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The Abandoned Orphanage
Revised and Edited Edition
On the first day of summer a young girl Lauren disappears after climbing through a broken window into an abandoned building that was once an orphanage. Now Jacob, her brother and only witness to her disappearance, Jose, a newspaper reporter and recent widower, and Anna, a woman with her own connection to the old orphanage, along with three paranormal researchers, will try to untangle the secrets and mysteries of the place they call the Home.
On the first day of summer a young girl Lauren disappears after climbing through a broken window into an abandoned building that was once an orphanage. Now Jacob, her brother and only witness to her disappearance, Jose, a newspaper reporter and recent widower, and Anna, a woman with her own connection to the old orphanage, along with three paranormal researchers, will try to untangle the secrets and mysteries of the place they call the Home.
250 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 14, 2015
102 people are currently reading
175 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 48 reviews
October 9, 2015
REVIEW: THE ABANDONED ORPHANAGE by John Carter
I leaped at this title and description and was not disappointed. The author did a fine job of relating and contrasting a historical period (1910-1943) with contemporary time, in a quiet small community in Illinois, a community mainly distinguished by the number of disappearances, both children and adult. This is a spooky supernatural, with that wonderful implacability essential for horror. Sensitive souls may find it disturbing due to historical child abuse.
I rated it 4 rather than 5 due to a need for proofreading for spelling and grammar.
I leaped at this title and description and was not disappointed. The author did a fine job of relating and contrasting a historical period (1910-1943) with contemporary time, in a quiet small community in Illinois, a community mainly distinguished by the number of disappearances, both children and adult. This is a spooky supernatural, with that wonderful implacability essential for horror. Sensitive souls may find it disturbing due to historical child abuse.
I rated it 4 rather than 5 due to a need for proofreading for spelling and grammar.
September 30, 2015
The Abandoned Orphanage
Seeing this book on kindle unlimited had no reviews, I felt like giving it a try. The story held my interest. I love paranormal thrillers and this book delivers. My only issue was editing. The book is still readable just a word here and there missing. On whole maybe 6 errors I noticed. Solid story, I read to the end, great characters, great ending. With a bit of work on editing it would be great.
Seeing this book on kindle unlimited had no reviews, I felt like giving it a try. The story held my interest. I love paranormal thrillers and this book delivers. My only issue was editing. The book is still readable just a word here and there missing. On whole maybe 6 errors I noticed. Solid story, I read to the end, great characters, great ending. With a bit of work on editing it would be great.
March 28, 2017
Okay, I'm not going to lie...there are multiple issues with this book. For instance, there are a TON of typos, the character names aren't consistent (I have a feeling the character Jose was originally Tim), the actions of the characters are detailed ad nausea (I do not need to know about the buttons on Anna's shirt), the characters reactions are a little too dramatic and unrealistic when dealing with each other, but are completely underwhelming when an emotional conflict is presented.
But on the same hand, the story is just...fun. I'm talking roller coasters, cotton candy, dunking-a-clown fun. It has all the htrills and chills you wanted....just, you know, at a price. Whether you want to pay that price...that depends on your tolerance level.
But on the same hand, the story is just...fun. I'm talking roller coasters, cotton candy, dunking-a-clown fun. It has all the htrills and chills you wanted....just, you know, at a price. Whether you want to pay that price...that depends on your tolerance level.
July 17, 2016
An enjoyable, fast-paced read. A spooky haunted house story. Good fun!!
September 11, 2016
This book starts off with a young boy and his sister. When his sister goes missing at an abandoned orphanage the investigation starts. Jose is set to write a story on the missing girl and in doing so he is swept into a much bigger story than he realizes. Nightmares, ghosts, and a haunted past lead Jose and several others into the orphanage. Soon the truth comes to light.
This book was pretty good. It was filled with action. It was scary and had ghosts and all the factors that belong in a good ghost story, but the ending was a little weak. Reading the book, I expected something really big at the end, but that wasn't so. I,m not saying the book was bad because it wasn't. It was really good. It was written well and kept me reading and captivated. I just wish the ending was a little better....Stormi
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This book was pretty good. It was filled with action. It was scary and had ghosts and all the factors that belong in a good ghost story, but the ending was a little weak. Reading the book, I expected something really big at the end, but that wasn't so. I,m not saying the book was bad because it wasn't. It was really good. It was written well and kept me reading and captivated. I just wish the ending was a little better....Stormi
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October 3, 2019
A spooky haunted house tale which was gripping & fast paced. The reason I only gave 3 stars was due to the grammatical errors, which made reading repetitive in places.
