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The House at the End of Lacelean Street
It's midnight and in the midst of an ice storm when Claudia Dance boards the bright yellow bus to Lacelean Street, a destination she has never heard of. She has no coat, no luggage, and no clue as to why she left home. In fact, she has no memory of her past whatsoever, and yet she feels compelled to make the trip. She will come to realize that salvation lies within the red-brick house at the end of Lacelean Street, a salvation granted by the strange power that dwells within. Sanity will be questioned, limits tested, and answers revealed... But at what price?
172 pages, Paperback
First published April 16, 2024
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March 3, 2024Of all the novels and novellas I've written so far, I can honestly say I enjoyed writing this one the most. The proverbial pen flowed like never before, which was a wonderful feeling. I guess that's because The House at the End of Lacelean Street stemmed from somewhere deep inside; all it needed was the opportunity to vent.
It's a bit of a genre mash-up in truth, part psychological horror, part cosmic (minus the creatures), at heart it's a wild and wonderful exploration of the flight or fight instinct inherent each and every one of us.
As with most works of fiction, some characters are based on people I've known, people who have experienced life-changing events and yet somehow survived.
There's a nod to King's It, and another to The Great God Pan. There's even a nod to the cover of Nirvana's Nevermind album.
I hope those who read it will enjoy the journey as much as I enjoyed writing it.
It's a bit of a genre mash-up in truth, part psychological horror, part cosmic (minus the creatures), at heart it's a wild and wonderful exploration of the flight or fight instinct inherent each and every one of us.
As with most works of fiction, some characters are based on people I've known, people who have experienced life-changing events and yet somehow survived.
There's a nod to King's It, and another to The Great God Pan. There's even a nod to the cover of Nirvana's Nevermind album.
I hope those who read it will enjoy the journey as much as I enjoyed writing it.
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February 29, 2024First off, I'm a huge fan of McCarthy's work. I bet even her grocery lists are compelling, but Lacelean Street is something very different from her previous novels. It nudges up against a number of genres while remaining something truly unique. As the story takes its strange turns, what shines through are the characters because the author has invested so much humanity into them. My advice? Don't read the synopsis, just dive in cold. It's that good!
April 10, 2024
Catherine McCarthy is one of my favorite writers, and so I jumped at the opportunity to read an eARC of her latest novella, The House At the End of Lacelean Street.
In this book, three characters (Claudia, Howard, and Stacey) arrive at the titular house one evening, but none of them can recall details of their pasts or how/why they are together at the place. What follows is perhaps the most experimental of the author’s longer works to date.
As expected from McCarthy, the prose is lush and evocative. She is adept at building atmospheres and painting detailed scenes in the reader’s mind. One aspect that kept leaping out at me is the strong Aickmanesque vibe permeating throughout. Perhaps it's the feeling that things are ever so slightly off, or the sense that linear logic doesn't apply within the house. It could also be the suspicion that every part of the story, even an interaction between characters which may appear trivial at first glance, has a certain air of importance. Whatever the reason, Robert Aickman enthusiasts will want to have a serious look at this novella.
As a slower reader, I appreciated the short chapters with rotating points of view. This kept things moving right along, and enhanced the slow burn structure of the tale. There are also several literary and pop culture references in the book, which many readers will enjoy.
If there is something that didn’t work as well for me, it's the characters. They just did not resonate as much as, for example, Robin in Mosaic or Elinor in Immortelle. Some of this is inevitable, given the premise; not one, not two, but three narrators suffer from a sort of amnesia. This would be a challenge for any author, and McCarthy is to be commended for her efforts here. But, lacking reliable knowledge of their backgrounds early on, there wasn’t enough of an emotional anchor for me to feel truly invested in their outcomes. As a result, the ending came across as a bit anticlimactic for my tastes.
On a side note, I'd like to call attention to the wonderful cover art from Tony Evans. I love the style and find that it's a great match for the tone of the story.
Overall, The House At the End of Lacelean Street is a good book with a unique concept, and stimulating on an intellectual level. Readers who enjoy paying close attention to narrative details and attempting to unlock plot mysteries will revel in this.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
In this book, three characters (Claudia, Howard, and Stacey) arrive at the titular house one evening, but none of them can recall details of their pasts or how/why they are together at the place. What follows is perhaps the most experimental of the author’s longer works to date.
As expected from McCarthy, the prose is lush and evocative. She is adept at building atmospheres and painting detailed scenes in the reader’s mind. One aspect that kept leaping out at me is the strong Aickmanesque vibe permeating throughout. Perhaps it's the feeling that things are ever so slightly off, or the sense that linear logic doesn't apply within the house. It could also be the suspicion that every part of the story, even an interaction between characters which may appear trivial at first glance, has a certain air of importance. Whatever the reason, Robert Aickman enthusiasts will want to have a serious look at this novella.
As a slower reader, I appreciated the short chapters with rotating points of view. This kept things moving right along, and enhanced the slow burn structure of the tale. There are also several literary and pop culture references in the book, which many readers will enjoy.
If there is something that didn’t work as well for me, it's the characters. They just did not resonate as much as, for example, Robin in Mosaic or Elinor in Immortelle. Some of this is inevitable, given the premise; not one, not two, but three narrators suffer from a sort of amnesia. This would be a challenge for any author, and McCarthy is to be commended for her efforts here. But, lacking reliable knowledge of their backgrounds early on, there wasn’t enough of an emotional anchor for me to feel truly invested in their outcomes. As a result, the ending came across as a bit anticlimactic for my tastes.
On a side note, I'd like to call attention to the wonderful cover art from Tony Evans. I love the style and find that it's a great match for the tone of the story.
