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Locked in Time
It doesn't occur to Nore to take the dream-warning seriously. Her new stepmother and stepbrother seem nice. But why does Nore feel so uneasy around them? Maybe she should have listened . . .
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First published April 1, 1985
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About the author
Lois Duncan
66听books1,955听followersLois Duncan (born Lois Duncan Steinmetz) was an American writer and novelist, known primarily for her books for children and young adults, in particular (and some times controversially considering her young readership) crime thrillers. Duncan's parents were the noted magazine photographers Lois Steinmetz and Joseph Janney Steinmetz. She was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, but grew up in Sarasota, Florida. Duncan started writing and submitting manuscripts to magazines at the age of ten, and when she was thirteen succeeded in selling her first story.
Duncan attended Duke University from 1952 to 1953 but dropped out, married, and started a family. During this time, she continued to write and publish magazine articles; over the course of her career, she has published more than 300 articles, in magazines such as Ladies' Home Journal, Redbook, McCall's, Good Housekeeping, and Reader's Digest. After her first marriage, which produced three children, ended in divorce, Duncan moved to Albuquerque, New Mexico, to teach journalism at the University of New Mexico, where she also earned a BA in English in 1977. In 1965 she married Don Arquette, and had two more children with him.
Duncan was best known for her novels of suspense for teenagers. Some of her works have been adapted for the screen, the most famous example being the 1997 film I Know What You Did Last Summer, adapted from her novel of the same title. Other made-for-TV movies include Stranger with My Face, Killing Mr. Griffin, Don't Look Behind You, Summer of Fear and Gallows Hill.
In 1989 the youngest of Duncan's children, Kaitlyn Arquette, was murdered in Albuquerque, New Mexico, under suspicious circumstances. Who Killed My Daughter? relates the facts and conjecture about the still unsolved case.
Duncan's second book about her daughter's murder, ONE TO THE WOLVES: ON THE TRAIL OF A KILLER, picks up where the first book leaves off and contains all the new information Kait's family has uncovered from private investigation.
The 1971 children's book Hotel for Dogs was released as a theatrical movie in 2009, starring Emma Roberts. That book has now been republished by Scholastic along with two sequels, News for Dogs (2009) and Movie for Dogs (2010).
Duncan's Gothic suspense novel, DOWN A DARK HALL, is being filmed for the Big Screen and will probably be released in 2016.
Follow Lois on Twitter:
Duncan attended Duke University from 1952 to 1953 but dropped out, married, and started a family. During this time, she continued to write and publish magazine articles; over the course of her career, she has published more than 300 articles, in magazines such as Ladies' Home Journal, Redbook, McCall's, Good Housekeeping, and Reader's Digest. After her first marriage, which produced three children, ended in divorce, Duncan moved to Albuquerque, New Mexico, to teach journalism at the University of New Mexico, where she also earned a BA in English in 1977. In 1965 she married Don Arquette, and had two more children with him.
Duncan was best known for her novels of suspense for teenagers. Some of her works have been adapted for the screen, the most famous example being the 1997 film I Know What You Did Last Summer, adapted from her novel of the same title. Other made-for-TV movies include Stranger with My Face, Killing Mr. Griffin, Don't Look Behind You, Summer of Fear and Gallows Hill.
In 1989 the youngest of Duncan's children, Kaitlyn Arquette, was murdered in Albuquerque, New Mexico, under suspicious circumstances. Who Killed My Daughter? relates the facts and conjecture about the still unsolved case.
Duncan's second book about her daughter's murder, ONE TO THE WOLVES: ON THE TRAIL OF A KILLER, picks up where the first book leaves off and contains all the new information Kait's family has uncovered from private investigation.
The 1971 children's book Hotel for Dogs was released as a theatrical movie in 2009, starring Emma Roberts. That book has now been republished by Scholastic along with two sequels, News for Dogs (2009) and Movie for Dogs (2010).
Duncan's Gothic suspense novel, DOWN A DARK HALL, is being filmed for the Big Screen and will probably be released in 2016.
Follow Lois on Twitter:
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 405 reviews
March 12, 2016
I've no idea why, but this book terrified me so badly as a child that I hid it behind my parents bookcase. I can't remember anything that scary about it, but I was literally afraid of the book itself.
I also thought for a while that the ghost of Abe Lincoln lived in my closet. I don't think a particular book caused that. I was just a very weird child.
I also thought for a while that the ghost of Abe Lincoln lived in my closet. I don't think a particular book caused that. I was just a very weird child.
February 4, 2025
"I'm a reasonable person;I don't believe in ghosts.
What I have learned to believe in, though, is something far more frightening."
Locked in Time by Lois Duncan
One of Duncan's best.
