The Keeper

Some believe Bedford, Maine, is cursed. Its bloody past, endless rain, and the decay of its downtown portend a hopeless future. With the death of its paper mill, Bedford's unemployed residents soon find themselves with far too much time to dwell on thoughts of Susan Marley. Once the local beauty, she's now the local whore. Silently prowling the muddy streets, she watches eerily from the shadows, waiting for . . . something. And haunting the sleep of everyone in town with monstrous visions of violence and horror.

Those who are able will leave Bedford before the darkness fully ascends. But those who are trapped here—from Susan Marley's long-suffering mother and younger sister to her guilt-ridden, alcoholic ex-lover to the destitute and faithless with nowhere else to go—will soon know the fullest and most terrible meaning of nightmare.

The Keeper by Sarah Langan was actually my first ever audiobook and this made it incredibly enjoyable to read. Read flawlessly by Jennifer Wiltsie, she brings alive Langan's characters and gives them depth through all the little nuances of her voice.

Even in audio form I found that the story dragged a little bit in the middle but I think it was unavoidable. In order to convey the history and background so the story made sense in the end, it dragged in the middle.

I did enjoy the characters, their connections, and how they were fleshed out. I'm unsure if I would be more or less impressed with this book if I had read it in paperback form, but I am looking forward to reading more from this author.