Black Creek Crossing

I have lost count of the Saul books I have read over the last three decades. Most are good and a few are a slightly undercooked. But one thing you can always expect from Saul is that he is going to toss a tether to the reader that he is sure they will break. I would put Black Creek Crossing somewhere in the upper middle for him. As with all his work he leaves a message. With this one that message is clear....Bullying. Black Creek Crossing is very well written and has all the elements (minus the bloated mess of a King Novel.) Two kids, abused, bullied and too smart for their own good find their own way of dealing with things. Toss in some witchcraft and you have a spooky little novel. The ending was shocking to say the least and should show more bring out a gasp from the most jaded of Horror/Suspense readers. If there is a hell specifically for teenagers then John Saul is the ferryman waiting to take them across the river. Sounds Harsh...but he is one of the only writers I can think of who has no problem taking children apart in his work. In context though, some may find it harsh...and yes it is. His stories work and he pens these scenes as a loud necessary evil. Rest assured that his protagonist are not going to waltz off into the sunset with a Golden Retriever ALA..Dean Koontz. show less

Angel Sullivan has always been the outcast, suffering the taunts of cruel schoolmates and the wild fits of an alcoholic father. Things for Angel's family have hit rock bottom until a call from her aunt has them moving to a new town and making a fresh start. In the town of Roundtree, Massachusetts a beautiful home awaits, a home that is selling at a steal of a price, there is only one problem...the house at Black Creek Crossing holds a murderous secret.

"Black Creek Crossing" is a chilling page-turner that begs to be read in one sitting. From the shocking opening to the explosive climax the plot speeds along with unstoppable force. Vivid gothic descriptions and likable characters combined with creepy scares will hold readers breathless show more until the final page has been turned. show less

This is definitely a page-turner. It's fast-paced and once the action gets going it never really stops. The plot is very interwoven with the mystery of the haunted house in question, despite the fact that everything that happens is within modern times. The two main characters, Seth and Angel, are very relatable and very sympathetic. I think anyone who grew up bullied at school, or anyone who didn't have a great home life growing up, can probably relate to it. You don't have to have experienced both, necessarily. In fact, I think anyone except perhaps bullies would enjoy this book. But who knows, maybe even they would like it.

Personally, I found the character of Angel Sullivan to be especially easy to relate to. I could easily go back in show more time and put myself in her shoes as an unpopular girl who isn't quite sure why nobody likes her and everyone seems to enjoy picking on her, who wants to do her best and is hoping that a move and a new town with a new school will provide her an opportunity to turn things around for herself and start fresh. Instead of being frustrating, her naivete is sympathetic and it's very easy to feel for her. While I don't usually find it difficult to relate to main characters (only sometimes), I've only ever related so well to one once before and that was when I was a kid in high school reading Carrie by Stephen King for the first time. This book is nothing like that book, and I'm 31 now as I read this one, opposed to being a teen when I read about Carrie White (who Angel has quite a bit in common with but is absolutely not a carbon copy of in any way).

And while I think guys reading this book could still relate quite easily to Angel and her situation, there is a character for them in Seth Baker as well that I think many guys would find a lot in common with as a character.

This book is very well written and despite being written by a man, I found the characterization of the girls and women, especially Angel Sullivan herself, to be very spot on for the type of person that she was supposed to be with the type of social and home life that she has. Very well done. This author has found a way to step into the shoes of his characters, regardless of their gender and the differences of their experiences that their gender may cause, and write them competently and relatably.

The plot itself and the mystery involved is very engrossing, and the way that he writes about the witchcraft is also something that I really do enjoy. It doesn't seem inherently evil in itself, and I don't think it is. Most of it is just either protective or about healing. It's what you do with it that really counts, and that's quite close to how actual practitioners today describe magic and the usage of it. So I feel like this writer likely did some research into this sort of thing rather than just going entirely with what Hollywood likes to sell. I'm not saying he didn't take his own liberties, but I do see where things were different from a lot of other books I've read where teenagers discover witchcraft.

There are many parts in this book that are tense, and there were a few scenes in which I found myself crying rather blatantly to the point that I had to put the book down for a moment so that I could dry my tears and blow my nose and get myself together again. I think most people will know what I'm talking about when they get there.

Now, without giving any actual spoilers, I want to just say that I was NOT expecting that ending at all and while I am disappointed with the ending (you'll see why when you get there, I think) that isn't say that it doesn't make sense or isn't right for the book. I would have docked at least one star, perhaps more, if I thought the ending were lacking or that it made no sense for the book or the plot. It absolutely works, even if it isn't what I was expecting.

