This is a fantastically creepy thriller from the author of Lock Every Door and Final Girls. There are Amityville Horror vibes, with hints of The Haunting of Hill House and The Shining. Who can resist a haunted house story?! Not me, that’s for sure.
There are two narratives. One is in the present day, told by house renovator Maggie Holt. The other is an extract from a book written by her father about the spooky goings-on at Baneberry Hall, a run-down place in Vermont with a grim history. Something happened that was so terrible, that the Holt family fled and never returned. Now, after her father’s death, Maggie has inherited Baneberry Hall and is determined to discover what really happened. She was only five at the time of the alleged hauntings and either doesn’t remember much or has blocked it out.
I like how Riley Sager expertly teases us. Were the ghostly events real or can they all be explained rationally? What secrets are Maggie’s parents hiding? Why did her father write the book? And would Maggie be different, less bitter, without the notorious fame which has plagued her life? It was very intriguing and I kept on turning the pages. There were so many twists at the end of the book, you probably won’t guess all of them.
Recommended! Thank you to the publisher Hodder and Stoughton for the advance copy via NetGalley. The book was published this month and is now available to buy.
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