As usual, Tess Gerritsen has written a spellbinding mystery. I was hooked from the first page. An old house perched on the edge of the sea, a woman with a secret who rents the house for the summer, and the ghost of an old sea captain who haunts the house. A page turner from start to finish.

I love all of Gerritsen's books so I was looking forward to this one as well! Ava escapes to Brodie's Watch, a magnificent house overlooking the sea in Maine. As a food writer, her plan is to research the local dishes and publish The Captain's Table which will focus on the cuisine that earlier seafaring men enjoyed. And although the house is in disrepair, she feels an instant connection when she steps inside as if the house has welcomed her. But all is not perfect as there are rumors that the house is haunted by Jeremiah Brodie himself who was lost at sea. And when he begins appearing to Ava in the middle of the night, she is both repelled and attracted as she feels se must atone for a secret she harbors in her past. The novel has a great gothic feel to it as the mysteries surrounding the old house are slowly brought to light. I could seriously sense the fog rolling in at night and got caught up in Ava's nightmarish encounters with the specter of Brodie. I thoroughly enjoyed it!

I always have a hard time enjoying any book with too many supernatural aspects, but this one was a bit different... decent read.

This book was not quite what I expected, but still good. There was a good murder mystery and I liked some of the characters, especially Ava and Ned. The paranormal aspect played a more prominent role in the story than I had expected. And at times it seemed a bit "hokey." But overall, the apparition of Captain Brodie worked well as a character in the story. I liked how the theme of punishment was utilized. Ava has escaped to a small town in Maine in large part to escape a terrible, life-shattering event that she is hiding from her family and friends, but she is punishing herself by engaging in self-destructive behavior. Captain Brodie's appearance and actions toward/with Ava involve punishment at times, which she both wants and feels she deserves.

I received a review copy via NetGalley.

Thanks to Netgalley and Ballantine Books for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Lesson learned. Do not assume that because a book is by Tess Gerritsen and is listed as a mystery/thriller on Netgalley that it will be worth reading. Read the synopsis first. Had I realized this was romantic suspense with ghosts, I would NEVER have requested it. This book was so dumb. Basically a woman who drinks to much moves to some haunted house in Maine and has sex with a ghost. The “mystery” came in at about 60% and was totally boring. I can’t even believe this was written by the author of the Rizzoli and Isles series and so many other good stand alones. It is like she had a deadline to meet and dusted off something that hadn’t been published during her romance writing days. I am giving this a 3 because the writing isn’t bad enough to be a 1 star, so it has to be a 2 and I will take some blame for not reading the synopsis and give one more star but fans of Rizzoli and Isles will be disappointed with this nonsense.

I received this from Netgalley.com for a review.

Ava Collette flees Boston and rents an old home named Brodie's Watch on a remote coastal peninsula of Maine, hoping to work on a cookbook inspired by New England cuisine that she's been trying to finish for months. She immediately feels at peace in the isolated house--until she starts to hear strange noises.

So very disappointed with this one, I ditched the last third of the book except the last chapter to see if I had the mystery part of it whodunnit figured out - I did. What could have been an interesting and creepy gothic-like ghost mystery was really just a poor excuse for playing out S & M bondage scenes.

Don't bother unless you like fairly descriptive sex scenes.

1☆

Ava has secrets and an alcohol problem. She also sees’s a ghost named Brody at a house she’s renting for the summer. This is a very interesting thriller. The plot kept the pages turning as fast as I could read them. The writing is wonderful! I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This book was riveting! I was captives from the start when Ava moved into the old Captain Brodie house and things started happening! Ava’s recent past very slowly reveals and you are never sure how much is real or guilt coupled with booze. There are twists and surprises and it never is boring! Supernatural...maybe, or not. Good book,

I've been a fan of Tess Gerritsen for years and the last thing I'd expect from her is a ghost story. I kept expecting a rational explanation for the sensual (long dead) sea captain who visits Ava's bedroom at night. Gerritsen does give us some alternate possibilities. Ava is in danger from someone who is very much alive and wants her out of the house. And since she does drink a lot in the evenings, she sometimes wonders if the Captain is a delusion born of loneliness and alcohol.
Beyond the haunted house and the ghost, Ava is carrying a load of guilt over the death of her sister's fiance and is running away from everything that reminds her of that night, including the sister she has always been close to.
The atmosphere of The Shape of Night reminds me of the old gothic romance novels I used to read. It has the feel of Daphne DuMurier with the solid plotting we expect from Tess Gerritsen.

Ava needs a quiet place to write her newest cookbook. She finds the ideal place in an isolated old sea captain’s home in Maine. Haunted by her past, is Ava being haunted in this house? Does she have something in common with the previous women who lived and died in this house?
Is she living a fantasy or is this really happening? The people that she meets have secret lives as well. This book is a ghost story, a love story, a. murder- mystery and a story about deceit and regret. I could not put this book down. I received a free advanced copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving my review.

The Shape of Night is a fantastic psychological suspense. Great plot reminiscent of the gothic mysteries I use to devour. This one definitely keeps the reader engaged. Couldn’t put this book down. My thanks to the publisher for my advance ebook. This is my unbiased review.

The Shape of Night is the perfect title for this edgy suspense thriller with a touch of the paranormal. This book will gently hypnotize you with its provocative pull into a world filled with personal conflicts, a bit of gothic romance, family drama, and a seductive spectral element. The Shape of Night is the first book by Tess Gerritsen that I have read and look forward to reading more from her.

