Sarah Pearson is lured into the eerie depths of the Paris Catacombs after seeing an unsettling video. On it, the ghostly appearance of an old friend beckons her into the darkness. But the Catacombs hold more secrets than Sarah anticipates, and the shadows within are not all from the dead.
Sarah's friends--David Ritter and Reverend Rachel Quinn--find out about her perilous journey and move to stop her. Racing against time, they must find and rescue their friend from the grip of the underworld. In doing so, they are confronted with chilling legends of restless souls and malevolent entities that have waited centuries for the likes of Sarah to venture into their realm.
As Sarah becomes further entrenched in the maze below, a perilous game of cat and mouse ensues. For David and Rachel, time is of the essence, because if Sarah is possessed by the entities lurking beneath Paris, then the whole world will teeter on the brink of the apocalypse.
Of course, other genres float my boat as well; Sci-Fi, Thrillers, pretty much any Dark Fiction, but Horror is what I call home.
My first novel, Horror in the Woods, was released on in May 2017, and the second, The Demonic, on the the following July hitting multiple best seller lists. Since then, I have authored a number of horror novels that have terrified fans for the past few years.
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This book can be read as a stand alone story but, in order to fully understand the characters and overriding plot, you need to begin at the beginning. The start of the series, Perron Manor! This particular episode was a spooky and thrilling adventure through the Paris catacombs. Who was on the side of the righteous and who had been turned onto the 'Left Hand Path'? Ghosts, demons, unearthly spectres, blood crazed zombies, this series has them all. What more could a horror aficionado want from a story? Highly recommended but, in order to fully appreciate what you are reading, begin at the start of the series
After the last book finished, David, Rachel and Sarah escape the clutches of Hillside Haunted Hotel by the skin of their teeth, we are left thinking all is safe with the gateways and Sarah has not been turned.
This book is mainly set in the dark, dank, claustrophobic, and horrifying tunnels under Paris, the Catacombs, if the skulls and bones don't freak you out and send chills down your spine literally. The author managed to make me have an increased heart rate, especially when people were torn apart in the most horrific manner, unimaginable, shocking, and not for the weak stomach. Ghosts, demons, and possessed people, some I was utterly shocked wow as they was back oh dear!! The build-up to the climax of the ending was fantastic!!!
Tut!!! Tut!!! ..... I was shouting at my Kindle .... Oh no, you can't leave it like that bloody hell!!! So now here I sit patiently having to wait for the last book in the series. OMG, brilliant read not to be missed!!!!
The saga continues with Sarah and David in the catacombs in Paris. I enjoyed the story but this felt more of a build up book rather than a complete snippet of the larger story. I'm not too sure on the character development of Sarah although I can see why she'd be annoyed. 3.5* bumped up to 4* (because of the series). I look forward to the next installment.
Started with Haunted: Peron Manor on 10/9 and just finished this one, hit my goal of 10/31. I've not read that many books in that amount of time in years. Author does an incredible job with character development, his descriptions are great and not overdone. Glad I had the opportunity to read the series in its entirety back to back and I'm hoping the series continues given the ending.
If you're looking for a great horror series, start with Peron Manor and work your way to the end.
This was probably not as good as some of the previous books in the series. But it was still good enough for me to tear through it in a few days.
The problems: First, it was very predictable. One of the big reveals was obvious to me from the start. Chloe's ghost tells Sarah to go to Paris: but she can't tell anyone else about it. I knew immediately that the ghost was on the side of darkness. When Sarah finally told the rest of the group about this, I was irritated that they didn't immediately come to the same conclusion that I did. It was painfully obvious that the ghost was on the side of darkness. It soon enough became clear that the book would be the journey into the catacombs and then a final meet up with Evil.
Second, Sarah has never been my favorite character. In this book, she actually passed over into being a hated character. Sarah is spoiled, entitled, demanding, rude, bratty.... I could go on and on. She knows that if she falls, the entire world falls. And she just doesn't care. Because SHE is more important that that. She whines about the Church finally realizing that she can't be risked and keeping her away from missions. She is lucky they just sent her home. She should obviously be locked up in the Vatican (or somewhere safe). The biggest problem here is that we are still supposed to be on Sarah's side. Her being an entitled brat leads us through this entire book. By the end, I hated the chapters that were from her point of view.
Finally, the ending was less than stellar. The group escapes the catacombs far too easily. How? They threaten to kill Sarah and Evil just gives up. We've already seen that ghosts and demons can influence the physical world. One of them surely could have yanked the knife out of Antoine's hands before he knew what was happening.
