The Shape of Night: A Novel

Written by Tess Gerritsen

Narrated by Hillary Huber

A woman trying to outrun her past is drawn to a coastal village in Maine—and to a string of unsolved murders—in this novel of romance and psychological suspense from New York Times bestselling author Tess Gerritsen.

“Suspenseful, sexy, and soulful.”—J. R. Ward, bestselling author of the Black Dagger Brotherhood series

After an unspeakable tragedy in Boston, Ava Collette flees to a remote village in Maine, where she rents an old house named Brodie’s Watch.

In that isolated seaside mansion, Ava finally feels at peace . . . until she glimpses the long-dead sea captain who still resides there.

Rumor has it that Captain Jeremiah Brodie has haunted the house for more than a century. One night, Ava confronts an apparition, who feels all too real, and who welcomes her into his world—and into his arms. Even as Ava questions her own sanity, she eagerly looks forward to the captain’s ghostly visits. But she soon learns that the house she loves comes with a terrible secret, a secret that those in the village don’t want to reveal: Every woman who has ever lived in Brodie’s Watch has also died there. Is the ghost of Captain Brodie responsible, or is a flesh-and-blood killer at work? A killer who is even now circling closer to Ava?

Praise for The Shape of Night

“This book reminds me why I love reading. I wish this were a series so I could spend more time in Tucker's Cove. Tess Gerritsen is a writer I look up to!”—J.R. Ward, bestselling author of the Black Dagger Brotherhood series

“Reminiscent of the best of du Maurier, this modern gothic is eerie, tantalizing, spine-tingling, and sensual. . . . An altogether delicious read.”—Sandra Brown, #1 New York Times bestselling author

“With a twisty mix of dangerous passion, obsession, and suspense, Tess Gerritsen reinvents the Gothic novel, giving it a razor-sharp, modern edge.”—Jayne Ann Krentz, New York Times bestselling author of Untouchable

• Language: English
• Publisher: Brilliance Audio
• Release date: Oct 1, 2019
• ISBN: 9781799750857

Tess Gerritsen

Internationally bestselling author Tess Gerritsen is a graduate of Stanford University and went on to medical school at the University of California, San Francisco, where she was awarded her M.D. Since 1987, her books have been translated into 37 languages, and more than 25 million copies have been sold around the world. She has received the Nero Wolfe Award and the Rita Award, and she was a finalist for the Edgar award. Now retired from medicine, she writes full time. She lives in Maine.

Reviews for The Shape of Night

[Candice - Books Bacon Glitter · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Didn’t know this books plot would revolve around ghost fucking, but here we are.

[Jane Hyett · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

What’s a fantastic book I just loved it and can’t wait to read more of your books besides how many I’ve already read. Thank you for writing wonderful books ?❤️?

[snail49 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

predictable and somewhat unresolved.

[preston.kringle · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The Shape of Night is unlike any of Tess Gerritsen’s precious books. A quick and easy read, this book is hard to put down with its mystery and at times intrigue as to where Gerritsen is taking the story. Though the reader may be able to guess the ending, this like all of Tess’s books is a must!

[kmjessica · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is the first book I have read from Tess Gerritsen.

I liked this book from the very first chapter. I think what drew me in was the story line about the ships captain and him possibly being a ghost. It brought back childhood memories of a TV show ,The Ghost & Mrs. Muir I use to love watching. But it was so much more!This was suspenseful and I could not stop turning the pages. It was also a story that had multiple story's going on with the main character. It was so refreshing to read a story that is unlike all the books out there. I read this book from start to finish in 7 1/2 hours without putting it down.

My usual gentry of books is suspense and mystery. But it seams that some of the books all have the same story line. This book was so much different then what I'm used to and it was very refreshing to read a different type of story.

I usually read a good book but sometimes don't like the ending. This book I liked from begging to end.. Tess Gerritsen can tell a great story and I will be looking forward to more of her books.

I gave this 5 stars.

[kris_anderson-1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

The Shape of Night by Tess Gerritsen was not what I was expecting from the blurb. I was hoping for a modern take on The Ghost and Mrs. Muir (a suspenseful mystery with some paranormal elements). It has some of that, but then it takes a trip into the dark side. There are intimate scenes that resemble a dark Fifty Shades of Grey. It certainly was not what I was suspecting nor was it something I wished to read. I found myself skimming through the last sixty percent of the book. I could not get into The Shape of Night. I did not like Ava who overly indulges in alcohol because of guilt which makes her an unreliable narrator. I thought the pacing was slow and the descriptions were wordy. There was repetition and predictability as well. I was expecting more from Tess Gerritsen who gave us Jane Rizzoli and Maura Isles (I still miss the television show). While The Shape of Night was not for me, I suggest you obtain a sample to see if it suits you. That is the beauty of books. There are so many novels available that there is something for every type of reader. The Shape of Night just did not come together as a gothic paranormal mystery.

