Stop me if you've heard this before

So, Lisa W. Cantrell's Torments is less a sequel to her The Manse than it is the second half of the original book. Or more to the point, like Stephen King's It or Douglas Clegg's You Come When I Call You, it's the big bad calling everyone home again to finish what was started two years previously.

In this case though, most of the survivors have stayed in Merrilville, except Vince Colletti and Samantha Evers, both of whom come back early on in the novel; the former is dealing drugs out of Miami, the latter having been hiding in California.

We do get a few new characters, most of whom are in town to deal with the Beaufort House Condominiums being built on the site of the old Manse. The condos have been having issues since construction started, bringing in Sonny, who's both troubleshooting and looking to possibly buy the property. This sets him at odds with Mike, the foreman on the project, who can't quite figure out what's causing all the problems. The Interior Designer of the project, Jennifer, is happy to see Sonny, since he stays in one of the other models, meaning she's not alone at night in the complex, dreaming of a homeless man who keeps trying to warn her away.

We also revisit Pearl Rollins, who keeps getting reminded by Dood's ghost that things ain't finished, and Ted, who's taken Pearl's watch at watching the property through the night, waiting for a sign.

And then we have the missing Jaycee's, who's graves keep coming up empty.

It's a lot of fun to watch as the house rises again and we see what happens when demons get to run normal Haunted House attractions. It's not so fun to watch Sam go running back to her (dead) abusive ex boyfriend. This has always been one of the sticking points for me. Doesn't really help the pathos generated by Ted watching her do it, trapped in molasses fog, really doesn't fit the haunted house setting of the finale.

While this one is better written than the original, and remains a fun read, the multiple plot lines that get resolved a bit too quickly and one or two not so logical actions keep it from being a perfect Halloween read. Still fun.