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New Hampshire Mystery #2
Rock Spider
A NEW HAMPSHIRE MYSTERY
In the chill of a foggy night, life as Gertrude Inman knows it ends when her car crashes into the murky waters of a quiet lake, killing her teenaged sister. Though she survives, she has no memory of the accident or the long, disturbing night leading up to it.
Returning to her position as a social worker, she's assigned only one case: to assess the home of a reclusive family where a ten-year old girl died by suicide. The mother is a former Hollywood starlet, the father a retired cop, but it's their seventeen-year old daughter - a peculiar girl with a cunning smile and a mysterious hold on the family - who reminds Gertrude of horrifying, fragmented memories. And this seemingly straightforward case launches her into an investigation that will threaten the very fabric of her sanity.
Jake Livingston has had his eye on the family and not just because he's been reporting on the strange occurrences that have been happening ever since their youngest took her own life. Men have gone missing, others are winding up in jail, and it would seem those who cross paths with the Kings are silenced in the same bizarre, ritualistic manner. If the woman from social services isn't careful, he knows she'll be next.
As Gertrude delves deeper into the circumstances surrounding the suicide, it proves to be linked to a brutal crime, one far more shocking than she could have imagined because it has everything to do with the night her sister died.
In the chill of a foggy night, life as Gertrude Inman knows it ends when her car crashes into the murky waters of a quiet lake, killing her teenaged sister. Though she survives, she has no memory of the accident or the long, disturbing night leading up to it.
Returning to her position as a social worker, she's assigned only one case: to assess the home of a reclusive family where a ten-year old girl died by suicide. The mother is a former Hollywood starlet, the father a retired cop, but it's their seventeen-year old daughter - a peculiar girl with a cunning smile and a mysterious hold on the family - who reminds Gertrude of horrifying, fragmented memories. And this seemingly straightforward case launches her into an investigation that will threaten the very fabric of her sanity.
Jake Livingston has had his eye on the family and not just because he's been reporting on the strange occurrences that have been happening ever since their youngest took her own life. Men have gone missing, others are winding up in jail, and it would seem those who cross paths with the Kings are silenced in the same bizarre, ritualistic manner. If the woman from social services isn't careful, he knows she'll be next.
As Gertrude delves deeper into the circumstances surrounding the suicide, it proves to be linked to a brutal crime, one far more shocking than she could have imagined because it has everything to do with the night her sister died.
300 pages, Kindle Edition
Published December 29, 2015
55 people are currently reading
516 people want to read
About the author
Mira Gibson
25 books70 followersAn author of sleuth mysteries and dark psychological thrillers, Mira can be found most days working in the sunshine of beautiful Long Beach, NY where she dreams up one-of-a-kind characters and writes intriguing stories that are filled with unsuspecting tenderness.
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Connect with Mira online!
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Twitter: twitter.com/miragibson
Website: MysteryRoyalty.com
Signup for my Newsletter: https://forms.wix.com/r/7165804418128...
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
July 11, 2022
This was so well done. It wasn’t the typical amateur detective novel. Gertrude was wrapped up in all of this in ways I never imagined. And because she had suffered a traumatic brain injury, she couldn’t be sure of her thoughts or her memories. So much evil lurking in the hearts of men is the best way to sum this up and the twisted plotting made this a truly great story. Wondering who was good, who was bad, who was the victim, and who was the perpetrator left my head spinning. I really enjoyed this even while biting my lip from the tension.
January 6, 2016
Wow! What a riveting, edge-of-your-seat, dark psychological thriller! "Rock Spider" may be an unusual name for a title, but that tells you right there this book is different & the storyline will be unique & not your 'cookie-cutter' mass publishing mystery/thriller! This was my first book I've ever read by this talented author, but will definitely not be my last! ... Mira Gibson does an awesome job of hooking the reader right from the start, and holds on even after the shocking, but satisfying end! (NO cliffhangers in this stand-alone, though it is part of series :)
This gut twisting roller coaster ride has so many twists & turns woven throughout, that it will keep you guessing until the very surprise ending! I was so absorbed in the story, that at times my stomach was in knots & found my heart pounding with terror! ... Ms. Gibson does an amazing job with well defined, multi-faceted characters and psychological profiles. Combined with great descriptions, not too detailed, but with just the right amount of imagery to keep the reader engaged & the pages turning. Once I started reading, I did not want to stop!
