Rating: 
Summary: Muse
Review: Set in New York City, Johanna Brady is a late twenty-something aspiring actress, working for an office temp agency until she can finally get her big break. In the meantime, she's visited by an unusual stalker who expertly breaks into her Queens apartment at night. Oddly, he never hurts her, only wants to talk with her, all the while hidden in the dark behind a ski mask. His identity is never revealed until the final chapter, though. It's a bit of a wait, but I'd advise you not to read the ending beforehand like I did.Later on, Johanna meets a handsome man, Matthew Lang, a 45-year-old psychological suspense novelist, while checking out one of his books in a local bookstore. From there, they have an ideal relationship with plenty of love and sex to appeal to any romance fan. Shortly after, he invites her to his Maine chalet during the wintertime to be his inspiration, his mythical Muse. However, once they arrive, he becomes a totally different person, turning into this brooding, eccentric alcoholic who must have his privacy at all costs. This is about where the book starts to lose its edge. Scenes are played over again in the cabin: she becomes suspicious and confronts him, he gets defensive and angry, they later make up (which, curiously, never leads to sex), and the trend repeats itself a few pages later. The climax, as well, is a bit disappointing, skipping through about a half dozen weak plot twists, until finally settling with a pretty good warped ending. But probably the biggest fault with this novel is how easy it is to identify the killer nearly from the beginning. Don't read the synopsis on the back cover if you can help it, because it reveals more than it should. Despite all that, I still thought "Muse" was pretty good. I really enjoyed Cecilione's writing style, even though the book was a bit on the lengthy side (480 pages). But it's worth a try if you're into psychological suspense novels.
Rating:
Summary: Musing & Reviewing
Review: The Indictment & Trial:
Michael Cecilione's novel THE MUSE centres around struggling actress Johanna Brady. After a part she auditioned for, with her best friend who gets the soap opera role, falls through Johanna is depressed. Her spirits are lifted when she meets author Matt. Matt quickly wins Johanna's heart in a whirlwind romance and invites her to his place in Maine for the winter. The romantic getaway is soon revealed to be a mistake as Johanna is confronted with a dark side of her lover.
The Verdict:
I did not even plan to review this novel. It struck me as entertaining, but unexceptional. Lying in bed the other night I thought about it again out of the blue and realized exactly what an excellent read it turned out to be. It is written from Johanna's perspective a device Cecilione uses quite effectively towards propelling a very twisting, and in some ways twisted plot. The ending and the fact without spoiling anything that the narrator is less than credible lifts this from just another "beach read". There were some editorial glitches and errors that affected my enjoyment to an extent. I was tempted to give it 3 stars based on little irritating inconsistancies, the lying awake thinking about it I realized that is one of the points of a good story. To remain with the reader after the fact, here the author at least in my case suceeded. That has to be interpreted if not as a scorching hot endorsement at least a warm one. There are clues dropped throughout the story to entice the reader to read on and an ending that will ultimately reward those that persevere through the tiny details.
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