Overall, The House At the End of Lacelean Street is a good book with a unique concept, and stimulating on an intellectual level. Readers who enjoy paying close attention to narrative details and attempting to unlock plot mysteries will revel in this.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
April 30, 2024
If there is such a thing as "intellectual horror," horror fiction that aims to unsettle primarily the mind (cosmic horror sometimes aim at this), then McCarthy's novella is surely one of its best examples. Although it appears to expand on emotional matters (grief, guilt, the psychological impact of long-term abuse and long-term addiction, the vagaries of old age), it reads more like a cerebral story, one about the manners we mentally process trauma, rather than an exploration of the messy ways we emotionally overcome it.
The setting (a mysterious house that replenishes itself as needed) has something of the weird, magical feel of the Oz books or Alice in Wonderland, but the atmosphere is thick with sadness and regret. Still, all these emotions are portrayed very intellectually, through a transparent barrier that puts them at significant distance.
That's why I felt more like a viewer than a reader: the plot captures the sense of loss and disorientation of three very different individuals, but portrays it in terms of a play, within a single setting, theatrically rather than cinematically, as most novellas attempt to do today.
McCarthy has something to vent or say about loss and grief, and this forces the characters into certain awkward positions. Their amnesia makes sense then in the following terms: their minds have to be reborn, since their bodies still remember what the former have lost access to. They have to climb back up to who they are, and the body (activated in repeating instances of food, touch, vision, smell, bodily postures of sitting, watching, walking) is called upon to handle this endeavor, from start to finish.
To repeat, this is a very cerebral tale. It solves nothing; it explains less than nothing; perhaps that's the real horror here, then: the fact that people can heal, even -or especially- if their mind gets no answers, ever. For me, that was horror enough.
The setting (a mysterious house that replenishes itself as needed) has something of the weird, magical feel of the Oz books or Alice in Wonderland, but the atmosphere is thick with sadness and regret. Still, all these emotions are portrayed very intellectually, through a transparent barrier that puts them at significant distance.
That's why I felt more like a viewer than a reader: the plot captures the sense of loss and disorientation of three very different individuals, but portrays it in terms of a play, within a single setting, theatrically rather than cinematically, as most novellas attempt to do today.
McCarthy has something to vent or say about loss and grief, and this forces the characters into certain awkward positions. Their amnesia makes sense then in the following terms: their minds have to be reborn, since their bodies still remember what the former have lost access to. They have to climb back up to who they are, and the body (activated in repeating instances of food, touch, vision, smell, bodily postures of sitting, watching, walking) is called upon to handle this endeavor, from start to finish.
To repeat, this is a very cerebral tale. It solves nothing; it explains less than nothing; perhaps that's the real horror here, then: the fact that people can heal, even -or especially- if their mind gets no answers, ever. For me, that was horror enough.
March 12, 2024
I've read several of Catherine's books, and this one has proven to be my favorite. All of her books are beautifully written and are an absolute pleasure to read.
In this novel, the reader is introduced to our main characters with no idea what is happening - and this continues for most of the book. However, I was never lost or confused. I could see the tale unfolding, and I was happy to be along for the ride. No spoilers, but the ending is lovely and magical. I look forward to reading this one again knowing what I know now.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
In this novel, the reader is introduced to our main characters with no idea what is happening - and this continues for most of the book. However, I was never lost or confused. I could see the tale unfolding, and I was happy to be along for the ride. No spoilers, but the ending is lovely and magical. I look forward to reading this one again knowing what I know now.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
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April 23, 2024I tried ever so hard with this one, but I just didn’t get it. The House at the End of Lacelean Street played around with this reader. I wasn’t sure of the slightly cryptic style and unexplained elements. I adore Catherine’s luscious prose, which shone through and kept me going, but I couldn’t connect with the characters and was confused by the mix of both British references and American ones.
Although this one didn’t work for me, I will always say Catherine is one of my favourites in the horror genre and I will continue to read everything she writes.
Overall, this was so different to her other work and I think that’s what threw me. I’m such a creature of habit, which leaves me to conclude that it’s not the book, it’s simply a ‘me thing’.
Although this one didn’t work for me, I will always say Catherine is one of my favourites in the horror genre and I will continue to read everything she writes.
Overall, this was so different to her other work and I think that’s what threw me. I’m such a creature of habit, which leaves me to conclude that it’s not the book, it’s simply a ‘me thing’.
March 10, 2024
I've only now just noticed, it is infact, not LAKKA-LAAA-HAANN street, is it just me who totally made up that one word?, my brain saw it and thought 'no thankyou too much for us'😂 this was fantastic, I loved the use of amnesia, the suspense and mystery of the situation only further intensified the uneasy atmosphere as we're left pretty much as confused as the characters, something I personally love in horror books, Catherine excels in crafting authentic characters and building a real creeping sense of eerie dread
May 6, 2024
Stepping into the world of “The House At The End of Lacelean Street” is like wandering into a dream you can’t quite remember but desperately don’t want to wake up from. McCarthy’s storytelling is a tapestry of shadow and light, weaving a tale that clings to the edges of your consciousness long after the final page is turned.
McCarthy’s prose is a delicate balance of haunting and beautiful, with a rhythm that pulls you in like the tide. The red-brick house at the end of Lacelean Street stands as a beacon of salvation, promising answers and perhaps a glimpse of redemption. But McCarthy makes it clear that salvation comes at a price, and you are left to ponder what they would be willing to sacrifice for the truth.
What I loved most about this book is its ability to challenge perceptions of sanity and reality. It’s a psychological labyrinth where each turn could either lead you closer to the heart of the maze or back to the start, more lost than before. Claudia, Stacey and Howard are all very different characters, with wildly differing stories, but their flaws and fears are painted with a brush that makes them deeply relatable.
“The House At The End of Lacelean Street” is not just a book; it’s an experience—a hauntingly beautiful journey through the depths of the human psyche. McCarthy has outdone herself, delivering a story that is both a puzzle and a masterpiece.