She crafts an incredible mystery using a wonderful premise combining a Historical element with the here and now and it is a page turner!
First off, the whole story takes place in Louisiana , and the whole southern gothic element here is beautifully crafted.
Nora knows there is something deeply wrong within the house she is staying in. Her father has remarried, and his new wife and her children are rather strange indeed.
As time goes on, Nora picks up creepier and creepier happenings in this home in a small town in Louisiana.
She has no idea of the danger she is in.
The rest of this review will be done using spoilers. So if you're interested in reading this book, please do not read any further.
SPOILERS:
The secret that her father's new bride carries is indeed lethal.
For Lizette has been alive for several centuries.
A long, long time ago, Lizette was a wealthy and beautiful debutante. However, aging was her Archilles' Heel.
In journals she pours out her story and her fears of her husband leaving her for a younger woman.
She obsessively studies her complexion. Is her skin as dewey fresh as it once was?
Is she getting blemishes? Is she still desirable to her husband?
But sadly, for Lizette, her fears come to fruition as she finds out her husband is indeed having an affair with another woman.
Lisette is horrified. She finds out who the woman is.
The woman is much younger than Lisette. She is a young, exotic and extremely mysterious Cajun girl. Liz then resolves to pay her a visit.
And so she does. She demands of the girl that she leave Lizette's husband alone.
But this girl does not want to leave Henry alone. She likes having him as her benefactor. So she makes Lisette an offer.
If Lisette will let her continue the affair, she will offer to her, her secret.
She doesn't age.
This young woman has been alive for hundreds of years. Rites were performed so long ago. In a way it is not so different from the fountain of youth. If one indulges these rites they will never get any older.
Eagerly, delirious with joy Lizette accepts.
But then a terrible thought occurs to her. She cannot bear to be eternally in youth, while her children age so she gets the girl to acquiesce to her children drinking from the fountain./cup of youth as well.
She doesn't consider the ramifications for her kids. Imagine if one never aged a day past 12. Or 15.
She also does not consider what she will have to do hundreds of years into the future to avoid being found out.....
Imagine if you could take a pill or drink from a fountain and you..never aged? Never ever? Would you do it?
I so enjoyed this book and I loved the hauntingly beautiful prose and setting. I was right there with Nore and am glad her story ended well.
Always loved Duncan and this is one of her best.
What I have learned to believe in, though, is something far more frightening."
Locked in Time by Lois Duncan
One of Duncan's best.
She crafts an incredible mystery using a wonderful premise combining a Historical element with the here and now and it is a page turner!
First off, the whole story takes place in Louisiana , and the whole southern gothic element here is beautifully crafted.
Nora knows there is something deeply wrong within the house she is staying in. Her father has remarried, and his new wife and her children are rather strange indeed.
As time goes on, Nora picks up creepier and creepier happenings in this home in a small town in Louisiana.
She has no idea of the danger she is in.
The rest of this review will be done using spoilers. So if you're interested in reading this book, please do not read any further.
SPOILERS:
The secret that her father's new bride carries is indeed lethal.
For Lizette has been alive for several centuries.
A long, long time ago, Lizette was a wealthy and beautiful debutante. However, aging was her Archilles' Heel.
In journals she pours out her story and her fears of her husband leaving her for a younger woman.
She obsessively studies her complexion. Is her skin as dewey fresh as it once was?
Is she getting blemishes? Is she still desirable to her husband?
But sadly, for Lizette, her fears come to fruition as she finds out her husband is indeed having an affair with another woman.
Lisette is horrified. She finds out who the woman is.
The woman is much younger than Lisette. She is a young, exotic and extremely mysterious Cajun girl. Liz then resolves to pay her a visit.
And so she does. She demands of the girl that she leave Lizette's husband alone.
But this girl does not want to leave Henry alone. She likes having him as her benefactor. So she makes Lisette an offer.
If Lisette will let her continue the affair, she will offer to her, her secret.
She doesn't age.
This young woman has been alive for hundreds of years. Rites were performed so long ago. In a way it is not so different from the fountain of youth. If one indulges these rites they will never get any older.
Eagerly, delirious with joy Lizette accepts.
But then a terrible thought occurs to her. She cannot bear to be eternally in youth, while her children age so she gets the girl to acquiesce to her children drinking from the fountain./cup of youth as well.
She doesn't consider the ramifications for her kids. Imagine if one never aged a day past 12. Or 15.
She also does not consider what she will have to do hundreds of years into the future to avoid being found out.....
Imagine if you could take a pill or drink from a fountain and you..never aged? Never ever? Would you do it?
I so enjoyed this book and I loved the hauntingly beautiful prose and setting. I was right there with Nore and am glad her story ended well.
