Not all that horrifying story about a twenty-one year old who doesn’t want to stay dead.
Faban Hightower is in his car with several friends speeding down a French highway. A drunk driver slams into them and all but one person is kiled. Back in England Fabian’s mother Alex sees him. She’s seperated from husband David, He gave up London to move to rural England and runs a winery. He thought he saw Fabian but discounted it.
Alex’s friend Sandy thinks she should see a medium. She eventually sees Morgan Ford. He holds a Rolex of Alex’s and gives details of the accident. She thinks he may have read about it in the paper. David thinks all mediums etc. are full of it.
Philip Main is a client of Alex’s. She’s a literary agent. Main is a scientist who doesn’t believe in the supernatural even though his father was a medium. He really likes Alex. One night he and his dog go to Alex’s house for dinner. The dog starts acting up.
Main goes into the bathroom. It’s damp and the wallpaper is peeling. He’s eventually afraid and doesn’t want to come back after seeing Fabian. Ford convinces her to have a circle or seance. David is asked to come because he doesn’t have any psychic connection. Also there are two of Ford’s friends, one who is a conduit for spirits. Sandy is also part of the group.
Alex hears something that goes back to her past that’s very disturbing. She finds out later that David secretly taped the session. When he plays it back, nothing but static. Alex is relieved he didn’t hear her secret.
Fabian’s ex girlfriend Carrie tried to come through and Alex does some investigating. Fabian told her he dumped her but Otto, the only survivor of the car wreck, says it was the other way around. Alex goes to visit Carrie’s mother. She’s a drunk. Alex lifts a postcard Carrie wrote from Boston. She compared that to one she wrote Fabian. A handwriting expert says the writing on the cards is different. She also finds blank postcards in Fabian’s room with different sights of Boston on them.
It all leads to another circle. This time it’s an unscheduled one at David’s winery. James says he based it one his own experiences with the supernatural. It is entertaining but won’t convince anyone that these things can happen.
One big complaint I have is the very end. The last sentence is a worn out scenerio that’s been done to death. After reading that I was annoyed that he would go for the cheap chills. It doesn’t work at all and leaves a bad taste because it’s so hackneyed.
