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Anacortes Haunting:
"I’ll pay you for your time. The only requirement I have is that you must stay in the house alone. No one but you is to be there, especially at night.”
__________
A young woman falls to her death from the third story of a beautiful and isolated Anacortes home owned by a longtime physician who believes there is something odd happening at the property that he is desperate to sell in order to pay for the expensive care his worsening medical condition requires.
Twenty thousand dollars for just one week of her time.
It's a lot of money to Adele but her interest in this new mystery goes beyond mere compensation. It isn't long before she realizes the home's owner is right—something very wrong is happening there and she is increasingly determined to find out what it is.
__________
Anacortes Haunting is Book #11 of the bestselling San Juan Islands Mysteries by local island author, D.W. Ulsterman.
__________
A young woman falls to her death from the third story of a beautiful and isolated Anacortes home owned by a longtime physician who believes there is something odd happening at the property that he is desperate to sell in order to pay for the expensive care his worsening medical condition requires.
Twenty thousand dollars for just one week of her time.
It's a lot of money to Adele but her interest in this new mystery goes beyond mere compensation. It isn't long before she realizes the home's owner is right—something very wrong is happening there and she is increasingly determined to find out what it is.
__________
Anacortes Haunting is Book #11 of the bestselling San Juan Islands Mysteries by local island author, D.W. Ulsterman.
363 pages, Paperback
Published September 8, 2024
103 people are currently reading
31 people want to read
About the author
D.W. Ulsterman
89 books176 followersD.W. Ulsterman is the bestselling author of THE SAN JUAN ISLANDS MYSTERY SERIES.
His most recent novel, THE TRUTHING TREE, is now available.
All of his novels are available here: http://goo.gl/kEPU6R
"Mr. Ulsterman doesn't disappoint."
-THRILLER JUNKIE
His most recent novel, THE TRUTHING TREE, is now available.
All of his novels are available here: http://goo.gl/kEPU6R
"Mr. Ulsterman doesn't disappoint."
-THRILLER JUNKIE
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
November 29, 2024
Not all stars are created equal, and I’ve got opinions—strong ones—about what each one means. Some books take your soul and hand it back to you in pieces, while others make you question your life choices (and not in the good way). Here’s how I rate the highs, the lows, and the unforgettable in-betweens:
★☆☆☆☆ – Hate is a strong word, but my loathing for this book runs deep.
This isn’t just a bad book—it’s the kind of bad that makes me angry. If I finished it, it’s only because I was fueled by sheer spite.
★★☆☆☆ – This is a book. That’s it.
It exists. It wasn’t painful to read, but it also wasn’t good. In a few weeks, I’ll forget it ever happened, like a movie you watch on a plane and then promptly erase from your memory.
★★★☆☆ – Decent, solid, enjoyable.
This book was good—not groundbreaking, but good. I’d recommend it to a friend without hesitation, and it gave me just enough to walk away satisfied.
★★★★☆ – Incredible.
I loved this one so much I might collect multiple editions just for the joy of owning them. It’s a standout that I’ll recommend to anyone who’ll listen.
★★★★★ – I will die on this hill.
This book wrecked me in the best way. It made me feel things I didn’t know I was capable of feeling. Is it flawless? Maybe not. But it’s perfect to me, and I will defend its honor until my dying breath.
So there you have it: my dramatic, heartfelt, and completely unscientific rating system. Let’s get to the review!
Here’s the thing about Anacortes Haunting: it’s book eleven in a series. ELEVEN. I didn’t know that when I borrowed it from the library, so I walked in blind, thinking I was getting a standalone spooky tale. What I got instead was... complicated. Let’s just say this was less haunting thriller and more check your receipts and start at book one.
The premise is solid, though: during a home showing, a woman jumps to her death, and her husband vanishes. Enter an aging physician (whose name I’ll remember as soon as I stop being annoyed about the book) who’s desperate to sell his house to cover the costs of his assisted living center. Fair enough—retirement isn’t cheap. But here’s the kicker: the house has a reputation. Murder? Suicide? Creepy history? Check, check, and check. To sweeten the deal, the good doctor offers Adele—our adrenaline-junkie main character—a cool $20,000 to stay in the house for a week. Alone.
Now, I love the “haunted house for cash” trope as much as the next person, but $20,000? That wouldn’t even cover my therapy bills after staying in a house that might try to make me jump out a window. But Adele? She’s in. Why? Because danger is apparently her love language.
At this point, I was excited to dive in, but the execution? Yikes. Remember in elementary school when your teacher said, “Show, don’t tell”? D.W. Ulsterman apparently skipped that lesson. The writing reads like a to-do list: this happened, then this, then that. I didn’t feel immersed in the story so much as dragged through it, one bullet point at a time. There were a few fleeting moments where the atmosphere came alive, but they were gone as quickly as they arrived.
And Adele? She’s supposed to be our fearless, thrill-seeking heroine, but honestly, she’s kind of boring. You know when you can just tell a female character was written by a man? Yeah, that. She feels more like a placeholder for “strong female lead” than a real person. To her credit, she’s determined, does her research, and seems genuinely invested in her community, but I just didn’t care enough to root for her. If I’d read the first ten books in the series, maybe I’d feel differently, but I didn’t—and now I probably never will.
The vibe was supposed to be spooky, but mostly I just wanted it to be over. I didn’t feel scared or even curious about the mystery of the house. Instead, I found myself racing to finish so I could return the book to the library before it was overdue (seven-day loan, no extensions).
I’m generously giving this book two stars. Why? Because I’m cutting it some slack for being part of a larger series. If I’d started from book one, maybe I’d understand Adele better, care more about the story, and appreciate the writing style. But as a standalone read, Anacortes Haunting didn’t haunt me—it just mildly annoyed me.
★☆☆☆☆ – Hate is a strong word, but my loathing for this book runs deep.
This isn’t just a bad book—it’s the kind of bad that makes me angry. If I finished it, it’s only because I was fueled by sheer spite.
★★☆☆☆ – This is a book. That’s it.
It exists. It wasn’t painful to read, but it also wasn’t good. In a few weeks, I’ll forget it ever happened, like a movie you watch on a plane and then promptly erase from your memory.
★★★☆☆ – Decent, solid, enjoyable.
This book was good—not groundbreaking, but good. I’d recommend it to a friend without hesitation, and it gave me just enough to walk away satisfied.
★★★★☆ – Incredible.
I loved this one so much I might collect multiple editions just for the joy of owning them. It’s a standout that I’ll recommend to anyone who’ll listen.
★★★★★ – I will die on this hill.
This book wrecked me in the best way. It made me feel things I didn’t know I was capable of feeling. Is it flawless? Maybe not. But it’s perfect to me, and I will defend its honor until my dying breath.
So there you have it: my dramatic, heartfelt, and completely unscientific rating system. Let’s get to the review!
Here’s the thing about Anacortes Haunting: it’s book eleven in a series. ELEVEN. I didn’t know that when I borrowed it from the library, so I walked in blind, thinking I was getting a standalone spooky tale. What I got instead was... complicated. Let’s just say this was less haunting thriller and more check your receipts and start at book one.
The premise is solid, though: during a home showing, a woman jumps to her death, and her husband vanishes. Enter an aging physician (whose name I’ll remember as soon as I stop being annoyed about the book) who’s desperate to sell his house to cover the costs of his assisted living center. Fair enough—retirement isn’t cheap. But here’s the kicker: the house has a reputation. Murder? Suicide? Creepy history? Check, check, and check. To sweeten the deal, the good doctor offers Adele—our adrenaline-junkie main character—a cool $20,000 to stay in the house for a week. Alone.
Now, I love the “haunted house for cash” trope as much as the next person, but $20,000? That wouldn’t even cover my therapy bills after staying in a house that might try to make me jump out a window. But Adele? She’s in. Why? Because danger is apparently her love language.
At this point, I was excited to dive in, but the execution? Yikes. Remember in elementary school when your teacher said, “Show, don’t tell”? D.W. Ulsterman apparently skipped that lesson. The writing reads like a to-do list: this happened, then this, then that. I didn’t feel immersed in the story so much as dragged through it, one bullet point at a time. There were a few fleeting moments where the atmosphere came alive, but they were gone as quickly as they arrived.
And Adele? She’s supposed to be our fearless, thrill-seeking heroine, but honestly, she’s kind of boring. You know when you can just tell a female character was written by a man? Yeah, that. She feels more like a placeholder for “strong female lead” than a real person. To her credit, she’s determined, does her research, and seems genuinely invested in her community, but I just didn’t care enough to root for her. If I’d read the first ten books in the series, maybe I’d feel differently, but I didn’t—and now I probably never will.
The vibe was supposed to be spooky, but mostly I just wanted it to be over. I didn’t feel scared or even curious about the mystery of the house. Instead, I found myself racing to finish so I could return the book to the library before it was overdue (seven-day loan, no extensions).
I’m generously giving this book two stars. Why? Because I’m cutting it some slack for being part of a larger series. If I’d started from book one, maybe I’d understand Adele better, care more about the story, and appreciate the writing style. But as a standalone read, Anacortes Haunting didn’t haunt me—it just mildly annoyed me.
October 19, 2024
Best mystery series!
Every now and then a book really stand out. The story is interesting, compelling to finish, and characters become so real they feel like friends. There are useful tidbits about life, dealing with adversity, importance of loyalty and friendship sprinkled in.
