It was very well done and so refreshing to see a main character, a full, well-rounded, character doing all these plot-oriented things, who just happens to also be gay. Sure, some of the characters have time period views, but those views don’t permeate the story. Let me say that one of the main characters is homosexual, and it is no big deal. The tale also has a simple romance on the side. The lengthy build up is worth the mystery as we gain further knowledge via the Fall River doctor and his strange encounters with the afflicted. This is where tiny tendrils of Lovecraftian horror start to entangle themselves into the plot. As we delve deeper into the story, we become more aware of the connection to the ocean and the madness – the great need for the water, the avoidance of bright light, the heavy desire to venture to the seashore. She doesn’t understand the evil madness but she vows to end it. Lizzie, having to take a more practical stand, has muscles gained from the need to swing an axe (for wood or defense), carry her disabled sister from room to room when she is ill, and the general running of a manor house. Emma, a renowned biologist (although she has to use a male pen name in this time period of late 1800s), studies the progression of the madness and ultimately the creatures themselves. With each letter, each journal entry, we got another small glimpse that something wasn’t quite right.

The story is told through a series of journal entries and personal letters, giving the narration a very personal note. The tale opens slowly as one becomes acquainted with Lizzie and Emma. Indeed, I felt it shared a kinship with Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein and Bram Stoker’s Dracula. This tale was rich in character development and suspense. While their parents may have been the first to succumb to a madness that originates from the depths of the sea, they are not the last. Hence, Emma and Lizzie moved to a manor house, Maplecroft, on the outskirts of town. Despite the trial and a verdict of innocent, Lizzie is still treated with suspicion by the townsfolk. A few years back, they went through trying times when their parents died in an unexpected and rather gruesome manner. Lizzie Borden and her older, disabled sister Emma live in Fall River, Massachusetts. It came from the deep, finding humans easily manipulated. If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be? By the way, GoodReads says the two readers are Roger Wayne and Meredith Mitchell. They imbued the storyline with emotions, wonder, anger, pride, lust, sisterly love, etc.

What does Johanna Parker and Roger Wayne bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book? Lizzie - she has this practical side, complete loyalty, and that axe. I think it will become a yearly treat for the Halloween season.

Would you listen to Maplecroft again? Why? The lengthy build up is worth the mystery.

Cherie priest the toll