Our heroine, Ava Colette, is running from the painful memories of life in Boston, where she has made a disastrous mistake that has left her life in shambles. She finds a seaside house to rent, Brodie’s Watch, on the coast of Maine. She is trying to forget her life in Boston and finish writing her latest cookbook that is well overdue. Initially, she is uneasy in the house, but she gradually falls in love with the house and everything is going well until the house starts to reveal its insidious secrets. Ms. Gerritsen writes Ava as a strong woman with many flaws, but even with all her faults, she is a likable character. She also thoroughly develops the supporting characters in this book. They add an element that ranges from evilness to goodness.

The Shape of Night is well written with a multi-layered plotline. There is a slow build-up of tension and suspense that will keep you turning the pages, and you will not want to put this book down. At the start of this book, I was reminded of a TV show that I watched as a child, The Ghost and Mrs. Muir. But that is where the similarities ended. Ms. Gerritsen weaves the perfect amount of ghost story, murder mystery, tension, and just the right amount of eroticism that makes this story sizzle.

Overall this was an excellent read, although I did have one problem. I would have liked for the family drama element to be resolved on the page. It was left up to the reader to fill in the blanks. I guess I am just one of those people who like more of an ending and I felt like this one was a little rushed.
I am looking forward to reading more of Tess Gerritsen’s books.

***I kindly received this galley by way of NetGalley/publisher/author. I was not contacted, asked, or required to leave a review. I received no compensation, financial or otherwise. I have voluntarily read this book, and this review is my honest opinion .***

I found this little Gothic gem to be a fun read.

The book centers on cookbook author Ava's summer sojourn to Brodie's Watch, an imposing house in Maine. Once inside, Ava begins to notice some strange happenings.

In addition to her own mysteries, Ava starts to hear about strange happenings to young women in the town as well. The book was fun and held my interest, although I found some of Ava's decisions strange.

I thought the author did a great job creating atmosphere in the book.

The Shape of Night isn’t terrible. But with a ghost playing a major role in the story line, a flawed but not very likable main character and other characters who weren’t particularly fleshed out... I just couldn’t bring myself to care about pretty much any part of it. Except that living on the Maine coast in the summer sounds amazing!

I really did not love this book, although I though I would since I love gothic novels and I've enjoyed the author's other books. Once it turned into a weird 50 Shades of Gray with ghosts, I was done. I did not realize I signed up for that. Thanks to Netgalley and Ballantine books for allowing me to read this early in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you Netgalley for allowing me to review this book before publication. I haven't read a 'ghost' story in a long time. I wasn't sure I would like it, wasn't sure it was even going to be a ghost story. However, Tess Gerritsen is a great writer, I've read a lot of her books so of course she pulled me in. Ava is running from her past and ends up in Maine on the coast. The house is a mansion on the water, there is something in the house, watching Ava, along with that there have been numerous deaths in the house. I have always enjoyed Tess Gerritsen's characters. Loved being surprised where the author takes me. Enjoy!

This is a standalone from one of my long time favorite authors but this one kind of let me down. It was less of a mystery (I solved it early in the book) and more of a gothic romance type novel. A female protagonist who was almost unlikeable and not the kind of character I really prefer to read about. She seemed to prefer being a victim. The location...Maine, was beautifully portrayed and you could really feel the atmosphere. The Ghost and Mrs. Muir will spring to mind for many readers but probably not in a good way. I really wanted to like this but at the end of the book I can't really say I felt like it was time well spent. Some will enjoy this...just not me. Thank you NetGalley for the advanced readers copy for review.

Expertly written, and a welcome change from thrillers that depend on 3-D gore. It is rather formulaic, though, without the imagination shown in Gerritsen's other works. The protagonist rang true, but the supporting characters weren't fleshed out enough. The shredding of the Ghost-and-Mrs.-Muir story was interesting, but I had the whole thing figured out less than halfway through.

Tess Gerritsen is one of my all-time favorite authors! This book does not disappoint. She has a style that grabs your attention and holds it, making it hard to put it down..

An extremely well-written story with excitement and intrigue, delving into loss and shame. What happened on that New Year’s Eve sent Ava into an alcohol fueled depression that she doesn’t seem to be able to pull herself out of. She escapes to Brodie’s Watch, on the Maine coast. The house, at first, made he feel like she should run... but once inside she feels welcome. But something in this house is feeding off of her shame... maybe her first impression was correct!

What happens to her in this house changes her tremendously... but will anyone believe what happened? Did anything actually happen.to her, or was it alcohol fueled?

This is such a great read! If you like Tess Gerritsen... you will love this book. If you are new to Tess Gerritsen, hang on... there are many more books to read from her, and they will blow you away! She is a great writer!

As I sit down to write this review, I am truly conflicted. I have read all of Tess Gerritsen's books and enjoyed every one. I really wish I could say the same about this one. On the positive front, Gerritsen is a talented writer. The book is set in a small, coastal town in Maine, and Gerritsen captures the atmosphere beautifully. The star of the novel is Ava, who is a cookbook author with a serious drinking problem and a whole lot of guilt, the source of which is dragged out throughout most of the novel. I enjoyed getting to know Ava and loved the parts of the book that focused on her cooking and writing. I also loved the character of the town and its inhabitants.

On the negative side, everything else. I'd describe The Shape of Night as a weird mash-up of The Ghost and Mrs. Muir and 50 Shades of Gray. I guess I wasn't expecting such a paranormal focus in a book from Gerritsen. While there is a mystery/suspense aspect to the novel, it's clunky. The mystery aspect is never as well developed as the paranormal aspect. I was also disappointed that Gerritsen, who usually writes such strong female characters, wrote this one more about a damsel in distress-type character. I'm just confused.

I'd rank this as 2.5 stars, but I'll round up to 3 stars because it's very well written, and I can see that there will be an audience for it, just not Gerritsen's usual audience.

My thanks to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for providing a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.