A Shadow on the Stair
Despite its curiously low selling price, Number 8 Garden Place seemed like the perfect new home for recently divorced Hollie Ganz and her two kids, eight-year-old Jake and 14-year-old Allison. Unfortunately, the Ganzes' fresh start suddenly sours when local bad boy Dylan Bradley begins to bother Allison after she refuses to go out with him. Gradually, this punk makes Allison's life unbearable. So when a series of prank phone calls, shattered windows and break-ins besieges Number 8, Hollie assumes Dylan is the culprit. However, with little concrete evidence, the local authorities refuse to intervene. Into this breach of justice steps Woody, a 22-year-old computer nerd who lives with his shut-in mom across the street. At first, Woody's neighborly intrusion into Hollie's life is welcome. But soon the omnipresent Woody develops an obsession with Hollie. When she rejects his advances, he reveals a more sinister side as well as the real reason why Number 8 Garden place was such a bargain in the first place. Leaden pacing and obvious foreshadowing prevent suspense from building in Murphy's ( A Whisper in the Attic ) cheesy thriller.Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.