Night Must Always Come [CD-ROM]

Suspense, romance, psychological intrigue, hauntings -- Night Must Always Come has it all. Californian, Susannah Ashendon (uniquely nicknamed, Suzo) has hit a slump in her life. Barely recovered from a bad case of Russian flu, she has lost her would-be partner, her job and her father all in a short period of time. Her cousin and attorney, Farley Sumpter, requests Suzo's presence at his law office, presumably to go over unimportant legal matters pertaining to her father's liquidated assets. Suzo is pleasantly surprised to be informed that she has inherited a house in Tasmania, Australia. A distant relative, Augusta Ashendon, has left the Ashendon estate, Ashcroft, to her nearest blood relative, William Ashendon (Suzo's father) and consequently, due to her father's death, to Suzo. Thinking only of selling the house for a much needed injection of funds, Suzo surprises even herself when she becomes entranced by the photo Farley shows her of Ashcroft. Before she knows it, she has recklessly spent most of her savings on a ticket to Tasmania to see her new house first hand. Despite warnings of approaching bad weather, Suzo collects the keys to Ashcroft from Augusta Ashendon's attorney's office and sets off in her rental car for the relatively isolated Ash Valley, nestled in the Tasmanian central highlands. Inevitably snow begins to fall and the treacherous conditions lead Suzo to lose control of her car and spin out into a ditch. But she is close enough to walk the distance to Ashcroft and her first view of the house confirms her belief that she has, indeed, found a home. Suzo makes herself as comfortable as possible despite the lack of electricity and running water and it is not until later in the evening that she realises that she is not alone. Enter Tad Ashendon. Suzo discovers him, burning with fever, in one of the attic rooms. It soon becomes apparent, however, that it is not a simple fever that Tad suffers from each night. Instead it is a presence that is bent on bringing Suzo and Tad together -- in any way that it can. Night Must Always Come is well set with plenty of twists and turns. The dialogue is pacey and the characters effectively work through the mystery without interference from an omniscient author. Just when we think we've got the puzzle solved, we discover a new and startling mystery and we are drawn deeper and deeper into the history of the Ashendons and Ashcroft itself. It is apparent that the author has put a lot of time and effort into the genealogical background of the Ashendon family and, although purely fictional, present and ancestral members emerge larger than life. Night Must Always Come will appeal to anyone who enjoys a suspenseful, paranormal mystery coupled with a fulfilling romance.

Creepy doings in a deserted house... Susannah Ashendon inherits an old family home in Tasmania, Australia. She arrives in the middle of a snowstorm, and moves in, but that night she discovers she is not alone! The man in the attic is fine during the day, but by night he turns into a feverish stranger, possessed by a spirit from the past. Who is the spirit, and what does he want with Suzo? A good one for any reader who enjoys a good mystery romance.