Highly recommended. 5⭐
McCarthy’s prose is a delicate balance of haunting and beautiful, with a rhythm that pulls you in like the tide. The red-brick house at the end of Lacelean Street stands as a beacon of salvation, promising answers and perhaps a glimpse of redemption. But McCarthy makes it clear that salvation comes at a price, and you are left to ponder what they would be willing to sacrifice for the truth.
What I loved most about this book is its ability to challenge perceptions of sanity and reality. It’s a psychological labyrinth where each turn could either lead you closer to the heart of the maze or back to the start, more lost than before. Claudia, Stacey and Howard are all very different characters, with wildly differing stories, but their flaws and fears are painted with a brush that makes them deeply relatable.
“The House At The End of Lacelean Street” is not just a book; it’s an experience—a hauntingly beautiful journey through the depths of the human psyche. McCarthy has outdone herself, delivering a story that is both a puzzle and a masterpiece.
Highly recommended. 5⭐
April 9, 2024
McCarthy's Mosaic was one of my favourite reads of last year, so I was very excited to get an early (digital) copy of The House at the End of Lacelean Street. Once again I was captivated from the start by the author's ability to create a constant sinister, claustrophobic atmosphere and to make her characters feel very real and well-rounded in few words. I think that's why my favourite aspects of this novella were the use of the house as a character and the developing bonds between the three protagonists.
It's difficult to talk about the plot and the meaning behind it without spoiling it so I won't go into too much detail here. I thought the concept was very creative and perfectly suited to tell this kind of story, making me feel a wide range of emotions. Personally I wanted the exploration of trauma, grief, and memory to go a bit deeper (and get more time with each character), so I think I would have loved the story even more as a novel instead of a novella.
But I highly encourage you to just pick up The House at the End of Lacelean Street if you enjoy psychological horror, explorations of trauma, places as characters, three-dimensional protagonists and creatively used pop culture references, or if you just want to know what the intriguing title means!
My rating: 4⭐
Thank you to the author, to Dark Hart Books and to BookSirens for the (free) eARC.
It's difficult to talk about the plot and the meaning behind it without spoiling it so I won't go into too much detail here. I thought the concept was very creative and perfectly suited to tell this kind of story, making me feel a wide range of emotions. Personally I wanted the exploration of trauma, grief, and memory to go a bit deeper (and get more time with each character), so I think I would have loved the story even more as a novel instead of a novella.
But I highly encourage you to just pick up The House at the End of Lacelean Street if you enjoy psychological horror, explorations of trauma, places as characters, three-dimensional protagonists and creatively used pop culture references, or if you just want to know what the intriguing title means!
My rating: 4⭐
Thank you to the author, to Dark Hart Books and to BookSirens for the (free) eARC.
July 27, 2024
Don't want to say too much for spoiler reasons, but it was pretty good. The story was interesting, the metaphores hit, and the characters were well-written.
I mainly wish the book was a bit longer since it felt like the jump from "i barely know these other people" to "we have grown very close" was a bit sudden.
I mainly wish the book was a bit longer since it felt like the jump from "i barely know these other people" to "we have grown very close" was a bit sudden.
May 20, 2025
A slow burn novella which takes you on a journey of redemption in a house which knows your flaws.
Very much enjoyed this tale and the characters which become more likeable as the story progresses and they make peace with themselves.
I had a particular soft spot for Howard and I think not knowing what happened to him was the one thing that prevented me from giving this book 5*.
Very much enjoyed this tale and the characters which become more likeable as the story progresses and they make peace with themselves.
I had a particular soft spot for Howard and I think not knowing what happened to him was the one thing that prevented me from giving this book 5*.
October 24, 2024
The House at the End of Lacelean Street by Catherine McCarthy is an interesting 'horror' story. It's horror in the vein of The Haunting of Hill House, not really scary but a mental exercise in uncomfortableness. Yeah, that doesn't do it. This is the story..
Three people, Claudia, a middle-aged woman, Stacey, a young drug addict and Howard, an elderly gentleman, find themselves on a bus. It seems to make only one stop, at the corner of Lacelean Street; this being in the middle of the night. Claudia notes a mansion up Lacelean Street and heads to it. The other two eventually make their way there as well. (None of them have any recollection of how they got on the bus or really anything of their past)
Once inside, they notice name cards for each of them on a table in the hallway. They are informed that where their rooms are, when meals are and that they all need to show up at the library at 9:00 a.m. In their rooms, they are given clean clothes (these appear when they don't notice, their own clothes disappear).
So gradually, they all make it to the classroom. Claudia is the leader. She wants to know what is going on. She cajoles Howard to the classroom but the door is locked. It won't open until all three show up. She forces Howard to help her get Stacey downstairs the next day. Stacey is drug addled and they must help her.
Finally after a couple of days, they all make it to the library. There are jars of chalk for each. Almost uncontrollably, one after another, they write messages about one of the others that will start them on a pathway. (I'm hesitant to get into much more detail as it might ruin the story) Where will the pathway lead?
The story is told from the 3 individuals' perspectives. Each chapter focuses on one of them. They each have a troubled past, that might come out throughout their stay. As I say, it's not scary, but uncomfortable, troubling. The story is told beautifully, the three characters are all well presented, with all their scratchy under-surfaces. It's definitely interesting and flows very nicely from person to person. It has made me want to check out some of her other work, especially Mosaic. (4 stars)
Three people, Claudia, a middle-aged woman, Stacey, a young drug addict and Howard, an elderly gentleman, find themselves on a bus. It seems to make only one stop, at the corner of Lacelean Street; this being in the middle of the night. Claudia notes a mansion up Lacelean Street and heads to it. The other two eventually make their way there as well. (None of them have any recollection of how they got on the bus or really anything of their past)
Once inside, they notice name cards for each of them on a table in the hallway. They are informed that where their rooms are, when meals are and that they all need to show up at the library at 9:00 a.m. In their rooms, they are given clean clothes (these appear when they don't notice, their own clothes disappear).
