Not Haunted

by Penny Page

Selfish, egotistical, and ostracized, Professor Floyd Tremaine lives alone in his dark, depressing 114 year old house. Afflicted with a degenerative bone condition, he is bitter and enraged about his failing health and the consequent indignities. Trapped in his house with nothing to do but watch TV, he is incensed by the rash of reality shows, especially those that claim to communicate with spirits.

Resolving to expose the most popular of these shows, Entity Encounters, as a hoax, he contacts their website claiming that his house is haunted, and begs them to investigate. He plans to surreptitiously video the meeting at the end of the show when they share their fabricated findings and disclose that he conned them. The look on their faces will be priceless. He’ll post it on YouTube. It will go viral. He’ll be famous. He will be redeemed.

But as he prepares to destroy Entity Encounters, unexplained events in his house escalate. A skeletal creature crawls out of his grandfather clock, and a dead girl floats in his bathtub. He recognizes them both from his past, but they can’t be real, can they? As his guilt and anger grow, so does the evil darkness that is harassing him. Will he escape, or will it drag him to hell?

105 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 13, 2014

About the author

Penny Page lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband Jay, their dog Aspen, and Mattie the cat.

In addition to Not Haunted, Penny's titles include Bayview Cemetery and Coven Corners.

Her books can be found on Amazon and at Village Books and Cozy Corner Books in Bellingham, WA.

Reviews

[Susan Campbell · Rating 5 out of 5]

I bought this book because I know and respect Penny. I am not a reader of anything to do with the paranormal, so I wasn't really expecting to like it that must. But it is an absolute cracker! The writing is excellent. I feel now as if I know all her characters personally. The whole book is quirky and dark and funny all at the same time.

At the beginning, I couldn't stand Penny's beautifully drawn protagonist, Floyd. I hated his arrogance, his devious schemes and the way he was so dismissive of all the people around him. But by the end I was rooting for him 100%.

The story is carefully built and I found myself totally buying into the strange happenings at Floyds house. Plus I found the ending very satisfying.

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

My first foray into a Penny Page book was delightful and I find it exciting to discover new writers, especially since she is my new neighbor. I finished the book on Halloween which was appropriate as it was packed with some really scary moments that was well scripted and kept me on the edge of my seat. There were some good life lessons to be garnered from the storyline.