Always loved Duncan and this is one of her best.
Read
August 19, 2012I'm reading all of my son's AR (for school) books with him so we can discuss and I can make sure he is actually reading rather than just flipping pages. Haha. He hasn't finished yet so it will be interesting to get his perspective.
The book was interesting and fast paced enough to keep one reading but I had a few major issues with it.
First, the entire book is premised on the idea that the only thing of concern for the female characters is maintaining or achieving physical beauty for the purpose of keeping or attracting men. As a parent, I think this is a dangerous message for our sons and daughters. My poor son will be getting an earful of redirection once he's done with the book.
Second, Nore, Is a completely one dimensional character. We know almost nothing about her other than the fact that her mom died and she got shipped off to boarding school by her absentee father. She also manages to, inexplicably, maintain respect for a father who has very little regard for her physical and emotional well being.
Third, Nore's dad is an immature, selfish bastard and terrible father whose inexcusable neglect of his daughter is entirely ignored throughout the book. The fact that Nore never called him on it frustrated me to no end.
Amusing enough as a high concept read for preteens. However, portrayal of gender roles in this book seems to be locked in time well before women had any self respect apparently.
The book was interesting and fast paced enough to keep one reading but I had a few major issues with it.
First, the entire book is premised on the idea that the only thing of concern for the female characters is maintaining or achieving physical beauty for the purpose of keeping or attracting men. As a parent, I think this is a dangerous message for our sons and daughters. My poor son will be getting an earful of redirection once he's done with the book.
Second, Nore, Is a completely one dimensional character. We know almost nothing about her other than the fact that her mom died and she got shipped off to boarding school by her absentee father. She also manages to, inexplicably, maintain respect for a father who has very little regard for her physical and emotional well being.
Third, Nore's dad is an immature, selfish bastard and terrible father whose inexcusable neglect of his daughter is entirely ignored throughout the book. The fact that Nore never called him on it frustrated me to no end.
Amusing enough as a high concept read for preteens. However, portrayal of gender roles in this book seems to be locked in time well before women had any self respect apparently.
January 7, 2024
01/2016
A gothic tale of being trapped in eternal life. About voodoo not vampires. This was a significant, formative book for me. I think I first read if when I was 10, then about four times between 10 and 13.
A gothic tale of being trapped in eternal life. About voodoo not vampires. This was a significant, formative book for me. I think I first read if when I was 10, then about four times between 10 and 13.
February 18, 2014
Plot:
Nore Robbins spends the summer in down south Louisiana in order to get acquainted with her new step-family. She's a bit bitter that her father decided to remarry so soon after her mother's death, but tries to approach her step-mom and step-siblings with an open mind. Step-mom is a beautiful woman named Lisette Berge who has a teenage son named Gabe who clearly has the hots for his new stepsister and a young daughter named Josie, who's a sullen thirteen-year-old prone to throwing tantrums. They live in Shadow Grove, an old plantation home with a lot history.
Nore quickly realizes that there's something off about her step-family. For example, they claim to be at events that they couldn't possibly have attended and purposefully isolate themselves from the rest of society and have a strange aversion to technology. Then events take a drastic turn when they try to kill her.
Review:
This is another one of Lois Duncan's teen Gothic books, and it's pretty good in that regard. We have all the right elements - beautiful, mysterious house in the middle of nowhere, beautiful heroine trying to flee from danger, a family hiding a dark secret. The setting is very atmospheric and heavy, going for the genteel South vibe. I loved the descriptions, from the food to Shadow Grove to basically everything. So in that aspect, it's well done.
The mystery is pretty easy to solve, right in your face, and it can be frustrating when the book drags it on when it's so OBVIOUS to you as the reader. Otherwise, the pacing is good and it's a light, easy read.
But the most frustrating thing would have to be Chuck Robbins, our heroine's father. Chuck is pretty smitten with his new wife and basically stands up for her and his new step-children every time they get into a confrontation/fight with Nore. I don't know about you guys, but I like to believe that if my otherwise pleasant, well-adjusted daughter started bringing up valid points about how overall weird my new spouse was, I wouldn't snap back at her and accuse her of lying or imagining things. Chuck remarries mere months after Nore's mother's death, and while I personally don't see anything wrong with that, I completely understand Nore's apprehension, particularly since Chuck just married out of the blue and sent his daughter (who he shipped off to boarding school, by the way) a letter saying, "By the way, I got married! Sorry I didn't tell you sooner!" And then basically guilt trips Nore into accepting his marriage in the beginning of the book. Classy move there, Chuck. He also says he wants to reconnect with Nore after the whole tragedy with her mother's death, but throughout the book he's way too wrapped up in his work or his new wife to actually sit down and have a proper conversation with his daughter.
