THE VINES by Christopher Rice

Spring House, New Orleans: a plantation mansion of money and influence. But something sinister lurks beneath the glamour of the old estate, awoken by blood and looking for revenge...

 

After Caitlin Chaisson tries to take her own life in her mansion's cherished gazebo, it becomes apparent that Spring House's malevolent history won't stay hidden for long. By morning her husband has vanished without a trace and his mistress has gone mad. Nova, daughter to the groundskeeper, is determined to get to the bottom of the horrors. But she soon realises that the vengeance enacted by this sinister and otherworldly force comes at a terrible price. Some secrets are better left sleeping soundly . . .

 

  THE VINES is a creepy, addictive, supernatural read for fans of Stephen King, Anne Rice and Peter Straub

 

 

As soon as I saw the cover for this book and then read the blurb, I knew it was a story I wanted to read. Especially during the month of October. :)

 

Caitlin's birthday party is winding down when she finds her husband with another woman. As much as she wants to be strong and confront the bastard, all she can do in her state of shock is watch what's going on. Until she eventually runs from the horrible images of infidelity that start a succession of bizarre events in Spring House.

 

Unable to deal with what she's seen because of the self-loathing she's lived with all of her life, Caitlin runs to the gazebo armed with a shard of glass. There, she begins to cut herself in an attempt to take her own life. Instead, she awakens something deep beneath the plantation house. Her blood stirs the thick vines beneath the land and sets her on a new path.

 

Blake used to be Caitlin's best friend until he told her about her husband's infidelity. Now he's getting on with his own life as a nurse, even if he's still haunted by the tragic loss of his first love. When he gets a call from Nova--the Spring House groundskeeper's daughter--asking him to return to the place he hasn't been to in over six months because something strange is going on, he gets sucked back into Caitlin's life. But his former friend isn't the same anymore, and it seems as if a strange plant has something to do with it.

 

Caitlin, Blake and Nova find themselves sucked into the violent history of a house that mistreated slaves and ended up being cursed because of it.

 

Wow. This book really hooked me in. As soon as I started reading I got so wrapped up in what was going on that I didn't want to put it down. What starts out as a story of betrayal and infidelity soon turns into something a lot messier. A tale that intertwines the lives of several characters and throws the reader headfirst into multiple points of view so that the story is shared from several angles and keeps you turning each page. Throwing you deeper into the mystery of this spooky house.

 

The Vines is a unique and creepy story with a disturbing core. It's well written and takes you deep into the lives of several characters following very different paths, but all haunted in some way. One horrifying twist is closely followed by a twisted turn, until you get so lost in what's happening to the characters that you can't wait to reach the end to see how this nightmare turns out. 

 

Great story! I enjoyed it a lot. 

 

This isn't the first Christopher Rice book I've read, and it certainly won't be the last.



 

The Vines, October 2014, ISBN  9780349402864, Piatkus