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A review by themysterymaven
Beneath the Stairs by Jennifer Fawcett
5.0
Most likely an unpopular opinion, but I loved this story! Goodreads has it rated about mid-level, and that’s ok. For me, it hit all the marks that I genuinely enjoy in a mystery/thriller.
I thought the setting was very cool - an octagon-shape of a murder house left abandoned in the woods; children with each passing generation manage to find it through the hand-me-downs of local lore. You have shifts between characters and past and present as the main protagonist must face what happened in the house all those years ago, when she and her three friends first found its location. (The mysterious appearance of a doll on the basement stairs continues to haunt the few who actually see it down in the dark depths.) And part of her reckoning involves the original murders there, the origin story of sorts that created the legend of The Octagon House.
I think some readers disliked the pace of the book; rather, I really relished all the detail and backstory. And while the twisty ending isn’t explicitly spelled out, I thought it was made quite clear even through inference and didn’t detract from my liking of the conclusion at all. I can agree that there was perhaps one plot point I wish had been further explored - no spoilers - but overall, I found it all to be an eerie experience entering into The Octagon House to discover what lurks beneath the stairs.
I thought the setting was very cool - an octagon-shape of a murder house left abandoned in the woods; children with each passing generation manage to find it through the hand-me-downs of local lore. You have shifts between characters and past and present as the main protagonist must face what happened in the house all those years ago, when she and her three friends first found its location. (The mysterious appearance of a doll on the basement stairs continues to haunt the few who actually see it down in the dark depths.) And part of her reckoning involves the original murders there, the origin story of sorts that created the legend of The Octagon House.
I think some readers disliked the pace of the book; rather, I really relished all the detail and backstory. And while the twisty ending isn’t explicitly spelled out, I thought it was made quite clear even through inference and didn’t detract from my liking of the conclusion at all. I can agree that there was perhaps one plot point I wish had been further explored - no spoilers - but overall, I found it all to be an eerie experience entering into The Octagon House to discover what lurks beneath the stairs.