I didn't like Chuck, if you can tell.
Now, on to more serious issues. Re-reading as someone older and wiser, I found certain problems with it that I hadn't noticed as a young teen. (Slight spoilers to follow.)
There's a portrayal of voodooism in the book that's really vilified and stereotypical as the strange, barbaric religion practiced by those (probably black, Native, or mixed) Cajuns. Also, in the backstory, there's an affair between a white slaveowner and a Cajun woman, and it's portrayed as that evil, seducing, voodoo-practicing Cajun woman's fault. This is so terrible on so many levels. In real life, it was these white men taking advantage of these poor women, not this drivel.
Also, just as a warning, the character of Lisette Berge is racist. She talks flippantly about how cheap slave labor was back in the day and once bitterly accuses a Cajun girl of being promiscuous simply because she's Cajun.
And for this reason, this is a three star book instead of four stars.
Nore Robbins spends the summer in down south Louisiana in order to get acquainted with her new step-family. She's a bit bitter that her father decided to remarry so soon after her mother's death, but tries to approach her step-mom and step-siblings with an open mind. Step-mom is a beautiful woman named Lisette Berge who has a teenage son named Gabe who clearly has the hots for his new stepsister and a young daughter named Josie, who's a sullen thirteen-year-old prone to throwing tantrums. They live in Shadow Grove, an old plantation home with a lot history.
Nore quickly realizes that there's something off about her step-family. For example, they claim to be at events that they couldn't possibly have attended and purposefully isolate themselves from the rest of society and have a strange aversion to technology. Then events take a drastic turn when they try to kill her.
Review:
This is another one of Lois Duncan's teen Gothic books, and it's pretty good in that regard. We have all the right elements - beautiful, mysterious house in the middle of nowhere, beautiful heroine trying to flee from danger, a family hiding a dark secret. The setting is very atmospheric and heavy, going for the genteel South vibe. I loved the descriptions, from the food to Shadow Grove to basically everything. So in that aspect, it's well done.
The mystery is pretty easy to solve, right in your face, and it can be frustrating when the book drags it on when it's so OBVIOUS to you as the reader. Otherwise, the pacing is good and it's a light, easy read.
But the most frustrating thing would have to be Chuck Robbins, our heroine's father. Chuck is pretty smitten with his new wife and basically stands up for her and his new step-children every time they get into a confrontation/fight with Nore. I don't know about you guys, but I like to believe that if my otherwise pleasant, well-adjusted daughter started bringing up valid points about how overall weird my new spouse was, I wouldn't snap back at her and accuse her of lying or imagining things. Chuck remarries mere months after Nore's mother's death, and while I personally don't see anything wrong with that, I completely understand Nore's apprehension, particularly since Chuck just married out of the blue and sent his daughter (who he shipped off to boarding school, by the way) a letter saying, "By the way, I got married! Sorry I didn't tell you sooner!" And then basically guilt trips Nore into accepting his marriage in the beginning of the book. Classy move there, Chuck. He also says he wants to reconnect with Nore after the whole tragedy with her mother's death, but throughout the book he's way too wrapped up in his work or his new wife to actually sit down and have a proper conversation with his daughter.
I didn't like Chuck, if you can tell.
Now, on to more serious issues. Re-reading as someone older and wiser, I found certain problems with it that I hadn't noticed as a young teen. (Slight spoilers to follow.)
There's a portrayal of voodooism in the book that's really vilified and stereotypical as the strange, barbaric religion practiced by those (probably black, Native, or mixed) Cajuns. Also, in the backstory, there's an affair between a white slaveowner and a Cajun woman, and it's portrayed as that evil, seducing, voodoo-practicing Cajun woman's fault. This is so terrible on so many levels. In real life, it was these white men taking advantage of these poor women, not this drivel.
Also, just as a warning, the character of Lisette Berge is racist. She talks flippantly about how cheap slave labor was back in the day and once bitterly accuses a Cajun girl of being promiscuous simply because she's Cajun.
And for this reason, this is a three star book instead of four stars.
January 4, 2013
This is my least-favorite of Lois Duncan's books. It's also the only one I DIDN'T read as a teen since it was published after I had graduated from the YA section (and yes, there was a YA section at my library back in those olden days. YA DID exist pre-Twilight, you know). I don't know if this one packs less of a punch than her earlier works because it was written later in her career, or if Lois Duncan is best read when one is young and just discovering supernatural suspense fiction.
I still LOVE and and but when I reread them now I am transported back to when I read them as a kid, and can remember and revisit the thrills and chills and fascination I felt then. This one? Eh, it was OK.
