The Sitter

Rating:
Summary: Interesting, but ending didn't hold up.
Review: First of all, I did read to the end so I gave it 3 stars because "The Sitter" did keep me there until the end.

However, the way the plot unraveled and the book ended left much to be desired. There was no way to guess the ending, which was quite random and bizarre, in my opinion. I was expecting a little more realistic creativity rather than unbelievable "whatever" conclusions.

The best thing about this book was the setting (The Hamptons) and the main characters (attractive and young). Stine did a great job developing several characters that kept you wondering about their intentions and mysterious backgrounds.

A pretty fun thriller-style beach book that remains interesting throughout two-thirds of the book and then plummets to its end feeling like you wasted your time. As long as you keep that in mind, you may not be as disappointed as I was.

Rating:
Summary: Lite Horror
Review: I found this book an easy-read, very interesting laced with lite horror and the supernatural. But I found the sex scenes lacking...I like a good story with some romantic elements that are more realistic.
My second favorite writer is Sherry A Mauro, who like Stine is a master storyteller, but writes paranormal-romance with very scary, suspenseful storylines and vivid characters. I do look forward to reading more books by both of these engaging authors!

Rating:
Summary: Ho hum
Review: Sorry to skew the consensus, but I did not find this book to be particularly scary or well written. To say that this book is adult reading is a stretch. I would place it more at the young adult level, the mentions of Ellie's sex life notwithstanding. It is a very easy read with no sophistication of plot or characterization.

Ellie Saks flees her traumatic past and the stresses of New York City life to find a job as a nanny in the posh Hamptons for two children, one of whom, Brandon, is severely disturbed and seemingly possessed by spirits. She is stalked by her ex-boyfriend. She receives a series of increasingly threatening gifts and messages. Her employer makes advances towards her. She sees mysterious apparitions on the grounds of the estate. She repeatedly encounters the ghost of a long-dead boyfriend. Not exactly fun at the beach, is it?

But in spite of the ingredients for a good horror story, the characters are naive and their actions make little sense. Why would Ellie stay on the job with all the threats against her? For that matter, what conscientious parents wouldn't fire Ellie after all those threats? Why did she continue to humor her ex-boyfriend? How could either Ellie or the parents shrug off Brandon's escalating violent tendencies? How much less realistic could the ex-nanny Mrs. Bricker be? How could the local police miss such elementary detective techniques when investigating the threats against Ellie? As for the surprise ending, I guessed the perpetrator halfway through, and the final details were so far-fetched that it was hard for me to take it seriously. The ghost theme was poorly developed, and at the end I was not certain what had really transpired in that regard. Ho hum. Give me a Stephen King or Dean Koontz novel instead.

Rating:
Summary: R.L. Stine at his best...
Review: This is R.L. Stine's second attempt at an adult novel (his first being 'Superstitions'), and I believe it hits the target. At 309 pages, its quite an easy book to read, but at least for me, was a little more challenging than say Goosebumps or Fear Street.

I read R.L. Stine as a child, both the Goosebumps and Fear Street series, and it was quite a surprise to see him write an adult novel. Language, sex, drugs, alcohol, and very difficult situations play into this novel, so I wouldn't recommend it to anyone under the age of 14.

The book is very well-written, and has a great surprise ending (what else would you expect from Stine?). I hope very much Robert continues his current writing process, that being no series, but a novel or two every 6-8 months.