J. T. Baroni

Eerie tale of a malicious young spirit intent on setting the record straight!

The Legend of Rachel Petersen is a satisfying, spooky, entertaining story that might not have been the best choice for bedtime reading. The author cleverly juggles multiple points of view and timelines to create a fun and eerie tale that will keep readers wondering about the existence of ghosts and a murder that happened over 150 years ago.

The main character, sportswriter Christian Kane, is fed up with his job at the Pittsburgh paper, where he has excelled for many years, and impulsively quits when passed over for a promotion. Instead, he decides to pursue his dreams of writing a best-selling novel. However, he is woefully unprepared for the daunting task of crafting such a novel and all that goes into getting a book into publication once written. He's tentatively supported in this endeavor by his loving wife, Shelly, who worries about the practical aspects of their lives when he suddenly quits his well-paying job. While she is his most brutal critic, she is also his most enthusiastic cheerleader, continually boosting his spirits to keep trying.

The plot is well-paced, and there is an eerie creepiness from the moment the couple discovers the long-hidden tombstone while out for a walk, especially when Christian repeatedly visits the gravesite of his new muse (Rachel Petersen). Headstones are a marvelous inspiration for a story, and a child's marker is always heartbreaking and question-inducing. I enjoyed how the author told the stories of the Kanes, the Yoders, and Rachel and the Tremont family in alternating chapters, each from a significant character's point of view, showing how the past was bleeding into the present.

The rural Pennsylvania setting was fresh and interesting, and I liked the inclusion of agricultural history and Civil War events that occurred in the vicinity of the farm. I enjoyed it when the Yoder family listened to the Grand Ole Opry on the radio, and the author included the names of real entertainers of the time, famous names readers may recognize. The small and large details gave me a real feel for the place and the area's remoteness, which compounded the brooding atmosphere and unsettled feeling I had while reading. I read this book in an evening, completely absorbed by Christian's, Thaddeus's, and Rachel's stories.

I recommend THE LEGEND OF RACHEL PETERSEN to readers who enjoy paranormal thrillers and horror stories.

I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving an Advanced Review Copy through RABT Book Tours and PR.… (mehr)

Unfortunately, I was quite disappointed in this novel. Any part of the book that involved the present day plot about sports writer Christian Kane was not well written. I did enjoy the story of Rachel Peterson which added more depth to the novel. I find myself wondering why the author felt the need to include Christian Kane's story at all when the best part of the novel was clearly about Rachel Peterson. We didn't need the first and last hand full of chapters at all. Everything in the middle was decent and could have been built upon.… (mehr)

I confess. It was the cover that drew me in. It had that horror, paranormal, supernatural feel to it and I investigated further. When I finished the book, I found where the author’s inspiration came from. He was deer hunting and came across a tombstone. As he sat there, waiting for that elusive big buck to come through, he had plenty of time to wonder and ponder…and that What If came to life.

Christian Kane is a sports writer for The Post Gazette. He doesn’t get the anticipated promotion he was expecting and quits to write fiction. The Legend of Rachel Petersen is about the characters finding a tombstone hidden in the briars on their property and what happens after.

“We are living in a house where a twelve year old girl went cuckoo, killed her family, an’ then hanged herself in our barn.”

A book in a book is always a fun concept. J T Baroni did foreshadow what was to come and I love that he did it in such a way that I never took notice. Well done. I found myself laughing…at myself. There are other moments of laughter and I love an author that incorporates fun into some doom and gloom.

The ending was worth a star alone. I love when an author can catch me so off guard I am left with my mouth hanging open. I highly recommend The Legend Of Rachel Petersen by J T Baroni and I would love to know what you think.

I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of The Legend of Rachel Petersen by J T Baroni.

See more at http://www.fundinmental.com… (mehr)

Christian Kane is a sports writer for the Pittsburgh Post Gazette and tonight is his big night. After putting in years of work, he believes that he is going to be promoted to the new chief sports journalist. With the promotion, he plans to buy a new home and live his dream life with his wife Shelby. What starts off as a night filled with hopes and dreams, ends when the job is given to another man. Christian is livid and the very next day he quits his job. Shelby is naturally concerned but Christian tells her that he has a plan - he is going to write a book, but to do this, they need to sell their home and cash in as much of their savings as possible to live until he can get published. Shelby is not excited by this idea but, decides to support her husband.

Christian buys a new laptop and sits down to write the next big vampire story, but after handing the first chapter to his wife to read, it's clear that all he has done is turn his vampire into a wide receiver. When you have been a sports writer for years, old habits die hard. It's not until he comes across Rachel Petersen's grave on his new property that Christian finally stumbles across the inspiration for his book. He decides that he is going to tell the story of this young girl.

The novel then switches to Christian's book and we learn that Rachel died during the civil war. It is believed in the small Appalachian Mountain Range community where she lived that she killed herself after murdering her family. When Seth and Thaddeus Yoder stumble onto Rachel's grave, they start a chain events which unleashes Rachel's ghost. Is Rachel the vicious murderer, or is she an innocent victim who wants to clear her name?

The Legend of Rachel Petersen, is a scant one hundred and fifty-five pages long and I really enjoyed it. The switch between Christian as protagonist to Thaddeus was really abrupt and I found it hard to get back into the story at first. The setting completely changed, along with the language, and I was not prepared for this. Similarly, the shift back from Thaddeus to Christian was also very abrupt but I found that change easier to deal with, probably because it was a switch back to present day. The story of this terribly wronged young girl was tragic but so completely compelling.

The largest issue with this book was its treatment of women. Though Christian says that he would not have become a successful author without the support of his wife Shelby, she really has no drive beyond keeping Christian happy constantly. In order to ensure that he does not cheat, she buys different sexy outfits and actually binges and purges in order to keep her figure. Christian is absolutely in the dark about his wife's dangerous eating patterns and this admission is treated as nothing but an aside by the author, rather than the serious health concern that it is. Every woman Christian meets, with the exception of the older librarian and his agent, comes on to him and of course, Shelby sees them as a threat and a slut. Shelby also engages in fat shaming and clearly sees her beauty as her only source of power and positive trait. There is also the fact that Rachel, who is the inspiration for this book, is raped and murdered, though she does get her revenge in the end. In The Legend of Rachel Petersen, women are either sex pots or victims and that is problematic.

read more… (mehr)