Blog Tour stop for the new novel from the amazing best selling author Tess Gerritsen
#TheShapeOfTheNight #BlogTour @annecater #RandomThingsTours
"Think carefully when you,re choosing to hide..."
Synopsis
When Ava arrives at Brodie’s Watch, she thinks she has found the perfect place to hide from her past.
Something terrible happened, something she is deeply ashamed of, and all she wants is to forget.
But the old house on the hill both welcomes and repels her and Ava quickly begins to suspect she is not alone.
Either that or she is losing her mind.
The house is full of secrets, but is the creeping sense of danger coming from within its walls, or from somewhere else entirely?
My Review
I was thrilled to be asked to read and review Tess Gerritsens's new novel as I am such a huge fan and have been for many years!
Unfortunately at this time the book sent to me seems to be delayed in the wonder that is royal mail!!
I will be updating this post as soon as it arrives!
right now why not enjoy the interview below with the author! or view the tour banner at the foot of this post and pop over and read the other bloggers reviews :)
Em x
Author Bio
Bestselling author Tess Gerritsen is also a physician, and she brings to her novels her first-hand knowledge of emergency and autopsy rooms.
Her thrillers starring homicide detective Jane Rizzoli and medical examiner Maura Isles inspired the hit TV series Rizzoli & Isles.
But Tess’s interests span far more than medicine and crime.
As an anthropology student at Stanford University, she catalogued centuries-old human remains, and she continues to travel the world, driven by her fascination with ancient cultures and bizarre natural phenomena.
Tess has sold over 40 million copies of her books worldwide.
A Conversation with New York Times bestselling author
Tess Gerritsen
Q) Readers know you best for your Rizzoli & Isles series which inspired the hit TNT television series, but you’ve written several standalone novels including your latest, THE SHAPE OF NIGHT. What sets this new novel apart from some of your recent books?
A) It’s a psychological suspense novel with a dark and sexy twist: What if you found the perfect lover, but you’re not certain he’s real – or if he might end up killing you? Unlike my Rizzoli & Isles crime novels, which are focused on hard-boiled police investigations, SHAPE OF NIGHT is about a vulnerable woman who is very much alone and haunted by a secret shame. When she moves into an isolated mansion on the Maine coast, she begins to fear for her sanity – and her life – but she has no one to turn to. This thriller is told from a very personal, very intimate point of view.
Q) THE SHAPE OF NIGHT is an exciting blend of romance and suspense set in a haunted house where readers are left with the question: if you can’t trust your own eyes, what can you trust? Can you tell us a bit about the book’s inspiration?
A) My mother believed in ghosts. When she was a child growing up in war-torn China, she saw a number of ghosts, and my own childhood was filled with her stories (which she assured me were absolutely true) about the supernatural world. She belonged to a parapsychology society in San Diego, and we had a parade of unusual guests visiting our home, where séances were a regular occurrence. I recall one dinner guest who suddenly went into a trance over dessert and began to channel a thousand-year-old spirit. I grew up a confirmed skeptic, but I’ve never lost my fascination for ghost stories and I’ve always hoped for a glimpse of a ghost. Alas, I’ve never seen one.
Q) Did any movies/ TV Shows you watched help get you into the mindset to write such a different novel?
A) One of my favorite TV series as a kid was “The Ghost and Mrs. Muir,” starring Hope Lange. It’s about a widow who moves into an old house that’s haunted by a long-dead sea captain. Their romance is sweet and purely chaste, but as someone with a twisted imagination, I couldn’t help thinking: what if the story had a dark and sexy twist? What if the sea captain’s house has a legacy of past murders, and what if my heroine (Ava) is haunted by a shocking secret of her own?
Q) In addition to the great suspense, THE SHAPE OF NIGHT is such a romantic novel with a light touch of the paranormal—what inspired work in those genres as well?
A) While I’m now known as a thriller writer, I began my writing career years ago as a romantic suspense author. I’ve never lost my love for that genre, which for a writer is a delicate balancing act between murder mystery and romance. I’ve wanted to dip my toes back in those waters, and SHAPE OF NIGHT gave me a chance to revisit the genre. It also brought back just how difficult it is to write.
Q) Your protagonist Ava is a cookbook writer and food features prominently throughout the novel. Why did you decide to weave in this element and where did you come up with the recipes?
A) My father worked as a cook in his family seafood restaurant in San Diego, so I had a childhood of great food and a deep appreciation for the art of cooking. I also know how much hard work goes into running a successful restaurant. My dad would be up at 5 AM to buy fresh fish from the boats, he’d spend all morning skinning and filleting it to serve at lunch, he’d continue cooking for the dinner service, and he’d roll home and into bed around midnight. He taught me that there are only a certain number of meals we can eat during a lifetime, so we should make every one worthwhile. Don’t waste your appetite on a bad meal. That’s very much Ava’s philosophy: to savor every meal, take pleasure in its anticipation, and be comforted by the rituals of the kitchen.
Q) THE SHAPE OF NIGHT is set in a small town in Maine and features a haunted house once owned by a local sea captain named Jeremiah Brodie. What is it about small town life that inspires your writing?
A) I live in a small Maine town, and I wouldn’t live anywhere else. I love the rhythm of the seasons, knowing that there’s a time for planting the garden and a time for hunkering down to await a snowstorm. In fact winter is when I work best, when the world outside is white and colorless, and I’m forced to bring forth color in my imagination. I also like the fact I can walk down Main Street and recognize at least a few people, and that I’ll often be called by name in the grocery store. I’m also inspired by small-town secrets. Our village is a microcosm of the larger world, with our own scandals and crimes, but also acts of true generosity. It’s like the world in miniature, with dramas acted out by people you just happen to know.
Q) There are several New England-specific locations noted throughout the book. Were any of these places pulled from your life in particular?
A) Tucker Cove is fictional (named in honor of a flamboyant Camden personality named Kay Tucker, sadly now deceased), but there are a few real locations such as Cape Elizabeth and some Boston neighborhoods. I try to avoid setting thrillers in real small towns (except in disguise) as I don’t want to upset my neighbors.
Q) What are you working on next?
A) A spy novel featuring older characters, an age group that’s too-often overlooked in fiction and TV. I love the idea of seasoned heroes and heroines who’ve long ago put away their weapons, but are now called back to service because, as it turns out, experience really does count.
Blog Tour
Thank you to the Publisher and Author for sending me an Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) of this novel and for the opportunity to review these works.
All reviews are my own unbiased opinion.