And then the final chapter. What? I feel like I missed something and have to go back and reread the last few chapters to see exactly what happened to Sarah. Joy. I've got to go back and focus on the character that I hate.
Now, after all that negativity, I will say that I still enjoy the series. As I mentioned in other reviews, the "face" of Evil stopped being very scary a while back. Mountford managed to bump up the scares (or at least creep-factor) in this book.
I frequently talk about books being fun in my reviews. For all the flaws, this was still a very fun book to read. And that's why I'll keep reading the series.
FOLLOW UP: I've started reading "End of Days," (the next book and last in the series). It does resolve some of my issues with the ending of "Catacombs." There was, of course, more going on that we were aware. Although Mountford's decisions make sense, they still damaged the end of this book. The good guys got away way too easily.
In the next book, we find out why: Evil is afoot. Of course it's a foot. If it were metric, it would be almost a yard by now.
Sorry. I think that comes from Terry Pratchett and I love it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Not my favorite in the series. Sarah is killing me, let alone her companions as the “key” to the world’s survival. After this whole story deals with her putting other people at risk with her actions and David even confronting her about it, the next thing we read is she’s going back to the place that started it all with her “tortured soul” spirit of a sister and her niece. If this is her way of offing herself for the sake of the world, I’m calling in a ghost reader to finish the series for me. Wanted to give it 2 stars but David saved it for me.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
I was elated to see it was released and downloaded immediately. I needed more of the haunted series. Finished the book in less than a day. Love Lee Mountford. ❤️
Modern horror rarely does it for me these days. Whether it’s because I’m older now and need more fulfillment in my life than relying on extreme elements of gore and torture, or the fact that most contemporary publications in the genre just aren’t very good, the fact remains that when it comes to this side of fiction, 9 times out of 10, id rather pick up a Zebra or Tor Horror from the 80’s.
But there is still that 1 rare time that I will attempt a more modern story and that’s usually because I’m reading Lee Mountford. Over the past 5 or 6 years no other author has consistently delivered such great horror, and nowhere is that more clear than his wonderfully creepy “Haunted” series.
I’ve written about how this series has evolved from a simple haunted house tale to something incredibly dark and original, and with this 8th book, there’s no signs of him caving or going cliche. Catacombs throws us right back into the thick of the story, picking up almost from where the previous book, Hotel left off. But rather than feel like a placeholder, this one ups the ante as the penultimate entry before one last story. As the majority of this book takes place in the depths of the Paris catacombs, it’s claustrophobic and tense, never once lagging or feeling slow. The setting also leads to some truly creepy moments that few authors seem to manage. And the story just continues to evolve into something that takes multiple horror elements and melds them into a wholly original concept that works.
This book didn’t scare me, but it did confirm some of the things that I expected to take place. But it did make me anxious as hell! This story takes place in the famous Paris Catacombs. I thought the setting was great, and noticed that Mountford utilizes real haunted places in his books, which I think adds a more spooky feel.
I felt that in this book, Sarah was being used by the “supposed” spirit of her sister Chloe’. Now from my perspective I could tell that spirit was no longer the real Chloe because Sarah couldn’t see her and would just talk to her. More importantly this “supposed” spirit of Chloe informed Sarah that she couldn’t reveal that Chloe could talk to her. I felt this was a red flag and should have given Sarah the hint to not follow the spirit. However, she did this for a year, which resulted in Sarah fleeing to the Paris Catacombs.
Another thought about this volume was that there was a lot of death happening to the strangers that the group encountered. That was different and sudden. I felt so bad for the kids that had helped guide Sarah through the Catacombs, especially Camille because she was innocent. One thing that really set with me was that those kids’ souls would be forever stuck within the depths of the catacombs forever just because they wanted to go explore.
Lastly, what I took away from this book of the series was that bad things were about to come. I felt that while Sarah is innocent, she should have just listened to David. Maybe this wouldn’t have happened, but at the same time I kind of expected everything to go wrong after Sarah started believing that spirit was her sister. I feel for her. But I know the end of this series won’t be good. 😔but it was a great ride!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
I found Haunted Catacombs to be an eerie and captivating thrill ride! From the very beginning of the plot, I was already dying to know how it ended. The fact that the story takes place in the Catacombs was the reason I decided to give this book a try. The story starts with an interesting video someone had uploaded online involving a dead priest deep in the catacombs. The main characters appear to recognize the ghost and immediately head to the catacombs to investigate. The plot starts slow but with a gravitating tension in the air. As the characters go into the catacombs, many unanticipated threats are revealed. Haunted Catacombs appears to be book 8 out of 9 in Lee Mountford's Haunted Series. I knew that going in, having not read any of the Haunted Series books. I did my research and none of the books piqued my interest, except this one. However, since I'm curious to know what happens next, I will be reading End of Days, which is the last book in the series. The author did a great job of making sure the reader didn't need to read any of the previous books in the series. Hence, the author provides you with all the necessary information to read this book as a stand-alone. This is the second book I have read from Lee Mountfard. Hence, I highly recommend The Netherwell Horror.
The constant evil presence the characters encounter is now blurred by the physical darkness manifested in the never ending catacombs of Paris, another doorway to the underworld, which is yet to be exorcised and closed, as they barely made it to the surface. The deeper the story goes, the more doors the characters find, they seem to just fail at closing them or even help opening them without realising it.
The losses, the pain, the guilt, the death and traps that surround them makes this demonic thriller horrifying. The only question that remains is whether their escape is still part of the game Hell created ages ago and they are still pawns in the bigger picture. The picture that will lead to the end of one of the worlds: the living or the dead.
Wow. Lee Mountford does it again, building ANOTHER gripping installment in this epic series. The catacombs were the _perfect_ backdrop for the latest evil twists, & Mountford does a spectacular job painting such vivid scenes that I felt like I was actually stumbling through the tunnels with the characters. I wish there was a Haunted message board where I could read how other readers see this series unfolding, but I know one thing — with book nine expected to be the final book, Mountford will pull out all the stops to being this tale to a heart-stopping conclusion. Can’t wait!
Mountford has outdone himself again. The horror tour of the Paris catacombs is only intensified by Mountfords Haunted series. The tale continues its riveting hold on the reader. I couldn't put it down. From the claustrophobic tunnels underneath Paris, to the menacing demons lurking in the dark. It's another great read from Montfourd.
Can't wait for the next book in The Haunted series.
I liked that it is set in an under ground setting. I hate that more innocent people had to get killed, but you wouldn't have much of a story if that didn't happen. The description of the catacombs was really told in detail, so you get a picture of what it looks like and the surroundings of what's going on in each scene. They should really make a movie about this book.
The only thing not allowing me to give this a five stars is the lack of depth and connection building between characters. It’s a quick read because a lot of the events and build up just happens making it fast pace but you find out that a lot of the relationships that happen ( the romantic ones ) just appear on a page with zero context and it almost doesn’t feel real but other then that this was another fantastic read and I can’t wait to see how it all ends.
The haunted series has a good story line that keeps you engaged to see it through to the end! Will David save Sarah, but still be the man he was in book one Person Manor! Perrron Manor was the best book so for because of it's high creep factor! So far the rest of the series draws you in because you want to see who wins. But as far as being scary, not so much.
Excellent is an understatement! I am so sad that I have reached the end of this series. I love horror and these books have given me nightmares more than a time or two but I couldn't put it down! The writing was so good I could picture each scene and felt a special connection to the characters. This author has gained a new life long fan for sure!
The journey with Sarah continues following her dead sisters callings but is she still the same? David and Rachael are following knowing the danger to the world of the recklessness, others follow and show Sarah the way not realising this maybe there last ghost watch
What a fascinating storyline! It was non-stop drama, action and horror from beginning to the end. Had me reading so fast my eyes had a hard time keeping up with my reading brain. This is a phenomenal series and I'm sad to see the next book is the conclusion of the series. I'll just start The Demonic series! Hope it's as good as this one!!
If you want a jumping good scare story, this is one to enjoy. The adventure in the catacombs was written so well that I was really there. I had a great scary time, running from evil in many forms, all wanting to trap you forever. Do you have the guts to try to escape the catacombs?
Another absolutely terrifying book in the Haunted series by Lee Mountford. This may be the creepiest book of the whole series with it being set in the catacombs of Paris. The level of claustrophobia was so intense and that's without the horrors that lurk in the shadows. I absolutely recommend this series to both new and seasoned horror fans. Lee Mountford's books are on another level!
The only downside to this entire series is that the main character is also the most unlikeable character. I really can't stand Sarah.
Another good horror story - a bit predictable this time around. Charlotte was annoying af and RALPH BEING SIDELINED?! How are you gonna sideline the MVP of the Hillside Hotel?
Also the little hint that Rachel Quinn might be a lil kinky got me chuckling.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
I love this series, but I like this one even less than the last one. I didn’t care for the new characters, thought it wasn’t as scary as the rest of the series and at one point a protagonist has to grow, right? Seriously, Sarah keeps getting on my nerves. That ending was frustrating. I also still miss Father Janosch :(