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As technology gets better and better, we give more and more of our lives, our communication, and our personal information up to the devices around us. And even if you’ve never given it a second thought, you might be more cautious around Siri and Alexa after reading author Ezekiel Boone’s latest thriller, The Mansion.
The story is set in a grand, secluded old manor near the Canadian border in New York. During Prohibition, it was a place where wealthy guests could hide away and indulge their vices. But by the time Shawn Eagle was born, it was just a dark shadow of what it once was. After building a multi-billion-dollar tech enterprise, Shawn decided to rebuild the mansion to its former greatness. But when he runs into a glitch with the revolutionary program that’s been installed inside, he’s forced to call in his old friend and partner, Billy Stafford, to help fix the ghost in the machine.
The Mansion borrows heavily from a variety of familiar stories. In its pages, you’ll find many similarities to The Shining. You’ll recognize touches of some real-life stories. And, of course, there’s a little bit of 2001 mixed in there, too. But while that may make parts of the novel feel eerily familiar, it doesn’t take away from the tension and suspense.
It takes a while—probably longer than necessary—for Billy and his wife, Emily, to arrive at Eagle Mansion. But by the time they move in, the sense of foreboding has already been well established. This is a creepy place where bad things have happened—and the digital presence that’s always lurking makes it even creepier.
But as the story is developing, so are the characters. The author takes the time to develop their stories and their relationships, spreading their histories out in flashbacks throughout the novel, covering everything from Shawn’s troubled childhood in the caretaker’s cottage to the years he and Billy spent coding in another cabin on the family’s property. It all feels rather hazy and dreamlike, though—as if there are so many pieces of the story that the author is keeping to himself. And many of those pieces seem to revolve around Emily—the woman who came between the two former business partners.
As the tension builds, it gets harder and harder to set the book aside. It may be an oddly familiar story, but it’s still a suspenseful one, too—and as it races to its horrifying final showdown, you’ll be eager to see how it all ends for this tech triangle.
The Mansion certainly isn’t an original story, but the author still keeps it entertaining. And after reading it, you may think twice about trusting your various devices.
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