Helpful Score: 2
Even though I read this book over 30 years, it's one that has stayed with me all this time. It is one of the best thrillers, starting with a horrible and scary beginning and building up to a shocking ending. It's truly a can't put down, edge of your seat type of reading ride.
The story involves a group of people living in an apartment building in NYC that is slated to be torn down. They all split up and go their separate ways but one man, the main character, stays behind to try and find out what is making the strange whooshing sound he keeps hearing in his apartment (before he moves out).
What is great about this book is that it is not the same old type of thriller or occult novel - there are sections about genealogy and history.
This is a real page turner from William H. Hallahan, who carefully builds up the suspense page after page. Hallahan doesn't reveal the mystery or tie up any loose ends until the last two pages. Then it all comes together and the ending is not predictable - it is shocking though.
You'll want to re-read it when you're done to see the clues that you may have missed along the way...highly recommended.
The story involves a group of people living in an apartment building in NYC that is slated to be torn down. They all split up and go their separate ways but one man, the main character, stays behind to try and find out what is making the strange whooshing sound he keeps hearing in his apartment (before he moves out).
What is great about this book is that it is not the same old type of thriller or occult novel - there are sections about genealogy and history.
This is a real page turner from William H. Hallahan, who carefully builds up the suspense page after page. Hallahan doesn't reveal the mystery or tie up any loose ends until the last two pages. Then it all comes together and the ending is not predictable - it is shocking though.
You'll want to re-read it when you're done to see the clues that you may have missed along the way...highly recommended.
This is a Hardcover. It is an excellent book.
From Amazon Review:
The Search for Joseph Tully has a nice sense of its own pacing. Hallahan carefully establishes a bleak mood early in the book, which he skillfully intensifies. The plot has two parallel threads: the genealogical research of a young Englishman into the family of one Joseph Tully; and the deepening feeling of foreboding experienced by a resident of an abandoned Brooklyn apartment building. The two threads are skillfully interwoven for an ending which is not so much surprising as stunning (I'm trying to keep the spoilers to a minimum here).
Hallahan is especially talented in drawing the supporting characters of the novel. The genealogical details manage to be compelling in their own right. The Brooklyn thread drags a little more, but on the whole this is a nicely calibrated work of suspense. It's truly a shame that Hallahan hasn't published more.
From Amazon Review:
The Search for Joseph Tully has a nice sense of its own pacing. Hallahan carefully establishes a bleak mood early in the book, which he skillfully intensifies. The plot has two parallel threads: the genealogical research of a young Englishman into the family of one Joseph Tully; and the deepening feeling of foreboding experienced by a resident of an abandoned Brooklyn apartment building. The two threads are skillfully interwoven for an ending which is not so much surprising as stunning (I'm trying to keep the spoilers to a minimum here).
Hallahan is especially talented in drawing the supporting characters of the novel. The genealogical details manage to be compelling in their own right. The Brooklyn thread drags a little more, but on the whole this is a nicely calibrated work of suspense. It's truly a shame that Hallahan hasn't published more.
This is the kind of book you can't put down while you are reading - and will never forget after you finish. A super-shocker.
The author of PSYCHO said of this book: "The Search for Joseph Tully" is the kind of book you can't put down while you're reading - and will never forget after you finish. A super-shocker!"
