bickleyhouse's review
3.0
Short stories!! Haunted houses!! Two of my favorite things together!
This was a fun collection of stories. Some of them were really good, some not so much. I find it interesting that there is no editor credited. Also, according to the Goodreads blurb, it has 500+ pages. My Kindle only showed it to have 342. Not that that's an issue that effects my rating or review.
There are eleven short stories here, as stated in the title. A handful of them are longer, with actual chapters. At least two of the stories are sequel/prequels to other stories. I will list the ones that I thought were better stories.
Through the Doorway, by A.P. Killian, feathered a house rented by a young woman who was leaving her husband and moving away from him. There were some odd rules in the lease agreement, which, of course, she violated, and the results were less than favorable. Apparently, she and her ex were not the first to do so.
Sarah (A prequel to Sarah's House), by Rebecca Patrick-Howard features a middle-aged woman named Sarah, never married, no kids, whose niece Taryn was coming to stay with her. The plan was for Taryn to stay in her mother's old bedroom in the family home, but some strange things began to happen there, like unexplained handprints on the window, floating girls outside the window, and so on. It turns out something devious had occurred long before the family owned the house.
In The Shadow over Number 9, by Paul Summerhayes, a young boy living in the English countryside during WWII uncovers a horrific crime committed by a German spy, with the help of another young boy. But, as is usually the case, things are not always what they seem.
Evergreen: The Awakening, is a prequel to The Haunting of Evergreen: Homecoming, by Terrie McClay. Another story about an old family home, and, in this case, the family is getting together for Christmas. There is a room at the top that was called "The View," and some strange things begin happening there. The main character, Claire, begins to uncover some wicked deeds that occurred around that house, with the help of her grandparents.
The Haunting of Morton House, by Debra Barton, was one of my favorites. In this one, a young couple is moving to the west coast, but they stop in a small town called "Morton's Rock," to get a bite to eat. The woman notices an interesting photo in the diner, and enquires about it. The little girl in the photo had drowned, recently. The circumstances seemed suspicious, but there was no investigation. When the couple tries to leave, their car won't start. One of the men in town has a relative (I'm pretty sure they were all related) who works on cars, so they have their car towed to his place. There is (of course) only one seedy motel in the town, so they check in for their stay.
As the story unfolds, the couple uncovers typical small town corruption which involves the sheriff, and solves the mystery of what had happened to the little girl. With, naturally (or should I say supernaturally), the help of her ghost.
There was only one story in the collection that I really struggled with, but I won't name it, as I decided to only talk about the ones I really liked.
This was a fun collection of stories. Some of them were really good, some not so much. I find it interesting that there is no editor credited. Also, according to the Goodreads blurb, it has 500+ pages. My Kindle only showed it to have 342. Not that that's an issue that effects my rating or review.
There are eleven short stories here, as stated in the title. A handful of them are longer, with actual chapters. At least two of the stories are sequel/prequels to other stories. I will list the ones that I thought were better stories.
Through the Doorway, by A.P. Killian, feathered a house rented by a young woman who was leaving her husband and moving away from him. There were some odd rules in the lease agreement, which, of course, she violated, and the results were less than favorable. Apparently, she and her ex were not the first to do so.
Sarah (A prequel to Sarah's House), by Rebecca Patrick-Howard features a middle-aged woman named Sarah, never married, no kids, whose niece Taryn was coming to stay with her. The plan was for Taryn to stay in her mother's old bedroom in the family home, but some strange things began to happen there, like unexplained handprints on the window, floating girls outside the window, and so on. It turns out something devious had occurred long before the family owned the house.
In The Shadow over Number 9, by Paul Summerhayes, a young boy living in the English countryside during WWII uncovers a horrific crime committed by a German spy, with the help of another young boy. But, as is usually the case, things are not always what they seem.
Evergreen: The Awakening, is a prequel to The Haunting of Evergreen: Homecoming, by Terrie McClay. Another story about an old family home, and, in this case, the family is getting together for Christmas. There is a room at the top that was called "The View," and some strange things begin happening there. The main character, Claire, begins to uncover some wicked deeds that occurred around that house, with the help of her grandparents.
The Haunting of Morton House, by Debra Barton, was one of my favorites. In this one, a young couple is moving to the west coast, but they stop in a small town called "Morton's Rock," to get a bite to eat. The woman notices an interesting photo in the diner, and enquires about it. The little girl in the photo had drowned, recently. The circumstances seemed suspicious, but there was no investigation. When the couple tries to leave, their car won't start. One of the men in town has a relative (I'm pretty sure they were all related) who works on cars, so they have their car towed to his place. There is (of course) only one seedy motel in the town, so they check in for their stay.
As the story unfolds, the couple uncovers typical small town corruption which involves the sheriff, and solves the mystery of what had happened to the little girl. With, naturally (or should I say supernaturally), the help of her ghost.
There was only one story in the collection that I really struggled with, but I won't name it, as I decided to only talk about the ones I really liked.
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