I still LOVE and and but when I reread them now I am transported back to when I read them as a kid, and can remember and revisit the thrills and chills and fascination I felt then. This one? Eh, it was OK.
January 26, 2015
So I've talked about my phase before. I actually think I discovered right before Nixon, but the two will always go hand and hand in my mind. Together they perfectly satisfied my twelve-year-old thirst for a light blending of suspense and the macabre. And no Duncan book did that better than the deliciously creepy LOCKED IN TIME. I enjoyed all of her books and they all succeeded in giving me the chills at one point or another. My old copy of is definitely showing its age and my love, as I loved revisiting those characters the most. But LOCKED IN TIME is the one that truly scared me. Not just chills, not just anxious anticipation, but the real deal, had me setting the book down long enough to calm my racing heart kind of scared.
Seventeen-year-old Nore has been away at boarding school since her mother died a year ago. Now she's on her way to Louisiana to visit her father and his new wife and her two children. When she arrives at Shadow Grove, several things are clear. Her father is happy with his new life. Her stepmother Lisette, stepbrother Gabe, and stepsister Josie are perfectly well-mannered and perfectly beautiful. And something is very, very wrong with them. Through conversations she has with elderly neighbors and residents of the town, Nore's seemingly crazy suspicions about Lisette, Gabe, and the entire Berge family start to grow. These vaguely horrific suspicions grow stronger as she overhears them discuss events from decades ago as though they were there when they happened. Nore finds herself torn between her distrust of Lisette and her growing friendship with Gabe. Determined to make her father come to his senses and see the truth, Nore rushes to solve the mystery of her new family before her time at Shadow Grove runs out.
When I think about this story now, years since I last re-read it, I am still instantly filled with the same overwhelming emotions--an appreciation for the heady beauties of the Deep South mixed with a sense of impending doom. Ms. Duncan struck the perfect chord with the impossibly lovely Berges and the simultaneous fear and longing Nore feels when in the presence of a "real" family again. The truth to the mystery unfolds smoothly and slowly, like warm molasses, creeping up behind you to tap you on the shoulder. In some ways it reminded me of a younger, simpler novel, with its lovely heroine and its beautiful atmosphere. I remember thinking Nore was brave and being desperate for someone to believe her, for Gabe not to really be trying to kill her, for her father, in his grief, not to have ruined them both so thoroughly. It's the same emotional connection I seek out today when I'm in the mood for something slightly dangerous, slightly haunting, slightly bittersweet. It was these early young adult mysteries that led me to the s, the s, the s I discovered later on. I will always love them for being the beginning.
Seventeen-year-old Nore has been away at boarding school since her mother died a year ago. Now she's on her way to Louisiana to visit her father and his new wife and her two children. When she arrives at Shadow Grove, several things are clear. Her father is happy with his new life. Her stepmother Lisette, stepbrother Gabe, and stepsister Josie are perfectly well-mannered and perfectly beautiful. And something is very, very wrong with them. Through conversations she has with elderly neighbors and residents of the town, Nore's seemingly crazy suspicions about Lisette, Gabe, and the entire Berge family start to grow. These vaguely horrific suspicions grow stronger as she overhears them discuss events from decades ago as though they were there when they happened. Nore finds herself torn between her distrust of Lisette and her growing friendship with Gabe. Determined to make her father come to his senses and see the truth, Nore rushes to solve the mystery of her new family before her time at Shadow Grove runs out.
When I think about this story now, years since I last re-read it, I am still instantly filled with the same overwhelming emotions--an appreciation for the heady beauties of the Deep South mixed with a sense of impending doom. Ms. Duncan struck the perfect chord with the impossibly lovely Berges and the simultaneous fear and longing Nore feels when in the presence of a "real" family again. The truth to the mystery unfolds smoothly and slowly, like warm molasses, creeping up behind you to tap you on the shoulder. In some ways it reminded me of a younger, simpler novel, with its lovely heroine and its beautiful atmosphere. I remember thinking Nore was brave and being desperate for someone to believe her, for Gabe not to really be trying to kill her, for her father, in his grief, not to have ruined them both so thoroughly. It's the same emotional connection I seek out today when I'm in the mood for something slightly dangerous, slightly haunting, slightly bittersweet. It was these early young adult mysteries that led me to the s, the s, the s I discovered later on. I will always love them for being the beginning.
September 12, 2015
Fun fact: this is easily my favorite Lois Duncan book and it was the first one I read.
It's just as suspenseful as her others, but it also is a little more Gothic. There's a big question (at least as I read it) about how much is real and how much is in Nore's imagination. (I love stories like that, where you're not entirely sure what the true story is.)
