Deception

When Emma Vaile's parents disappear on a mysterious business trip, her life begins to unravel. The eerie visions she had as a child return, her best friend abandons her, and a new friend notifies social services that she is living alone. Enter Bennett Stern, her older brother's best friend and Emma's knight in J. Crew armor. Bennett whisks Emma away to New England to live in his family's museum-like mansion and attend Thatcher, an old-fashioned private school. Emma makes friends with the popular legacy crowd quickly and spends her free time crushing on Bennett. But the haunting visions are only getting worse. Emma has memories of Thatcher she can't explain--it's as if she's returning home to a place she's never been. Bennett finally confides that he and Emma are ghostkeepers, people who can communicate with ghosts. He's been keeping Emma close to protect her, but now Bennett needs her help tracking an other-worldly murderer.

5 stars...
I received this book for review this morning in the mail. It is now 4:23 and I'm finished with it, if that gives any indication as to how much I enjoyed it. Now I'm just disappointed the next one doesn't come out for ages. The story was a strange one, and I was not entirely sure which characters were good and which ones were evil, which always makes for an interesting novel. I like being kept in the dark about significant plot secrets and love for the author to reveal those much later in the novel. Deception had that exact suspense factor. It kept me intrigued but did not reveal too much of the ending until it actually hit you in the face. By the end, I was shocked, and I couldn't stop. Before I knew it, the book was finished. Emma and Bennett's relationship was one I truly loved, as well. In addition, I stand by my belief that the best stories don't always end completely perfectly. This is one of the best and most captivating novels I've read in a long while, and I absolutely cannot wait for the second one. Because there most certainly will be a second one.