The Night Strangers

When an airline pilot who has survived a crash moves into a Victorian house in a New Hampshire town along with his wife and twin daughters, a group of mysterious neighbors--overly enthusiastic about herbal tinctures and vegan baked goods--becomes frequent guests. The result is a surprise recipe for a contemporary gothic. Alison Fraser and Mark Bramhall alternate the narration as the book shifts its points of view from that of the haunted (literally) pilot (Bramhall) and those of his wife and children (Fraser). Fraser's innocent-sounding voice captures the fright of the children and their mom, and Bramhall's understated, languid pace reveals the troubled delusions of the pilot. F.T. (c) AudioFile 2011, Portland, Maine

August 15, 2011
Bestseller Bohjalian’s latest novel (after Secrets of Eden) is a gripping paranormal thriller set in a remote New England town. Airline pilot Chip Linton is beset by survivor’s guilt after crashing his plane upon takeoff, killing all but nine aboard. His family moves to Bethel, N.H., to escape the media glare while Chip recovers from PTSD, but they soon discover that the sleepy village harbors evil things. Their new home, once the site of a young boy’s suicide, contains mysterious passageways, hidden weapons, and a secret crypt. And their neighbors, New Age gardeners and homeopaths, soon reveal themselves to be occultists with designs on the Lintons’ twins. Chip begins receiving visits from his dead passengers, including an eight-year-old and her bloodthirsty father, who demands Chip find her a friend—at any cost. Meticulous research and keen attention to detail give depth and character to Bohjalian’s eerie world, but the spookiness consistently gives way to silliness, and the Lintons’ typical response to the strange goings on, an uneasy mix of suspicion and credulity, is a problem. Still, Bohjalian is a master,, and the slow-mounting dread makes this a frightful ride.