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The Haunting of Wellsley Manor
"For fans of bone-chilling, spine-tingling gothic haunted houses."
Lori Handeland, New York Times bestselling author of The Nightcreature Novels.
5 stars “The Haunting of Wellsley Manor is a captivating paranormal story. The suspense and foreboding make it feel like watching a horror movie through the pages of a book,” Cheryl Steele, “Cheryl Reviews.
5 stars "The tension and dark atmosphere of impending dread evoke the same experience as watching a dark, horror, or supernatural film," Mary Anderson, MJ Reviews.”
WINNER GOLD AWARD IN THE LITERARY TITAN BOOK AWARD (JUNE 2025)
WINNER SECOND PLACE FOR FICTION/HORROR (GHOSTS, PARANORMAL) IN THE 2025 BOOKFEST AWARDS!
William Martens always dreamed of leaving Syracuse, the blue-collar town where he was born and raised. When his widowed grandfather, Isaiah, invites him to live in his mansion and attend nearby Cornell University in Ithaca, William eagerly accepts the opportunity.
However, strange events begin to unfold in his grandfather’s mansion. During his first visit, William notices a young boy appearing in an upstairs window, but he dismisses it as a trick of his imagination. This is just the beginning, as he soon experiences multiple sightings of ghostly children who whisper warnings, faucets that run with blood, and a mysterious mirror that seems to harbor an evil spirit. These occurrences eventually drive William away.
Years later, he inherits the mansion and returns with his family, but the ghosts have not vanished. They bear a striking resemblance to William’s own family. He uncovers a horrifying truth as he investigates clues about the mansion’s previous inhabitants. As William becomes increasingly entranced by the dark forces within the house, he must confront whether he can break the curse before history repeats itself.
Lori Handeland, New York Times bestselling author of The Nightcreature Novels.
5 stars “The Haunting of Wellsley Manor is a captivating paranormal story. The suspense and foreboding make it feel like watching a horror movie through the pages of a book,” Cheryl Steele, “Cheryl Reviews.
5 stars "The tension and dark atmosphere of impending dread evoke the same experience as watching a dark, horror, or supernatural film," Mary Anderson, MJ Reviews.”
WINNER GOLD AWARD IN THE LITERARY TITAN BOOK AWARD (JUNE 2025)
WINNER SECOND PLACE FOR FICTION/HORROR (GHOSTS, PARANORMAL) IN THE 2025 BOOKFEST AWARDS!
William Martens always dreamed of leaving Syracuse, the blue-collar town where he was born and raised. When his widowed grandfather, Isaiah, invites him to live in his mansion and attend nearby Cornell University in Ithaca, William eagerly accepts the opportunity.
However, strange events begin to unfold in his grandfather’s mansion. During his first visit, William notices a young boy appearing in an upstairs window, but he dismisses it as a trick of his imagination. This is just the beginning, as he soon experiences multiple sightings of ghostly children who whisper warnings, faucets that run with blood, and a mysterious mirror that seems to harbor an evil spirit. These occurrences eventually drive William away.
Years later, he inherits the mansion and returns with his family, but the ghosts have not vanished. They bear a striking resemblance to William’s own family. He uncovers a horrifying truth as he investigates clues about the mansion’s previous inhabitants. As William becomes increasingly entranced by the dark forces within the house, he must confront whether he can break the curse before history repeats itself.
236 pages, Kindle Edition
Published January 17, 2025
About the author
Len Handeland
14 books10 followersLen Handeland is an award-winning independent writer who specializes in horror, particularly vampire romance, paranormal, psychological suspense, and crime drama. His notable works include ‘The Darkest Gift’, which won first place in the 2022 Bookfest Award, and ‘Requiem for Miriam’, which received a silver medal from the Literary Titan Award and the Global Book Award. Other titles include ‘Transplanted Evil’ and ‘The Darkest Passages’, which was recognized as Editor’s Choice by Reader’s House magazine in London and won first place in the International Impact Book Award. Additionally, ‘The Haunting of Wellsley Manor’ earned a gold medal from Literary Titan. The author just released his sixth novel, ‘Daywalker: hybrid vampire,’ which is gaining traction. Additionally, Len hopes to release his seventh novel, ‘A Haunting in New Hampshire,’ in the fall of 2026.
