Magnetic
Mansion
by
Forrest Haskell
Trade Paperback ISBN 1-929976-42-9
Summer 2007
Zack Heikel buys on a whim an old abandoned mansion and after moving in, he stumbles upon an enormous vault hidden in a secret room in the basement. After using an acetylene torch to gain entry, he finds four million dollars in cash, along with journal records from illegal rackets in the Chicago and Detroit areas in the 1930's. More surprising was a jar of formaldehyde containing nine severed human fingers, three of which wore a very unusual silver signet ring. An ancient manuscript found among the rubble in an upstairs library explains the rings and also spoke of an order of men from biblical times calling themselves "The Knights of Zion." Zack spends years trying to find answers to these mysteries woven into the old mansion as well as why it was built the way it was and who is the old hunchback caretaker that still lives in a shack on the rear of the property. Stranger still, who were the nine bodies buried in the woods behind the mansion and what exactly was the secret elevator shaft that enabled a phantom observer to spy on guests in various parts of the house? Zack finally meets an old time gangster at the hunchback's funeral who is all too familiar with the interior of the mansion. He gives Zack several answers to the mysteries surrounding the old place because he was once a prisoner in the basement dungeon. After hearing these revelations Zack fearing for his family from remnants of the Knighthood, flees the state taking with him the millions in greenbacks and most important, although he is unaware of it at the time, the Mystic RINGS and the Ancient Manuscript. In the future, these two items will have a very profound influence on his life as well as all of Mankind.
EXPERTS CONFIRM GHOSTS STILL OCCUPY HASKELL'S OLD HOMESTEAD
REVIEWS
REVIEW BY Harriet Klausner, the worlds most prolific reviewer
Peggy Sue Heikel asks her husband Zachary if he is willing to buy a cottage because she spots and ad for one in the local Ann Arbor paper . They go to Dexter to look at it and find it is a mini mansion and even though they are sure they can't afford it, Zach asks the owner the asking price. To their surprise Jake is only asking for $125,000 and the Heikels grab it up.
They divide their time between their two homes, but from the beginning they see strange things happen in the mansion; like faces in the mirror, sounds from the fireplace,doors on the floor of the basement, a dungeon and hidden rooms. By the time they sell their Ann Arbor house and move into the mansion, zach sees a face that is not his own in the mirror and he sees a dog that nobody else does. They find a fortune in money in a secret room in a hidden safe . Green fog disturbs the animals and silverware seems to float in midair. Doctors give a scientific explanation for the otherworldly things and people they have seen but it doesn't take into account the phenomena the Heikel experienced.
Although the books start off slow and it takes a little while to understand the basis of the storyline, readers will thoroughly enjoy MAGNETIC MANSION, a seemingly haunted house tale that goes beyond the typical sub- genre typecasting. Zack is an interesting character who keeps his equilibrium while coping with unknown phenomenon and a mansion filled with hidden, secret passages, a hidden elevator and various escape routes throughout the house. Forrest Haskell is a dynamic storyteller who pushes the envelope on a storyline that can be interpreted in different ways.
F
Top (2007)
ISBN 9781929976423
Reviewed by for
Reader Views (8/07)
“Magnetic Mansion” is based upon true experiences of the author, Forrest
Haskell. Part I is a bit slow-moving. In this section, Zack, Peggy
Sue, and children buy a mansion as a second home. They end up moving
there permanently. This part tries to build up suspense. He describes
each room of the house and its décor.
After Part I, the suspense begins. The strange events at the house and the history of the house are fascinating. The mystery of the house leads the reader to the Knights of Zion, the mob, and the Purple Gang. It leaves the reader wanting to visit the mansion.
Haskell did not intend for the relationship between Peggy Sue and Zack to be mentionable, but I was taken aback throughout the entire book by it. Peggy Sue is a stay-at-home homemaker. Zack worships the ground she walks on, and he brags about her cooking. He even referred to her as “the little wife” in one section. They are a happy family that respects traditional gender roles. I found that to be interesting, because I do not know how I would respond to being called “little wife.”
“Magnetic Mansion” is a quick, enjoyable read. Anyone who enjoys a
good mystery will love this book. There are two more books in this
series, “The Knighthood of Zion” and “Mankind’s Second Genesis.” I am
off to get a copy of both.
