Caveat Emptor: Let the Buyer Beware by
Richard Cloutier, Jr. is a supernatural thriller. It is a
chilling tale about a dream house turned nightmare.

Caveat Emptor: Let the Buyer Beware is set in coastal Eastport,
Rhode Island. Diane and Doug Garant along
with their two young sons – Thomas and Mark – are moving into their dream
house, an old Victorian over-looking the water. It does not take long before
Diane discovers why such a big house complete with a dock is such a real estate
steal. The house of her dreams is really a nightmare in disguise. The trouble
is that not only have the previous owners all died, but it seems that they have
not exactly moved out and unfortunately, Diane can see them. Doug, Diane’s
no-nonsense accountant husband, cannot see them. Besides, Doug has enough
trouble dealing with the here-and-now to give much consideration to the
hereafter. He suspects that the stress of the move may be causing Diane to
become unhinged. He also strongly resents Diane for not only saddling him with
the entire financial support of the family, but now also burdening him with her
emotional support. Meanwhile the rumor mongers of Eastport have eagerly
embraced Diane as a new set of ears. Jacob Brewer, former literature professor
turned alcoholic, spins his lurid tales about the deaths of the former owners.
Marie Coulombe, part owner of the local variety store, loves to gossip about
the romantic escapades of the former owners. Yvette Levesque, the town
librarian, is a variable fount about all the printed and unprinted scandals
from the town’s history and to point where Diane might dig up more dirt
including news about Patrice, the former town beauty, Phil, the mayor’s spoiled
son, and Ray, the baker with quick and ready fists. Is Diane really losing it or
does she have the gift of second sight? What do the ghosts from the past have
to do with the scandals of the living? Will Diane and her family survive their
dream house?

Caveat Emptor is a truly
scary ghost story. It is in the vein of the classic haunted house stories and
is comparable to Shirley Jackson’s The
Haunting of Hill House, Richard Matheson’s Hell House, Straub’s Ghost
Story, and Stephen King’s Christine.
It is incredibly scary in a very real way: strange dreams, quick flashes of
something or someone in the shadows, and objects oddly out of place. Could she
be imagining it? Is her mind playing tricks or is some one playing a deadly
game? There is also the frightening knowledge that while ghosts do not kill
directly they can certainly scary some one to death…quite literally! This is
not a book for a dark and rainy night, or for the faint of heart. It is a very
scary book and its only flaw is its brevity.

"Richard Cloutier, Jr. holds a B.S. from the University of Rhode Island and a M.B.A. from Boston University.  He served in the U.S.M.C. and is
currently a portfolio manager with Heritage Capital Management in Boston.  He lives in Massachusetts with his wife, Patrice and their two boys,
Richard III and William." His website is
http://users.arczip.com/pefrkc/index.html Caveat
Emptor is his first book.

Richard
Cloutier’s Caveat Emptor is hands down the best ghost story that I
have read in years. This book has classic written all over it! Readers beware this one will scary the
pants off of you…but don’t say I didn’t warn you. Highly recommended. 

© 2003 Su Terry

Su Terry: Education:
B.A. in History from Sacred Heart University, M.L.S. in Library Science from
Southern Connecticut State College, M.R.S. in Religious Studies/Pastoral
Counseling from Fairfield University, a M.Div. in
Professional Ministry from New Brunswick Theological Seminary, a Certificate in
Spirituality/Spiritual Direction from Sacred Heart University. She is a
Licensed Minister of the United Church of Christ and an Assistant Professor in
Library Science at Dowling College,
Long Island, NY.
Interests in Mental Health: She is interested in the interplay between
psychology, biology, and mysticism. Her current area of research is in the
impact of hormonal fluctuation in female Christian mystics.

Categories: Children