[alphawoman_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Very quick read about a food writer who encounters a ghost in a soft porn instantly forgettable story.

[busyreadin · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Not at all what I expect from Gerritsen. Not a very well done romance/ghost story

[nicolewbrown · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Ava blames her brother-in-law's death on herself because he was at her house and supposed to stay the night while her sister was at the hospital on-call but he left and she couldn't keep him there that New Year's Night and he drove drunk and died. She slowly pulled away from her sister, Lucy and lost herself in the bottle. She also got behind on writing her book of recipes. So she decided to go to Maine for inspiration to a house called Brodie's Walk where the previous tenant left in a hurry making the rent cheap. Also, two carpenters would be working on the widow's walk and the turret.Ava is visited by a ghost, Jeremiah Brodie, the man who built the house 150 years ago who was lost at sea. He promises she will get what she will deserve and that no harm will come to her as long as she is under that roof. He knows she has a dark secret and that she did something bad that needs to be punished for and he's just the man to eke out that punishment and the pleasure.She finds a much-beloved cookbook and an expensive Hermes scarf in the house that belonged to the former tenant, Charlotte, and she tries to send them back to her at her home in Boston but they come back to her. So she drives up to Boston to try to return them to her in person but her neighbor says she's still in Maine. Her only forwarding address is the PO Box back in Maine and they say they don't have a forwarding address for her but that her box is overflowing. On top of that the police have discovered a washed-up dead body of a woman. Could it be Charlotte?Dr. Ben Gordon, the local catch in town, is interested in Ava, but after nights with Jeremiah will a human man ever be enough again? She goes out with him and tries really hard to like him because he's so nice, but she just can't seem to feel anything. The police believe that the carpenter Ned Haskell is the one who killed the woman found because he was suspected of killing a girl who went missing five years ago.Ava seeks out the help of a ghost hunter who believes that she needs to leave the house or she'll be trapped there forever until she dies. Cut off from everyone. That the ghost has a type and she fits the bill and the house has a long history of women dying alone in the house.This is an interesting book that is part ghost story part story of punishment and redemption. Ava is punishing herself for a mistake that anyone could have made and formed an unnatural relationship with a ghost who partly scares the hell out of her. And she can't seem to find her way out of the bottom of a bottle. You feel sorry for Ben who is so nice that Ava isn't giving him a chance. I really loved this book. It lives up to Gerritsen's previous great work. I give it five out of five stars.QuotesThere’s something about a warm and purring cat pressed against you that sets the world right.-Tess Gerritsen (The Shape of Night p 18)A ghost, afterall, is every woman’s perfect lover. I don’t need to charm or amuse him, or worry that I’m too old or toof at or too plain. He won’t crowd my bed at night or leave his shoes and socks strewn around the room. He materlializes when I need to be loved the way I want to be loved, and in the morning he conveniently vanishes into thin air. I never neeed to cool him breakfast.-Tess Gerristsen (The Shape of Night p 68)We keep our darkest secrets to ourselves. We keep them, most of all from those we love.-Tess Gerristsen (The Shape of Night p 196)

[niaomiya · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Well, I'm not sure how to categorize this book. It's romantic suspense with a little bit of paranormal thrown in. It's a quick read, never getting bogged down in too much descriptive prose, but it also never really pulled me in.Cookbook writer Ava has fled from Boston to the tiny town of Tucker Cove, purportedly to provide herself a retreat where she can focus on writing her next book. In reality, she's running away from a tragic event over which she feels enormous guilt. Ava's rental home, Brodie's Watch, is rumored to be haunted by the original owner, Captain Jeremiah Brodie, who was lost at sea.I like romance, I like suspense, and I like certain types of paranormal books as well. Although this one rolls all three genres into one, I actually wish that it had focused on just one or two. The book isn't long enough (it's 268 pages) to sufficiently flesh out the romance or the suspense or the paranormal aspect. Gerritsen is a good writer, and I've enjoyed many of her other books. It's thanks to her good writing that she provides just enough substance across all three genres to hold the book together. But it feels lightweight -- not so light that it feels rushed, but not as deep as I would like, either. It's not a bad book; in fact, it's pretty good. It just didn't grab me and refuse to let go until I finished the ride, and that's what I really like in a good book.

