Rating: 
Summary: An intriguing beginning that ends weakly
Review: The main ideas behind _Five Mile House_ really interested me: a ghostly narrator, a haunted and haunting house, a mother/cop whose job became too much for her . . . These are excellent beginnings, and the first several chapters are very strong. But the book ends weakly: many important questions are not answered, many important happenings are not adequately explained, and at the end the characters are dismissed. (My lack of specificity here is deliberate; I don't want to ruin the book for anyone who may wish to read it.) The switching between Eleanor's past and Leslie's present is a wonderful technique, similar to those used in many horror/thriller/mystery novels, but the switches need to be more smoothly written, with cues to the reader that a switch is happening (as happens in _Dracula_, say, or _The Woman in White_, two books that pioneered this technique). It's certainly worth a read, however, and I will admit that the story was good enough that I wanted the questions answered, even though they were not.
Rating: 
Summary: Not a Typical Ghost Story
Review: The thing I liked the best about this book is that it was not the typical "haunted house" story. It really is more of a detective story, with the main character in the present pursuing the truth surrounding a 100 year old multiple murder and suicide. The narration by Eleanor, the ghost who is trapped in Five Mile House was a nice twist from the normal "ghost story." Leslie Stone, the main character of this novel, has an unexplained connection with Eleanor Bly, who committed murder and suicide 100 years before. That connection was never fully explained. I found the storyline of an entire town filled with practicing wiccans a bit far-fetched, as was the premise that Leslie's husband would bring her to this place after she has been through an experience which has made her doubt her sanity. The reason [I won't give the plot away] for Leslie's temporary insanity leaves one to believe that her husband is either an idiot or completely insensitive to bring her to Wellington, the fictional town where Five Mile House is located. As Leslie learns that her children are in danger, she is called to make a decision that on the surface proves her unconditional love for her children. Then the last page of the book leaves the reader feeling that certainly Leslie cannot truly love her children based on the choice she makes. Her relationships with her husband and her lover are both bizarre and devoid of communication, and that is a bit disappointing. Eleanor's account of how her children really died and the horrific events that led up to their deaths was truly heartwrenching, even if the reason for all of the diabolical scheming to drive her to her course of action was "over the top." Overall, this was an interesting book, and it was entertaining, but when I finished the novel, I had a completely different feeling about Leslie Stone than I had through the entire novel. I suppose it is afterall, not a fairytale, therefore one should not expect a fairytale ending.
Rating:
Summary: Not a Typical Ghost Story
Review: The thing I liked the best about this book is that it was not the typical "haunted house" story. It really is more of a detective story, with the main character in the present pursuing the truth surrounding a 100 year old multiple murder and suicide. The narration by Eleanor, the ghost who is trapped in Five Mile House was a nice twist from the normal "ghost story." Leslie Stone, the main character of this novel, has an unexplained connection with Eleanor Bly, who committed murder and suicide 100 years before. That connection was never fully explained. I found the storyline of an entire town filled with practicing wiccans a bit far-fetched, as was the premise that Leslie's husband would bring her to this place after she has been through an experience which has made her doubt her sanity. The reason [I won't give the plot away] for Leslie's temporary insanity leaves one to believe that her husband is either an idiot or completely insensitive to bring her to Wellington, the fictional town where Five Mile House is located. As Leslie learns that her children are in danger, she is called to make a decision that on the surface proves her unconditional love for her children. Then the last page of the book leaves the reader feeling that certainly Leslie cannot truly love her children based on the choice she makes. Her relationships with her husband and her lover are both bizarre and devoid of communication, and that is a bit disappointing. Eleanor's account of how her children really died and the horrific events that led up to their deaths was truly heartwrenching, even if the reason for all of the diabolical scheming to drive her to her course of action was "over the top." Overall, this was an interesting book, and it was entertaining, but when I finished the novel, I had a completely different feeling about Leslie Stone than I had through the entire novel. I suppose it is afterall, not a fairytale, therefore one should not expect a fairytale ending.
Rating: 
Summary: Disappointed!
Review: This book was a letdown. It shouldn't have been listed under ghost stories. Seemed like just a drama, and a boring one at that. I wanted to read about ghosts, not nasty-mouthed women and their problems. What a waste of my time!
Rating:
Summary: A BEAUTIFULLY WRITTEN GHOST STORY AND IMPRESSIVE DEBUT NOVEL
Review: This is a well crafted and beautifully written debut novel that is impressive. A modern day ghost story with Gothic underpinnings, it is a page turner, full of suspense and mystery. It is an intelligent ghost story that is as ephemeral, as it is gripping. The story revolves around a married female detective, Leslie Stone, who lives with her husband, Greg, and her two young daughters, Molly and Emma. One morning, Leslie goes to work on a particularly brutal child homicide. A perpetrator is in custody, and when Leslie goes to interview him, she snaps and metes out a form of vigilante justice that is final and irrevocable. Arrested, charged with murder, and tried, she is found not guilty by reason of temporary insanity. Confined for months to a mental hospital, she is finally released. Her husband, a building contractor, having anticipated the notoriety attendant with is wife's release, got a job that enabled them to move to a new place and get a fresh start, or so he thinks. They move to the small New England town of Wellington, where he has been able to obtain his dream job, the restoration of an unusual house named Five Mile House. The catch here is that Five Mile House has had its own share of notoriety. A century ago, a woman, Eleanor Bly, killed her children, then herself in that house. Moreover, it is located in a town riddled with witches, adherents to the ancient Wiccan religion. Leslie, a detective down to her very soul, soon discovers that she is Eleanor Bly's doppelganger, and that the dream job her husband got was not by chance. Moreover, she senses that there is something about the house that is evil. The past soon begins to collide with the presentt, as Eleanor reaches out to Leslie to try and set the record straight about what really happened at Five Mile House all those years ago. What she reveals, bit by bit, will keep the reader turning the pages. It is only at the end that the auther stumbles a bit, as she tries to bring closure to her story. It is still, however, a debut novel to remember.
Rating:
Summary: Left me anticipating her second book
Review: This is an enthralling combination of ghost story and mystery. I really enjoyed it. Leslie's story is paralleled by the story told by Eleanor, the ghost, of what happened in Five Mile House years ago and how it affects the present. Novak is a good writer who creates interesting characters and has a chilling story to tell.
Rating:
Summary: 'Five Mile House' Doesn't Quite Go the Distance
Review: Unlike the other readers above, I found the plot-line here confusing and the characters' motivations unclear. Many of the suspenseful complications introduced during the story were NEVER cleared up (what about the answer to little Amy's question, 'is he here?", for example?), making this story ultimately unsatisfying. Hopefully Novak's next will focus less on atmosphere and more on the demands of a compelling, complete mystery. She DOES write well.
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