4 1\2 stars
I will be honest I didn't see this one coming. Tess Gerritsen has the ability to bring readers to locations that they would dream of seeing in person one day.

The characters jump off the pages and come to life. As the mystery grows so does the characters who will keep readers guessing what is real and what isn't real.

The story ends with an amazing ending that will heal hearts that are hurting and have readers wondering what is real and what is a ghost?

IF a ghost could take care of a woman like he did for Ava why would they leave?

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher Ballantine Books for the advance copy of Tess Gerritsen The Shape Of Water

I love Tess and her work. This book I just couldn't get into. Idk why. The writing was good but I feel like the story was just slow and I couldn't really get into it. Still, I do love Tess and hopefully her next book is a little better.

Thank you Netgalley, the author and publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Ava Collette packs up her cooking gear and her guilt, heading to a sleepy town in Maine to hide out and write her cookbook featuring historical New England cuisine. Renting Brodie’s Watch is her first step in digging into the area’s history, but she soon discovers her quiet retreat is not as peaceful as it first appears, with the story of Captain Brodie and his unfortunate fate almost 150 years before breathing life into the silence. Soon Ava’s shakiness is apparent to everyone around her – from the doctor who wants more than a doctor-patient relationship to a Maine ghost-hunting troupe to the locals suspicious of outsiders – and she seeks the truth, even what she might want to hide from herself. Ava’s past dictates her future as she is drawn further into her life at Brodie’s Watch and its enticing and dangerous world.

I had a hard time finishing this book - I was reading it as a romance title - and I'd argue that it is not super romantic, in fact, it's pretty cringe-inducing. Definitely unlike most of Gerritsen's other titles (especially the Rizzoli & Isles series), this title might appeal to people more interested in a suspenseful story, but it has some consent-issues and some not-so-sexy sex scenes that will probably alienate other readers.

I didn't read much about this before I read it, I'm a big fan of Tess Gerritsen so I didn't need to know about it before deciding to read it. I felt like it was quite different in tone from her other books but still brought the same gripping mystery and engaging characters. There was a bit of S&M romance bordering on erotica that took me by surprise but made for an interesting combination of a haunted house/ghost story, murder mystery, and psychological thriller. This was a great atmospheric horror story, kept me guessing.

This book was one of the top 3 strangest books I have ever read. And I have read a LOT of books. I kept flipping back to the front to verify that team tess gerritsen, of Rizzoli and isles did in fact author this book. Was it a ghost book? Was it a mystery? Was it some sort of weird S&M sex book? I have no clue!

I love this author, however, this was not one of her best. The main character, Ava, is unlikable and prone to self pity. The rest of the cast of characters may have been interesting, but they were underdeveloped. Need was intriguing and could have played a better role. I knew where the end was headed way before it was real. I also think the romantic suspense label is misleading. It's more of a mystery with a paranormal aspect. All in all, this one was just okay to me.

When I first read the synopsis for this book, I was pretty excited. It sounded like it was right up my alley - romantic suspense with a paranormal bent. Unfortunately, reality did not live up to my expectations.

Let's start off with the good stuff. The setting was fairly well-done - a recently renovated older home in a quaint small town on the coast in Maine. Appropriately stormy, misty weather created the right atmosphere. There were some interesting secondary characters, and the descriptions of some of the meals the main character prepared (she's a food writer) sounded absolutely delicious. I honestly wish this were one of the those books that came with recipes included. Also, the plot moved along at a good pace, making for a quick read.

Now for the not-so-good stuff. Character development was sub-par at best with too many stereotypes. Ava, the main character, is a wild-child/party girl with a drinking problem. Her love interest, the ghost, is a brooding, dark-haired sea captain with a very domineering (yet protective!) personality. Her warm-blooded admirer is the local town doctor who is a bit too perfect, and whose interest in her is never really explained. Insta-love at its finest, and this is not even YA! Essentially, I cared very little for any of the main characters, and was only slightly interested in some of the secondary ones.

The plot was so predictable and unengaging. I knew 1/3 of the way how it would end, was not fooled by the red herrings, and was pretty disappointed in the attempt to "spice up" the romance angle with some (albeit very minor) BDSM. I almost DNF'd it at one point.

Honestly, had I been given this book without knowing the author, I would never have guessed that it was written by one of my favorites. It feels like someone else wrote it, but the publisher decided to put Gerritsen's name on there to sell more copies. One of the things I love about the Rizzoli & Isles series is that it has two strong, professional female leads. They may have their flaws, but they are portrayed in a realistic way that honors their individuality. The main character in this book was the complete opposite, and I just couldn't connect with her.

I'm sure my library will purchase copies of this because it is written by a well-known author and patrons will be asking for it, but I can't say that I would recommend it.

Tess is a phenomenal writer and she doesn't disappoint with this one. Tess is the Queen of Suspense and this thriller had me up late into the night finishing it.

First read of Tess Gerritsen. Wow - - This was an edgy tale that I could not put down. Ava is a cookbook author who is struggling with her secrets and her alcohol addiction. If that is not enough, her escape to a small town and amazing mansion, is peppered with nightly shadows of the ghostly category. "A copy of this book was provided by Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine via NetGalley with no requirements for a review. Comments here are my honest opinion." This was just Gripping!