So gradually, they all make it to the classroom. Claudia is the leader. She wants to know what is going on. She cajoles Howard to the classroom but the door is locked. It won't open until all three show up. She forces Howard to help her get Stacey downstairs the next day. Stacey is drug addled and they must help her.
Finally after a couple of days, they all make it to the library. There are jars of chalk for each. Almost uncontrollably, one after another, they write messages about one of the others that will start them on a pathway. (I'm hesitant to get into much more detail as it might ruin the story) Where will the pathway lead?
The story is told from the 3 individuals' perspectives. Each chapter focuses on one of them. They each have a troubled past, that might come out throughout their stay. As I say, it's not scary, but uncomfortable, troubling. The story is told beautifully, the three characters are all well presented, with all their scratchy under-surfaces. It's definitely interesting and flows very nicely from person to person. It has made me want to check out some of her other work, especially Mosaic. (4 stars)
April 14, 2024
As usual, Catherine McCarthy writes a compelling tale in her new book The House at the End of Lacelean Street, published by Dark Matter INK.
The story starts with three people on a bus. Claudia, a middle-aged woman, an older man named Howard and finally Stacey, a young woman with substance use problems. The bus takes them to a mysterious house at the end of Lacelean Street where for some reason it seems that they are expected. They are provided with clothing, lodging and food. In addition to that they are left a mysterious note which tells them that lessons start promptly after breakfast at nine AM.
With no other indication of what they are to do they set about slowly becoming acquainted with each other and the routine of the house. As the story progresses both the characters and the readers find out what has drawn them to the house and the past that they have endured.
Reading like an episode from Tales of the Unexpected (I think the nearest to equate it to for American readers would be The Twilight Zone), McCarthy does not hold the readers hand as the reader is left as disorientated as the characters as to what is actually happening in the house.
As a reader, I have been enamoured by McCarthy’s writing since reading her short story collection Mists and Megaliths, and similarly to the that story collection, the novels and novellas that have followed have shown her versatility as a writer, each one being vastly different from the last.
She has a skill to write compelling characters that have a humanness to them, and this one has the most complex characters of the ones that I have read (not that all of her characters aren’t complex) in her books.
The book itself is really interesting, carefully unfolding secrets as the story progresses, and as both the characters and the readers are searching for answers to the riddle of the house at the end of Lacelean Street, the story entwines you with its serpentine plot. Where the book shines the most is when the characters are at their quietest, reading a book or having a meal. It is in these moments that we see the group coming closer together and forming the emotional ties to one another that are the most poignant. Through their conversations and their actions, we learn about their pasts and the reason that they have been drawn to the house.
If you want a book that slowly reveals its secrets, then this is the book for you. The writing is gorgeous (as usual!) and the characters are just fantastic. You all just need to go ahead and read it.
The story starts with three people on a bus. Claudia, a middle-aged woman, an older man named Howard and finally Stacey, a young woman with substance use problems. The bus takes them to a mysterious house at the end of Lacelean Street where for some reason it seems that they are expected. They are provided with clothing, lodging and food. In addition to that they are left a mysterious note which tells them that lessons start promptly after breakfast at nine AM.
With no other indication of what they are to do they set about slowly becoming acquainted with each other and the routine of the house. As the story progresses both the characters and the readers find out what has drawn them to the house and the past that they have endured.
Reading like an episode from Tales of the Unexpected (I think the nearest to equate it to for American readers would be The Twilight Zone), McCarthy does not hold the readers hand as the reader is left as disorientated as the characters as to what is actually happening in the house.
As a reader, I have been enamoured by McCarthy’s writing since reading her short story collection Mists and Megaliths, and similarly to the that story collection, the novels and novellas that have followed have shown her versatility as a writer, each one being vastly different from the last.
She has a skill to write compelling characters that have a humanness to them, and this one has the most complex characters of the ones that I have read (not that all of her characters aren’t complex) in her books.
The book itself is really interesting, carefully unfolding secrets as the story progresses, and as both the characters and the readers are searching for answers to the riddle of the house at the end of Lacelean Street, the story entwines you with its serpentine plot. Where the book shines the most is when the characters are at their quietest, reading a book or having a meal. It is in these moments that we see the group coming closer together and forming the emotional ties to one another that are the most poignant. Through their conversations and their actions, we learn about their pasts and the reason that they have been drawn to the house.
If you want a book that slowly reveals its secrets, then this is the book for you. The writing is gorgeous (as usual!) and the characters are just fantastic. You all just need to go ahead and read it.
August 19, 2024
Captivating from page 1, where we meet Claudia who is sitting alone in a bus shelter at midnight with no luggage and no idea why she is there. The bus arrives, she boards, and mystery piles upon mystery as we follow her into this strange and compelling novella.
'The House at the End of Lacelean Street' has a marvellous weird quality, which as it accumulated made me think of Robert Aickman's short stories (although Catherine McCarthy's writing has more warmth than those). I was reminded also of those classic horror portmanteau films from Amicus or Hammer, as well as the secret, old magic that shimmers amid the darkness of the best fairy tales. That's how it seemed to me, at least, but whatever the actual influences for this novella were, they combined here with the author's imagination and talent to produce something really rather wonderful.
Highly recommended.
'The House at the End of Lacelean Street' has a marvellous weird quality, which as it accumulated made me think of Robert Aickman's short stories (although Catherine McCarthy's writing has more warmth than those). I was reminded also of those classic horror portmanteau films from Amicus or Hammer, as well as the secret, old magic that shimmers amid the darkness of the best fairy tales. That's how it seemed to me, at least, but whatever the actual influences for this novella were, they combined here with the author's imagination and talent to produce something really rather wonderful.
