The Thirteenth Chime

The Thirteenth Chime
by Emma Michaels
A Sense of Time, book one

No one knew of its existence until it was removed from the attic upstairs.

In a beautiful house that overlooks the sea, an antique clock has the power to change the course of their lives.

The power the clock resonates will not only force Destiny and ex-boyfriend David on a journey into the depths of one man's mind long dead, but into the mind of a man filled with hatred and bent on revenge.

With the only clues to the nature of the clock having disappeared into the sea, Destiny and David must retrace the steps the man had taken into the darkness, before they fall prey to the trap he had set in motion over half a century ago. (description from Emma Michael's blog)

The Thirteenth Chime is Emma Michael's debut novel. The writing could be cleaned up some, but hopefully that will change with experience. The storyline, though, was interesting.

When Destiny joins her friend Stephanie at her new house for a short vacation, she's expecting to relax and have a fun time with a good friend. Unfortunately, Stephanie and her mother are attacked the first night and what Destiny has seen haunts her. In a panic, Destiny calls her ex-boyfriend, not her fiance, and has David come out while Stephanie and her mother are in the hospital.

Destiny and David begin investigating and soon tie the attack to the previous owner of the house and a mysterious grandfather clock that looms on the staircase landing. The ghostly aspect of the story was well done and the ties to the old prison on the nearby island were very interesting. I loved the twist with the clock and the suspense of not knowing if everyone would survive. For all that Emma Michael's writing is rough around the edges, she does know how to build suspense and set the mood.

I was somewhat confused, though, why this book was toted as being young adult. With adult characters and a focus on deepening relationships (marriage), I did not really get a young adult feel from this book at all. It is a contemporary paranormal story, but I think it actually should be categorized as an adult book....maybe the series introduces teen characters along the way?