Amazon A Disturbing Presence by Joy Lee Rutter Free PFD Category:  Mystery/Suspense Publisher: America House of Publishign ISBN-10:  1413701132 Type: Fiction Pages: 232 Copyright: July 30, 2003 This modern-day mystery takes place in a small town in NH. An elegant manor appears normal enough. You enter, look around at the widow's artwork & then walk into the private study of the late Eric McDuggal. Of course, you do not expect to see McDuggal sitting in an antique rocker. He is dead. What were the motives behind his bizarre death wish? While the house pets wreak havoc against the embalmed body, his widow remains in a self-imposed limbo, reluctant to find the answers. The disturbing presence of the hideous corpse causes her life to collapse into nightmares & apathy. An unlikely friendship between the taxidermist & widow develop, but to win her heart, Ed Simon must find the answers to Leanna's questions. His probing into McDuggal's background eventually leads to the discovery of a shocking childhood trauma. A Disturbing Presence has all of the ingredients for a great page-turner! Mystery, light horror, and humor.  A Disturbing Presence offers readers a delightful combination of horror, family history and dark secrets, written with a splash of humor; a new twist of imagination and talented writing for a gripping jump into the world of embalming and taxidermy. Welcome to the life of eccentric Eric McDuggal, dying of terminal cancer. He’s an animal lover but keeps his wife of seven years, Leanna, at arm’s length. He meets with the local taxidermist, Ed Simon, with a bizarre request. He wants to be preserved. Join in Leanna’s dismay and ride a paranormal, emotional roller coaster as she discovers secrets of his past and new attractions in the present, all with her deceased, ‘stuffed’ husband sitting there in the living room. A well written paranormal saga of intrigue and sometimes plain weirdness, this book is a true pleasure to read. The author writes in a flowing, easy manner that immediately captures the reader’s interest. A serious and bright future is in store for more of the same! A “do-not-miss” for reader’s interested in the horror genre.   Excerpt While Amanda was showering and Hannah was cleaning upstairs, Ron sneaked back into the study. He sat down on the sofa and sat looking squarely at the face of his sister's late husband. He sat forward, leaning his forearms on his knees and then began to speak to the lifeless form. "How's it going, Eric? I never met you, friend, but ya know what? You treated my sister like shit. If you were alive right now, I'd kick your ass! It's bad enough her own dad couldn't stick around, but my sister couldn't even count on her husband to treat her like she deserved. Lea and I are close, Eric. She told me stuff...and she was hurting, you prick. Women don't like to be ignored...then you return here all plastic coated, and she has to look at your stupid face for as long as she stays here! I really hope you have a goddamn good reason for this. Good thing for you we never met...nobody treats my sis like that and gets away with it, you pathetic asshole..." Ron stood up, and said, "Stay there. I'll be right back, dead guy." Ron's mischievous eyes glistened while he ran upstairs to the guest room, grabbed a few items and sprinted back into the study. He put a huge worn-out straw hat on Eric, and a wild-colored necktie. He straightened the sunglasses, and brushed a particle of lint off his plaid suit. He stood back for a good look and spat, "You were a blithering fool while alive, McDuggal. Let's maintain that image." Leanna's brother then left the room, whistling the Andy Griffith theme song...

Review by Denise M. Clark
A Disturbing Presence offers readers a delightful combination of horror, family history and dark secrets, written with a splash of humor; a new twist of imagination and talented writing for a gripping jump into the world of embalming and taxidermy.


Welcome to the life of eccentric Eric McDuggal, dying of terminal cancer. He’s an animal lover but keeps his wife of seven years, Leanna, at arm’s length. He meets with the local taxidermist, Ed Simon, with a bizarre request. He wants to be preserved. Join in Leanna’s dismay and ride a paranormal, emotional roller coaster as she discovers secrets of his past and new attractions in the present, all with her deceased, ‘stuffed’ husband sitting there in the living room.


A well written paranormal saga of intrigue and sometimes plain weirdness, this book is a true pleasure to read. The author writes in a flowing, easy manner that immediately captures the reader’s interest. A serious and bright future is in store for more of the same! A “do-not-miss” for reader’s interested in the horror genre.




Review from another NH Author
Review by author Ginger "Sugar" Blymyer~~Hairdresser to the Stars A Hollywood Memoir. A Disturbing Presence is a macabre, astonishing, tale that kept me laughing, cringing & amazed. Shades of My Cousin Bernie but more believable. One had better hope to never receive an inheritance like this. Hopefully this came out of the author’s imagination & not from her real life experience. One always wonders. A great lazy day read. www.hairdressertothestars.com

Dee Gentle, gottawritenetwork.com Book Reviewer
After being diagnosed with terminal cancer, eccentric Eric McDuggal has become a recluse; shutting out his wife, and surrounding himself with the preserved remains of his most adored pets. But that isn't the half of it. Unbeknownst to Leanna McDuggal, his adoring wife, he has plans that dont include a proper burial. He has enlisted the help of a non-traditional mortician, Jonathan Wallbrook, and a very apprehensive taxidermist, Ed Simon, to mount his body after death. When he dies, Leanna is informed of this atrocity by her husband's attorney, and of the stipulations in his will that require her to allow the body to remain in the house or lose her inheritance. Just imagine Leanna's horror when several weeks after the funeral, Ed arrives on her doorstep with her stuffed husband. She now maintains a surreal existence, unable to let go of the past or move on to her future. As an unusual friendship begins to form between the widow and the taxidermist, skeletons in the family closet reveal some dark secrets that may shatter Leanne's perception of her marriage.



A Disturbing Presence is a macabre blend of mystery, horror and dark comedy. The story is host to an eccentric, but enjoyable cast of characters that will have you shaking your head and laughing out loud. A satisfying read and a must for those who enjoy a little twisted humor.