Review: Not your usual haunted house story
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 09 9, 2012
I was very interested to see how Amazon's new serial format works, and since I had enjoyed Carolyn Nash's Kindle Single "The Trunk Key," I downloaded her serial novel Love is Strong as Death. Based on the first episode, it looks like a dandy story. Rachel Elliot and Terry Brandt are investigative journalists at a San Francisco area newspaper. They're polar opposites, with Rachel finding the dirt in any story, and Terry always looking for the silver lining in every cloud. But their different outlooks serve them well in their series of "Both Sides Now" stories.When their editor assigns them to investigate an old abandoned mansion rumored to be a haunted house, they learn that there's more to the story than meets the eye. A wealthy man wants to buy the property and tear down the house, while a new age spiritualist opposes the sale, saying that there is a powerful psychic energy in the house.I like the author's writing style. It's straightforward and succinct, and she ratchets up the tension and suspense gradually as the story unfolds. Her description of Rachel's experience in the old mansion at night reminded me a bit of Richard Matheson's classic Hell House. Rachel and Terry are finely drawn characters, with their differences of opinion making for some great witty banter between them. As the story develops, however, it's revealed that Rachel is actually a very troubled young lady, and the haunted house assignment may be too traumatic for her.As the first episode ends, there are several issues and mysteries to be resolved:*  Why does Peter Cameron, a rich, very eligible bachelor, really want the old mansion, and why was he suddenly attracted to Rachel?*  What secrets does the old Taylor mansion hold? Is it really haunted?* Is the new age spiritualist Crystal Constellation for real, and does she really have a past connection with Rachel?* Can anyone break through Rachel's deep-seated cynicism?I'm looking forward to the next episode of the story. I don't know exactly how reviews will be done with the story coming out in segments, but it will be interesting to see how it plays out in the serial format.------------------------------------------------UPDATE (October 6, 2012): Episode 2 has been released. After her terrifying visit to the old Taylor mansion, Rachel has a strange dream, and wakes to find Terry and Crystal talking together in her kitchen. Peter shows up, and things get very heated. Through a bizarre turn of events, Rachel, Terry, and Crystal end up back at the Taylor mansion.The creep factor really ramps up in this episode. There's something in the deserted mansion that's deeply affecting everyone who enters it, but who or what is doing this remains a mystery. Meanwhile, it appears that Peter Cameron will stop at nothing to obtain the Taylor mansion for his own purposes, whatever that may be.------------------------------------------------UPDATE (November 4, 2012): Episode 3 was released on November 1. Peter and Rachel's relationship heats up, and he gives her the surprise of her life. Karen Peterson, a psychic, is introduced, and she takes Rachel, Terry, and Crystal to meet someone who can perhaps shed some light on the secrets the old Taylor mansion holds. As the episode ends, the group is closer to solving the mystery that has obsessed them, but will they risk everything to find the answers?------------------------------------------------UPDATE (December 1, 2012): Episode 4, the final episode, was released on November 29. The final episode builds to a big finish, as the secrets of the old Taylor mansion are revealed. Rachel, Terry, and Peter learn that they are intimately connected with the mansion and its violent past in ways they could never have imagined. To find peace, Rachel is called on to make the ultimate sacrifice.------------------------------------------------SUMMARY: I enjoyed Love is Strong as Death very much. As the story progressed, the suspense built steadily as it became more and more evident that Rachel had some kind of karmic connection with the mansion, even though the place had been deserted for many years before she was born. The mind-blowing climax was well worth waiting for, as all of the mansion's secrets were revealed, and Rachel's life was transformed.