A House by the Side of the Road

by Jan Gleiter

Book Overview

Someone in a peaceful Pennsylvania town has a brutal murder on his conscience... ...but who and why remain a mystery-- until Meg Kessinger moves in. The house she's inherited from an aunt is... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0312966938
• ISBN13: 9780312966935
• Release Date: April 1999
• Publisher: Minotaur Books
• Length: 272 Pages
• Weight: 0.34 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 4.2" x 6.8"

Customer Reviews

I really really really liked this book

I loved this book. It is set in Pennsylvania, and revolves about an ordinary young woman who inherits an ordinary little house in an ordinary little community. I could really relate to this nice woman who loves her new house, with a climbing rose growing up the porch and a creek in back. She begins an instant friendship with the woman next door, adopts the ugly dog that has been hanging around, and meets two eligible bachelors who seem interested in her. The only problem is that someone seems to be coming in her house and searching for something, and then things start getting worse. Meg is really great: a very practical, good-natured woman for the heroine of a thriller. The dialogue is a little arch and breezy for real life, but other than that, I consider this the perfect suspense book.

Well written mystery that keeps you guessing to the very end

This is the story of a young woman who inherits her aunt's house out in the country. She moves in and begins what she hopes will be a peaceful life. Meanwhile things are moved around in her house in the middle of the night and when she's not home. At first she thinks it's just her imagination, then she realizes there is a more sinister force at work -- who is doing it? You'll have to read to find out. Meanwhile, enter a cast of diverse characters, one of whom is the murderer who murdered the former renter of her aunt's house ... but no one knows she was murdered, they all think she moved off to Boston (not giving anything away here, the victim is killed at the very beginning of the book). This book is about the slow unraveling of the mystery, wherein the murder is discovered and the killer is unveiled ... Ah, but not until the very end. Ms. Gleiter keeps you guessing all through the book about who the killer is - you don't find out until your reach the final pages of the book when you find out it wasn't who you expected at all. Her writing style is very much like Barbara Michaels, spunky heroine, all sorts of nice people around her, one of whom is evil. Yet this book isn't predictable in any sense. Set aside a whole day to read and enjoy - you'll enjoy this book so much you won't want to be interrupted. It will also make you want to find all the books this author has written and devour them as well. What a great read!

Bravo!

I really enjoyed this story! The characters came alive and endeared themselves to me right away. They kept me guessing right up to the end.A HOUSE BY THE SIDE OF THE ROAD is well-crafted; it is expertly woven together with strong threads of continuous suspense, witty dialogue and small-town warmth. Great entertainment!

The author is my mom and I'm still impressed by this book!

Ok, first I want to say that the title is actually "A House by the Side of the Road." There was some confusion about the title when it originally got promoted, but if you are looking to purchase the book or borrow it from a library (you should definitely do one of the two), then be ready to look under either "A House by the Side of the Road" or "The House by the Side of the Road." With that out of the way, I want to add my comments about this book. I really loved it. It is my mom's second novel. After reading her first mystery, "Lie Down with Dogs," I said to her, "Mom, there is no way that you could ever write a book that is better than this. Are you going to be disappointed if your next book isn't as good?" Well, I've got to say, this book is no disappointment! It is a slightly different style from her first, so I can't say which is better. All I can say is that they are both excellent! I'm not just saying that because she's my mom, either. (Afterall, what would she do if I said something bad about her books? Stop paying my tuition?) In case you're curious, Jane, the little girl in the book, is modeled after me when I was her age! It is funny to read about her and think, "So this is what my mom thought of me." "A House by the Side of the Road" is awesome. I've read it two times and would read it more often except for the fact that my college professors think they should give me reading to do. They just won't buy my reasoning: "But I have to read this excellent mystery again!" So, I'm not going to summarize the book, because the other reviews have done a lot of that. If you would like to talk about the book or my mom, you are welcome to e-mail me. Hope you enjoy the book as much as I did.

Compelling, believable, tense, and witty

What a great book! I was in the story the whole time, never observing from the outside, and totally involved. The characters are extraordinarily likable and authentic; the setting is superb; the mystery is mystifying. It's rare to find a mystery that could be a splendid novel even if there were no mystery, but this one is that kind of book. The puzzle gives the whole thing a structure and would be, itself, enough reason to keep reading, but there's so much more!