Reviews

The Haunting on West 10th Street by Helen Phifer

agameofbooksblog's review against another edition

medium-paced

4.0

The Haunting of West 10th Street by Helen Phifer intricately weaves together past and present in a chilling tale that grips you from the start. The parallel timelines converge in a unique manner, particularly through the nameless character's intriguing perspective. While some pacing issues were felt, the overall concept was captivating. However, the portrayal of the devil versus God felt overused and lacked inclusivity towards different beliefs. The ending leaves a promising groundwork for future stories with Maria and Frankie, adding an exciting layer of anticipation.

dmagboul's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny informative mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

Before I started reading, I had no idea what to expect, but as soon as I did, I became completely engrossed in the story and the characters. It’s safe to say I was hooked from the very first page. I loved the dual timeline, which flits between 1952 and present day. I felt the author hit the balance perfectly, with each timeline working seamlessly with the other. The characters are believable, likeable, and well written – I felt an instant affection for the impeccably dressed Miss Green. NYPD Homicide detectives Maria and Frankie. They deal with the graphics and the unflinching facts. For them, catching bad guys (and girls) is nothing new. But when a murder takes place at a Greenwich Village brownstone in what appears to be a quiet neighborhood, Maria is left with more unanswered questions and a cold case. But Maria and Frankie soon learn that this isn't the only horrifying murder to take place in this brownstone. This novel does an excellent job of connecting everything together since it uses two perspectives: Maria's present-day perspective and Emilia's historical perspective. As she pursues the case, Maria becomes the killer's next victim, but will Frankie and anybody else from the past help save her in time? I adored this book utterly. It was incredibly simple and quick to read. Maria and Frankie have a great relationship, and I hope to read more books with them in the future. I had never read anything by this author before, so I was thrilled to discover another one whose books I liked. I will admit some of the verbiage didn't make sense to me, I found myself confused with the wording. I would send snippets to my friend to see if they understood the same thing that I did. other than this I highly recommend this book. I just assumed the phrases that were used are native to where the author is located. There was parts of this book that had me cringing and there was parts of this book that had me laughing outloud. I kept finding myself grabbing this book in the middle of the night. For my arc, I'm grateful to Storm Publishing and Net Galley.

helena_g_reads's review against another edition

dark mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

⭐️: 5  / 5

Publication Date: October 19, 2023

I want to thank Storm Publishing, and Net Galley for allowing me to get an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review! 

The prologue did a great job at hooking you into Christmas time at New York City, when Detective Maria Miller and her partner are called to a crime scene and the story takes off 3 years after that fateful night. 

One of the coolest aspects of this story, was the history of murders being investigated, not to mention including an Ouija board and other satanic/supernatural elements. The shorter chapters make this a breeze to read through as well. I’m not gonna lie I really loved the 2 older women as the story develops and as they take more of a role in the developing story. 

As for my reservations, my only issue is that I want more books with these characters! This is my first time reading this author and I can’t wait to read more. 

Overall I was absolutely enthralled in this story from beginning to end. There’s so many lovable characters you’re bound to find one that you like. This is also the perfect read for spooky season!  

Would recommend for those who are fans of

• Supernatural Mystery 
• New York City setting
• Plot driven stories
• Non-Linear timelines
• Multiple POVs

⚠️ gore, violence 

emmymk's review

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

herthrillingreads's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.75

The Haunting on West 10th Street combines several genres: crime, supernatural, and romance. There were many things that are positive about this book. I liked the pace and the dual timelines. Unfortunately, the romance aspects did not work for me. I wish that the focus would have been more on the supernatural crimes, without forcing romantic relationships into the story. If you like crime novels that focus more on the romantic relationships of the detectives, then you will probably really enjoy this book. However, if you prefer your crime novels to be light on the romance, then I would skip this one.

Thank you @stormbooks_co and @netgalley for allowing me to listen to this audiobook ahead of publication in exchange for my honest review.

michedea_books_'s review

adventurous challenging dark emotional informative inspiring mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

 

 

NYPD homicide detectives Maria Miller and Frank Conroy visit a house in West 10th Street and attend the worse case they have ever visited. There is an eerie feeling in the room. They never found the killer. Three years on there boss asks them to go over the cold case and find new evidence to solve the case. But nothing is straightforward and sinister things start to happen, which leaves Maria in danger. 

I am a big fan of Helen Phifer’s work and although slightly different than her previous novels.  The Haunting on 10th West Street is another excellent novel from the author. 

Yet again, I am hooked from this story, which goes back and forth in time. I find it has a great mix of a Detective and Supernatural element and the characters of Frankie and Maria.  Especially Maria, who is not frightened of anything and will not let anything get in her way. In parts it also has an eerie creepy feel. I really enjoyed this, and I hope there is more to come with Frankie and Maria. 5 stars from me. 

 

sarah2019's review

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

2.5

First, thank you to NetGalley and Storm Publishing for the ARC of this book.

I was looking forward to reading a horror story to start my fall reading. While I enjoyed the premise, the characters and the two different timelines, there were some things that fell short that I just couldn’t get past. It was very evident that the author is not American. I could have gotten past the different spelling of favourite as opposed to the American favorite, but I could not get past the overuse of the word whilst. No New Yorker would use “whilst” that frequently let alone a NYC cop. Nor would a New Yorker say that the “queue” was too long. Or they “fancy” a drink. It might seem like I’m nitpicking, but it was these details that took me completely out of the story. It was a distraction and the words and phrases the author chose were out of place. So even though I did like the premise the book just really fell short for me. 

randomreader41's review

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

trinny's review

adventurous challenging dark mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

A detective story with a difference, New York detectives Maria Miller and Frankie Conroy attend what is possibly the worst crime scene they've attended. And in an upmarket area of Greenwich Village, its the last place you'd expect such a heinous crime. And from the beginning there's an eerie feeling about the room. Fast forward 3 years and the detectives are tasked with trying to solve the cold case when new information comes to them, 60 years previously a similar crime happened, and the house hasn't forgotten there's a dark force operating.
This is a creepy,spine tingling paranormal thriller, It is very atmospheric and descriptive. It's very different from Helen's Morgan Brookes series and I loved it. Just don't read it in the dark. A fabulous book that's perfect for fans of the supernatural and an ideal Halloween read.

sarahrobins11's review

3.0

This was ok. Maybe I’m not a huge fan of the paranormal. I don’t know. I loved the relationship between the two detectives but that was probably it!