Hanover House (Evelyn Talbot Chronicles)

As a teenager, Evelyn loved and trusted her boyfriend. A boyfriend who ended up killing her two best friends, then tortured her for 3 days, slit her throat and left her for dead. After that Evelyn’s future had been determined. Evelyn needed to know what made psychopaths do what they did? How could they appear to be like any other human being and then turn into monsters with no conscience, and/or feel no remorse for the terror they delivered unto their victims?Now 25 years later as an adult and renowned psychiatrist Evelyn has worked tirelessly to establish a center strictly for the study of solving the mysteries of the antisocial psychopath mind. Naturally, it took years but finally a site had been selected to build this facility where she could gather some of the worst criminal minds together to be studied. The place, a remote Alaskan town called Hilltop, Alaska and the facility would be called Hanover House. As expected - most all the inhabitants of Hilltop were not happy including State Trooper, Sergeant Amarok who was one of the few police officers who was in charge of keeping the people of Hilltop safe.While Amarok could empathize with Evelyn’s childhood history and even though attracted to her, he does not see having all these psychopaths settled nearby his town as a good thing. While the facility is being built and Evelyn is still putting it all together, her ex-boyfriend who had never been caught from 25 years ago and was still obsessed with her was making plans to finish what he started.*** Actually this was just the introduction to the Hanover House series and it gives all the background and insights as to just what is going on as well as re-introduces the sick mind of Evelyn’s nemesis and tormentor. It is definitely an edge-of-your-seat suspense and highly addictive tome to those who like myself are fascinated by the genius minds of some of the worst criminals humanity has to offer. Bottom line: This is a series you don’t want to miss!!Marilyn Rondeau

I really loved the storyline and the characters. Dr. Evelyn Talbot and sergeant Amarok, the main characters, are adorable and inspiring. They are honest, sincere and look for each other, even if they do not admit it. Amarok takes care of Evelyn in a friendly and lovable way. Even it was about psychopaths and murderers, they created a good "atmosphere" allowing easy reading this book.Evelyn Talbot is a psychiatrist who studies antisocial behavior and serial killers. She is interested in why do psychopaths act as they do and what are the better ways of stopping them. So she's established a revolutionary new health facility in Hilltop, a small town in Alaska, where she studies the worst of them. Launching this health facility was not easy and did not happen as good as she expected. Actually, her interest in the study of psychopaths comes from a terrible event she was the victim during her adolescence and which is part of the whole structure of the story. When she was sixteen her boyfriend imprisoned and tortured her and left her for almost dead.Sergeant Amarok was against the location of Hanover House in Hilltop in the beginning. He thinks this high level security facility hosting dangerous criminals is a big threat for his community. But recently, after meeting Evelyn, he started considering the health facility regarding all advantages what it could bring to his town. He has also to face and manage potential threats targeting Evelyn and the community.This novel is a prequel for the Evelyn Talbot chronicles. Brenda Novak is really a good writer. I am looking forward reading all books of the serie and meet Evelyn and Amarok again. I recommend it.

This is a brilliant setup for the Hanover Chronicles. Book One is due out next spring. Don't discharge this as irrelevant, because this is one hell of a great stand alone book, too. It is about Evelyn Talbot who is raped, had her throat cut and left for dead by her psychopath boyfriend. Though deathly afraid of intimate encounter at age 16. Though she is severely scarred inside and will not date again, she devotes all her time and attention to getting her Doctorate degree in Psychiatry.She convinces the powers that be to set up a prison devoted to the worst psychpaths, to be built in a tiny town in Alaska. The prison becomes "Hanover House", where a team of mental health professionals will study the behaviors and try to understand the minds of these murderers. Though the facility is still being built, she meets the Alaskan State Trooper, Sergeant Amarok, whom she has feelings for. She returns home to Boston to encounter a never-ending nightmare. Her attraction to Amarok takes a back burner and she concentrates solely on her career.I love this book because we all may have known someone on the verge of becoming psychopath. They are more prevalent than we may believe. Brenda Novak has taken a special interest in studying real psychopaths, and she is incorporating them into her new book series. The sexual tension between Evelyn and Amarok doesn't hurt any!!!! Muy el fuego!!!! This is one series teenage daughters should be aware of. Nothing is too graphic, but the topic is real. This is the start of something truly great!Thank you to Brenda Novak and Netgalley for giving me an ARC of this book to read in exchange for my honest review.