace Barnsted tried to drive her away.
Even Aunt Elna Barnsted, who welcomed Jennifer's
presence, hardly seemed trustworthy, and handsome
young Lyman Parks, friendly enough at first
suddenly turned hostile. As for Marcy, she had
changed shockingly - a mental breakdown had
turned the once - beautiful girl into a frightened
child, incapable of speaking her secret.
There were explanations, of course - Elna had
explanations for everything - but somehow they
just didn't ring true. Jennifer had never before
known such an atmosphere of falsehood and deceit,
of lives with secrets desperately concealed. And
slowly in dawned on her that the Barnsteds no
longer wanted her to leave the farm. In fact, if they
had their way, she would never leave.
Not alive, that is ...

Looks to me like Jennifer Stone is just trying to get Lyme disease. We can only hope that Lyman Parks, as well as being both young and handsome also has an ample supply of matches.

I think maybe Jennifer is just being a little too suspicious. I'm two generations removed from hill-folks and farmers and I'd like to know one person who has ever visited the family farm who DIDN'T feel that being asked to string beans wasn't just an attempt to run them off.

And their is ALWAYS a simpleton. Always. Marcy is just theirs. Doug is ours. Or, as my Grandmother has called him for all the years I can remember, Poor Dumb Doug.

A Visit After Dark

A Visit After Dark by Daoma Winston

published by Ace Books
Copyright 1975

Her Name
Her Face
Her Husband

Recovered from a breakdown, Mary Tanner Layton
was returning eagerly to her marriage that had scarcely
begun. The confusion was gone; she and Peter would
pick up the pieces...

But Peter was living with his wife-a woman who looked
like Mary. A woman who was Mary Tanner Layton!
And only the terrified girl barely hanging on to her
sanity said she was not.

Who was this woman with her face and her name? Why
was Peter making her life a nightmare from which
nobody would let her wake up-a nightmare he'd go to
any lengths to make permanent?

Assignment: You'll notice that the whole breakdown thing seems to be a bit of a trend in goth romance books. Apparently the "weaker" sex has less of a grasp on their own identities. So please put on a good pair of shoes and start running. You may not have a good grasp on your sanity but you can at least be a decent athlete.