Len’s passion for writing began in middle school, inspired by classic horror novels such as Bram Stoker’s ‘Dracula’, Ira Levin’s ‘The Stepford Wives,’ and ‘Rosemary’s Baby.’ He was also heavily influenced by Anne Rice’s ‘Interview with the Vampire’, as well as works by Stephen King, Dean Koontz, Shirley Jackson, and Clive Barker. Len is currently collaborating with a well-known Hollywood screenwriter, Alan Roth, and several Hollywood studios are reviewing his first novel, ‘The Darkest Gift,’ along with his sixth novel, ‘The Haunting of Wellsley Manor,’ for potential adaptation into a miniseries or motion picture.
Len’s passion for writing began in middle school, inspired by classic horror novels such as Bram Stoker’s ‘Dracula’, Ira Levin’s ‘The Stepford Wives,’ and ‘Rosemary’s Baby.’ He was also heavily influenced by Anne Rice’s ‘Interview with the Vampire’, as well as works by Stephen King, Dean Koontz, Shirley Jackson, and Clive Barker. Len is currently collaborating with a well-known Hollywood screenwriter, Alan Roth, and several Hollywood studios are reviewing his first novel, ‘The Darkest Gift,’ along with his sixth novel, ‘The Haunting of Wellsley Manor,’ for potential adaptation into a miniseries or motion picture.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
August 3, 2026
Wonderfully written book that resonates with a believable spirit world.
May 6, 2025
Len Handeland’s The Haunting of Wellsley Manor is a gothic horror novel that follows William Martens, a young man seeking to escape the dead-end monotony of his hometown by attending Cornell University. But his aspirations are soon entangled in a series of ghostly encounters at his grandfather’s decaying estate in Ithaca. As he settles into his new life, William is haunted—literally and emotionally—by family secrets, unresolved trauma, and spectral figures that begin to cross the veil between the living and the dead. The deeper he digs into the house’s eerie history, the more he realizes that some legacies come with strings attached and blood on their hands.
I was drawn in from the very beginning. The dialogue felt natural and raw—sometimes even painfully real, especially during the tense moments between William and his bitter, emotionally distant father. There’s something incredibly satisfying about a story that doesn’t rush. The buildup is slow and deliberate, and that pacing works here. It lets you soak in the atmosphere—the creaking floors, the dusty corridors, the strained silences. The house itself becomes a character, and not just a spooky backdrop. What Handeland nails is the eerie tension between generational pride and inherited guilt. His prose has this honest, almost nostalgic warmth when depicting William’s relationship with his grandfather, Isaiah. Those moments hit me hard.
Sometimes the writing dipped into the overly descriptive, and while the story’s emotional arcs were compelling, the scares occasionally felt more atmospheric than truly chilling. I didn’t mind that too much—this is more The Sixth Sense than The Conjuring—but readers expecting non-stop frights may be left wanting. Still, the dream sequences and ghostly children were deeply unsettling in a quiet and lingering way. The mirror scenes especially gave me the kind of slow-building dread I love in horror fiction.
I’d recommend The Haunting of Wellsley Manor to anyone who enjoys a slower burn and emotionally rich storytelling. It’s a ghost story wrapped in a coming-of-age tale, laced with regret and second chances. If you liked The Others or even older Stephen King novels like Bag of Bones, you’ll probably enjoy this. It’s not just about ghosts. It’s about how the past clings to us, follows us, and sometimes, if we’re not careful, swallows us whole.
I was drawn in from the very beginning. The dialogue felt natural and raw—sometimes even painfully real, especially during the tense moments between William and his bitter, emotionally distant father. There’s something incredibly satisfying about a story that doesn’t rush. The buildup is slow and deliberate, and that pacing works here. It lets you soak in the atmosphere—the creaking floors, the dusty corridors, the strained silences. The house itself becomes a character, and not just a spooky backdrop. What Handeland nails is the eerie tension between generational pride and inherited guilt. His prose has this honest, almost nostalgic warmth when depicting William’s relationship with his grandfather, Isaiah. Those moments hit me hard.
