A young couple purchases an historic home in rural Connecticut near the University where the husband is continuing his academic career. He is obsessed with his research on multiple personality disorders while she is focused on restoration and the history of their home. But they have just begun to settle in when several seemingly inexplicable occurrences change their dream into a nightmare.Beginning with the grisly death of their pet cat and the discovery of a child’s tombstone in the backyard the wife has a cascade of mysteries to explore. She seeks assistance from one elderly neighbor, an antique dealer, and the local church that has its origins tied to the town. From the church she receives a diary begun in the early 1800’s which leads her to incredible and sometimes horrifying discoveries. The local woman also knows of deaths and curses inflicted upon her house due to the misdeeds of the original owner.Our protagonist explores graveyards and archaic police records in an attempt to answer many of the questions that arise. Some of the issues are long hidden lies told two hundred years before to protect the sins of a clergyman while others are contemporary involving the mental illness of a neighbor who remains at large in the area. At times it appears that the husband may be “gas lighting” his wife and could himself have a multiple personality disorder. At other times it appears that the husband’s graduate assistant may be out to do the couple harm.There is always an undercurrent of the supernatural at work in this home and a hatching of Goliath Bird Eating spiders, with the near death of a workman, helps to build this possibility. Between fires and the delusional thinking of a man living hidden on the property this book is a page turner that will either keep you up late at night reading or worrying about what will happen next.The story ends as the pandemic is unfolding.

The Farmhouse on Cemetery Hill Rd (New England Historical Horror)

Literature & Fiction

Herbert-Bruschi Adams, Cynthia

Literary

Strega Press

The Portal is written in two parts 
The Portal begins in Connecticut in 1869. A young man named Ted struggles with family responsibilities, new love, and his desire to serve the community in a manner more meaningful than simply farming. All of these matters are complicated by horror buried in his grandmother’s dirt cellar, the mysterious poisoning of local residents, and a secret from the grave. The spirit world enters his home through a portal, there is an untimely death and he and his wife work to serve the needs of newly freed slaves. 
In part two of The Portal the reader moves to 2020 where Elena Maria and Matt, young parents to be, are desperately seeking a way to restore her mother to life after a mysterious ‘death’. When they enter the portal for help they do receive assistance but it comes at a price. What they are asked to do and the horrors this unleashes leaves the reader rushing on to the next page. Who will live and who will perish and how? Are we dealing with human fears and trauma or with spirits from within the portal? 
This is a work of fiction although segments taken from actual history and used in this book are more chilling than a novel. Some scientific facts are accurately reported. In terms of characters in the book, any resemblance to persons living or dead is merely coincidence.\nThis is written as a sequel to The Farmhouse on Cemetery Hill Rd. but may be enjoyed if read solo.

The Portal (New England Historical Horror)

At the end of The Portal we watch perplexed and horrified as the Giant Goliath Spiders make their way down the dark road from Cemetery Hill burial grounds with Grace’s coffin silhouetted by the moonlight. This is the story of Grace’s anguished return to the farmhouse and to life. What factors conspire to bring this child back from the dead and what challenges must she overcome just to live? And it is also the story of Grace and the girl next door who are both victimized by the same man who has always preyed upon what he believes are weaker beings. 
But Grace’s experiences have led to her possessing unusual powers. She evolves into the type of person who cannot be abused and remain helpless. Grace takes justifiable action regardless of the strength of the perpetrator. She extracts the ultimate revenge for herself and her friend. There is, as always, an ending which the reader will not see coming or wish to miss. 
This book is written as part three of a trilogy beginning with The Farmhouse on Cemetery Hill Road followed by The Portal and concluding with this story AH, Grace! Cynthia Herbert-Bruschi Adams has also recently published Italian Spices: A Memoir.

Ah, Grace! (New England Historical Horror)

Adams, Cynthia Herbert-Bruschi

The Red Toque: Love and Loss in the Time of Tito

Children's Books

Adams,Cynthia

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