February 2012 Book of the Month.

This fifth book from Canadian author Andrew Pyper is a cracker. Scary and thrilling, it is hard to close the book once you start. With a mix of diary based memories and a ‘history repeating itself’ present day this tale of four teenage friends bound by a horrific secret has set a high standard for other 2012 thrillers. THE GUARDIANS is a ghost story for grown-ups. Prepare to enter the Thurman House on Caledonia Street. You have been warned...

Synopsis

There's no such thing as an empty house...

Don't all kids think there's a haunted house in their neighbourhood? Can you remember yours? What if, as a child, you knew something bad really had happened in that house? What if you actually saw it? Then you tried to forget it for the next thirty years. And then, one day, you had to go back inside that house?

Reviews

'A splendidly eerie haunted house story, and a superb evocation of small town life. The Guardians gripped me from its opening line and never let go.'
JOHN CONNOLLY

'Andrew Pyper's The Guardians is everything you could ask for in a thriller. It's psychologically unnerving, moves like a bullet, and is fraught with so much tension you might crack a tooth reading it. Outstanding in every way.' DENNIS LEHANE

'It is a perfect haunted-house story, a crisp, eerie October night of a book that had me in its clutches from page 1. It still has.' JOANNE HARRIS

The Guardians is a chilling, screw-tightening ghost story for grownups-it vibrates with menace while delving into the deep, dark matters of loyalty, lust and our own natural, nasty inclinations. A thriller with brains, heart, and no small amount of goosebumps. GILLIAN FLYNN

'Like any good haunting, The Guardians is at first just a whisper in your ear. Then page by page, Andrew Pyper ratchets up the tension, the suspense, the fear until you find yourself white-knuckled and breathless. Pyper is the rare writer who has it all; he's a poet, a magician, and a seer into the frail human heart. Moving, utterly gripping, and gorgeously written. Don't miss it.' LISA UNGER

'
The Guardians is so much more than a thriller. Truly great writing, haunting, intelligent, human, terrifying. Pyper is a genius' DEON MEYER

'A wonderfully atmospheric chiller from Pyper who excels at combining crime and horror...A nail-biting read, deliciously tense and well written. The relationships of the small town, and particularly those between the quartet of friends, are skilfully drawn and Trevor is an appealing, flawed and vulnerable protagonist.' TANGLED WEB

'Ambitious...With a well-executed dual narrative, both past and present, strong characterisations and some truly arresting images, The Guardians is a compelling and genuinely creepy read.' THE GUARDIAN

'It draws you in...The Guardians' themes include the influence of past crimes and the treacherous uncertainty of memory.' THE SPECTATOR

'a thrilling horror story that keeps you turning page after page in an urgent need to find out what happens next. You won't be disappointed either, thanks to a satisfying pay-off and action-filled conclusion that contains just the right amount of shocks.' SFX

'Pyper is the most striking Canadian crime writer to emerge in recent years and this is a characteristically intelligent move into Stephen King territory' John Williams MAIL ON SUNDAY

'This is a dark, brooding, compelling story about the loss if innocence and the ubiquity of evil, with a finale as bittersweet as your 50th birthday party.' Peter Millar THE TIMES

About the Author

Andrew Pyper was born in Stratford, Ontario, in 1968. He received a BA and an MA in English Literature from McGill University in Montreal, as well as a law degree from the University of Toronto. Although called to the bar in 1996, he has never practiced. He is the author of four previous novels: LOST GIRLS, THE TRADE MISSION, THE WILDFIRE SEASON and THE KILLING CIRCLE. More books by this author Author 'Like for Like' recommendation