And when I re-read it for this feature, it was so much scarier than I remembered it being. I feel like one of the creepiest things is the fact that you can know something WRONG is happening but no one will believe you. *shiver*
It's also interesting to see just how quickly things can go from normal and happy to batshit insane and scary.
Highly recommended.
It's just as suspenseful as her others, but it also is a little more Gothic. There's a big question (at least as I read it) about how much is real and how much is in Nore's imagination. (I love stories like that, where you're not entirely sure what the true story is.)
And when I re-read it for this feature, it was so much scarier than I remembered it being. I feel like one of the creepiest things is the fact that you can know something WRONG is happening but no one will believe you. *shiver*
It's also interesting to see just how quickly things can go from normal and happy to batshit insane and scary.
Highly recommended.
February 16, 2013
Lois Duncan is good with building atmosphere, both environmental and emotional. The story was set in Louisiana and the descriptions of the surroundings and even the weather were very well done. Duncan also created a very creepy feeling from the very beginning, but I found the foreshadowing to be a bit heavy-handed.
I might have really liked this book had I read it when I was in middle school. It doesn't seem childish or anything, but maybe shallow is how I would describe it. There's not much depth to any of the characters and no real exploration of the implications of the strange secret the Berge' family hides.
In all, it wasn't a bad read, but I feel like it could have been more than it was.
I might have really liked this book had I read it when I was in middle school. It doesn't seem childish or anything, but maybe shallow is how I would describe it. There's not much depth to any of the characters and no real exploration of the implications of the strange secret the Berge' family hides.
In all, it wasn't a bad read, but I feel like it could have been more than it was.
August 18, 2020
I鈥檝e been revisiting some favorite authors from my childhood. Lois Duncan was one of my all time favorites. This was a fun story to listen to, since it鈥檚 set in Louisiana with some serious accents.
April 14, 2025
Meh.
A lack of originality, a teenage main character thinking and behaving like an adult, and an obvious mystery with nothing beyond the reveal made this a 2-star read for me.
A lack of originality, a teenage main character thinking and behaving like an adult, and an obvious mystery with nothing beyond the reveal made this a 2-star read for me.
November 24, 2016
Locked in Time by Lois Duncan is a fantastic read! After Nore moves in with her father and stepmother, everything seems awkward with her new step-siblings. She doesn't feel like this is home, even after a couple weeks. Things seem even more awkward when the step-family acts strange, not like human beings, or what human beings do on a regular basis. Nore is then determined to gather information on the history of the family in order to tie everything together. I enjoyed this book so much because the characters are realistic. Though what I enjoy the most is the foreshadowing the author gives. The title ties very well in the end and so do the events. I read this book nonstop, my eyes pacing back in forth. If you're looking for a plot twist read, I recommend this to you!
August 27, 2017
Well that was a really good book! While I was reading I was thinking about how it would all tie together, seeing as the book was really short, but it ended really well! I can't believe that
Wonder how it all ended when
One thing about the book that annoyed me was the narrator's voice, and the southern accent. And Lysette's
Wonder how it all ended when
One thing about the book that annoyed me was the narrator's voice, and the southern accent. And Lysette's
April 15, 2009
This book was amazing! This is one of the few books that I liked to read that wasn't about sports. I would definatly recommend this book to a friend or to anyone else. When you read this novel, you can't put it down. It gets really suspenseful and you never know what is going to happen next. That is how I was, I couldn't put the book down because it was so good. Lois Duncan is my favorite author and he writes the best horror/mystery books in my opinion. If you are ever looking for something to read, read Locked in Time. You won't be able to put it down.
October 29, 2014
I thought it was a really good book over all, it had great detail and lots of cliff hangers, I feel that it was kinda to hard to get into until the middle book.
Its about Josie who's mother died and her father got remarried in less then a year, and Josie makes some bad decisions along the way .
Its about Josie who's mother died and her father got remarried in less then a year, and Josie makes some bad decisions along the way .
October 15, 2014
There is something about Lois Duncan, that even when you know what's going on early on, you just don't believe it. She can really write an eerie story!
#rereading for a school project. Yippee!
#rereading for a school project. Yippee!
October 25, 2014
31/2 Stars
July 14, 2022
2.5 rounded up, I was obsessed with these books as a kid
September 4, 2014
The book 鈥楲ocked in Time鈥� by Lois Duncan is one of my favourite mystery books.