Highly recommended.
April 24, 2024
This is the third novella that I've read from this author. I'd highly recommend reading Mosaic and Immortelle, too.
That being said, this was very different from the previous two I've read. First, it doesn't read as horror. It reads more like speculative fiction with a dash of mystery and horror. It deals with elements of grief, acceptance, and healing.
The story kept me interested the whole way through. I won't spoil anything, I'll just mention that we get three different POVs and short chapters. This feels like a slow burn but things do move along at a good pace.
I like how we slowly get to know the characters in the story and the way that they learn their lessons.
I really liked one scene in particular in the tower involving a bed. The horror elements that were in the story were well done. I would have just liked a touch more horror.
I got a kick out of the IT references too.
I was pleased by the ending. The author doesn't spoon feed you all the answers and you get to put things together for yourself.
Overall, this was an enjoyable, albeit it a strange novella. I'd recommend for anyone who enjoys speculative fiction or the author's previous work.
Thank you to the publisher and author for the ARC for review.
That being said, this was very different from the previous two I've read. First, it doesn't read as horror. It reads more like speculative fiction with a dash of mystery and horror. It deals with elements of grief, acceptance, and healing.
The story kept me interested the whole way through. I won't spoil anything, I'll just mention that we get three different POVs and short chapters. This feels like a slow burn but things do move along at a good pace.
I like how we slowly get to know the characters in the story and the way that they learn their lessons.
I really liked one scene in particular in the tower involving a bed. The horror elements that were in the story were well done. I would have just liked a touch more horror.
I got a kick out of the IT references too.
I was pleased by the ending. The author doesn't spoon feed you all the answers and you get to put things together for yourself.
Overall, this was an enjoyable, albeit it a strange novella. I'd recommend for anyone who enjoys speculative fiction or the author's previous work.
Thank you to the publisher and author for the ARC for review.
April 14, 2024
This is a tale of grief and acceptance.
It was neat seeing three very different people with very different outlooks thrown together on an even playing field. I figured their differences would lead to major conflicts, but was pleasantly surprised at the dynamic that arose.
McCarthy's writing is also full of immersive figurative language. For instance, a storm approaches "as the sky daubs the world with bruises." Love it!
I did find this book a bit too on-the-nose with the takeaway message at points... but otherwise enjoyable.
Thank you so much for the chance to check this ARC out for free. I'm leaving this review of my own accord.
It was neat seeing three very different people with very different outlooks thrown together on an even playing field. I figured their differences would lead to major conflicts, but was pleasantly surprised at the dynamic that arose.
McCarthy's writing is also full of immersive figurative language. For instance, a storm approaches "as the sky daubs the world with bruises." Love it!
I did find this book a bit too on-the-nose with the takeaway message at points... but otherwise enjoyable.
Thank you so much for the chance to check this ARC out for free. I'm leaving this review of my own accord.
March 25, 2024
This sad and magical story is about how we process trauma, choices we make and choices taken from us. McCarthy completely captured my heart with the novella Immortelle, an immersive, encompassing tale that pulls in all senses.
In The House at the End of Lacelean Street, the reader meets Stacey, Howard and Claudia, each caught in their own hell. Again McCarthy draws the reader in with smells and sights and horrors and despair.
McCarthy is my AUTO AUTHOR. She always takes me completely there, living and feeling her stories. This book is right there with Mosaic, about choices and knowledge and self-acceptance. A truly wonderful tale.
In The House at the End of Lacelean Street, the reader meets Stacey, Howard and Claudia, each caught in their own hell. Again McCarthy draws the reader in with smells and sights and horrors and despair.
McCarthy is my AUTO AUTHOR. She always takes me completely there, living and feeling her stories. This book is right there with Mosaic, about choices and knowledge and self-acceptance. A truly wonderful tale.
March 18, 2024
*Huge thanks to for the digital ARC of this one!*
I’ve long been a fan of Catherine’s mystical way of telling a story. Not everything is as it seems and you feel like you’re in a hypnotic trance as you dance through the world of hers you’re in.
Which was what I expected going into her newest release, ‘The House at the End of Lacelean Street.’ Often times, when I see a book with a title like this, I’m tentative at trusting anything that occurs at the start of the book. If classic novels and movies have taught me anything, it’s that what begins in these stories isn’t always what is ‘actually’ happening, so, I suspected Catherine was up to some deviousness.
What I liked: The book follows three strangers, who all get on the same bus and arrive at the same destination – the house at the end of Lacelean Street. Oddly, a key with specific instructions awaits each of these people, and, while they kind of question the how, they all float along, doing as the instructions say, while also following what they feel they must do.
We get a middle-aged woman named Claudia, an older man named Howard, and a young, drug-addicted woman named Stacey. These three must learn to work together to uncover what is going on at the house, but also to unlock their own memories and what it was that brought them to this very strange place.
McCarthy does a wonderful job of being coy, of actively engaging the characters with ‘motions and reasons,’ while not having them do much at all. They must eat at the same time, arrive at the library at the exact same time and remain in certain areas throughout. As little tidbits are revealed, like the truth about Howards dog, Claudia’s life and Stacey’s life, the bandages are ripped away, leaving the horrible, broken scars below.
It is within those moments that this book really shines. Where we get the emotional elevation and connection between them and we see the way that a hidden life has effected far more than they’d ever expected.
The ending was really well done, and, while the entirety of the story is a grey, hazy, Twilight-Zone homage, the ending is perhaps the most directly inspired by the classics section.
What I didn’t like: This will completely be a personal preference, but the one thing I felt kind of took me a bit away from the story was the appearance of Stephen King’s ‘IT.’ I was onboard with the appearance/reference The Great God Pan and The Wind in the Willows, but King’s book took me a bit out of the ‘suspending reality’ aspect. I can’t fully put my finger on it, but I think it was because I felt removed from this magical make believe work whenever it was discussed and jarringly put back into this one.
