Book Review ~ The Well by Marie Sexton

Book Review ~ The Well by Marie Sexton

Title: The Well

Author: Marie Sexton

Pages: 187

Published: May 22, 2017

Blurb:

Twenty years after prom queen Cassie Kennedy is brutally murdered, six teenagers break into the house where she was killed to hold a séance. Haven knows his cousin Elise only wants to scare the crap out of him and his friends, but he’s willing to put up with one of her pranks if it means a chance to spend a few hours with the new kid in town, Pierce Hunter.

But when morning comes, Elise has disappeared without a trace.

Twelve years later, Pierce and his twin brother Jordan are professional paranormal investigators, starring in their own ghost-hunting TV show. When Pierce calls Haven, insisting they return to the supposedly haunted building one last time, Haven reluctantly agrees. He’s nervous about seeing Pierce again, but he’s determined to get some answers. Did they really speak to Cassie’s ghost that night? What happened to Elise? And the biggest mystery of all – how did she know the secret of the well?

4.5 Stars!

Twelve years after the disappearance and believed murder of his cousin Elise, Haven has come back to his hometown of Hobbsburg with the intention of reconnecting with those who were there that night in hopes of finding answers. His disconnect with Jordan who had been seeing Elise back then has come from his belief that Jordan had actually murdered Elise. Pierce, Jordan's twin brother, stood by his brother's innocence and in the end, it drove Haven and Pierce apart. Craig who was dating Elise's younger sister Linsey was there that night as well but after he and Linsey parted ways in a less than amicable manner he hasn't spoken to the man again. In fact, all but Craig have moved from Hobbsburg and only Haven and Linsey have remained close.

What I Loved: I love mysteries, especially the whodunnit element when I have to really try to put the clues together. I didn't have to think too hard who the murderer might be but I still enjoyed putting the pieces together. I liked that we got snippets of what happened in the past that slowly unraveled the story at the same time giving us the look at the present and how the characters are putting together clues and basically solving the crime.

Jordan and Pierce are paranormal investigators with their own television show. Haven writes Horror stories. Craig is a cop. It seems that all the characters from that fateful might have become something in life that was influenced by Elise's death. The premise of the story surrounds the twins inviting Haven to come on their show. I love the idea of paranormal investigators teaming up with a horror author to check out reports of a haunting that they all might be connected to in some way.

I loved the ghostly, mystical, paranormal feel that the story had because of its subtlety. Yes, these characters are deep in the world of paranormal occurrences and in that sense, it's front and center throughout the story. However, there is subtlety with what is really happening and that's what I truly enjoyed.

What I Liked: I really liked the characters. Haven, Pierce and Jordan were all easy to connect with and easy to like. I think the chemistry between Pierce and Haven was there from the beginning of the story and I was anticipating when they would finally act on their attraction, it was kind of a slow burn in my opinion. The romance was not necessarily at the forefront of the story and kind of quietly ran alongside the mystery of what really happened to Elise.

What I Didn't Like: I have to say I was going into this story with the expectations that it would be scary or chilling. I expected to be scared. That was not the case at all. Yes, this is a murder mystery with paranormal elements but it was not frightening in the least. This is probably good for those readers who would avoid this particular title based on that. For me, however, it was very disappointing.

Overall, I very much enjoyed The Well and thought Marie Sexton did a wonderful job writing the story. While I longed for a more frightening tale, I can not complain about the story itself since I had trouble putting it down for more than a few minutes at a time. I'd definitely recommend this book to readers who enjoy a mystery/suspense or ghost stories. Don't worry if you are not into scary because this one is pretty tame.

***Copy provided to me by the author/publisher via NetGalley for my reading pleasure in hopes of an unbiased opinion, a review was not a requirement.***