I highly recommend this must read to all adults 18+ readers of fiction & suggest you "one-click" right now! ... But make sure you have plenty of time to read, coz once you start, you won't want to put it down! *Even tho I was fortunate to receive an advanced readers copy for an honest review, I just bought my own copy now :)
This gut twisting roller coaster ride has so many twists & turns woven throughout, that it will keep you guessing until the very surprise ending! I was so absorbed in the story, that at times my stomach was in knots & found my heart pounding with terror! ... Ms. Gibson does an amazing job with well defined, multi-faceted characters and psychological profiles. Combined with great descriptions, not too detailed, but with just the right amount of imagery to keep the reader engaged & the pages turning. Once I started reading, I did not want to stop!
I highly recommend this must read to all adults 18+ readers of fiction & suggest you "one-click" right now! ... But make sure you have plenty of time to read, coz once you start, you won't want to put it down! *Even tho I was fortunate to receive an advanced readers copy for an honest review, I just bought my own copy now :)
June 18, 2016
I love a well written novel. In this book, we are introduced to Gertrude. Gertrude is a likable character, in a terrible position. Due to a crash that killed her sister, she is left with some cognitive issues but is thrown back into her own life after leaving the hospital. As a worker with child protective services, Gertrude is given a single case, one that seems to be a hopeless situation for a teenager named Roberta. Gertrude, at risk at danger to herself, is determined to help Roberta and untangle the mystery of what is happening to Roberta.
Gertrude is smart, capable and very likable. I found her easy to relate to and she is portrayed well in the book. All of the characters are complex and developed, which adds dimension and depth to the mystery and the book.
The author has a clear grasp of language and uses it well to tell the story, adding enough twists and turns to keep the reader guessing. Even if you think you know how the story goes, it will suddenly twist back on itself. Some of the subject matter is hard to deal with, but it is handled skillfully but some might be put off.
I was given a free copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.
Gertrude is smart, capable and very likable. I found her easy to relate to and she is portrayed well in the book. All of the characters are complex and developed, which adds dimension and depth to the mystery and the book.
The author has a clear grasp of language and uses it well to tell the story, adding enough twists and turns to keep the reader guessing. Even if you think you know how the story goes, it will suddenly twist back on itself. Some of the subject matter is hard to deal with, but it is handled skillfully but some might be put off.
I was given a free copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.
March 5, 2016
The novel opens with the build up to Gertrude Inman crashing her car and ending up in the lake. This sets off a chain of events that are dark, disturbing and chilling. I don't want to give away any more of the story line than that because it's more enjoyable to read yourself how it unfolds.
I thought the first of Mira Gibson's New Hampshire Mysteries (Daddy Soda) was phenomenal and this is equally as good. In general the characterisation is sharp. Gertrude, as a central character, is totally believable, and is some one that I cared about.
The Author knows how to build up tension and suspense. There were times when I was so into the novel that my stomach was churning and I had to read on.
This is a fast moving, edgy read and unsettling when you get full understanding of the title.
I like that the mysteries are related to the setting rather than the main characters - it gives something different in the crime & mystery genre.
Read it - you will be gripped from beginning to end.
I thought the first of Mira Gibson's New Hampshire Mysteries (Daddy Soda) was phenomenal and this is equally as good. In general the characterisation is sharp. Gertrude, as a central character, is totally believable, and is some one that I cared about.
The Author knows how to build up tension and suspense. There were times when I was so into the novel that my stomach was churning and I had to read on.
This is a fast moving, edgy read and unsettling when you get full understanding of the title.
I like that the mysteries are related to the setting rather than the main characters - it gives something different in the crime & mystery genre.
Read it - you will be gripped from beginning to end.
June 6, 2016
I won a copy of this book and was hooked from the start.
Great writing compelled me to keep reading and it was difficult to put down as life beckoned. Yes, there were a few grammatical issues and typos, but nothing to detract from my enjoyment.
There are many twists to this crime thriller, and mysteries within mysteries, and heart pounding moments when it wasn't clear exactly what would happen next. It was gruesome and gritty, with some tender scenes, but it was mostly horrifying.
Great characters, both good and bad, a brilliant plot, fabulous imagery, oodles of suspense and mystery - highly recommended.
Great writing compelled me to keep reading and it was difficult to put down as life beckoned. Yes, there were a few grammatical issues and typos, but nothing to detract from my enjoyment.
There are many twists to this crime thriller, and mysteries within mysteries, and heart pounding moments when it wasn't clear exactly what would happen next. It was gruesome and gritty, with some tender scenes, but it was mostly horrifying.
Great characters, both good and bad, a brilliant plot, fabulous imagery, oodles of suspense and mystery - highly recommended.