Why you should buy this: McCarthy has struck a fine chord with this one. For a novel that is filled with heavy themes and tons of heartache, this was ripped along and the tension she’s created throughout was palpable and built and built until the fantastic crescendo at the ending.
If you’re looking for an unnerving, chaotic novel where strangers are revealed one painful section at a time, look no further. Wonderfully dark.
I’ve long been a fan of Catherine’s mystical way of telling a story. Not everything is as it seems and you feel like you’re in a hypnotic trance as you dance through the world of hers you’re in.
Which was what I expected going into her newest release, ‘The House at the End of Lacelean Street.’ Often times, when I see a book with a title like this, I’m tentative at trusting anything that occurs at the start of the book. If classic novels and movies have taught me anything, it’s that what begins in these stories isn’t always what is ‘actually’ happening, so, I suspected Catherine was up to some deviousness.
What I liked: The book follows three strangers, who all get on the same bus and arrive at the same destination – the house at the end of Lacelean Street. Oddly, a key with specific instructions awaits each of these people, and, while they kind of question the how, they all float along, doing as the instructions say, while also following what they feel they must do.
We get a middle-aged woman named Claudia, an older man named Howard, and a young, drug-addicted woman named Stacey. These three must learn to work together to uncover what is going on at the house, but also to unlock their own memories and what it was that brought them to this very strange place.
McCarthy does a wonderful job of being coy, of actively engaging the characters with ‘motions and reasons,’ while not having them do much at all. They must eat at the same time, arrive at the library at the exact same time and remain in certain areas throughout. As little tidbits are revealed, like the truth about Howards dog, Claudia’s life and Stacey’s life, the bandages are ripped away, leaving the horrible, broken scars below.
It is within those moments that this book really shines. Where we get the emotional elevation and connection between them and we see the way that a hidden life has effected far more than they’d ever expected.
The ending was really well done, and, while the entirety of the story is a grey, hazy, Twilight-Zone homage, the ending is perhaps the most directly inspired by the classics section.
What I didn’t like: This will completely be a personal preference, but the one thing I felt kind of took me a bit away from the story was the appearance of Stephen King’s ‘IT.’ I was onboard with the appearance/reference The Great God Pan and The Wind in the Willows, but King’s book took me a bit out of the ‘suspending reality’ aspect. I can’t fully put my finger on it, but I think it was because I felt removed from this magical make believe work whenever it was discussed and jarringly put back into this one.
Why you should buy this: McCarthy has struck a fine chord with this one. For a novel that is filled with heavy themes and tons of heartache, this was ripped along and the tension she’s created throughout was palpable and built and built until the fantastic crescendo at the ending.
If you’re looking for an unnerving, chaotic novel where strangers are revealed one painful section at a time, look no further. Wonderfully dark.
March 12, 2024
“When the lesson has been learned, you may wipe the slate clean.”
📚
At midnight in the midst of a rainstorm, Claudia Dance climbs aboard a yellow bus bound for a mysterious destination. She has only herself — no luggage, bag, coat, memories, or understanding of the reasons behind the trip she’s undertaking. Two strangers soon join her, and the trio ends up at the house at the end of Lacelean Street, a strange and enigmatic red-brick Victorian with the power to grant salvation. This is anything but a normal home, and all three will find their sanity tested and limits pushed to the brink. Will they be able to endure the difficult journey, as well as what they discover about themselves?
The House at the End of Lacelean Street is a unique and captivating blend of folk, cosmic, and psychological horror underpinned by delicious mysteries, dark histories, and otherworldly terrors. The characters are wonderfully flawed, relatable, and oh-so-human, undergoing fantastic arcs that take them from seeming blank slates to compelling, fully fleshed individuals. Right from the beginning, the enigma of what’s happening and why is masterfully dangled, flawlessly constructed, and gradually unveiled, producing a riveting plotline where first impressions mean nothing, and truth and backstory mean everything.
The house itself is a fascinating character: an eerie, gated, castle-esque structure adorned with a tall turret, high ceilings, checkered floors, elaborate moldings, fancy furniture, and occasional oddities — one that generously provides while enforcing strict habitation rules and guidelines. The writing is beautiful and atmospheric, seamlessly melding gorgeous prose, sumptuous Gothic elements, and ethereal scenes with visceral horror and macabre events. It’s a devastating but hopeful and meaningful story of cruelty and suffering, safety and solace, redemption and deliverance, failure and forgiveness, regret and acceptance, fear and confrontation, instinct and survival, hopes and dreams, and pasts and futures — a page-turning and distinctive fusion equal parts gruesome and magical, brutal and comforting that truly tears at the reader’s heartstrings.
Thank you to Catherine McCarthy for sharing an ARC of this incredible novella, which is scheduled for release on April 16th via Dark Matter INK. It’s a harrowing, powerful, and haunting read that will linger in readers’ minds long after the final page.
📚
At midnight in the midst of a rainstorm, Claudia Dance climbs aboard a yellow bus bound for a mysterious destination. She has only herself — no luggage, bag, coat, memories, or understanding of the reasons behind the trip she’s undertaking. Two strangers soon join her, and the trio ends up at the house at the end of Lacelean Street, a strange and enigmatic red-brick Victorian with the power to grant salvation. This is anything but a normal home, and all three will find their sanity tested and limits pushed to the brink. Will they be able to endure the difficult journey, as well as what they discover about themselves?
The House at the End of Lacelean Street is a unique and captivating blend of folk, cosmic, and psychological horror underpinned by delicious mysteries, dark histories, and otherworldly terrors. The characters are wonderfully flawed, relatable, and oh-so-human, undergoing fantastic arcs that take them from seeming blank slates to compelling, fully fleshed individuals. Right from the beginning, the enigma of what’s happening and why is masterfully dangled, flawlessly constructed, and gradually unveiled, producing a riveting plotline where first impressions mean nothing, and truth and backstory mean everything.
