The Haunting of Marcus Manor

A Riveting Haunted House Mystery #73

by Marie Wilkens

A chilling secret, an enigmatic force, and a decades-old mystery waiting to be unraveled.

When a hopeful pair settles into their idyllic new residence, they quickly discover that their tranquil haven is anything but. Nestled in a quaint and seemingly serene town, their picturesque abode holds a sinister history that refuses to stay buried. As the couple confronts spine-chilling supernatural occurrences, they find themselves entwined in a harrowing unsolved enigma that has haunted the community for generations. Will they unveil the truth in time, or are they destined to join the tragic fate of those who ventured too close to the darkness before them?

Genres: Horror

241 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 24, 2023

Reviews

[Otis Doss III · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm going to preface my comments with the old adage "you get what you pay for." I paid nothing for this book, so I did not expect a book that had been through an exhaustive editing process. And I would not have been bothered by a handful of grammar or spelling errors. However, I would hope that a book, even if it is free, would have had at least one person proofread it. If I were a gambler, I would bet big money that no one read this book before it was published. It reads like a first draft. There were not only some minor grammar errors, but complete sentences that made absolutely no sense. My favorite was: "The tea can be harmful, but drinking it would have killed you." Huh?

I read the Kindle version. I don't know if that matters, but it shouldn't.

The story itself, while very formulaic, wasn't all that bad. However, I can't rate this book very high due to the total lack of any editing or review. One final note, the author's page was not about Marie Wilkens, but a completely different author. Another head shaker.

[Jewell Moreno · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story begins when two sisters inherit a castle from their long lost father, who recently died. Their mother had not even revealed to the girls their fathers name. Going to the reading of the will they discover their fathers new wife, and stepson, as well as a grandmother they never knew. The home is said to be cursed and many family members and staff have lost their lives on the property. In order to inherit the mansion and their fathers money the girls are required to stay in the mansion for 3 weeks. There are sinister things happening in the mansion. Why did the mother of the girls flee the mansion, so many years ago. Secrets galore, and interesting read.

[Lettie Marquis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good supernatural mystery

Good read from the start. Characters introduced from the start were somewhat confusing and it definitely needed some spell check.
But good story overall.

[Simone · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read the Kindle version and it was full of errors. Spelling, wrong characters, lines that made no sense.

[Jim Martyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Suffers from poor editing

Story starts off very well, but half way through inconsistency starts in the story line. The last 25% of the book suffers from terrible editing.

[Louie the Mustache Matos · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think that because this is a recently released book, it suffers from a poor editorial process. My assumption is that the release date arrived before the novel was thoroughly edited. There are way too many grammatical, spelling, and word usage errors that impede enjoyment.

Having said that, the story itself is pretty good. Two sisters get an opportunity to learn about their dad when they are invited to return to the manse their mother fled to avoid her exceedingly toxic marriage. Despite his death, it seems that he had kept track of his daughters and left them heiresses if they would comply with some of his wishes.

This narrative does not go exactly as one would think it would go. The writing is strong. There is wonderful characterization with some creepy set design. Red herrings serve to complicate the mystery, and horror aspects of the tale. Sure, there is reliance on haunted house tropes with some supernatural mystery tossed in as a fairly amplifying plot device, but I would argue that the story is more resonant as a consequence.