Haunted houses make for great subject matter and let me tell you what … Riley Sager crafted one scary house in his latest release. This might be my favorite by him yet! I am slightly annoyed at myself for waiting so long to read it.
A woman, Maggie, is shocked to learn that she inherited this old estate called Baneberry Hall when her father died. She only knows of it from a tell-all book her father wrote about their experience living there for a few months when she was a child. She had no idea he still owned it since they never returned there after fleeing in the middle of the night years ago. The book her father wrote, called House of Horrors, is included within this present-day story of her returning there to renovate it. She believes her father lied about everything that happened there so he could make a fortune from the publicity. Of course, you know what happens next…she starts experiencing the exact same things her father wrote about. You see, the first family who owned the mansion died there in a violent murder-suicide. People of the town believe it is haunted by their spirits but Maggie isn’t so sure.
The tension in this book builds slowly but it’s worth the wait. I was shocked several times throughout the story. It’s not what you think! I love gothic thrillers, like Haunting of Hill House and Turn of the Screw, and this ranks right up there in quality. If you’re looking for something with ghosts, family secrets, a creepy old house, and a little bit of fear (ok maybe more than a little bit) then put this on your TBR.
(Before and) Afterthoughts 