All books by Tess Gerritsen are an instant buy and a guaranteed great read! This story immediately drew me in from the first page, what a fantastic book! “The Shape of Night” has great characters, suspense, unforeseen twists and turns and ghosts! It immerses the reader in a landscape so detailed that it’s easy to picture in one's mind. I would highly recommend this book, I loved it!! Thank you to NetGalley for my copy of this book.

Thank you for the ARC of this book but it just wasn’t what I expected. Very retro gothic feel (which is OK) but the 50 shades stuff was too much.

I love Gerritsen’s books and she did not disappoint me with this one. It was not her “normal” style of book but I loved it. There was a. creeping menace to this story. I loved the setting.
Many thanks to Random House Publishing and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

I have always enjoyed the Rizzoli and Isles series and although the description promised a different story, it was more of a paranormal love story involving the ghost of the homeowner where Ava is staying during a getaway from her troubles, Also a murder mystery to mix things up. Gerritsen’s writing is always descriptive and this one had a solid gothic feel and I imagined the wind blowing through her hair in the tv adaptation. Once I settled into the style and feel of the novel, I enjoyed it as a change of pace from her previous novels.

I have enjoyed Tess Gerrittsen's writing many times before but I found this book to be personally disappointing. The plot was basically a "Ghost and Mrs. Muir " story (which is and old movie with Rex Harrison and later a TV show). A troubled young woman flees the city (Boston) to get away to a small seaside town to complete the cookbook she is writing. She rents a lonely house on a cliff just out of town because it is being remodelled and the rent is cheap. She finds that the house has quite a story, it was the home of a sea captain who is said to haunt it. Eventually she is seduced by the ghost . Then a body is found at sea and a murder mystery unfold. The suspense of the story and the atmospheric settings are perfect and the plotting as well . I truly wanted to finish the book to find out the ending and I did finish it. However I skipped over the seducing ghost scenes as it was closer to supernatural erotica. If you like that type of romance/mystery it is a brilliantly plotted book.

Not my style. Rather creepy to me with the ghost’s ‘relationship’ with Ava. Just turned me off.
Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for allowing me the arc

Thank you to Netgalley for the opportunity to reaqd and review this book. I requested 'The Shape of Night' primarily for the author's reputatin with medical mystery thrillers. Her Rizzoli and Isles series were aways fun reads. This book was a departure from what I thought Gerritsen would provide but still pretty interesting. There were aspects of it possibly becoming a bodice ripper which tempted me to put it down. I kept at it and was rewarded by a weel crafted story. The only issue was the description of the captain's ship, the Minotaur. It is described as a down-easter of three masts. It weighed '20 tons'. This should probably be 2,000 tons, at least.

Bestselling thriller author, Tess Gerritsen, has released a stand-alone novel of suspense with supernatural undertones, The Shape of Night. It is a chilling story of food writer, Eva Collette who has moved out of her Boston apartment and rented a house called Brody’s Watch located several hours away. She is behind on her book and hopes the new environment will help her forget an incident in her recent past that she won’t forgive herself for. The home she rented was built by a sea captain who was lost at sea over 150 years prior, but while in the house, she sees him and forms a relationship with him. Eva wants to include the history of the house in her cookbook, and as she delves into the history, she learns that the women who lived in the house prior to her all died under suspicious circumstances. The more she learns, the more danger she finds herself in. There seems to be an underlying evil and Eva cannot seem to escape.

Readers who are familiar with Tess Gerritsen’s writing know that she is an excellent storyteller. Her bestselling series, Rizzoli and Isles, has even been made into a television series, and the books are well-written. This stand-alone novel is different from her series, but is also well-written. Gerritsen has developed her characters well, and they seem like people who exist in our lives. For some, the supernatural aspect is a bit far-fetched, but it is interesting, just the same. The novel has a lot of sexual connotation, so it probably isn’t suitable for teens, however, there is no graphic violence or language.

Fans of Tess Gerritsen will welcome this new novel, and will most likely have difficulty putting it down. The plot is good, and the dénouement is surprising.

Special thanks to NetGalley for supplying a review copy of this book.

So, here's the thing. I liked parts of the story. The mysterious history of a Maine sea captain's home. Missing girl and an old death at the house add to the suspense. But the main character is really hard to like. I do like a main character, especially female, with her back story, bit I just didn't feel invested in her.

I enjoy Tess Gerritsen's work so I thought I would give this a try. Although, I am not a supernatural fan, I thought it was well written, and definitely had a solid mystery to follow, despite the ghost story. The book had a very heavy creepy feel, and painted a very visual picture of the setting of this house in Maine. When Ava is climbing those steep stairs a Brodie' Watch to the widow's walk, I felt I was climbing them too. Worth the read.

This is written with Gerritsen's usual skill in plot, character and description. She really brings the setting to life but the story just wasn't to my taste. I was expecting Victoria Holt meets Maine with a dash of mystery and it was more Victoria Holt meets EL James on the rocky Maine coast. If you like that idea, it's well written and a quick read and I'd recommend it to you...it just wasn't for me.

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in return for an honest review.