This series starting with The Writer, has all that, and it has been set in the very special place, the San Juan Islands. After reading the first book in the series, I read the next, and the next, and the next until finishing each book that is available written by Ulsterman. This series has become one of my favorites, I’m spreading the word to other readers, San Juan Islanders, friends and cousins from the midwest and everyone I talk to about books.
If you like a well told story, read one, then read them all!
Every now and then a book really stand out. The story is interesting, compelling to finish, and characters become so real they feel like friends. There are useful tidbits about life, dealing with adversity, importance of loyalty and friendship sprinkled in.
This series starting with The Writer, has all that, and it has been set in the very special place, the San Juan Islands. After reading the first book in the series, I read the next, and the next, and the next until finishing each book that is available written by Ulsterman. This series has become one of my favorites, I’m spreading the word to other readers, San Juan Islanders, friends and cousins from the midwest and everyone I talk to about books.
If you like a well told story, read one, then read them all!
October 30, 2024
This installment in the series features Adele only. We get a small cameo appearance from Lucas but other than that all the other characters are M.I.A. Adele is hired by the owner of a haunted home to stay there for 5 nights and convince everyone it's not haunted so that he can sell it and pay for his medical treatment.
Adele agrees and immediately bizarre things start happening and she begins to hallucinate. I didn't love this book, it was a little too much with the paranormal and I found it a bit confusing to follow.
Not my favorite but I'm sure it will tie into the rest of the series somehow.
Adele agrees and immediately bizarre things start happening and she begins to hallucinate. I didn't love this book, it was a little too much with the paranormal and I found it a bit confusing to follow.
Not my favorite but I'm sure it will tie into the rest of the series somehow.
February 2, 2025
Great Read. Fast paced and enjoyable!
Another great read if you enjoy supernatural mysteries. Adele takes on a peculiar job and may be too much.
The plot and characters are very Ulsterman like! The action is break neck speed and will send shivers down your neck.
Alas to a great character… but was paramount to the storyline!
Looking forward to “Roland’s Lament”
Another great read if you enjoy supernatural mysteries. Adele takes on a peculiar job and may be too much.
The plot and characters are very Ulsterman like! The action is break neck speed and will send shivers down your neck.
Alas to a great character… but was paramount to the storyline!
Looking forward to “Roland’s Lament”
October 19, 2024
Page turner
As with all the books of this series, I found it hard to put the book down. I love the author's style of conversation. Almost never using "he said or she said", without losing who is speaking.
Very unique
As with all the books of this series, I found it hard to put the book down. I love the author's style of conversation. Almost never using "he said or she said", without losing who is speaking.
Very unique
October 21, 2024
Thank you
Thank you for an amazing series.
Every word spoke to my soul.
My plan is to one day see your beloved islands and look you up.
May you be blessed and guided with every word you write.
Thank you for an amazing series.
Every word spoke to my soul.
My plan is to one day see your beloved islands and look you up.
May you be blessed and guided with every word you write.
November 30, 2024
intense…
This story keeps you on the edge of your seat as Adele fights evil spirits at a home near Anacortes, Wa. Continues the strengthening of her belief in her self and her desires to protect the San Juan Islands of Washington.
This story keeps you on the edge of your seat as Adele fights evil spirits at a home near Anacortes, Wa. Continues the strengthening of her belief in her self and her desires to protect the San Juan Islands of Washington.
October 14, 2024
Looking forward to the next one
It just gets better and better!! I've read everyone of DWs books, but this one I cou!d not put down, well done Sir!!!
It just gets better and better!! I've read everyone of DWs books, but this one I cou!d not put down, well done Sir!!!
October 27, 2024
Great book
Loved this book, it held me captive until I finished it I really enjoy the subjects Ulsterman comes up with
Loved this book, it held me captive until I finished it I really enjoy the subjects Ulsterman comes up with
November 6, 2024
Fantastic
I have read all 11 in the series and they never disappoint.it's. I would recommend thus to anyone who enjoys stories about the unknown.
I have read all 11 in the series and they never disappoint.it's. I would recommend thus to anyone who enjoys stories about the unknown.
April 7, 2025
another winner but one thread left…
Did Adele get Pearl to see the Doctor?
I love this series and enjoyed the song, “Come join the Murder!”.
Did Adele get Pearl to see the Doctor?
I love this series and enjoyed the song, “Come join the Murder!”.
July 4, 2025
Scary!
D.W Ulsterman is very adept at bringing the
supernatural spirits to life. Even evil ones.
I couldn't read this before bed, I didn't want nightmares.
D.W Ulsterman is very adept at bringing the
supernatural spirits to life. Even evil ones.
I couldn't read this before bed, I didn't want nightmares.
July 30, 2025
Best one!
I really like books one through 10, but this probably my favorite. Wow!, great book. Just don't read it in bed.
I really like books one through 10, but this probably my favorite. Wow!, great book. Just don't read it in bed.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews