When James offers to babysit his cousin’s three daughters, he expects the evening will bring nothing more stressful than a fussy baby and sibling spats. But a scary story that ends up being a bit more sends them scrambling out of the house in the middle of the night. From there, James falls headlong into an investigation involving preteen rivalry, urban legends, and potentially an old foe.
Meanwhile, the team is buried in old cases, and even their arrival in the hands of an attractive delivery driver can’t make James enthusiastic about this additional work. These new arrivals include an unfinished case from 1920, a case so seemingly simple that the team knows there has to be something more to it.
As the Foundation for Paranormal Studies makes enormous changes to their staff and regulations, under-supported county branches are left to fend for themselves, even as cases become more dangerous. As lives hang in the balance, James has to protect both his family and his team. And while he knows he can rely on his team, can he truly depend on the Foundation to help him too?
Sterling Hill Road is book 8 in the North County Paranormal Unit series!
6 out of 5, minimum - TLDR: bruh... I was not ready -
You know that feeling when you're a couple books deep into a series that you thoroughly enjoy? You think to yourself "This is great. I like these characters a lot. The stories they're involved in are really cool and interesting. So you kind of end up rolling along, innocently frolicking your way through what you assume is another really solid installment, right before getting blindsided by a plot twist that hits you like a semi truck? Then suddenly you have to stay up unreasonably long hours just to read what happens next? That's what this was for me.
This series just keeps getting better and better! After the banger that was Wildwood Hotel, this one even exceeded my expectations. The case(s) are twisty and fun. I really enjoyed McCormack’s take on the classic horror movie babysitting trope. And it got quite scary at times!! Of course as always, the ghost hunting gang is my favorite part. I have come to love these characters so much that it feels like tuning in to my favorite TV show. There were lots of interesting things going on with them in this one and I can’t wait to see where we go from here. And the background story of the Foundation and their changes keeps getting more involved as well. I loved this installment and can’t wait for the next one!