The house itself is a fascinating character: an eerie, gated, castle-esque structure adorned with a tall turret, high ceilings, checkered floors, elaborate moldings, fancy furniture, and occasional oddities — one that generously provides while enforcing strict habitation rules and guidelines. The writing is beautiful and atmospheric, seamlessly melding gorgeous prose, sumptuous Gothic elements, and ethereal scenes with visceral horror and macabre events. It’s a devastating but hopeful and meaningful story of cruelty and suffering, safety and solace, redemption and deliverance, failure and forgiveness, regret and acceptance, fear and confrontation, instinct and survival, hopes and dreams, and pasts and futures — a page-turning and distinctive fusion equal parts gruesome and magical, brutal and comforting that truly tears at the reader’s heartstrings.
Thank you to Catherine McCarthy for sharing an ARC of this incredible novella, which is scheduled for release on April 16th via Dark Matter INK. It’s a harrowing, powerful, and haunting read that will linger in readers’ minds long after the final page.
March 12, 2024
Catherine McCarthy has created another stellar novella that I devoured in an afternoon. Like MOSAIC, it drags you in whether you like or not and you’ll wonder what happened to the time. The setup is brilliant: three strangers find themselves on a bus heading to a mysterious house; when they arrive they are given rooms and told to be present for lessons, and this is where the fun begins.
Through POV chapters, each of the characters are afforded their own views of each other, speaking as the greater message does, about judging people by their looks and your own assumptions. The narrative drags you kicking and screaming into the depths of the characters’ souls, and the tragedies that have not only befallen them but have also defined them. But HOUSE is also trying to teach us its own lesson, that while things happen during our lives that can traumatise us, they are not who we are.
There are interesting pop culture references that blend in well with the story, such as a choice of books that the characters read, and none of it feels shoehorned in. By the time the end comes, you will be rooting for these characters and for them to not only survive the house but grow, especially with a wonderful ambiguity that may depend on your own personal philosophy.
Like a perfect episode of The Twilight Zone, it chills you, thrills you, and makes you think about humanity. In fact, it’s possible that it may be where Lacelean Street resides.
Through POV chapters, each of the characters are afforded their own views of each other, speaking as the greater message does, about judging people by their looks and your own assumptions. The narrative drags you kicking and screaming into the depths of the characters’ souls, and the tragedies that have not only befallen them but have also defined them. But HOUSE is also trying to teach us its own lesson, that while things happen during our lives that can traumatise us, they are not who we are.
There are interesting pop culture references that blend in well with the story, such as a choice of books that the characters read, and none of it feels shoehorned in. By the time the end comes, you will be rooting for these characters and for them to not only survive the house but grow, especially with a wonderful ambiguity that may depend on your own personal philosophy.
Like a perfect episode of The Twilight Zone, it chills you, thrills you, and makes you think about humanity. In fact, it’s possible that it may be where Lacelean Street resides.
March 16, 2024
Every time I read a Catherine McCarthy book I tell myself that that one is my new favorite one, and my experience with this one is the same. I’ve read a few of her books now and I think this one by far is my favorite!
This story is so mysterious and yet so hopeful without fully giving you all of the answers. Claudia, Howard and Stacey are all on their own separate journeys but their lives intertwine and they become a sort of found family for each other. I don’t want to say too much and spoil it. You just have to read it and experience it for yourself.
The lives of the three characters are traumatic and heartbreaking and I just want to hug them all. Catherine has done a beautiful job of making you care about each one of them.
While reading this I felt like I was a fly on the wall watching everything unfold. Being in the heads of each person felt so intimate and like I shouldn’t be there, but at the same time I couldn’t think of being anywhere else.
McCarthy writes the kind of gothic tales that remind me of Shirley Jackson. I can imagine Jackson herself cozying up to read a Catherine McCarthy book proudly with a smile on her face.
This story is so mysterious and yet so hopeful without fully giving you all of the answers. Claudia, Howard and Stacey are all on their own separate journeys but their lives intertwine and they become a sort of found family for each other. I don’t want to say too much and spoil it. You just have to read it and experience it for yourself.
The lives of the three characters are traumatic and heartbreaking and I just want to hug them all. Catherine has done a beautiful job of making you care about each one of them.
While reading this I felt like I was a fly on the wall watching everything unfold. Being in the heads of each person felt so intimate and like I shouldn’t be there, but at the same time I couldn’t think of being anywhere else.
McCarthy writes the kind of gothic tales that remind me of Shirley Jackson. I can imagine Jackson herself cozying up to read a Catherine McCarthy book proudly with a smile on her face.
April 6, 2024
Review originally on
JamReads
The House at the End of Lacelean Street is a gothic horror novella written by Catherine McCarthy, and published by Dark Matter INK. Three strangers are brought by the same bus to the same destination, a red brick house, where a key and instructions await each one, which will take them into the path of healing their own problems, but without specifying the how, especially as the three characters are missing their memories.
The three characters hold their own secrets, from Stacey, the young drug-addicted woman, to Howard, an older man, and Grace, a middle age woman; all of them should get a lesson from this house that will help them to fight their own ghosts, at the cost of the pain that is implied in the process.
Told using the characters' own POV, we get an intense story that is moved forward with the encounters between characters, and the meetings at the library become the angular piece that weaves together the narrative. Lessons are taught, and paid with the sanity of the recipients.
McCarthy's prose is sharp and precise, giving each character a distinguishable voice that foreshadows the reader what is to come in the future; a haunted atmosphere that only heightens the incredible growth the characters experience as long as they accept their own terrible truth.
The House at the End of Lacelean Street is an excellent gothic horror novella, a really impactful story, proving McCarthy's ability to write complex characters; unveiling the mystery is part of the experience, so I totally recommend going blind into the story.
