Schneider, handyman for a large apartment building, barges in to Ann Romano's apartment as usual. It seems as if no one's home, but then he finds her youngest daughter naked and masturbating. He gets personally involved, only to get clunked on the head. He wakes up to discover himself a prisoner, used by Ms. Romano to fill her own needs. (Celeste's score: 10, 9, 9: "Main
strength is the sexy dialogue.")
The Gathering is continued in a second volume, Book II. (2) Part of the Hartstein universe
John Franck, 41, a sex addict, thus far has hidden it from his wife, but his shrink encourages him to make a recording of some of his conquests and Argie, his wife happens on it. What happens after this is the main story of the gathering in Houston.
The story line is based on a true story provided by James and Janet. Janet tells how she fell in love with her neighbour boy, James, when she was 10 and he was 13. He expected her to grow up pure and chaste to marry him. But the lifestyles of the two familes did not make that possible
Max hasn't noticed much since his wife Abigail was murdered. When he comes to the aid of one of Abigail's former students, he finds that the whole town has changed in ways he wouldn't have believed if he didn't see them himself. (Some tags left off to preserve suspence.)