The Night Visitors: A Novel
Written by Carol Goodman
Narrated by Jane Oppenheimer
4/5
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About this audiobook
The latest thriller from the internationally bestselling author of The Lake of Dead Languages and The Other Mother, a story of mistaken identities and missed chances, forgiveness, and vengeance.
“Carol Goodman is, simply put, a stellar writer.”—Lisa Unger, New York Times bestselling author of The Red Hunter
ALICE gets off a bus in the middle of a snowstorm in Delphi, NY. She is fleeing an abusive relationship and desperate to protect...
OREN, ten years old, a major Star Wars fan and wise beyond his years. Though Alice is wary, Oren bonds nearly instantly with...
MATTIE, a social worker in her fifties who lives in an enormous run-down house in the middle of the woods. Mattie lives alone and is always available, and so she is the person the hotline always calls when they need a late-night pickup. And although according to protocol Mattie should take Alice and Oren to a local shelter, instead she brings them home for the night. She has plenty of room, she says. What she doesn't say is that Oren reminds her of her little brother, who died thirty years ago at the age of ten.
But Mattie isn't the only one withholding elements of the truth. Alice is keeping her own secrets. And as the snowstorm worsens around them, each woman's past will prove itself unburied, stirring up threats both within and without.
Carol Goodman
Carol Goodman’s rich and prolific career includes novels such as The Widow’s House and The Night Visitor, winners of the 2018 and 2020 Mary Higgins Clark Award. Her books have been translated into sixteen languages. She lives in the Hudson Valley, NY.
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Reviews for The Night Visitors
119 ratings20 reviews
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Not really a review, more of a question about similarities between Lisa Unger’s stories set in Halllows and this one. Does anyone else see them?
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Complex, multilayered, psychologically nuanced and insightful. Full of heart and redemption (as well as exciting and full of danger).
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A very convoluted story that kept me reading. At first it seems to be a story of an abusive wife and child fleeing a violent man and finding refuge in upstate New York. It is so much more. The social worker who meets them, Mattie, has her own past that she is still dealing with yet finds herself bonding with the child, Oren, who reminds Mattie of a child in her own past that died at his age. And it seems that Oren can channel that little boy and Mattie realizes it too. So, in addition to the drama surrounding Mattie and the town she grew up in and her past, we learn the real story of Oren and Alice, the woman he fled with. And if that's not enough, there is a blizzard and mean wanting to do evil and a little of the supernatural. It all comes together in a wonderful ending that is all about hope and second chances.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Thanks to LibraryThing Early Reviewer for a copy of this book for honest review. Setting is Catskills NY. Alice is fleeing an abusive relationship with 10 year old Oren. Social worker, Mattie, takes them in her house for the night. Mattie has secrets of her own and each woman’s past stirs up threats. Strong characters and gripping suspense. Brings problems of domestic abuse to the the foreground and shows how community can help. Harrowing tale!
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5This was the first book by Carol Goodman that I have read and I plan on reading more of her books! She’s an incredible author! This book was suspenseful, supernatural and also could be set in present day. It was so much more than I was expecting.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/54.5 stars.
The Night Visitors by Carol Goodman is a spine-tingling mystery with slight supernatural elements.
Alice and ten year old Oren are desperate to escape from an abusive relationship. Their bus journey takes them a small town where social worker Mattie Lane meets them in the middle of the night and takes them to her dilapidated home in the country. In the morning, Mattie learns unexpected information about Alice but she does not let this stop her from offering the pair her help. Unable to secure them safe accommodations until the following day, Mattie brings them back to her house for another night. With a blizzard raging outside, Alice has reason to believe her past might have caught up with her. Will she and Mattie save themselves and Oren from an increasingly dangerous situation?
Alice is no stranger to social workers so she is reluctant to accept Mattie's help. But fearing Oren will end up in foster care, she agrees to wait another day for a secure place for them to stay. Snooping around her hostess's home, Alice is perplexed by some of the things she discovers. She is also worried about Oren whose somewhat peculiar behavior is becoming concerning. Unsure what is going on with the ten year old boy, she nonetheless hunkers down with Mattie as they wait out the blizzard.
Oren rather easily adapts to their new situation. He is a smart boy whose fascination with Greek lore is rivaled by his love of Star Wars. Oren is surprisingly intuitive and he has knowledge that is shockingly accurate. It is not until Oren, Mattie and Alice are trapped during the blizzard that the source of this information becomes startling clear.
Mattie has never married and she lives in the family home she inherited after her parents' and brother Caleb's deaths. There is nothing she won't do for the women and children who are escaping from domestic violence but she is fully aware she is crossing a line taking Alice and Oren into her home. Mattie is drawn to young Oren who eerily reminds her of her deceased brother, Caleb. She is suspicious of Alice but Mattie knows she has to do whatever she can to protect her and Oren.