The House at the End of Lacelean Street is a gothic horror novella written by Catherine McCarthy, and published by Dark Matter INK. Three strangers are brought by the same bus to the same destination, a red brick house, where a key and instructions await each one, which will take them into the path of healing their own problems, but without specifying the how, especially as the three characters are missing their memories.
The three characters hold their own secrets, from Stacey, the young drug-addicted woman, to Howard, an older man, and Grace, a middle age woman; all of them should get a lesson from this house that will help them to fight their own ghosts, at the cost of the pain that is implied in the process.
Told using the characters' own POV, we get an intense story that is moved forward with the encounters between characters, and the meetings at the library become the angular piece that weaves together the narrative. Lessons are taught, and paid with the sanity of the recipients.
McCarthy's prose is sharp and precise, giving each character a distinguishable voice that foreshadows the reader what is to come in the future; a haunted atmosphere that only heightens the incredible growth the characters experience as long as they accept their own terrible truth.
The House at the End of Lacelean Street is an excellent gothic horror novella, a really impactful story, proving McCarthy's ability to write complex characters; unveiling the mystery is part of the experience, so I totally recommend going blind into the story.
March 31, 2024
I received this as an arc & I am leaving my review voluntarily
What an incredible read. I really enjoyed Mosaic last summer & knew I needed to read more by McCarthy!
The book has you confused at first - why are these people randomly getting in a bus & ending up at this random house. Then things keep happening but no one else is in this house except them.
Without spoiling the story for those who are interested, The House at the End of LaCelean Street is a beautiful exploration of how one handles grief & guilt. The entire time I was entranced at the idea of how our brains forget traumatic events is so clearly brought to life.
The story is easy to follow & kept me wanting to keep turning the page to learn more about the characters & the house. It’s definitely a novella that is hard to put down!
Content warnings:
• death
• mention of abortion
• domestic abuse
• drug abuse / overdose / withdrawal
• murder / gore
What an incredible read. I really enjoyed Mosaic last summer & knew I needed to read more by McCarthy!
The book has you confused at first - why are these people randomly getting in a bus & ending up at this random house. Then things keep happening but no one else is in this house except them.
Without spoiling the story for those who are interested, The House at the End of LaCelean Street is a beautiful exploration of how one handles grief & guilt. The entire time I was entranced at the idea of how our brains forget traumatic events is so clearly brought to life.
The story is easy to follow & kept me wanting to keep turning the page to learn more about the characters & the house. It’s definitely a novella that is hard to put down!
Content warnings:
• death
• mention of abortion
• domestic abuse
• drug abuse / overdose / withdrawal
• murder / gore
April 10, 2024
I was fascinated by this cover and am so glad I found this book. I’ve never read anything by this author and am looking forward to reading more. This was very well written. I loved it!
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
April 30, 2024
The House at the End of Lacelean Street was a quick and enjoyable read. The story revolves around three characters suffering from memory loss. They have no idea what their purpose is and why they are drawn to a red-brick house. But, all the answers they seek lie in the house.
Despite the intriguing premise, the story felt predictable and none of the character’s backstories gripped me. While not a bad read, the book was just missing a little oomph for me personally.
Despite the intriguing premise, the story felt predictable and none of the character’s backstories gripped me. While not a bad read, the book was just missing a little oomph for me personally.
November 3, 2025
A wonderfully paced moving story. I thoroughly enjoyed the authors vivid descriptions and the uniqueness of the plot. Highly recommend for a cozy weekend read.
May 29, 2024
Read in one sitting, truly unputdownable.
What a read. Dark, emotional, gritty, and mysterious. The characters developed smoothly almost without notice, and the images described jumped from the page in all their, at times, gruesome glory. I love McCarthy's writing style. She makes an otherwise untouched genre for me really come into its own.
What a read. Dark, emotional, gritty, and mysterious. The characters developed smoothly almost without notice, and the images described jumped from the page in all their, at times, gruesome glory. I love McCarthy's writing style. She makes an otherwise untouched genre for me really come into its own.
April 14, 2024
Tremendously entertaining psychological suspense of three individuals who get dropped off at a house. How did they end up there? Why are they there in the first place? That’s for the reader to find out, as THE HOUSE AT THE END OF LACELEAN STREET unpackages in a gracious, thoughtful manner. Catherine McCarthy’s narrative will have your attention from beginning to end as Howard, Stacey and Claudia’s lives come into focus.
There are nods everywhere, from King’s IT to Grahame’s WIND IN THE WILLOWS. Elements of mystery and horror are scattered throughout as well, but it helps to think of the house as a conduit rather than a character, as its three tenants figure everything out with the reader. Kudos to McCarthy for weaving a haunting, yet moving tale. You really do end up cheering for the house’s three unwitting participants, and for this novella, makes for a pleasant experience.
There are nods everywhere, from King’s IT to Grahame’s WIND IN THE WILLOWS. Elements of mystery and horror are scattered throughout as well, but it helps to think of the house as a conduit rather than a character, as its three tenants figure everything out with the reader. Kudos to McCarthy for weaving a haunting, yet moving tale. You really do end up cheering for the house’s three unwitting participants, and for this novella, makes for a pleasant experience.
March 14, 2024
The House At the End of Lacelean Street by Catherine McCarthy is a heavy yet uplifting story of the many paths a life can take and the beauty of letting go.
I highly recommend going into this read in the dark!
This is a must-read for fans of dark mysteries, great character development, and spooky houses!
Check out my full review here:
https://www.ericarobynreads.com/the-h...
I highly recommend going into this read in the dark!
This is a must-read for fans of dark mysteries, great character development, and spooky houses!
Check out my full review here:
https://www.ericarobynreads.com/the-h...
Displaying 1 - 30 of 93 reviews