February 10, 2025
Riveting Web of Deceipt
A community held together by lies, fear, and nasty secrets, culminating in murder if you didn't keep the cult hiden.
A community held together by lies, fear, and nasty secrets, culminating in murder if you didn't keep the cult hiden.
April 4, 2016
‘If death was a musty, semi-organic, brain-stinging odor…’
Los Angeles author/screenwriter/playwright Mira Gibson gained her schooling skills at Bard College and form there tested her talent (very successfully) with acceptance into Youngblood, the playwrights group at Ensemble Studio Theatre (NYC). Her successes in playwriting are impressive and those skills require for a drama to be played out on the stage or the screen is part of what makes her novels work so exceptionally well. Her sense of dramatic timing, introducing characters and allowing them to develop in the context of the suspenseful plot is a trait too often missing form novels by those without the benefit of the drama skills Mira owns. She seems to intuit suspense, an affinity for the borderline credible versus fantasy, and yet at the same time offer her stories in an atmosphere that allows the reader to feel familiar with the setting. She has published five novels, ROCK SPIDER is her latest, and it is one of the books she has placed in a series she calls ‘A New Hampshire Series’.
One of the keen aspects of the manner in which Mira creates her story is her choice to make the main event of the tale to follow in a credible Prologue. “Warped asphalt, marred with shallow potholes and buckled with frost heaves - the scars of harsh winters and brief sweltering summers, - unfolded under a shock of headlights like a story she could recite. It didn’t matter that a ghostly shroud of fog had crept in from the lake, clouding the road, or that the windshield was blurred with condensation. Gertrude knew every bump, its relationship to each bend, dip, and swell. Poor suspension on her old Audi had her anticipating the jolts and jerks. Her body was programmed to tense, to lean into the wheel, her chin to its clammy plastic, her hands in a white-knuckle grip….POW. Gertrude startled the second she heard it. The sound of the gunshot cut through her foggy thoughts - the fragments and images of their bizarrely rehearsed and even more bizarrely executed confrontation with their parents - that had been distracting her the entire drive home.’ The scene is tense but Mira lets the tension mount slowly until ‘the event’.
Best to turn to her synopsis: ‘In the chill of a foggy night, life as Gertrude Inman knows it ends when her car crashes into the murky waters of a quiet lake, killing her teenaged sister. Though she survives, she has no memory of the accident or the long, disturbing night leading up to it. Returning to her position as a social worker, she's assigned only one case: to assess the home of a reclusive family where a ten-year old girl died by suicide. The mother is a former Hollywood starlet, the father a retired cop, but it's their seventeen-year old daughter - a peculiar girl with a cunning smile and a mysterious hold on the family - who reminds Gertrude of horrifying, fragmented memories. And this seemingly straightforward case launches her into an investigation that will threaten the very fabric of her sanity. Jake Livingston has had his eye on the family and not just because he's been reporting on the strange occurrences that have been happening ever since their youngest took her own life. Men have gone missing, others are winding up in jail, and it would seem those who cross paths with the Kings are silenced in the same bizarre, ritualistic manner. If the woman from social services isn't careful, he knows she'll be next. As Gertrude delves deeper into the circumstances surrounding the suicide, it proves to be linked to a brutal crime, one far more shocking than she could have imagined because it has everything to do with the night her sister died.’
This is skilled craftsmanship – and a very entertaining and scary novel. We have a significant new voice among us
Los Angeles author/screenwriter/playwright Mira Gibson gained her schooling skills at Bard College and form there tested her talent (very successfully) with acceptance into Youngblood, the playwrights group at Ensemble Studio Theatre (NYC). Her successes in playwriting are impressive and those skills require for a drama to be played out on the stage or the screen is part of what makes her novels work so exceptionally well. Her sense of dramatic timing, introducing characters and allowing them to develop in the context of the suspenseful plot is a trait too often missing form novels by those without the benefit of the drama skills Mira owns. She seems to intuit suspense, an affinity for the borderline credible versus fantasy, and yet at the same time offer her stories in an atmosphere that allows the reader to feel familiar with the setting. She has published five novels, ROCK SPIDER is her latest, and it is one of the books she has placed in a series she calls ‘A New Hampshire Series’.
One of the keen aspects of the manner in which Mira creates her story is her choice to make the main event of the tale to follow in a credible Prologue. “Warped asphalt, marred with shallow potholes and buckled with frost heaves - the scars of harsh winters and brief sweltering summers, - unfolded under a shock of headlights like a story she could recite. It didn’t matter that a ghostly shroud of fog had crept in from the lake, clouding the road, or that the windshield was blurred with condensation. Gertrude knew every bump, its relationship to each bend, dip, and swell. Poor suspension on her old Audi had her anticipating the jolts and jerks. Her body was programmed to tense, to lean into the wheel, her chin to its clammy plastic, her hands in a white-knuckle grip….POW. Gertrude startled the second she heard it. The sound of the gunshot cut through her foggy thoughts - the fragments and images of their bizarrely rehearsed and even more bizarrely executed confrontation with their parents - that had been distracting her the entire drive home.’ The scene is tense but Mira lets the tension mount slowly until ‘the event’.
Best to turn to her synopsis: ‘In the chill of a foggy night, life as Gertrude Inman knows it ends when her car crashes into the murky waters of a quiet lake, killing her teenaged sister. Though she survives, she has no memory of the accident or the long, disturbing night leading up to it. Returning to her position as a social worker, she's assigned only one case: to assess the home of a reclusive family where a ten-year old girl died by suicide. The mother is a former Hollywood starlet, the father a retired cop, but it's their seventeen-year old daughter - a peculiar girl with a cunning smile and a mysterious hold on the family - who reminds Gertrude of horrifying, fragmented memories. And this seemingly straightforward case launches her into an investigation that will threaten the very fabric of her sanity. Jake Livingston has had his eye on the family and not just because he's been reporting on the strange occurrences that have been happening ever since their youngest took her own life. Men have gone missing, others are winding up in jail, and it would seem those who cross paths with the Kings are silenced in the same bizarre, ritualistic manner. If the woman from social services isn't careful, he knows she'll be next. As Gertrude delves deeper into the circumstances surrounding the suicide, it proves to be linked to a brutal crime, one far more shocking than she could have imagined because it has everything to do with the night her sister died.’
This is skilled craftsmanship – and a very entertaining and scary novel. We have a significant new voice among us
May 4, 2016
Rock Spider takes us on a journey with Gertrude Inman, a social worker who recently survived a car crash and has no memory of the accident or events leading up to the faithful night. Determined get to the bottom of her current case with a reclusive family where a ten-year old girl committed suicide and her older sister is still in the clutches of what Gertrude feels is danger. As Gertrude delves deeper in the case horrifying and fragmented memories begin to surface threatening the very fabric of her sanity.
This is the second book I've read my Mira Gibson and I cannot stress enough how much I love her writing. As with Daddy Soda, I found Rock Spider to have a great balance of mystery, twists and turns, tension, character development, and anticipation for the next page.
I've read many books with dark subject matters (Gillian Flynn) that have little to know shed of light - you find yourself aligning with the lesser of evils... What I like about Gibson's mystery novels is even though the subject matters may be dark and twisted - she still gives you sheds of light, as the reader still I still have someone I feel morally okay with rooting for.
I'm very excited for the next New Hampshire Mystery to surface.
This is the second book I've read my Mira Gibson and I cannot stress enough how much I love her writing. As with Daddy Soda, I found Rock Spider to have a great balance of mystery, twists and turns, tension, character development, and anticipation for the next page.
I've read many books with dark subject matters (Gillian Flynn) that have little to know shed of light - you find yourself aligning with the lesser of evils... What I like about Gibson's mystery novels is even though the subject matters may be dark and twisted - she still gives you sheds of light, as the reader still I still have someone I feel morally okay with rooting for.
I'm very excited for the next New Hampshire Mystery to surface.
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April 9, 2016"A Mind Blowing Thriller"
This is the first novel I've read by this author, and it really grasped me...mentally! It's a psychological thriller which will send shivers down your spine. This story is full of mystery and suspense. I read it throughout the night ... keeping the lights on! Gertrude Inman crashes her car and it sinks to the bottom of a deep, quiet lake. She's survived, but has no memory of the accident. Unfortunately, her teen aged sister has died from the accident. Gertrude, herself, has had head injuries and memory loss and has episodes of psychosis. It's hard for her to accept this loss and to carry on, but she eventually returns to her job as a social worker. She's assigned to one reclusive family who has lost their 10-year old daughter. The teen aged daughter is cunning and peculiar. There are events threatening Gertrude which journalist Jake Livingston will have to resolve. This novel is very well written with meaningful descriptions. It's a thriller and chiller which will captivate you. Highly recommend.