Sometimes the writing dipped into the overly descriptive, and while the story’s emotional arcs were compelling, the scares occasionally felt more atmospheric than truly chilling. I didn’t mind that too much—this is more The Sixth Sense than The Conjuring—but readers expecting non-stop frights may be left wanting. Still, the dream sequences and ghostly children were deeply unsettling in a quiet and lingering way. The mirror scenes especially gave me the kind of slow-building dread I love in horror fiction.
I’d recommend The Haunting of Wellsley Manor to anyone who enjoys a slower burn and emotionally rich storytelling. It’s a ghost story wrapped in a coming-of-age tale, laced with regret and second chances. If you liked The Others or even older Stephen King novels like Bag of Bones, you’ll probably enjoy this. It’s not just about ghosts. It’s about how the past clings to us, follows us, and sometimes, if we’re not careful, swallows us whole.
April 17, 2025
What if I had knocked on the door of Isaiah’s manor…?
Len Handeland does it again with The Haunting of Wellsley Manor! This atmospheric paranormal tale is set in Ithaca, NY—a town I lived in for a couple of years—which made the story hit close to home. I even know Devon Road, and Len’s vivid descriptions made me wonder if something supernatural really could have been going on while I was there.
The story follows William Martens, a Cornell student, reconnecting with his grandfather Isaiah, only to find that the manor Isaiah lives in is haunted by its previous residents. These aren’t your typical ghosts either - they have a mission, and William becomes the center of it. After Isaiah’s passing, William and his wife Emily move into the manor, and the haunting escalates. As William begins to change, Emily must uncover the manor’s grim history and, with the help of Raphaella’s Voodoo Shop, find a way to break the spirits’ hold.
Len’s writing flows easily, and he keeps the reader hooked as the story builds with tension and mystery. He skillfully blends history with the present and hints at a chilling future. I was invested from start to finish and curious about what would happen next.
It’s exciting to see Len developing as an author—he’s really coming into his own. I’ll definitely be reading whatever he writes next.
Len Handeland does it again with The Haunting of Wellsley Manor! This atmospheric paranormal tale is set in Ithaca, NY—a town I lived in for a couple of years—which made the story hit close to home. I even know Devon Road, and Len’s vivid descriptions made me wonder if something supernatural really could have been going on while I was there.
The story follows William Martens, a Cornell student, reconnecting with his grandfather Isaiah, only to find that the manor Isaiah lives in is haunted by its previous residents. These aren’t your typical ghosts either - they have a mission, and William becomes the center of it. After Isaiah’s passing, William and his wife Emily move into the manor, and the haunting escalates. As William begins to change, Emily must uncover the manor’s grim history and, with the help of Raphaella’s Voodoo Shop, find a way to break the spirits’ hold.
Len’s writing flows easily, and he keeps the reader hooked as the story builds with tension and mystery. He skillfully blends history with the present and hints at a chilling future. I was invested from start to finish and curious about what would happen next.
It’s exciting to see Len developing as an author—he’s really coming into his own. I’ll definitely be reading whatever he writes next.
August 12, 2026
There was not much intelligence involved in the writing of this pitiful excuse for a novel, but I suspect that as much as there was to have been artificial. Truly, truly pitiful piece of work.
I will admit, however, to being entertained by this detail before I washed my hands of it: The main character has just graduated high school. Like, it's June; he just graduated. He hasn't applied to any colleges, but decides he would like to study architecture at Cornell University. Yes, that Cornell. Since his grandfather lives in a haunted house in Ithaca, New York, he decides to head over, get an application and ask grandpa for a loan. He drives around campus, likes the look of it, gets a one-page application from the Admissions Office, which he fills out and drops off the next day. Within two weeks he gets a letter (oh, this is the 1990's) and Bob's-your-uncle, he's accepted to study architecture at Cornell. On grandpa's dime, with room and board at the haunted house.
Which I'm guessing is further explored in the remainder of the book but it was too terrible to continue. Maybe someone who actually bothered to get through the whole thing could let us know if there were any other howlers like the applying to Cornell piece? Personally, I'm done.
