A House Divided

This book had it all, humor, mystery, suspense, and plenty of creepy events to please everyone. Matt Daigle buys a house and turns it into a cafe where the locals flock to eat home-cooked meals. He and his young son, Seth, live on the second floor of the cafe. Laura and Tawana purchase a house, 2 houses down from the cafe and turn it into a beauty shop. They both live on the second floor, along with Tawana's special-needs cousin, Angelica, whom they call Moweez. Moweez doesn't speak much and when she does, it's short simple words, but she has a special gift of "sight" and a talent for drawing what she "sees", and what she sees always comes true. When horrifying events start taking place in these two houses, Matt, Laura and Tawana discover that the two houses have a history together, a horrible, frightenly violent history. They will have to fight for their very lives and depend on Moweez to draw their future. I can't say enough about this book. One page would have me laughing and the next put goose bumps on my arms and caused my heart to beat a little faster. If you love ghost stories that leave you on the edge of your seat, then this is the book for you.

This is a very scary book. Well written and entertaining. LeBlanc does an even better job with her 3rd novel. Be sure to catch her other books.

This is my first Deborah Leblanc book, and I'm ready to read another of hers. I think I'll try Grave Intent next. Like her way of telling a story. She starts out each chapter with a hook and then ends each chapter with the same. She keeps the reader wanting more . . . wanting to turn the page to see what happens next. I thoroughly enjoyed this read. I highly recommend it to anyone who wants an easy read that is full of interesting layers.

Having spent a fair amount of time in Louisiana over the years I've come to appreciate the moodiness and mystery that always seems to hang in the air. Few writers have been able to successfully capture that atmosphere, that feeling that the supernatural is just behind you ready to reach out with a bony finger and tap you on the shoulder. Then I discovered the novels of Deborah LaBlanc, who is a native of those parts and brings a rich and personal understanding to her writing. Her latest novel, A HOUSE DIVIDED, is a fascinating and layered ghost story that easily manages to chill the blood and at the same time compel the reader to turn the next page. This is a marvelous book and I highly recommend it for anyone who wants to see the haunted house paradigm redefined and reenergized.

Deborah LeBlanc's latest novel tells a very different and unique story. We get two haunted house stories for the price of one. I'm sure you've read the synopsis if you've read this far, so I'll spare you the paraphrasing and get to dessert. One of the most striking elements of Deborah LeBlanc's books is the way in which the people are drawn out realistically. These things are happening to very believable and very down to earth characters. They aren't super-humans who have super-powers - just their own instincts to guide them. There's always something really interesting to uncover in her books. In this one, those of us not from the South get to learn how Mardis Gras is celebrated away from Bourbon Street. Very different and very interesting. The side-effect, though, is that you will often need to take a break to snack - the food is quite tempting to read about. Another aspect I really enjoy about her books is that they have a sense of care and craftmanship to the writing not normal these days. Her closest comrades might be Tennessee Williams or Flanery O'Connor meets Agatha Christie. In fact, "A House Divided" ran through my mind like a play, which was wild. Although there are many supernatural elements and some really upsetting characters, there's a hopeful spirituality that pops up just when you need it. That hope is refreshing and, for some reason, makes "A House Divided" come off as a very personal story from Deborah LeBlanc. I was surprised at how different this story ended up being. I also think that this is her most widely accessable book yet - I read this in two quick days. It usually takes me much, much longer to read a book. If you enjoy a good ghost story set within modern America, then read this.