The main character Nore, joins her father and her step-family for school holidays for the first time. Nore has a step-mother, step-sister, and a step-brother. Nore鈥檚 mother had died because somebody hit her with their car, her step-mother鈥檚 husband had died because he was really sick, and a step-brother had died a few years ago. Then Nore鈥檚 dad and her step-mother Lisette married. Then one day, Nore has a dream about her mother telling her to get out of the house because she is in big danger. Nore thinks that it鈥檚 not true because it鈥檚 just a dream but few days later, she has a dream about her mother telling her to get out of the house again. She noticed that something strange was going on because her step-brother Gabe didn鈥檛 help when Nore fell out of their boat. Gabe noticed already that she couldn鈥檛 swim but he didn鈥檛 help her. Finally, she realizes that her mother鈥檚 telling the truth and she thinks that somebody in the family is trying to kill her.
The most saddest scene was when they were saying that Gabe鈥檚 girlfriend died few years ago. They broke up but he was still sad about it so he always went out with a fuel can and a fishing gear and came back late.
I would really like to recommend this book to people who really love mystery books because as you read more, it gets very interesting. Even if you hate books like me, you can鈥檛 stop because this book just makes read more and more. Every time when you read a page, it makes you think a lot because it is so mysterious.
The main character Nore, joins her father and her step-family for school holidays for the first time. Nore has a step-mother, step-sister, and a step-brother. Nore鈥檚 mother had died because somebody hit her with their car, her step-mother鈥檚 husband had died because he was really sick, and a step-brother had died a few years ago. Then Nore鈥檚 dad and her step-mother Lisette married. Then one day, Nore has a dream about her mother telling her to get out of the house because she is in big danger. Nore thinks that it鈥檚 not true because it鈥檚 just a dream but few days later, she has a dream about her mother telling her to get out of the house again. She noticed that something strange was going on because her step-brother Gabe didn鈥檛 help when Nore fell out of their boat. Gabe noticed already that she couldn鈥檛 swim but he didn鈥檛 help her. Finally, she realizes that her mother鈥檚 telling the truth and she thinks that somebody in the family is trying to kill her.
The most saddest scene was when they were saying that Gabe鈥檚 girlfriend died few years ago. They broke up but he was still sad about it so he always went out with a fuel can and a fishing gear and came back late.
I would really like to recommend this book to people who really love mystery books because as you read more, it gets very interesting. Even if you hate books like me, you can鈥檛 stop because this book just makes read more and more. Every time when you read a page, it makes you think a lot because it is so mysterious.
October 9, 2014
This story takes place in Louisiana, at an old southern plantation. It is right out side of a town called merville
The charicters are, Nore, Lis, Chuck, Gabe, Josie and Dave. Nore is the main chariter she is a young 16 year old girl. She is coming down to Louisiana from New England to meet her new stepfamily. Chuck is her father he is a famous author, after they wanted to make his big book (life in the fast lane) in to a screenplay for a movie he moves to Louisiana, and meets Lisette.
In locked in time the plot is, Nore goes to live with her dad and new step family. Nore thinks something's up with her new family but ignores it.she later puts the puzzle pieces together and finds out that in the 1800's Lisette ( her new stepmother) made a deal with a Cajun slave so that Lis and her children could live forever. Soon after that Lis and her son Gabe try to kill Nore in a fire but fail and in doing that they kill themselves. Leaving Nores stepsister Josie alone. Nore leaves to go back and live at her home in New England.
I believe that the author is trying to tell you to not trust everyone, to keep your friends closes but to keep your enemies closer. Also that if you try you can survive anything. Also to fight your own battles just like Nore did.
I would recommend this book to everyone. It's fun and adventurise. It always keeps you interested. The suspense is thrilling. You get attached to the characters and you feel like you're a part of the book. In conclusion I really recommend this great
September 3, 2015
If I had to choose a favourite book, from my mid to late teens, this one would be a very serious contender. I recall picking this up, at the local library, imagining it to be some kind of history book from the title. It looked intriguing enough to take home and read so I did. I was completely hooked on it. I thought the first person narrative added to the tension, of this particular story, as you could really imagine you were Nore going through all these terrifying experiences. I think this book had a bit of everything; witchcraft, love, loss, romance, deception, blended family relationships, thrills and even some comedic moments. The description of teenage Josie, moody, fickle and trying so hard to be grown-up was spot on and heartbreakingly poignant after reading the climax. The doomed friendship between Nore and Gabe was also one of the highlights and the way the story cleverly unfolds from a seemingly ordinary tale of parental remarriage and the respective teenagers having to deal with this, to something altogether more sinister, is very well paced. I couldn't tell where this story was going to go, while I was reading it, which was very refreshing. I actually found myself biting my nails, as the book wound to its end, wondering whether Nore was going to escape with her life or not. If that isn't an indication that the book is a page turner I don't know what is. I highly recommend this one.
