Nora is mourning the death of her husband, Takeo. Although he will never be replaced in her life or in her heart, circumstances put another person in her path. Takeo’s best friend, Paul, had fallen on hard times. Nora and Takeo had invited Paul and his 18-year-old son, Leon, a wannabe rock star, to live with them until their situation improved.

It will come as no surprise that Paul and Nora will eventually fall in love, sharing a deep mourning for Takeo that binds them together. This relationship sets off the events that drive Lise Haines’ novel, BOOK OF KNIVES.

"BOOK OF KNIVES is a detailed character study while also being a top-notch psychological thriller."

Paul is a builder and contractor. His parents are in poor health, and his brother, Gabe, suggests that he return home to say goodbye. Home is Hidden Lake Camp, which their family ran. Paul and Nora plan to move there temporarily, while he and Gabe attempt to fix up the dilapidated and neglected camp with the intention of selling it. However, Paul does not tell Nora that the secrets surrounding the camp involve not only past tragedies but also supposed hauntings.

Gabe lives there with his wife, Salish, and their four children. Sixteen-year-old Jones, the oldest, is convinced that Hidden Lake Camp is haunted and claims to have personally experienced this herself. Gabe’s entire family is a tad eccentric, but no one is more bizarre than Salish, whose behavior comes across as practically bipolar at times.

The book’s centerpiece is the set of novelty knivesthat belong to Salish. When a small paring knife first goes missing, Salish does not know who to accuse. All Nora knows is that, for some reason, there is a slice wound in her chest that resembles someone trying to stab her. Unfortunately, Nora has no recollection of this, yet it continues to occur as more knives from the set keep disappearing. At one point, a butcher’s knife is found embedded in a mantlepiece in the house --- feeding Jones’ story about the place being haunted.

Nora soon discovers hidden compartments and secret doors at the camp. As Paul grows more and more intense about the renovations in the wake of the death of his parents, his personality starts to change and his relationship with Nora grows quite testy. It is hard for Nora to complain about the strangeness of Salish and the missing knives in the midst of her marriage facing a serious test. Paul actually begins to talk about keeping the camp and running it, which he had not previously discussed with Nora and is a move she is not prepared to make.

Even with the supernatural elements that are suggested throughout the novel, in addition to the threat of whoever is stealing and using the knives for nefarious purposes, BOOK OF KNIVES is a detailed character study while also being a top-notch psychological thriller. It is the depiction of the human condition through character frailty that has driven most of Lise Haines’ work, and her latest is no exception.