Guardian

GUARDIAN was the first novel by John Saul that I read. I don't remember who recommended this author to me, but I'm very grateful for that advice, even though it cost me a few nights of sleep! GUARDIAN is the story of Mary Anne Carpenter who moves to Idaho with her two children to become the guardian of her teenage godson who has recently become orphaned (hence the book title). The people in the small town where they now reside don't seem to like her godson, while Mary Anne is trying to understand why they have an aversion to him, she learns about a series of brutal murders in the nearby area. Could they all be connected? Picturesque Idaho is the backdrop and a teenager that has just lost his parents is one of the main characters, what's so scary about that? You'd think moving to a ranch in Idaho is a dream come true, even if the circumstances are not perfect in the beginning, but this is far from the ideal situation. Believe me, this is one of the most frightening books I've ever read. It wasn't scary so much for the content and the exact story line, but my imagination went into over-drive because of this book. "What if" became the beginning to many of my ideas and I didn't sleep well for several nights because the premise of this "villain" was so diabolical and present in all of our lives. Could this work of fiction actually come true, not exactly as written, but in an offshoot? You bet it could and that fact is what scared me the most. I've recommended this book to several friends, all of whom have loved it. Those who never read anything written by John Saul also became avid fans. If you don't mind losing a few nights sleep (first by wanting to finish the book, then because of nightmares) and if you want to be intrigued from the first page until the last, then this is the book for you.

I got this book because I went into a bookshop and i had 5 minutes to pick a book i knew it was gonna be john saul cos i'd read another one of his 'when the wind blows' so i grabbed the first book i could see of his & hey presto. It is a great book with a fabulous ending i find that his books aren't sci-fi horror but they are truly scary. He wrote this book so well you could just imagine every last detail and the characters are so deep you can imagining being them, knowing their inner-most secrets

This is the second book I've read of John Saul's works and so far he is right on target. This book kept me interested the entire way through, no weak spots or slow areas. A real thriller. I challenge anyone to read this and have a problem with it, and I consider myself a picky reader. The ending was good, a possible sequel? However, the ending, I felt, was fairly predictable although adequate. This guy knows how to weave a story and keep you glued to your chair.

I have been a Saul fan for many years, but nothing prepared me for what I was a bout to sit down and read. Saul weaves a tapestry of suspense and evil in his thriller and it will have you gripping the pages until the last page has been turned. The entire time I was reading Gaurdian, I had to know who or what the killer was and many hours of sleep were lost finding out. Now the answer waits for Saul's next weary traveler to find out for themself. A note of caution: Take vacation time, call your friends and tell them you will be unable to reach, and take the phone off the hook...oh yeah, leave only one light on and enjoy Gaurdian to its horrifying end.

This book was great, and it might take me awhile to get over it. I actually CRIED!(never done that before). I love the way Saul created monsters you could actually feel sorry for. The action near the end of the book was so gut wrenching and intense I practically speed-read from one page to the next to see what happens. I also love the ending, maybe Saul had a sequel in mind??