Walker in the Shadows (1979)

                                                           

Listening: I Was Made for Lovin' You

Recently widowed Pat Robbins and her teenage son Mark are intrigued by the neighbors who move in to the house next door--a twin to their own beloved mid-nineteenth century American Gothic. Their relationship starts roughly when Mark's interest in lovely young Kathy is repulsed by her stern father. But when something ghostly takes a malevolent interest in Kathy, the families draw together to try and unravel whatever grudge the two old houses have been brooding over for centuries...

I liked Walker, although it sometimes felt like a less polished version of Ammie. It has all the same hallmarks--old house, historical ghost/mystery targeting the young female character, two romances taking place among the two generations involved. There's even a character named Pat, although this time it's the woman who wears the name! And the incestuous, possessive love that ruins a young couple's love sits at the heart of the story again. 

While I felt Pat and Josef's romance was unnaturally rushed, I appreciate that MPM's female characters are stronger and cleverer here, less likely to let the men take the lead this time around. I also very much liked the historical story that was told, centering around a family violently divided by the American Civil War. I would actually have loved that to be more fleshed out, honestly. It had some great story potential.

Ultimately, very good light reading. 

Rating: ***