[carol420 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Meet Ava… a cookbook author with a big fat Maine coon cat named Hannible., and a load of guilt. Ava isolates herself in a century and a half old house called Brodie’s Watch. At first she was sure that the house didn’t want her there…but she soon learned that the house had another resident that very much wanted her there…And so the terror and the story begins. She feels that her initial reactions were all wrong. Indeed, she is most welcome…as the shadows in her bedroom coalesce into the shape of a man, a man who may well be the ghost of Capt. Jeremiah Brodie. He stalks the house most nights, seducing Ava into not only the passions of love, but also atonement through punishment meted out for her sins. In a moments notice the story shifts from a murder mystery and right into a Gothic thriller…replete with an unsteady widow’s walk…a secret alcove…strange smells…ominous sensations…and a ghost that may well be something more evil and menacing than any ordinary ghost. This book has it all: a murder mystery…a supernatural element… romantic nights (with the ghost!) and a lovable, brave cat. All ghost story enthusiasts will absolutely love this standalone novel by this fantastic author.

[gpangel_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The Shape of Night by Tess Gerritsen is a 2019 Ballantine Publication.A creepy paranormal mystery with a Gothic undertone? Count me in!An isolated old mansion, a fragile house guest, an unsolved mystery, a few erotic encounters and an unusual ghost/entity in residence, and you have all the makings of a spellbinding paranormal thriller!!Ava Collette, a food writer, has rented ‘Brodie’s Watch’, an old mansion located on a small peninsula of Maine. Having fled Boston after a tragedy that has left her haunted and riddled with guilt, Ava hopes the peace and quiet help her regain her focus, as she begins work on a new cookbook. As she begins cooking up her new recipes, she soon realizes she isn’t alone in the house. Apparently, the house is haunted by Captain Brodie, the original owner of the house, and her encounters with him become very… intimate.Meanwhile, a couple of accidental deaths, coupled with the disappearance of the home’s previous tenant, have Ava spending more time investigating the troubling rumors surrounding her new abode. Before long, it becomes obvious that the surrounding community is harboring a few very dark secrets and the ghosts of Brodie’s Watch may be the least of her concerns…I’ve never read the popular and well-respected Rizzoli and Isles series, but I know enough about it to realize this stand-alone book is not cut from the same cloth. No offense to anyone, but if you aren’t a fan of Paranormal books, or expect Rizzoli and Isles, only with different names and places, then you’ll want to approach this one with more of an open mind. Just as you might not wish to read one author, one series, or one genre, I’m sure authors like a change of pace, from time to time, as well.As for me- I love Gothic tones, ghosts, and cold-case mysteries- so this book was right up my alley. The story is very atmospheric, with a strong, sinister sense of foreboding. The emotions are also palpable, as Ava’s immense sadness and overwhelming guilt threatens to overcome her. But, all the paranormal instances center around a death that took place at Brodie’s Watch, years back, which was ruled an accident. This mystery is very compelling, and I fear it might be a little overshadowed by the heavy emphasis placed on the sensuality and ghostly occurrences.While, this may be too much of a departure for some of Gerritsen’s readers, for those of us who like these types of stories, this is a welcome addition to her library of work.Overall, I really enjoyed this book and I hope Gerritsen will step outside her series writing more often to publish more stand -alone novels like this one!

[allenkl · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

50 Shades of Gray with a ghost. Usually a good story teller, this time Gerritsen switches from porn to romance and back often. I don't read either genre. This is a very poorly written book. Skip it, read something well written. Wish I hadn't bought it!

[tottman_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Tess Gerritsen returns with another stand-alone novel, The Shape of Night, a gothic paranormal romantic suspense story. Ava Collette is trying to get away from her Boston home in the wake of a personal tragedy. She is also hoping to find inspiration to complete her cookbook which is long overdue. She hopes to find both refuge and a cure to her writer's block at Brodie’s Watch, a house on the coast of a small town in Maine.The house was built by Captain Brodie, a sailor who died at sea 150 years ago. It is said that he still haunts the mansion. Ava soon comes to believe that those rumors are true. She is visited by an apparition who appears disturbingly real. At the same time, she learns of a number of previous disappearances in the area, including the woman who rented the house just before Ava.Ava spends her days working on her cookbook and investigating the history of the house and some of the women who have stayed there. Her nights are spent in either anticipation or dread of another visit from the ghost of Captain Brodie, who triggers deep desire in her. The stress that Ava is trying to escape has her questioning her own sanity. Ava knows she must get to the bottom of the mystery or risk becoming its latest victim.The key to any good ghost story is in the atmosphere. Gerritson creates that in abundance. A foggy Maine town, an isolated house with a long and tragic history, and colorful locals who can appear alternatively threatening and charming. Apprehension fills the story from the opening page, but is it the house, or the guilt that Ava carries with her? Gerritsen carefully doles out information about the town, the house and about Ava and some of the locals. She plays with many of the tropes of gothic ghost stories but makes them feel fresh and contemporary. Ava is a great character and anchor for the story. She is smart, vulnerable and flawed.Gerritsen has demonstrated her versatility and skill as a storyteller. The Shape of Night is a great story that hooks you from the opening page and holds your interest all the way to an exciting and satisfying conclusion. Highly recommended.I was provided a copy of this book by the publisher.