This is the first novel I've read by this author, and it really grasped me...mentally! It's a psychological thriller which will send shivers down your spine. This story is full of mystery and suspense. I read it throughout the night ... keeping the lights on! Gertrude Inman crashes her car and it sinks to the bottom of a deep, quiet lake. She's survived, but has no memory of the accident. Unfortunately, her teen aged sister has died from the accident. Gertrude, herself, has had head injuries and memory loss and has episodes of psychosis. It's hard for her to accept this loss and to carry on, but she eventually returns to her job as a social worker. She's assigned to one reclusive family who has lost their 10-year old daughter. The teen aged daughter is cunning and peculiar. There are events threatening Gertrude which journalist Jake Livingston will have to resolve. This novel is very well written with meaningful descriptions. It's a thriller and chiller which will captivate you. Highly recommend.
April 11, 2016
"Superb writing - but lacked 'fizz'"
This is a top-drawer psychological thriller with plenty of twists and turns. Why then did I hold back from giving it five stars? As soon as I read the first few paragraphs of the Prologue I knew that this story was by an extremely accomplished writer. The quality of the descriptive passages throughout is streets ahead of the vast majority of books. Everything about the characters is precisely observed; their conversations gel exactly with how you would expect them to speak. This does not necessarily make it an easy read. The subject matter would contribute towards that too, of course, and that is quite dark and chilling. Somehow I didn't feel the 'warmth' that the quality of the writing should have given me. I kept wondering how the average reader would receive it. Would they accept the lack of pace that such detailed observations cause, or would they be satisfied with being enthralled by the luxurious picture that's been painted? Ultimately, the reader will decide.
This is a top-drawer psychological thriller with plenty of twists and turns. Why then did I hold back from giving it five stars? As soon as I read the first few paragraphs of the Prologue I knew that this story was by an extremely accomplished writer. The quality of the descriptive passages throughout is streets ahead of the vast majority of books. Everything about the characters is precisely observed; their conversations gel exactly with how you would expect them to speak. This does not necessarily make it an easy read. The subject matter would contribute towards that too, of course, and that is quite dark and chilling. Somehow I didn't feel the 'warmth' that the quality of the writing should have given me. I kept wondering how the average reader would receive it. Would they accept the lack of pace that such detailed observations cause, or would they be satisfied with being enthralled by the luxurious picture that's been painted? Ultimately, the reader will decide.
February 26, 2017
The blurb on "Rock Spider" definitely grabbed my interest. Upon reading, the reader is asked to suspend disbelief in the circumstances surrounding the main character. I had a hard time getting past anyone who suffered the physical and mental trauma that the main character did (due to a car crash) that a hospital would just let her out and give her a car to drive, that her job would take her back so readily and then give her a case that is so dangerous. If you can get past this, the book is an enjoyable read.
***I received this book through GoodReads Member Giveaway. The opinion is solely my own.***
***I received this book through GoodReads Member Giveaway. The opinion is solely my own.***
November 24, 2016
Disappointing
The book started off so good then I don't know what happened when I got to the middle and then the end. I skipped through the pages. It wasn't a page turner anymore. I grew bored. The ending was awful. I expected something more with all the build up but was disappointed.
The book started off so good then I don't know what happened when I got to the middle and then the end. I skipped through the pages. It wasn't a page turner anymore. I grew bored. The ending was awful. I expected something more with all the build up but was disappointed.
January 7, 2017
I wasn't sure what to expect when I started this book having never read anything by this author, but I enjoyed it very much. I have since read Daddy Soda and Tar Heart also. I enjoyed all three books, I found the characters absorbing and even if the situations sometimes seemed a little unbelievable at times the twists and turns finally led to a conclusion I found interesting.
November 21, 2016
Wow
This writer definitely knows how to weave a story. Her characters are flawed and very dark. I have read the three books in the New Hampshire series and thoroughly enjoyed them. They will keep you up late at night because it's impossible to stop reading.....
This writer definitely knows how to weave a story. Her characters are flawed and very dark. I have read the three books in the New Hampshire series and thoroughly enjoyed them. They will keep you up late at night because it's impossible to stop reading.....
November 27, 2016
After finishing the first, I eagerly began this one and I was not disappointed. If you did not read the first, you won't be lost (although I do recommend it, it is a good book as well). As with the first, there is delicate subject matter. Again, if you can handle it, the book is very well done.
November 14, 2016
Rock Spider
This is a well written book, strong characters, good plot but not to my taste. Should have stopped sooner, but plowed on to the end.
This is a well written book, strong characters, good plot but not to my taste. Should have stopped sooner, but plowed on to the end.
November 30, 2016
Intriguing
Totally enjoyed reading this one. Dark intrigue. Not your normal who dunnit. Look forward to more books by this arthor
Totally enjoyed reading this one. Dark intrigue. Not your normal who dunnit. Look forward to more books by this arthor
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews