The Unloved by John Saul [Digital Adio Download ed.]

SPOILERS

The Unloved by John Saul tells the story of Kevin Deveraux and his family -- wife Anne, daughter Julie, and son Jeff. Kevin's much hated, widowed mother is dying and Kevin is summoned home by his sister, Marguerete, a ballet dancer whose dreams were cut short when her hip was broken in an accident. Helene, the mother, is controlling, demanding, and cruel. She bullies Marguerete and is infuriated that she herself only holds the family lands in trust (introducing a plot hole). When she finally dies, her will forces Kevin to stay on so that the disinherited Marguerete can remain at home. The estate lawyer assures Kevin that there is no way around the will, leaving the reader/listener to wonder who the real estate was being held in trust for, if not Kevin, and why the lawyer was apparently unaware of the trust. At any rate, the sweet and meek Marguerete moves into her mother's old rooms and promptly goes all Norman Bates, assuming the personality of her mother, lightly flavored with her own natural insanity. Anne dies when her car is swept into the sea, followed rapidly by several less natural deaths. The kids are eventually saved, but not before nearly everyone around them is murdered by Marguerete.

This is definitely a kids-in-jeopardy story, and just as definitely not a kids-save-the-world one. Julie and Jeff are able to help themselves to a limited extent, but must rely on the adults around them to save them. The murders are described, so there is violence and some gore, but it is not excessive. There is little in the way of the supernatural. Kevin has a premonitory dream, and there are hints that Marguerete is possessed in some way, though not enough to rule out her simply being crazy.

The book is well read by Sandra Burr. The characters have distinct voices with appropriate accents. The pacing and inflection are good.

Recommend to fans of V.C. Andrews for the endangered children, wicked grandmother, Southern setting, and "You have an inheritance you never knew about! Come collect your misery now!" setup.
It's a possible read-alike for Psycho by Robert Bloch. The setup takes much longer, but Psycho fans will likely find post 'round the bend Marguerete worth the wait.
It wouldn't be my first choice for Stephen King fans, though it might appeal to those who are jaded with that author's unnaturally competent kids, and who are willing to trade supernatural evil for the human variety.