When Jacob left home for a new life, he pretty much forgot all about Maryfield, North Carolina. But Maryfield never forgot him. Or forgave him.
After a failed business venture in Boston, Jacob Logan comes back to the small Southern town of his childhood and takes up residence in the isolated house he grew up in. Here, the air is still. The nights are black. And his parents are buried close by. It should feel like home—but something is terribly wrong.
Jacob loses all his belongings in a highway accident. His car is stolen from his driveway, yet he never hears a sound. The townspeople seem guarded and suspicious. And Carl, the property caretaker with so many secrets, is unnervingly accommodating. Then there are the fireflies that light the night skies . . . and die as they come near Jacob’s home. If it weren’t for the creaking sounds after dark, or the feeling that he is being watched, Jacob would feel so alone. He shouldn’t worry. He’s not.
And whatever’s with him isn’t going to let him leave home ever again.
Library Journal
When his Boston-based business fails, Jacob Logan returns to his North Carolina hometown to take a brief respite before once more seeking his fortune elsewhere. After settling into his now empty family home, maintained by an elderly caretaker hired after the deaths of Logan's parents, Jacob discovers that neither peace nor quiet is within his reach as strange events conspire to cut his contacts with the outside world. Soon, Logan realizes that his life and that of anyone he cares about depend on solving the puzzle whose pieces lie in his house, in the strange behaviors of the townspeople, and in the tantalizing mystery of the fireflies. Dansky's ability to build terror slowly and talent for hiding his clues in plain sight demonstrate an attraction to old-fashioned, classic horror. The author of the "Exalted: Trilogy of the Second Age" series (Chosen of the Son; Beloved of the Dead; Children of the Dragon) and as well as a writer and designer of video games, Dansky now exhibits his talent for original supernatural fiction in this tightly paced tale of mystery and terror. A good choice for most horror collections. [Discoveries™ is a new fantasy-tinged speculative fiction imprint that expands the publisher's scope beyond its traditional shared-world boundaries.-Ed.]
—Jackie Cassada
School Library Journal
Adult/High School -Jacob Logan returns to his childhood home after a failed business attempt and several years after the death of his parents. From the moment the novel begins, readers know something is not right in the house. Strange and scary things begin happening right away, and it is clear that the creepy caretaker is not to be trusted. Event upon event keep readers turning the pages to figure out what it all means. Are the townspeople trying to drive Jacob away or keep him there forever? Why are his parents haunting the house? Why do the fireflies refuse to come anywhere near the property? Question after question arise and, at times, the plot seems a bit bogged down by all the clues and mysteries. However, mystery, fantasy, and supernatural/horror fans will find much to keep them intrigued. Though the protagonist is a bit hard to feel a connection with, the nonstop events surrounding him will keep readers hooked, if only to find out what the ghosts and the townspeople are up to. Ultimately they will understand that in order for Jacob to face his future, he must come to terms with his past. Compelling.-Jane Ritter, Mill Valley School District, CA