[daniexj · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

I have liked a couple of Gerritsen's other stand alones, and so I thought I'd give this one a try. Yeah, I definitely didn't like this one as much.It's set in Maine. A cooking writer needs to get out of Boston, and so she goes up to Maine to finish her book. She rents a house that just happens to be available at short notice (that's never a great thing).And then the supernatural (maybe) comes into the story. There was also a mystery of a dead body too, but, it was a small one (and, I sorta guessed what its answer would be).I did waffle a little bit to if everything was in her head or if the supernatural stuff was read, but, whichever it was, that was not my favorite part of the story unfortunately. It was an okay book, but, maybe in the future I'll stick to the Rizzoli and Isles series more.I received this book via Netgalley thanks to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine.

[darcia_10 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Tess Gerritsen has given me the book I've been seeking all year.The Shape of Night is true Gothic suspense, in the vein of Shirley Jackson's Haunting of Hill House, in which the house feels like a character in its own right. Sitting safely in my not-haunted house, I could feel the unsettling energy and pull of Brodie's Watch.At about the one-third point, I thought I knew where this story was going, and I confess to a slight eye roll, but I should've known better. The layers and subtle complexities of this story add surprising depth, intensity, and emotion. This is a story about desire, punishment, secrets, lies, and guilt, and how these things manifest almost as living entities when we allow them to fester.While I love Tess Gerritsen's Rizzoli and Isles Series, I'm thrilled that she has taken us in an entirely different direction.*I received a review copy from the publisher, via NetGalley.*

[sleahey_3 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

In a departure from her usual plots, Tess Gerritsen has written a very creepy thriller set on the coast of Maine. Ava is a food writer who has retreated from Boston to a small Maine town under mysterious circumstances. The house she rents is a sea-side mansion that belonged to a captain who disappeared in a storm at sea in the 1860's, and fairly quickly becomes evident to her that the house is haunted by him. The fact that she knows she drinks too much, and also is consumed by guilt for something that happened on New Year's Eve, combined with her loneliness, combine to make her vulnerable to being seduced by the spirit of the captain. Ava desperately reaches out to some ghost hunters who feel she is in serious danger, but it takes research into past mysteries that surround the house for the degree of danger to be realized. Although it seemed that there were some loose ends at book's end, this is an exciting read for fans of ghost stories.

[jfe16 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Review of Uncorrected eBook filePlanning to finish her long-overdue book, food writer Ava Collette rents an old mansion in the small Maine seaside town of Tucker Cove. Here she will write, test her recipes, and try to forget a singular event that she cannot change and cannot find a way to accept. It is this secret that keeps Ava trapped in a purgatory of her own making and haunts her every waking moment.But that may not be the only haunting that occurs in the little town: the ship’s captain who built the house more than one hundred fifty years earlier and who died at sea may still haunt the place himself. Is the haunting of Brodie’s Watch common knowledge among the Tucker Cove residents? Can Ava unravel the enigmatic mystery of Brodie’s Watch? And what will happen if she meets the ghost of Jeremiah Brodie one dark night?The atmospheric setting draws readers into the telling of the tale; evocative writing brings the Maine seacoast to life but the story itself is a mish-mash: part mystery, part “The Ghost and Mrs. Muir,” and part “50 Shades of Grey.” Ava spends almost every waking moment gulping huge amounts of alcohol, an activity that does not engender any great degree of sympathy for her. And her predilection for sexual encounters with the “ghost” is both creepy and off-putting. Astute readers will easily identify the cause of Ava’s misery and guilt. And while the “mystery” of the otherworldly goings-on at Brodie’s Watch creates an unnerving atmosphere, Ava’s tiresome fascination with ghostly sex results in the story being more annoying than intriguing.I received a free copy of this eBook from Random House Publishing Group --- Ballantine and NetGalley #TheShapeOfNight #NetGalley

[amysan_1 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

I really did not love this book, although I though I would since I love gothic novels and I've enjoyed the author's other books. Once it turned into a weird 50 Shades of Gray with ghosts, I was done. I did not realize I signed up for that. Thanks to Netgalley and Ballantine books for allowing me to read this early in exchange for an honest review.