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The River #8
The Haunting at Grays Harbor
Barbara's new home overlooks the beautiful, dark waters of Grays Harbor. She and her family live so close to the ocean, they can smell it from the front porch. On the outside, the home seems perfect. But inside, Barbara has called on her third priest, and he’s about to throw in the towel. The chilling apparitions in the house are terrorizing her daughters — and the local clergy! — and Barbara is desperate for help.
Steven has “the gift,” and along with his father, Roy, has offered to investigate — but a hired crew of ghostbusters from Seattle are in the way and making things worse. When Steven discovers a strange object in Barbara’s house, he and Roy realize the ghostbusting outfit are about to unwittingly set in motion a series of events that will heighten the family’s horrors.
Grays Harbor is only minutes from Eximere, and Steven and Roy discover things are not normal there either. Large pieces of the strange underground estate are disappearing, and Steven and Roy are desperate to find out why. They’ll have to dig deeper into the mystery of James Unser and the bizarre world he constructed if they’re to save Eximere from oblivion.
The Haunting at Grays Harbor is a fast-paced paranormal mystery, and the eighth book in The River series. It can be read stand-alone.
Steven has “the gift,” and along with his father, Roy, has offered to investigate — but a hired crew of ghostbusters from Seattle are in the way and making things worse. When Steven discovers a strange object in Barbara’s house, he and Roy realize the ghostbusting outfit are about to unwittingly set in motion a series of events that will heighten the family’s horrors.
Grays Harbor is only minutes from Eximere, and Steven and Roy discover things are not normal there either. Large pieces of the strange underground estate are disappearing, and Steven and Roy are desperate to find out why. They’ll have to dig deeper into the mystery of James Unser and the bizarre world he constructed if they’re to save Eximere from oblivion.
The Haunting at Grays Harbor is a fast-paced paranormal mystery, and the eighth book in The River series. It can be read stand-alone.
- GenresParanormalGhostsHorror
272 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 29, 2015
43 people are currently reading
90 people want to read
About the author
Michael Richan
55 books129 followersMichael Richan lives in Washington State. He has written horror fiction for over forty years.
He's the author of several best selling series, including "The River," 'The Downwinders," and "The Dark River." All are set within The River universe.
He's also the author of other best selling titles such as "The Haunting of Pitmon House", "The Coldwater Haunting", and "The Seances".
Visit michaelrichan.com to learn more about the series and to see a suggested reading order. Follow Michael via email and receive the free novella "Residual". You can also follow him via Twitter @michaelrichan.
He's the author of several best selling series, including "The River," 'The Downwinders," and "The Dark River." All are set within The River universe.
He's also the author of other best selling titles such as "The Haunting of Pitmon House", "The Coldwater Haunting", and "The Seances".
Visit michaelrichan.com to learn more about the series and to see a suggested reading order. Follow Michael via email and receive the free novella "Residual". You can also follow him via Twitter @michaelrichan.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
January 30, 2015
I have been reading Michael Richan's "River" series since the very first book. That being said, I can honestly say that I feel THE HAUNTING AT GRAYS HARBOR is the most complex book in the series, to date. This novel is rich in both the complexity of the storyline (and subplots) themselves, and also in regards to the depth of the characters and their emotional status.
Steven and Roy are characters that I've really come to appreciate. In this story, Richan takes us to an all new level of understanding as it applies to their emotions, personal thoughts, and feelings. In the midst of all the drama unfolding around them, we are privy to a deeper side of both Roy and Steven that is often overshadowed by their comedic public dynamics.
The story begins with a plea for help from a family that three seperate priests have been unable to help. Steven and Roy enlist the aid of another gifted (a friend of Winn's), Maynard, and begin to unravel the multiple layers that this initial haunting reveals. This is where the complexity in the storyline begins to take off--from vortexes, vorghosts, buried children, and even the mystery surrounding Eximere itself--our main characters are propelled forward at a breakneck pace to tie together all of the links in this extravagant puzzle.
Throughout all of this, we gain a deeper appreciation of the bonds between father and son (in two cases), and some rare moments of heart wrenching, emotional displays.
Richan has enough background explained to make this book able to be read as a stand-alone novel. However, long-time readers of the series will pick up on more names and references to past events that The River builds upon.
A wonderful addition to this engaging series!
Highly recommended!
Steven and Roy are characters that I've really come to appreciate. In this story, Richan takes us to an all new level of understanding as it applies to their emotions, personal thoughts, and feelings. In the midst of all the drama unfolding around them, we are privy to a deeper side of both Roy and Steven that is often overshadowed by their comedic public dynamics.
The story begins with a plea for help from a family that three seperate priests have been unable to help. Steven and Roy enlist the aid of another gifted (a friend of Winn's), Maynard, and begin to unravel the multiple layers that this initial haunting reveals. This is where the complexity in the storyline begins to take off--from vortexes, vorghosts, buried children, and even the mystery surrounding Eximere itself--our main characters are propelled forward at a breakneck pace to tie together all of the links in this extravagant puzzle.
Throughout all of this, we gain a deeper appreciation of the bonds between father and son (in two cases), and some rare moments of heart wrenching, emotional displays.
