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In the small village of Buffalo Brook, Vermont stands Taylor Manse. A stately Victorian mansion built by the Reverend Michael Mariah Taylor in 1880, its living room floors stained with the blood of at least nineteen people, has just been purchased by Wade and Anne Robinson. Wade, a rehabber, has purchased the manse as a fixer-upper, an investment property he hopes to flip at a large profit, as soon as the rehab is completed. What Wade was not told when he purchased the property from the TRI Group was the violent history of the manse. He also had no idea that the TRI Group was Taylor Realty Investment Group, comprised solely of the grandson of the Reverend Michael Taylor, and that he is the first owner from outside the Taylor family in the manse’s one hundred and twenty-five year existence.
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But, in a town the size of Buffalo Brook, it wouldn’t be long before Wade would learn of the manse’s history. Now, he had just five months to finish his project, or face the unsettling thought of still being there in December, the month in which all the previous murders had taken place–every twenty-five years. This coming December would mark the twenty-fifth anniversary of the last murders, the fiftieth anniversary of the murders previous to the last, and so on all the way back to 1905. If history could be considered a predictor of the future, he and Annie needed to be out of the manse by the end of November, or face whatever came this way every two-and-a-half decades.
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Taylor Manse
by C.H. Foertmeyer
ISBN 0-595-41083-9
189 pages at 13.95 paperback
iUniverse
2021 Pine Lake Rd. Ste. 100
Lincoln NE 68512
C.H. Foertmeyer is the author of ten previous books. He favors fictional stories
about the unknown, the mysterious, time travel, and the courage of honorable humans.
With Taylor Manse he incorporates all these but adds a new, frightening twist: a hair-
raising battle between good people and the ultimate Evil.
Wade Robinson is a skilled craftsman who buys, rehabs, and resells houses for a
living. In the tiny hamlet of Buffalo Brook, Vermont he finds the ideal fixer-upper,
a 19th century Victorian home named Taylor Manse. Several months into the project,
Wade is beginning to suspect his wife Anne is "nesting." She's tired of moving from
project to project and hopes to settle down in Taylor Manse for good. Two occurrences
convince Wade that living at Taylor Manse is not in their best interest. First,
locals at his favorite pub share the mansion's dark history: every 25 years on
December 27th, gruesome murders and vanishings occur. And second, before Wade has
time to investigate the mansion's history, his renovations uncover a trap door to
nowhere in the center of the living room floor. At least, he THINKS it goes to
nowhere.
The twenty-fifth anniversary of the last gruesome murder is fast approaching. Wade
needs to finish rehabbing Taylor Manse so he and Anne can move on before December 27.
But strange findings in a crumbling carriage house on the property distract him from
the renovation. The impossible and unimaginable threaten his life and Anne's, and
even moving thousands of miles across country can't protect them now.
In all his books, Foertmeyer writes about good vs. evil. In Taylor Manse our hero
learns that once evil takes hold of a life, it does not let go without a fight. A
supernatural, ancient horror stalks them and Wade must be the one to stand against it.
I've read every one of C.H. Foertmeyer's books and thoroughly enjoyed them all. All
are imaginative, entertaining, and sometimes scary, but I think Taylor Manse may just
be his best so far.
review by Laurel Johnson
I read last night 'til I couldn't keep my eyes open any longer. I picked it up again this morning and have spent the last 4 hours planted in this chair until I finished.
You have woven a wonderful, suspenseful, scary story here. The visual imagery you paint is vivid and very real. I could almost feel every draft, smell every fetid odor, and feel every hand upon Wade's shoulder! And just when I thought I had it all figured out, you surprised me with clever plot twists and turns.
I think this is your best yet...keep it up.
Gayle Putt
Review of Taylor Manse
Once again, local author C. H. Foertmeyer has written a can’t-put-it-down thriller that will have mystery lovers on the edge of their seats until the very last page.
The Taylor Manse is a century old mansion which has stood empty since the twenty-seventh of December 25 years ago. Now in desperate need of restoration, it is purchased by Wade and Annie Robinson, a couple who make their living restoring old houses. Not long after moving into the old house, Annie begins to hint that she’d love to stay there and settle down. Wade reluctantly agrees with her until one night at his favorite bar, he learns of the demonic past of the house which stands, supposedly, on hallowed ground.
Wade learns that at least nineteen murders have happened in the house with amazing regularity. Anne and Wade must decide whether to ignore the barroom tales of Taylor Manse or leave before the quickly approaching deadline.
Taylor Manse is the eleventh book by this talented author, pitting good vs. evil as he does so well in many of his books. His imagery is intense. You will feel every breeze, hear every creak, smell every foul odor in the old manse. Foertmeyer leads you into the sinister world of the manse and its original tenant, the Reverend Michael Mariah Taylor. The author has you wondering who is real, who is not, and who is trustworthy. Just when the readers thinks they have it all figured out, Foertmeyer hits the reader with twists and turns to leave one wondering if Wade will escape with his soul.
This is a riveting book which keeps readers glued to the seat from start to finish. It is certainly one of his best efforts.
Review by Emily Putt
Could not put it down!
Suspenseful, thought-provoking and SCARY! This is a true "ghost story" from a great storyteller. Every bit as good as Stephen King at his hair-raising best! I didn't get anything done until I finished reading it, because I couldn't put it down.
Review by Jennifer Mandeville
I just finished reading your latest and I hope I can sleep tonight. How in the world you come up with this I'll never know. Wow! The plot was full of twists and turns and just when I thought I could relax, bam! I think I'll go take a tranquilizer! Ha! I'm just kidding. Anyway, I wanted to let you know I was once again very impressed with your creativity!
I have to go try to relax now! Thanks again for the great book!
Linda Sheriff
This scariest story EVER!
By Krista Reyes
If you like Paranormal State, A Haunting or Ghost Hunters then this is the book for you. Just when you think you have it all figured out...POOF! You don't!
So, pour yourself a glass of holy water, turn on all the lights in your house and READ THIS BOOK!!
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