The epilogue brings the entire story and the events themselves which began even before the story started, full circle in such a way that I think was very intriguing and absolutely right for this book and the story that was told. And, if the one other book that I've ready by this author is any indication, it makes perfect sense for a book written by him as well.

I definitely recommend this book to anyone who likes to read about magic, haunted houses, and revenge. show less

Angel moves to the town of Roundtree with her parents. Not sorry to leave her old town Angel is looking forward to starting a fresh. She befriends Seth who like Angel hasn't many friends. Roundtree is a small town with it's own superstitions about Witchcraft.

I wanted to read something supernatural so I thought I'd pick this book up. The story wasn't as creepy as what I thought it would be but I enjoyed the story.

Angel and Seth are both bullied in different ways. The theme of bullying does continue all through the book. The story is a supernatural one includes Witchcraft which I always enjoy.

The story is a slow burner and it doesn't really pick up pace. It did hold my interest as I enjoy books about Witches and small towns. There are a show more lot of irritating characters in this story and that held my interest alone just to see what was going to happen to them.

Overall I enjoyed the story albeit a little slow. I like part of the ending and to say would spoil. I would read John Saul again if I were in the mood for an old school horror book. show less

This was a creepy and spooky read!

I read this book a long time ago but didn't remember too much about it except that it had a very spooky vibe to it, so I decided it was time to do a reread of it.



A small backstory:

The house at Black Creek Crossing is known around the town of Roundtree to have been the home of witches back in the days of old and lots of supernatural rituals were performed in the house. The Sullivan family are able to get the house at a cheap price not really understanding why it is so cheap. Angel Sullivan (the daughter) ends up meeting and hanging out with a boy from the school (Seth Baker) as she gets use to living out in the country.

Both teens are constantly bullied at school along with having problems at home with show more their parents so they both spend more time together away from everyone. When they come across something hidden in Angel's home is when things take a turn for the worse. What they find and what they end up doing with it, changes the whole theme of the book as when they both get fed up with how they are being treated at home and at school is when the crap hits the fan as now they are able to do things that they never thought possible!

What do the teens find? What kind of trouble do they stir up? No spoilers here as you will need to read the book!

Thoughts:

This was a classic revenge type haunting and author, John Saul is always able to grab the reader from the beginning of a book and keep them entranced throughout the whole story. As always with his stories, he is able to draw the reader in and then slowly work his magic on weaving the story around you as he takes you down into the dark recesses of his mind. There were some twists at the end of the book which kept me turning the pages faster!

I am happy that I reread this story as it brought back all the creepy feelings I use to get when I use to read his books years ago. Giving this one five "heebie jeebie" stars! show less

The prospect of moving into an old house where a horrible murder occurred is very appealing to a young girl named Angel, for no other reason than to get away from the bullies who are tormenting her where she lives new. Sadly she discovers that the cruelty of humans unrefined by age and experience is inescapable no matter where you move to. She luckily finds a sympathetic friend in a young man named Seth who shares her predicament, and together they explore the history of the house she lives in to discover its dark past involving witchcraft and murder.

Unfortunately, not a bit of any of it is remotely scary. The attempts to create a creepy atmosphere never really succeed for me, the only tension I found in the novel is when the show more characters must confront their bullies, or when the reader is forced to experience the story from the point-of-view of one of the insufferably stupid men in the novel. I wish I could say the women were better, but they were equally unappealing in their appalling tolerance for their insufferably stupid husbands.

Blah. That's what I have to say about Black Creek Crossing. It's readable I guess, but I don't like what Saul has to say about beauty (you just have to lose 15 pounds and wear make-up) and I don't like how the nerdy kid who gets picked on by the sports star gets back at his bullies by beating them in a sports game. If he was trying to speak out against bullying in favor of accepting a person's individuality, he was about as successful as he was at creating a creepy atmosphere. I'm being generous and giving it a 3-star rating, however, because it just wasn't bad enough to deserve less. show less

A haunted house story, without any sort of a happy ending. Saul develops the fear more by describing a scary environment or situation than by describing the emotions themselves, like King. However, this story is also set in a small New England town.

The house is haunted the the ghosts a father who molested his teen-aged daughter, and the daughter who used black magic to stop him. The father burned his daughter, and his wife, as witches. Two teens find the daughters book of recipes. After a night of Reckoning, where violence is turned back on its source, the two families with abusive fathers and mothers in denial are annihilated and a school bully has cut his own throat. The two teens then hang themselves. But the house is still calling show more victims to it, and new tenants arrive. The two teens have now joined the ghosts haunting the house. show less