The Night Visitors is a suspense-laden mystery that is quite riveting. Alice and Oren are sympathetic characters, but Alice is clearly hiding something. Oren is a charming little boy but his premonitions are a little unnerving. Mattie is dedicated to helping victims of domestic violence but she is keeping dark secrets of her own. The setting is quite atmospheric and the ramshackle house becomes even more eerie and isolated during the blizzard and power outage. With some very shocking twists, jaw-dropping turns and a ghostly presence, Carol Goodman brings this spell-binding mystery to an adrenaline-laced conclusion. Highly recommend this fantastic novel to fans of the genre. - Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Mattie is the social worker others depend on when there is an emergency, so when she gets a late night call to pick up a woman and her son who are fleeing an abusive situation, she goes. But she breaks with procedure and takes them home, thus becoming more ensnared in their problems and setting in motion a chain of events that endangers them all. The present day story is cleverly meshed with events from 30 years ago. Little by little, the story with all its tangles unfolds. Tinged with terror and a touch of the supernatural, this thriller is a page-turner of the finest quality. Though suspenseful in nature, it nevertheless brings to light the problems encountered by powerless women in abusive situations as well as teens who are ruled by domineering fathers.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Night Visitor's by Carol Goodman is the latest chilling psychological thriller from this author. I was offered a copy of the book for review from the publisher. Now that we got all that out of the way, I need to tell you how I felt about this book.First a bit about the book, Mattie is a social worker who has this huge Victorian house that she not only lives in but it is always available to anyone that needs a place to stay, Mattie is sometimes called for a late night pickup for anyone that needs it, the scared women and children who come from abusive homes. Protocol dictates that she should get anyone that shows up for her help to the local shelter. Something about Alice and Oren has her bypassing that rule. Oren reminds her of her deceased brother.Alice is fleeing an abusive relationship so along with 10-year-old Oren she is ok with spending the night with Mattie after getting off the bus. Oren instantly bonds with Mattie. Mattie had a brother that she lost 30 years previously. He was also 10 years old. Alice has secrets that she would rather not have them known.There is a snowstorm brewing so Alice and Oren stay. The danger is out there for both of them along with Mattie as each of their secrets come to the surface with deadly consequences. I love psychological thrillers and this one was very good. I liked the writing, each character was written with compassion and mystery. There was also a haunting aspect, Mattie's brother, even though gone for 30 years, plays a big part in the story. The reader learns what happened to him slowly as the story emerges. Oren is another mystery. There is something about him that is a bit creepy, he knows things that he shouldn't. There are other characters that make up the story, Frank, Davis, Matties late mom, Doreen, Atefeh, and Sister Martine. I am not going to go into detail about these characters, but they definitely are a huge part of the story. I loved the novel, the writing, and the characters, I liked how the story progressed into a satisfying thriller. I told you I love a good psychological thriller right? Yes, I really liked this one. I think if you love a good story you can sink your teeth into, then this book is for you. Go get your copy!
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5I received this book in exchange for an honest review. I was drawn into this book from the beginning. I enjoyed the fist half of this book but then started losing interest based on to many obvious things and coincidences. I I wish the author would have skipped over parts but in an effort to tie everything together they ruined the story I had wanted so long to continue enjoying. Sometimes less is more. The story maybe a great one for others and it wasn’t by far the worst book I have ever read.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Thanks to the publisher, William Morrow via LibraryThing, for a copy of this novel in exchange for my honest opinion.This is the second novel by Carol Goodman that I have read and enjoyed. The main subject of this one is a woman and child fleeing an abusive environment. The setting is in the Catskills in the middle of a blizzard which made for atmospheric scenes. Alice and her 10-year-old son, Oren, arrive in a small town with the hope of finding a safe place to hide from the abuser, Oren's father. To the rescue comes Mattie, a social worker, who is kind to those in need of help. There are some other interesting characters who helped to move the story along.I liked the two different points-of-view by Alice and Mattie. There are plenty of secrets revealed as the novel progresses with some twists, information on the kinds of help women can get when faced with an abusive situation, Greek mythology, Mattie's creepy old house, plenty of Star Wars references, and even a bit of paranormal.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Disappointing read. Not up to her usual standards
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5This was a decent suspenseful book that definitely held my attention. There were plot twists that were very easy to figure and some that were surprising. At lot of the coincidences in the book were a little unbelievable and I didn't really care for the supernatural elements. I enjoyed Carol Goodman's writing and would be interested in reading more of her books. I won a Kindle edition of this book from Goodreads.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Mattie is a social worker who helps women trying to escape abusive men. She gets a call in the middle of the night and picks up Alice and Oren to take them to a shelter. They end up staying at Mattie’s house for the night. Oren reminds Mattie of her little,brother who died mysteriously 35 years ago.Things get complicated and many secrets are uncovered.The story drug somewhat for me and I was glad to finish it.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5I've not read this author before, but this story was SOLID! I started it late last night and finished it early morning hours. I was engrossed with the unpredictable twists and couldn't go to sleep without knowing how it would play out!The story follows a 10 year old boy and his mother who are in contact with an underground network of women who provide 'sanctuary' to those who need an immediate and untraceable out from a domestic abuse situation. Set in a small town in upstate NY during a winter blizzard, the social worker who gets the late night call to meet a woman and child at the bus stop, gets more than she bargained for with their arrival.Turns out that the social worker and many of the women in the town who are former, relocated domestic abuse survivors, are keeping their own secrets and their carefully (re)constructed lives may all about to come spilling out. No graphic detail of domestic abuse or violence and in fact, the focus on the story is more about healing the past while finding a healthier way forward.Well and empathetically written--recommended!
