The chrysalis
(Book)

Priced out of their apartment in the city, a young couple relocates to the suburbs, where they luck into a large, old house. But they don't find the stability they seek, as their lives are jarred by job stress and a surprise pregnancy. There's also a monstrous thing in the basement that provides temporary relief at an awful cost. The novel struggles a bit in the early stages with clunky exposition but quickly settles into a brisk and fluid narrative peopled with solid characters. Deneen (The Ninth Circle , 2014) is especially skilled at managing relationships between the characters, and their interactions always feel authentic. The central conceit recalls addiction/corruption tales like Kathe Koja's The Cipher (1991) or the film Brain Damage, but this novel is far less squishy and surreal. A fast-paced, unsettling read that should appeal to readers who crave shocks without a glut of bloodletting and gore.--Craig Lefteroff Copyright 2018 Booklist

Deneen's haunted house novel is riddled with creeping terror and the relatable growing pains of early adulthood. Tom and Jenny Decker live and work in New York City until their budget buckles under one too many rent hikes. After viewing increasingly bleak options, they luck into a once-in-a-lifetime deal on a three-bedroom Victorian in New Jersey. Soon after the move, personal trainer Jenny discovers she's pregnant, so Tom gives up bartending-and his ponytail-for the corporate world. Suburban life seems to be looking up until Tom starts unraveling, and it becomes clear that the house hides an insidious entity that has Tom, and their lives, firmly in its grip. Deneen (The Ninth Circle) gives readers a horrifying peek at the darkness beneath the suburban veil with a macabre story that will thrill horror fans. (Sept.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

No longer able to afford the New York City lifestyle, Jenny and Tom Decker relocate from their cramped apartment to a sprawling old home in the New Jersey suburbs. Adding to the stress of new jobs and home ownership, the couple learn they are pregnant. As the months pass, Tom grows distant and reclusive, retreating to the basement, fixated on a strange anomaly he discovers among the clutter left by the previous tenants. Is the object real, imagined, or otherworldly? Whatever the object's explanation, the threat to the Deckers and their unborn baby is certain. VERDICT Reading like a Hollywood horror flick, Deneen's (The Ninth Circle) recent release has all the elements of a successful scary story: a spooky old house, a foreboding basement, and an eerie psychological breakdown. Recommended for readers of thrillers, supernatural horror, and sf.-Carolann Curry, Mercer Univ. Lib., Macon, GA © Copyright 2018. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Priced out of their apartment in the city, a young couple relocates to the suburbs, where they luck into a large, old house. But they don't find the stability they seek, as their lives are jarred by job stress and a surprise pregnancy. There's also a monstrous thing in the basement that provides temporary relief at an awful cost. The novel struggles a bit in the early stages with clunky exposition but quickly settles into a brisk and fluid narrative peopled with solid characters. Deneen (The Ninth Circle?, 2014) is especially skilled at managing relationships between the characters, and their interactions always feel authentic. The central conceit recalls addiction/corruption tales like Kathe Koja's The Cipher (1991) or the film Brain Damage, but this novel is far less squishy and surreal. A fast-paced, unsettling read that should appeal to readers who crave shocks without a glut of bloodletting and gore. Copyright 2018 Booklist Reviews.

No longer able to afford the New York City lifestyle, Jenny and Tom Decker relocate from their cramped apartment to a sprawling old home in the New Jersey suburbs. Adding to the stress of new jobs and home ownership, the couple learn they are pregnant. As the months pass, Tom grows distant and reclusive, retreating to the basement, fixated on a strange anomaly he discovers among the clutter left by the previous tenants. Is the object real, imagined, or otherworldly? Whatever the object's explanation, the threat to the Deckers and their unborn baby is certain. VERDICT Reading like a Hollywood horror flick, Deneen's (The Ninth Circle) recent release has all the elements of a successful scary story: a spooky old house, a foreboding basement, and an eerie psychological breakdown. Recommended for readers of thrillers, supernatural horror, and sf.—Carolann Curry, Mercer Univ. Lib., Macon, GA

Deneen's haunted house novel is riddled with creeping terror and the relatable growing pains of early adulthood. Tom and Jenny Decker live and work in New York City until their budget buckles under one too many rent hikes. After viewing increasingly bleak options, they luck into a once-in-a-lifetime deal on a three-bedroom Victorian in New Jersey. Soon after the move, personal trainer Jenny discovers she's pregnant, so Tom gives up bartending—and his ponytail—for the corporate world. Suburban life seems to be looking up until Tom starts unraveling, and it becomes clear that the house hides an insidious entity that has Tom, and their lives, firmly in its grip. Deneen (The Ninth Circle) gives readers a horrifying peek at the darkness beneath the suburban veil with a macabre story that will thrill horror fans. (Sept.)