May 5, 2018
I loved the story and would have given it five stars, but the author seemed to just have written it and published it. There was no editing. Words were left out and misspelled. It made me lose the flow of the story trying to figure out what he meant.
He needs to be sure and edit his work before publishing it. You can have a great novel, good characters, and a great ending, but if the reader can't read it because there are so many editing, misspelling, and left out words, what good is it?
He needs to be sure and edit his work before publishing it. You can have a great novel, good characters, and a great ending, but if the reader can't read it because there are so many editing, misspelling, and left out words, what good is it?
October 20, 2015
Good story ruined by bad editing
A good story overall, some times there was too much detail and some of the characters could have benefited from a bit more development. Unfortunately the mistakes that are corrected through good proofreading were distracting .
A good story overall, some times there was too much detail and some of the characters could have benefited from a bit more development. Unfortunately the mistakes that are corrected through good proofreading were distracting .
October 4, 2018
Very Creepy...
I love creepy stories and this one was quite good. Several typos, but I was so engrossed in the story, it didn't really bother me too much. Nice little
twist at the end. I'll look for more reads from this author.
I love creepy stories and this one was quite good. Several typos, but I was so engrossed in the story, it didn't really bother me too much. Nice little
twist at the end. I'll look for more reads from this author.
July 31, 2017
I liked this book. I had high hopes for it. Ghosts in an abandonned orphanage: Why wouldn't I love that? These expectations were not entirely met, but it was still an enjoyable easy read.
The book starts from the perspective of a young teenager whose sister goes missing. I did not really like the way the author wrote these 2 characters. They sounded like 2 adults who were much much older and it just felt off. Luckily, as soon as the sister disappears, we get an actual adult that sounds right (though a little like an whiney old man, but hey, I know people in their late twenties who also sound like that.) I enjoyed the pacing though it does take an awful a lot of time for the ghostbusters to arrive. Surely you'd think they'd jump at the possibility of finding angry ghosts, but hey, no rush I suppose. The ghosts' power was a bit weird. Sometimes they were super powerful, able to perform physical acts of violence quite a distance away from their orphanage, sometimes they barely reacted at all so you shouldn't think too much about this, it will ruin the vibe. I liked the part in the abandoned building itself, though there were some elements that were really over the top, and I'm not only talking about the ghosts, people were doing weird over-the-top sadistic things as well (I will not elaborate to avoid spoilers). I liked the ending, though I was hoping there would have been more. I got the feeling that a lot of mysteries still remain. I would have liked to have a little more background info on the orphanage and its inhabitants, and I also would have liked it more if things had been a little better wrapped up for the victims. But it just seems that everyone in that particular town is okay with people disappearing without a trace, at least the little girl's parents seem to get over her disappearance rather quickly, urging their son to do sports even though his sister has just been reported missing, going out,...sure you need to pick up the thread again after such events, but I think I would need at least a couple of months to get over such an event. Though maybe society doesn't allow that, I don't know, luckily I haven't been in such a situation.
So yeah, enjoyable, but it did have its flaws.
The book starts from the perspective of a young teenager whose sister goes missing. I did not really like the way the author wrote these 2 characters. They sounded like 2 adults who were much much older and it just felt off. Luckily, as soon as the sister disappears, we get an actual adult that sounds right (though a little like an whiney old man, but hey, I know people in their late twenties who also sound like that.) I enjoyed the pacing though it does take an awful a lot of time for the ghostbusters to arrive. Surely you'd think they'd jump at the possibility of finding angry ghosts, but hey, no rush I suppose. The ghosts' power was a bit weird. Sometimes they were super powerful, able to perform physical acts of violence quite a distance away from their orphanage, sometimes they barely reacted at all so you shouldn't think too much about this, it will ruin the vibe. I liked the part in the abandoned building itself, though there were some elements that were really over the top, and I'm not only talking about the ghosts, people were doing weird over-the-top sadistic things as well (I will not elaborate to avoid spoilers). I liked the ending, though I was hoping there would have been more. I got the feeling that a lot of mysteries still remain. I would have liked to have a little more background info on the orphanage and its inhabitants, and I also would have liked it more if things had been a little better wrapped up for the victims. But it just seems that everyone in that particular town is okay with people disappearing without a trace, at least the little girl's parents seem to get over her disappearance rather quickly, urging their son to do sports even though his sister has just been reported missing, going out,...sure you need to pick up the thread again after such events, but I think I would need at least a couple of months to get over such an event. Though maybe society doesn't allow that, I don't know, luckily I haven't been in such a situation.
So yeah, enjoyable, but it did have its flaws.
September 27, 2017
I give this tale 2 stars for a good idea and definite potential. As a writer and editor myself, sometimes awkwardness and poor editing make a book extremely difficult to get through. I used to not rate a book if I couldn't give it 4-5 stars. I'd simply leave no review at all. Other authors have pushed me to go ahead and give the honest feedback and reviews. I'm certain not all authors will appreciate this. I also know sometimes writers rely on others to edit for them or they (as do we all) have their own short comings. When I read, I make a serious effort not to be an editor, just to enjoy the ride. I'd like to see the author revamp this story.
November 22, 2021
Creepy
A skeptical reporter investigates the link between missing people and an abandoned orphanage with an ugly past. Joining forces with a young boy whose sister is missing, the pretty wife of a missing man and a small team of paranormal investigators, he is in for a harrowing adventure.
This is a pretty good book. The main characters are fairly likable. There are some creepy moments. Writing is so so and the conclusion is okay. Hard to believe that there is no furor when a half dozen people disappear the same night and when the survivors keep their mouths shut. Still pretty good.
A skeptical reporter investigates the link between missing people and an abandoned orphanage with an ugly past. Joining forces with a young boy whose sister is missing, the pretty wife of a missing man and a small team of paranormal investigators, he is in for a harrowing adventure.
This is a pretty good book. The main characters are fairly likable. There are some creepy moments. Writing is so so and the conclusion is okay. Hard to believe that there is no furor when a half dozen people disappear the same night and when the survivors keep their mouths shut. Still pretty good.
February 5, 2022
This was a relatively good story with a paranormal plot line that fit the genre, but the number of errors, both grammatical and spelling, made the story hard to follow at times. An earlier reviewer had said that it was like reading a speech-to-text gone bad. I tend to agree. a speech-to-text gone bad with an accent.
I made it through to the end, despite the errors. The story is strong enough to make you want to find out the ending. Just be prepared to decipher the meaning of phrases (diving birds instead of diving boards) and reread sentences to figure out the meaning of the action.
I made it through to the end, despite the errors. The story is strong enough to make you want to find out the ending. Just be prepared to decipher the meaning of phrases (diving birds instead of diving boards) and reread sentences to figure out the meaning of the action.
January 12, 2021
An empty vessel.
Smarmy. Constantly repeated situations and plot lines. Apart from the few characters, there is no outside relevance. Sometimes difficult to read due to the really horrific editing . . . or lack thereof. The most obvious BS was the handheld walkie-talkies that transmitted and received over a thousand miles of distance. Pretty laughable if I hadn't wasted so much time reading this book.
Smarmy. Constantly repeated situations and plot lines. Apart from the few characters, there is no outside relevance. Sometimes difficult to read due to the really horrific editing . . . or lack thereof. The most obvious BS was the handheld walkie-talkies that transmitted and received over a thousand miles of distance. Pretty laughable if I hadn't wasted so much time reading this book.
June 8, 2017
I couldn't put this book down, what a story, it doesn't just grip you, it grips you by the throat and won't let go, it is so good that even the odd spelling mistake or bad grammar doesn't put you off, its one of those stories that makes your heart pound so that it feels as if it is lodged in your throat; A really good read.
November 8, 2018
Ghost story
If you are looking for a moderate suspenseful story then you will injoy this. All in all a good read..It needs to be spiced up more in places of the story. I can't say where, no spoilers here. :) This definitely had its moments, spooky moments that grabbed me. This story definitely has potential.
If you are looking for a moderate suspenseful story then you will injoy this. All in all a good read..It needs to be spiced up more in places of the story. I can't say where, no spoilers here. :) This definitely had its moments, spooky moments that grabbed me. This story definitely has potential.
July 27, 2019
I am not sure if it's the way it was put onto kindle, but I really struggled to read this ...spelling mistakes galore and the wrong words used; like floor instead of door etc , sometimes I was trying to decipher what word it was meant to be. The over all story was ok but I thought it was way to predictable.
July 29, 2020
Great story, however, lots of errors. Spelling, grammar and words that made the sentence odd.
Young boy, and his sister, walked past the orphanage. His sister, heard something calling her. She climbed in the window. Never to be seen again. Then, others start investigating. That is when, the story really gets interesting.
Young boy, and his sister, walked past the orphanage. His sister, heard something calling her. She climbed in the window. Never to be seen again. Then, others start investigating. That is when, the story really gets interesting.
February 16, 2018
What happened to the people who where taken
The story ended but the mistery was only half solved OK it was not the kids doing the haunting but what happened to the people who disappeared?
The story ended but the mistery was only half solved OK it was not the kids doing the haunting but what happened to the people who disappeared?
March 17, 2018
OH what a good scary book. I loved it and enjoyed every page of it. Characters that you could really like and enjoy and a good story line make for fantastic reading. Give it a try, you'll like it.
March 20, 2018
3 1\2 stars...
I did enjoy the story, I just felt it lacked depth.
It also had quite a few spelling and grammatical errors; I can cope with that.... just!
Overall, it isn't a bad read... maybe, it's a case of 'too many characters, spoil the broth'! 😉 TTFN 😊.
I did enjoy the story, I just felt it lacked depth.
It also had quite a few spelling and grammatical errors; I can cope with that.... just!
Overall, it isn't a bad read... maybe, it's a case of 'too many characters, spoil the broth'! 😉 TTFN 😊.
March 25, 2018
Abandoned
This was a fast paced book. It kept me wondering what was going to happen next. I was somewhat disappointed with the ending. I was thinking that his sister might be found. All and all I stayed with the story until the very end.
This was a fast paced book. It kept me wondering what was going to happen next. I was somewhat disappointed with the ending. I was thinking that his sister might be found. All and all I stayed with the story until the very end.
May 25, 2018
This was one scary book. I do not think I would want to visit this orphanage. The author did an awesome job describing the Home so well that I got the creeps reading where the group went. It was too bad that Anna and Jacob did not get closure about their missing loved ones.
Read
August 16, 2019Really good
It was a really great story. I liked all the little details, really pulled it together in my opinion. I would recommend this book to my friends. Can't wait to read more from this author
It was a really great story. I liked all the little details, really pulled it together in my opinion. I would recommend this book to my friends. Can't wait to read more from this author
October 26, 2020
The Abandoned Orphange
This was a great story line. The orphanage was a sad and mean place to be. Things happened continuously in the orphanage. The room would change and you never knew what was waiting around the corner.
This was a great story line. The orphanage was a sad and mean place to be. Things happened continuously in the orphanage. The room would change and you never knew what was waiting around the corner.
June 24, 2017
Not great.
Too long to get started due to far too much description which spoiled what could have been a potentially good read.
Too long to get started due to far too much description which spoiled what could have been a potentially good read.
June 28, 2017
Wow
Just loved it this will keep your interest right till the end the only thing what happened to the boys _____ couldn't finish this sentence didn't want to spoil the book
Just loved it this will keep your interest right till the end the only thing what happened to the boys _____ couldn't finish this sentence didn't want to spoil the book
March 28, 2018
The Abandoned Orphanage
The story was an interesting one, but the book really needed a proof reader. It was not well written.
The book might be good for those ten and up.
The story was an interesting one, but the book really needed a proof reader. It was not well written.
The book might be good for those ten and up.
September 26, 2018
Chilling book!
Jacob's sister disappears just n an old abandoned orphanage and he enlisted a reporter named Jose to help him solve the mystery. Very scary and chilling book!
Jacob's sister disappears just n an old abandoned orphanage and he enlisted a reporter named Jose to help him solve the mystery. Very scary and chilling book!
Read
October 1, 2019Good story
It was a good story .a bit scary att times.but a good story to it ,althoughi im not a lover of horror stories usually
It was a good story .a bit scary att times.but a good story to it ,althoughi im not a lover of horror stories usually
Displaying 1 - 30 of 48 reviews