Richan has enough background explained to make this book able to be read as a stand-alone novel. However, long-time readers of the series will pick up on more names and references to past events that The River builds upon.
A wonderful addition to this engaging series!
Highly recommended!
February 9, 2015
This is the 8th book in the River Series and in my opinion one of the best. Barbara and her family are having problems with ghosts. She has called on local clergy to help her with this problem but nothing works. Barbara husband Brad, hires a crew of ghost busters to take care of the problem. This only make matters worse. Steven and Roy catch wind of this and offer to help Barbara and her family. Gray Harbor, where Barbara lives, is only a few minutes from Eximere. Steven and Roy notice strange things that are happening at Eximere. Pieces of underground landscape disappear, only to reappear later. Steven and Roy need to dig deeper into the mystery of James Unser. Steven and Roy need the help of another gifted one Maynard, he is a friend of Winn's. Maynard is an expert on vorghosts and vortexes. Somehow Gray Harbor and Eximere are linked together. Can the trio help Barbara and her family but also save Eximere at the same time? Richan has a way of weaving a story together that makes you want more.
February 3, 2015
Another great tale of my two favorite gifteds!
November 23, 2025
Extremely intense and fascinating!
Loved this addition to the series! Characters were very interesting. I really enjoyed the storyline! This is a fascinating series for those who like ghosts and weird goings on.
Loved this addition to the series! Characters were very interesting. I really enjoyed the storyline! This is a fascinating series for those who like ghosts and weird goings on.
September 28, 2017
Closure
I think I got a little closure along with the characters. Very nicely done. We also learn a little more about eximere and the dark side.
I think I got a little closure along with the characters. Very nicely done. We also learn a little more about eximere and the dark side.
February 5, 2015
Imagine being gifted in the field of paranormal activity, and with this gift you are able to create your own future world where you can exist forever in bliss after your body dies. Now imagine this place is truly harmonious with a cottage that maintains itself, with an overall perfect temperature, and you feel a mild breeze that blows through the trees that never lose their leaves. There are no lawn and yard tools, because nothing ever needs to be done. The place is called Eximere, and it is shear perfection. But as a ghost, you learn of so many other places you can be, and Eximere loses its charm for the creator. One day, this paradise, Eximere, is discovered by a few living gifted people, Roy and his son Steven. They are in complete awe, unaware of how this paradise is maintained. They know there is a graveyard there, and among the many souls in this graveyard are the remains of their ancestor who began the same journal Roy and Steven use today to document their adventures with the paranormal. For some reason, all the graves are covered in a strange substance, blocking any way of learning about this paradise from those buried. All of a sudden, Eximere is now a nightmare, it is falling apart. Walls are disappearing, lights flicker in the sky, ghostly beings fade in and out, and the entire area shakes violently. Why are they losing their paradise?
Unbeknownst to Roy and Steven, the answer lies about 30 miles away in Grays Harbor. They are called to a home that is being terrorized by paranormal activity. When they arrive, they find a team of so called paranormal investigators who promise to displace or destroy anything that may be the cause of the problem. They only thing they do, is charge the family thousands of dollars, and make the situation much worse for the family, and for Eximere.
Even though this is book 8 in “The River Series” the author is able to smoothly explain the history of how Roy and Steven are able to flow into “the river” and see an alternate reality that is built on the paranormal. There are so many levels to this book, yet it flows quite smoothly. You want to turn the page. You want to find out about the secret in the basement of an abandoned house, and why bizarre objects in the wall are key to Eximere’s existence. How powerful are the ghosts of Gray Harbor? The only thing you don’t want is for the book to end. Like the other books in this series, you are not left hanging at the end of the book. Each adventure has a definite beginning, and a feeling of completion, so they can be read as standalone novels. I can almost guarantee, if you read this book, you will be back for the rest. Michael Richan is a genius!
February 10, 2015
Review: THE HAUNTING AT GRAYS HARBOR by Michael Richan
This is the eighth, and newest, in author Michael Richan' s THE RIVER series. I've loved them all, finding each one even better. Surprisingly for me, I've read them consecutively. The entire series is great. The characters are endearing: protagonist son-and-father team Steven and Roy; Eliza, Maynard and Dixon, Winn and Deem. The spirits are riveting too; and though each story stands alone, they also form an entirety.
One of the best and most consistent horror-Supernatural series!
This is the eighth, and newest, in author Michael Richan' s THE RIVER series. I've loved them all, finding each one even better. Surprisingly for me, I've read them consecutively. The entire series is great. The characters are endearing: protagonist son-and-father team Steven and Roy; Eliza, Maynard and Dixon, Winn and Deem. The spirits are riveting too; and though each story stands alone, they also form an entirety.
One of the best and most consistent horror-Supernatural series!
February 28, 2015
What a great book! This one was a bit more scarier with the haunted house and it's bleeding walls and all that. The discovery of what Eximere was all about was intreging. It was nice Steven got some closure with his son, or did he? I hope there's more to this series, I'd like to see if Steven keeps his promise.
March 6, 2015
Another great adventure for steven and roy.
March 5, 2015
Another great read by Mr Richan. This one gave me chills. I am waiting with bated breath for the next installment. Guess I have to check out the Downwinder's series now.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews