THE THIRTEENTH CHIME by Emma Michaels

The Thirteenth Chime
by Emma Michaels
pub: Aug 13/Bokheim Publishing

SUMMARY: 

No one knew of its existence until it was removed from the attic upstairs.

In a beautiful house that overlooks the sea, an antique clock ha ...more No one knew of its existence until it was removed from the attic upstairs.

In a beautiful house that overlooks the sea, an antique clock has the power to change the course of their lives.

The power the clock resonates will not only force Destiny and ex-boyfriend David on a journey into the depths of one man's mind long dead, but into the mind of a man filled with hatred and bent on revenge.

With the only clues to the nature of the clock having disappeared into the sea, Destiny and David must retrace the steps the man had taken into the darkness, before they fall prey to the trap he had set in motion over half a century ago.

Hatred never dies. 

REVIEW

Destiny meets up with friend Steph for a relaxing vacation by the sea. Unfortunately, on their first night Steph and Steph's mom, Leslie, get attacked. Instead of contacting her fiance, Scott, for help, Destiny call's her ex, David, who is always good at solving problems. The police think it's a normal break-in but Destiny knows otherwise.

She witnessed some sort of presence come out of an antique grandfather clock and assault the women. While she's worried she sounds crazy, David is open to the idea of this type of thing - not so much ghosts as the someone experiencing intense emotion and the body leaving behind residue that super-sensitive people can sense. 

Destiny and David set out to find out the history of the clock which leads them to uncover a strange and twisted mystery - one they must solve before others get hurt. 

Other than the beginning attack, the pacing starts slow but picks up as Destiny and David uncover more clues and the danger escalates. Destiny is a likable character - smart and determined although she has trouble defining her feelings for David making her a bit wishy-washy on the relationship front. 

David is a clever, brave fellow, with an overwhelming need to take care of others, and is clearly still in love with Destiny. They explore their feelings but there's more confusion than romance happening here. Theirs is more of a deep fondness/friendship.

With a splash of paranormal, this is foremost a mystery and it really kept me guessing. I wasn't sure which way things were going and the final explanations while they made sense, genuinely caught me by surprise which I loved!

In the end this becomes more David's story than Destiny's - he gets more of the action, adventure, danger and unraveling of the clues. That was fine by me because David was an appealing guy. I'll be interested how the sequels go since I see David and his story as the more interesting focus in the future. 

 In general, I thought the writing could have been tighter - fewer adjectives, more showing, less telling. Something else that bogged the story down for me was every piece of dialogue having a tag telling me who was talking. Especially when there are only two people in the room, I don't need every line of dialogue followed by 'he said,' 'she said,' etc. I can figure out who's talking.  Admittedly, I read an ARC so these issues could have been cleared up in final edits. 

THE COVER: LOVE it! While the font seems a bit cartoonish for the drama that unfolds, I adore the eye, the clock inside and the color - gorgeous!

BOTTOMLINE: Slow to start but through clever sleuthing (yeah, don't I sound like Nancy Drew)  builds to exciting suspense and thrills. More friendship than romance, a smidgen of paranormal - and David would tell you it was all explained by science anyway! - an original premise and a mystery full of twists and turns I didn't see coming! 

Emma Michaels was born and raised in Los Angeles, California, until she moved at eighteen to Washington State. Suddenly, the world was a new place filled with tall green trees that reached further for the sky with every moment, making her want to do the same. Ever since, she has tried to make her life something new and different from what it was before, pursuing her future career, setting high goals and reaching for them with every moment. With her Debut novel, The Thirteenth Chime being released August 13th 2010 and future releases planned Emma Michaels aspires to one day make it to the top ten of the New York Times Best Sellers List. With her fiancé at her side and her small white Chihuahua, Hope, she writes, reads, reviews and tries to live everyday to its fullest, whether in the pages of a good book or reaching out to others.

Emma Michaels on the Web:

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