The Feud

by Frank Heiberger

Overview

A struggling writer stumbles upon a century-old secret that plunges her into a world of magic and witchcraft in Frank Heiberger's riveting debut thriller, The Feud.

Forced to make ends meet, India Hills accepts a job writing a simple family history of the Duvall-Richards family, a wealthy and prominent dynasty living in a rural Missouri town.

She soon realizes this is no ordinary job when she stumbles across a horrifying secret about both the Duvall-Richards family and the town itself after the shocking beheading of a young woman.

One hundred years before, a spate of horrific murders by a dark arts master sparked a feud between the Duvall-Richards family and a group of green witches. Now the ghosts of all those killed have been condemned to a life of confinement-a fact India finds hard to believe until she herself is attacked by them. Afraid she will discover the one thing that could prevent them from breaking free of their curse, the ghosts, hellhounds, and other supernatural horrors will stop at nothing to prevent India from finding out the truth.

Already on the cusp of a breakdown, can India stop the feud once and for all...without losing her sanity?

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781502814289
Publisher:	CreateSpace Publishing
Publication date:	10/30/2014
Pages:	364
Product dimensions:	5.98(w) x 9.02(h) x 0.75(d)

About the Author

Frank Heiberger grew up in Chicago as the middle child of seven. Writing since the age of twelve, he went on to work as a market researcher, computer consultant, computer store manager, industrial tool salesman, real estate attorney, and data analyst-but through it all, he never stopped writing.

Heiberger currently lives with his daughter in Des Plaines, Illinois, where he enjoys tending his indoor garden, entertaining, and investigating paranormal activity.

Editorial Reviews

2015-01-09
By the author of Entangled (2014), this supernatural thriller pits a writer against ghosts, witchcraft and worse while researching a wealthy family's history.Writer India Hills is just about broke. Luckily, her publisher has pointed her toward the Duvall-Richards family of Willow Creek, Missouri. Robert Duvall-Richards, charming owner of an Oriental imports business, has commissioned India to write a book about his family's history—which stretches back to the mid-1800s. For her research, India has access to the old mayor's mansion, a dilapidated Victorian structure with a cellar full of town records—and according to legend, the ghosts of deceased Duvall men; thanks to an old rivalry with local witches, a curse has supposedly bound their spirits in place. India finds the legends silly until one of the witches—or Wiccans, as they prefer—is killed. The writer interviews Wiccan Melissa Ferrier about the Duvall feud, and she explains that her religion involves healing and peaceful ties to the Earth, not grudges or violence. Melissa offers her a protective necklace, but India refuses. A fearsome ghostly encounter in the mansion cellar, however, makes her a believer. As the irresistible Robert and the lovely Melissa each draw India further into their worlds, the writer suspects that the renewed violence has a human perpetrator. Author Heiberger establishes a classically gothic premise in a fabulous locale, which sits "nestled in rolling hills and ridges at the junction of two rural roads." India's narrative treats readers to snippets of writerly optimism: "knowing you can delight, even move others with just the words from your mind." Heiberger also sets up a love triangle when India confesses that Melissa is "Richards' counterpart; the best female catch in the county." Fleshing out the atmosphere are moments in which green witchcraft (a type of magic tied to the Earth that is focused on "nurturing and healing") is explored and characters wonder how long a decapitated head lives. Yet the story's second half feels overburdened by India's neurotic thoughts about her romantic entanglements; and certain details are needlessly repeated. Still, a worthy supernatural whodunit.A macabre thriller with a message of tolerance and respect for nature.

Kirkus Reviews