The Unloved - John Saul

The Devereaux mansion basks in splendid isolation on its island off the South Carolina coast, ruled by the invalid, hateful matriarch of the Devereaux family. Then, suddenly, horribly, Mother dies inside the locked nursery, and all the secrets of the once-proud family emerge to wrap their evil around the unsuspecting children, teaching them the true horror of The Unloved. \nLush, a deceptively tranquil, the secluded island basks in splendid isolation off the South Carolina coast--as does the Devereaux mansion, a once-great plantation house now crumbling amidst the ancient oaks. Now, for the first time in two decades, Kevin Devereaux has returned here with his wife and children to visit Kevin's hated, and frightening mother. She said she was ill--but is that really why the old woman has summoned the son she has not seen in so many years? Suddenly, horribly, one of the Devereauxs is going to die. And now, all the dark secrets of this once-proud family will emerge to wrap their evil around the unsuspecting children. Until, in the shadowed corridors and dust-covered rooms of the decaying old house, they learn the true terror of The Unloved.