September 25, 2015
I got nostalgic for a time when supernatural YA was more about suspense and uncovering secrets than hot guys. I found it funny that someone commented that the females in this book are obsessed with beauty, because the females in today's books are obsessed with male beauty. Not that I don't enjoy a hot guy as much as the next girl, but the heroine in this book actually rejects the hot guy when he suggests running away together. She doesn't melt and jump his bones.
Although readers might guess the mystery that is foreshadowed in this book, the suspense lies in if Nore will discover it in time to save herself. I thought that the ending was surprisingly poignant.
Although readers might guess the mystery that is foreshadowed in this book, the suspense lies in if Nore will discover it in time to save herself. I thought that the ending was surprisingly poignant.
March 10, 2023
Uhg.
I started this book because I thought it would be interesting, and I wanted a good mystery book to read. However, despite the plot's potential it was soooo boring. I only finished it because I wanted to see how the problem got solved, but even that was super unsatisfying and kind of dumb.
Nooottt a fan. The plot was super easy to guess and the writing was tedious. Would not recommend. I'm very disappointed because Lois Duncan is supposedly a great mystery writer.
I started this book because I thought it would be interesting, and I wanted a good mystery book to read. However, despite the plot's potential it was soooo boring. I only finished it because I wanted to see how the problem got solved, but even that was super unsatisfying and kind of dumb.
Nooottt a fan. The plot was super easy to guess and the writing was tedious. Would not recommend. I'm very disappointed because Lois Duncan is supposedly a great mystery writer.
November 8, 2015
I finished this book in one day. I just sat on the sofa almost all day, reading this book. I was totally absorbed by this book! It was super scary, and the ending wasn't predictable. After reading "Killing Mr.Griffin", I totally got lost in the world of Lois Duncan's world! I enjoy every single book I read that is written by Lois Duncan. I am willing to read other books that she wrote.
November 12, 2013
This book is a great mystery book! I couldn't stop reading the book, and each page left me wanting to read the next. The story line is way different from any other book that I've ever read. This is one of my favorite books, and I greatly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys mysteries!!
February 15, 2016
Interesting story. Had I known it was meant for a younger reader, I probably wouldn't have read it, but it was a nice break from grown-up books. Good story, good characters, good flow. I will definitely recommend it to my daughter in a few years.
February 19, 2018
Another excellent YA written by the late, great Lois Duncan. She's a cut above other YA Horror/Suspense writers of the time. This story was both eery and moving - I had to stop reading late at night as I was genuinely creeped out!
February 23, 2020
Woah...such a good book!
November 5, 2023
I read this as a kid, probably earlier than I should have. I devoured Lois Duncan鈥檚 books and remember this as being my favorite. It has lost a bit of its charm but I enjoyed my reread.
May 23, 2023
I used to love Lois Duncan's suspense/supernatural novels back in middle school. My favorite back in the day was Down a Dark Hall, but when I saw this one in a Little Free Library at the park, I decided to see if it held up at all.
Locked in Time is a gothic-tinged tale focusing on Nore, whose famous author father has recently remarried following the death of his first wife. The new wife comes with an old Southern mansion in the middle of nowhere in Louisiana, and Nore gets dispatched down there for the summer to meet everyone. As the story moves along, it appears that stepmother Lisette and her children are hiding a creepy secret - one which might endanger Nore.
Even though I already knew the secret at the heart of the story, I still enjoyed the mystery. However, as an adult, I definitely noticed that the adults, particularly Nore's father, just didn't seem like actual characters. They just seemed to be random names plugged in whereever the story called for an adult figure. When I first read this book in middle school, I picked up on the Southern gothic setting, but again, as an adult, it doesn't entirely hold up. The implications of the home being an old plantation definitely get glossed over in the story, and that aspect definitely pulled me out of the story at times.
In the end, this wasn't a terrible read, but it definitely felt clunkier than I remember.
Locked in Time is a gothic-tinged tale focusing on Nore, whose famous author father has recently remarried following the death of his first wife. The new wife comes with an old Southern mansion in the middle of nowhere in Louisiana, and Nore gets dispatched down there for the summer to meet everyone. As the story moves along, it appears that stepmother Lisette and her children are hiding a creepy secret - one which might endanger Nore.
Even though I already knew the secret at the heart of the story, I still enjoyed the mystery. However, as an adult, I definitely noticed that the adults, particularly Nore's father, just didn't seem like actual characters. They just seemed to be random names plugged in whereever the story called for an adult figure. When I first read this book in middle school, I picked up on the Southern gothic setting, but again, as an adult, it doesn't entirely hold up. The implications of the home being an old plantation definitely get glossed over in the story, and that aspect definitely pulled me out of the story at times.
In the end, this wasn't a terrible read, but it definitely felt clunkier than I remember.
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