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A chilling thriller with hints of the supernatural, The Night Visitors will keep you on your toes until the end.Alice is running from an abusive relationship and is desperate to protect Oren, a Star Wars loving 10-year old. Late at night, Alice and Oren get off a bus during a snowstorm in Delphi, NY to meet someone that will take them to a safe place. Mattie gets a call in the middle of the night because a mother and son need to be picked up at the bus stop and taken to the local shelter. Disobeying protocol, Mattie decides to take Alice and Oren to her house for the night because Oren reminds Mattie of her little brother Caleb. What Mattie doesn’t say, is that Caleb died thirty years ago when he was ten. Both Mattie and Alice are withholding secrets and the past begins to reveal itself during a brutal snowstorm.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5I read the other reviews here and I'm feeling left out. I find Goodman's newest book to be very slow. I have to force myself to go back and read because it's so predictable. Surely I have a bad attitude?I enjoyed most of Goodman's earlier books and had wondered what happened to her. But this one just isn't as good as some of theothers.Damaged characters seeking redemption whether they know it or not. Offstage menace. Isolated setting. I'm not a fan of alternating viewpoints, that may be part of the problem.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Wow. I absolutely just fell in love with this book. Ms. Goodman wrote with heart and soul that the characters became more than just that...characters in a story. They pulled at my heart strings and left an lasting impression with me. The Night Visitors is a five star recommended read!Everyone from Alice, Oren. and Mattie were engaging. Although, I will admit that it was Mattie that I grew the most closest to. The more I got to know her and her story, the more intrigued I became. Alice is an angel. She found the courage to take Oren and run away. In the beginning of the story, Oren was a quiet kid but one who was also may more mature beyond his young years but by the end of the story; he was a kid again, who loved Star Wars.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5When on-the-run mother and son Alice and Oren arrive in Delphi, New York just as a blizzard blankets the town, social worker Mattie Lane takes them into her home. Determined to find a safe haven for the struggling woman and her wise-beyond-his-years son, Maggie finds herself drawn to the youngster, but soon the three of them will face an unexpected danger that threatens their very survival. Told in chapters alternating between narrators Alice and Mattie, the dark and sometimes eerie story spins out a tale of love, vengeance, redemption, and hope. Well-drawn, often-flawed characters, a twisty plot filled with unexpected reveals, and a delightful bit of the supernatural come together to weave a story where nothing is quite as it seems and where tightly-held secrets gradually creep toward revelation. The narrative, with its slowly-unfolding layers, is a compelling, heartfelt story that promises to take the reader’s breath away. But the excessive over-use of an unnecessary-to-the-plot expletive is likely to be off-putting for many. It diminishes the narrative [and lowers its rating].I received a free copy of this book through the LibraryThing Early Readers program
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5This book gripped me from the very beginning. As I got half way through it I was beginning to wish it would not end. It was a very fast read . Its a little fantasy and a little real life and a little nonfiction all in one.Love the story line from beginning to end and the Main character was very like able.I would recommend this book to anyone. Ive already talked several people into reading it. I cannot wait to hear how much they like it.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Boy this was a good one! Super fast paced (flew through this in two days) with really great characters and great writing. There are two story lines that unfold throughout and they are both really good. The author does an amazing job of pulling the reader into the story immediately and providing little tiny pieces of each story line as breadcrumbs that slowly lead you through the mystery of both. Thanks to the publisher and LibraryThing for providing me with a copy to read in exchange for my opinion.