I will admit, however, to being entertained by this detail before I washed my hands of it: The main character has just graduated high school. Like, it's June; he just graduated. He hasn't applied to any colleges, but decides he would like to study architecture at Cornell University. Yes, that Cornell. Since his grandfather lives in a haunted house in Ithaca, New York, he decides to head over, get an application and ask grandpa for a loan. He drives around campus, likes the look of it, gets a one-page application from the Admissions Office, which he fills out and drops off the next day. Within two weeks he gets a letter (oh, this is the 1990's) and Bob's-your-uncle, he's accepted to study architecture at Cornell. On grandpa's dime, with room and board at the haunted house.
Which I'm guessing is further explored in the remainder of the book but it was too terrible to continue. Maybe someone who actually bothered to get through the whole thing could let us know if there were any other howlers like the applying to Cornell piece? Personally, I'm done.
February 20, 2025
Handeland’s latest novel unfolds like a feverish dream, blurring the line between reality and nightmare. William Marten and his wife, Emily, move into Wellsley Manor, a grand estate inherited from William’s grandfather, Isaiah with their children, the headstrong Chloe, and impressionable Jonah. The manor looms like an ominous shadow lurking just beneath the surface. In the beginning, the disturbances are barely noticeable. But as days go by, the horrors intensify.
Handeland builds the suspense slowly, each discovery tightening the grip of dread—a pentagram board hidden in the attic, Jonah’s chilling conversations with his “imaginary” friend (“Stanley says Daddy will try to hurt us. We have to leave before we all die”), and Abigail’s desperate warnings from beyond. The ghosts of Wellsley Manor are not merely lingering spirits; they are trapped echoes of past horrors, endlessly reliving their suffering, determined to prevent history from repeating itself. An unsettling read that will get under the reader’s skin, leaving a lingering sense of dread that’s hard to shake long after the last page.
Handeland builds the suspense slowly, each discovery tightening the grip of dread—a pentagram board hidden in the attic, Jonah’s chilling conversations with his “imaginary” friend (“Stanley says Daddy will try to hurt us. We have to leave before we all die”), and Abigail’s desperate warnings from beyond. The ghosts of Wellsley Manor are not merely lingering spirits; they are trapped echoes of past horrors, endlessly reliving their suffering, determined to prevent history from repeating itself. An unsettling read that will get under the reader’s skin, leaving a lingering sense of dread that’s hard to shake long after the last page.
February 27, 2026
This was a truly gripping and atmospheric read. From the beginning, William’s move from Syracuse to his grandfather Isaiah’s mansion near Cornell University creates a strong sense of anticipation. The setting feels vivid and immersive, and the slow build of unease makes the story hard to put down.
The haunting elements are chilling without feeling overdone. The ghostly children, the unsettling mirror, and the disturbing events within the house all add layers of suspense that steadily intensify. What makes the story especially powerful is the emotional depth tied to family, inheritance, and the weight of the past.
As William returns years later with his own family, the tension rises in a way that feels both personal and frightening. The mystery unfolds at a satisfying pace, leading to revelations that are shocking yet meaningful.
Overall, this is a compelling and memorable haunted house story that blends suspense with heart. I highly recommend it.
The haunting elements are chilling without feeling overdone. The ghostly children, the unsettling mirror, and the disturbing events within the house all add layers of suspense that steadily intensify. What makes the story especially powerful is the emotional depth tied to family, inheritance, and the weight of the past.
As William returns years later with his own family, the tension rises in a way that feels both personal and frightening. The mystery unfolds at a satisfying pace, leading to revelations that are shocking yet meaningful.
Overall, this is a compelling and memorable haunted house story that blends suspense with heart. I highly recommend it.
February 4, 2026
The narration by "virtual voice" is horrible, but the story wasn't great either. Unlikable characters having inane conversations. DNF
August 25, 2026
don’t bother
Poorly written dialogue that was repetitive. The story had major flaws and little to no build up to the resolution.
Poorly written dialogue that was repetitive. The story had major flaws and little to no build up to the resolution.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews