What do you think?
Rate this book
House of Echoes: A Novel
In this enthralling and atmospheric thriller, one young family's dream of a better life is about to become a nightmare.
Ben and Caroline Tierney and their two young boys are hoping to start over. Ben has hit a dead end with his new novel, Caroline has lost her banking job, and eight-year-old Charlie is being bullied at his Manhattan school.
When Ben inherits land in the village of Swannhaven, in a remote corner of upstate New York, the Tierneys believe it's just the break they need, and they leave behind all they know to restore a sprawling estate. But as Ben uncovers Swannhaven's chilling secrets and Charlie ventures deeper into the surrounding forest, strange things begin to happen. The Tierneys realize that their new home isn't the fresh start they needed . . . and that the village's haunting saga is far from over.
House of Echoes is a novel that shows how sometimes the ties that bind us are the only things that can keep us whole.
Ben and Caroline Tierney and their two young boys are hoping to start over. Ben has hit a dead end with his new novel, Caroline has lost her banking job, and eight-year-old Charlie is being bullied at his Manhattan school.
When Ben inherits land in the village of Swannhaven, in a remote corner of upstate New York, the Tierneys believe it's just the break they need, and they leave behind all they know to restore a sprawling estate. But as Ben uncovers Swannhaven's chilling secrets and Charlie ventures deeper into the surrounding forest, strange things begin to happen. The Tierneys realize that their new home isn't the fresh start they needed . . . and that the village's haunting saga is far from over.
House of Echoes is a novel that shows how sometimes the ties that bind us are the only things that can keep us whole.
416 pages, Paperback
First published April 14, 2015
255 people are currently reading
6027 people want to read
About the author
Brendan Duffy
3 books127 followersBrendan Duffy is the author of THE STORM KING and HOUSE OF ECHOES. He lives in New York.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 775 reviews
July 14, 2018
this is a gothic horror novel that has a very classic feel to it. it doesn't try to transcend the genre or break any metafictional ground but it does deliver a solid, if familiar, smalltown thriller.
the premise is one we have seen before: young family tries to escape their problems by moving from big city to quaint small town only to discover that they have unwittingly barged into a very close-knit community with shared history and unspeakable seeecrets and this move has most assuredly not been an escape from anything.
the details around this skeleton: ben and caroline tierney are a manhattan couple with troubles. ben is a writer whose second book flopped, and bipolar caroline has been cut loose from her banking job due to the economic downturn. their eight-year-old son charlie is being bullied at school and they have a second son - a baby they call "bub." with money inherited from his grandmother, ben moves the family upstate to swannhaven, her hometown, where they set out to renovate a massive estate, planning to transform it into an inn. the area is beautiful, surrounded by woods, and the property is quite isolated. brittle caroline spends most of her time trying out new recipes to serve to the prospective guests and fretting about furniture and painting while charlie wanders out exploring the woods, alone but sensing a presence with which he attempts to communicate. ben, meanwhile, sets out to meet the other townsfolk, with their old world charms, from whom he learns a great deal about the history of swannhaven, including stories of his grandmother. but it wouldn't be much of a horror novel without the sense that they were holding something back - something not revealed to outsiders, even outsiders with an ancestral stake.
secrets will slowly reveal themselves, and the tension will increase as disemboweled and decapitated animals are found on the property, and as caroline becomes more erratic, and charlie more withdrawn. there's good escalation here, and red herrings and all the things you want from a thriller. the ending is a bit predictable, but that's not really a dealbreaker for the genre, and this one does hew pretty close to the traditional skeleton.
the book opens with a letter written in 1777 by one of the first settlers of the area. this is the first in a series that will punctuate the novel, and it tells the story of the brutal winter of '77, when the founding families huddled together in the very estate in which the tierneys now live, freezing and starving as the land was besieged by indian raids and their survival seemed unlikely. these letters become increasingly stricken, and they add both a touch of historical drama and the "natural" horror of man vs. the elements, which is always a nice bonus in thrillers (see Deliverance, where the river is just as dangerous as the hill people or the descent where spelunking is just as dangerous as… whatever those things were.)
not groundbreaking, but a solid debut thriller.
come to my blog!
the premise is one we have seen before: young family tries to escape their problems by moving from big city to quaint small town only to discover that they have unwittingly barged into a very close-knit community with shared history and unspeakable seeecrets and this move has most assuredly not been an escape from anything.
the details around this skeleton: ben and caroline tierney are a manhattan couple with troubles. ben is a writer whose second book flopped, and bipolar caroline has been cut loose from her banking job due to the economic downturn. their eight-year-old son charlie is being bullied at school and they have a second son - a baby they call "bub." with money inherited from his grandmother, ben moves the family upstate to swannhaven, her hometown, where they set out to renovate a massive estate, planning to transform it into an inn. the area is beautiful, surrounded by woods, and the property is quite isolated. brittle caroline spends most of her time trying out new recipes to serve to the prospective guests and fretting about furniture and painting while charlie wanders out exploring the woods, alone but sensing a presence with which he attempts to communicate. ben, meanwhile, sets out to meet the other townsfolk, with their old world charms, from whom he learns a great deal about the history of swannhaven, including stories of his grandmother. but it wouldn't be much of a horror novel without the sense that they were holding something back - something not revealed to outsiders, even outsiders with an ancestral stake.
secrets will slowly reveal themselves, and the tension will increase as disemboweled and decapitated animals are found on the property, and as caroline becomes more erratic, and charlie more withdrawn. there's good escalation here, and red herrings and all the things you want from a thriller. the ending is a bit predictable, but that's not really a dealbreaker for the genre, and this one does hew pretty close to the traditional skeleton.
the book opens with a letter written in 1777 by one of the first settlers of the area. this is the first in a series that will punctuate the novel, and it tells the story of the brutal winter of '77, when the founding families huddled together in the very estate in which the tierneys now live, freezing and starving as the land was besieged by indian raids and their survival seemed unlikely. these letters become increasingly stricken, and they add both a touch of historical drama and the "natural" horror of man vs. the elements, which is always a nice bonus in thrillers (see Deliverance, where the river is just as dangerous as the hill people or the descent where spelunking is just as dangerous as… whatever those things were.)
not groundbreaking, but a solid debut thriller.
come to my blog!
September 28, 2016
I received this book from Netgalley with the unspoken promise that I would write a review. So here it is:
So, this here book has been haunting me for over two months and not in a creeptastically good way. It became (if only in my head) the book that would not end and the book I had to finish because I had invested so much of my free time. I swear the word count got larger every time I closed my Kindle App. Moral of this story? If everything in you screams at you to DNF a book just do it because sometimes they really don’t get better. I don’t care what others say. DNFing is NOT a bad thing when you have a tbr pile that will outlive you.
Now don’t get me wrong, this book is not horrible it’s just too long. It’s about a family with problems who escapes the big city to live on an isolated, dilapidated inherited estate which they plan to turn into a bed and breakfast. Dumbest idea ever but who am I to judge? The location is remote, the locals kind of weird and there is most definitely something odd going on in the woods. But the pages are so filled with extraneous and uninteresting (to me) detail that it makes for a painfully SLOW reading experience. Believe it or not, I can deal with slow if it leads up to something of interest eventually happening or if the characters grab me emotionally but neither really happened here. The family was extremely disconnected from one another so it was hard to feel much of anything for them. There was some vague creepy goings-on, a few flashbacks to a dire historical tale of survival on the land but mostly it just plodded along for the first 2/3rds with house renovations, pressing home décor selections, family disconnect and strife and boring town council (or somesuch) meetings. I found it difficult to keep my eyes open no matter how hard the book tried.
And it must be said that innocent animals are harmed in this story and the couple’s young boy is totally unfazed by it. I still don’t understand that bit and I wish I could unread it because it bothers me more than anything else that happened in the book.
If you’re a fan of slow, atmospheric tales of haunted (or maybe not) houses and you don’t mind many sidesteps into mundanity you will enjoy this book more than I did.
So, this here book has been haunting me for over two months and not in a creeptastically good way. It became (if only in my head) the book that would not end and the book I had to finish because I had invested so much of my free time. I swear the word count got larger every time I closed my Kindle App. Moral of this story? If everything in you screams at you to DNF a book just do it because sometimes they really don’t get better. I don’t care what others say. DNFing is NOT a bad thing when you have a tbr pile that will outlive you.
Now don’t get me wrong, this book is not horrible it’s just too long. It’s about a family with problems who escapes the big city to live on an isolated, dilapidated inherited estate which they plan to turn into a bed and breakfast. Dumbest idea ever but who am I to judge? The location is remote, the locals kind of weird and there is most definitely something odd going on in the woods. But the pages are so filled with extraneous and uninteresting (to me) detail that it makes for a painfully SLOW reading experience. Believe it or not, I can deal with slow if it leads up to something of interest eventually happening or if the characters grab me emotionally but neither really happened here. The family was extremely disconnected from one another so it was hard to feel much of anything for them. There was some vague creepy goings-on, a few flashbacks to a dire historical tale of survival on the land but mostly it just plodded along for the first 2/3rds with house renovations, pressing home décor selections, family disconnect and strife and boring town council (or somesuch) meetings. I found it difficult to keep my eyes open no matter how hard the book tried.
And it must be said that innocent animals are harmed in this story and the couple’s young boy is totally unfazed by it. I still don’t understand that bit and I wish I could unread it because it bothers me more than anything else that happened in the book.
If you’re a fan of slow, atmospheric tales of haunted (or maybe not) houses and you don’t mind many sidesteps into mundanity you will enjoy this book more than I did.
September 16, 2021
Ben Tierney's grandmother has died and left him and his brother the old family house and the land that belongs to it. He learns that the Croft, the family Swann's old home is for sale while being there and inspecting the old family house. Ben and Caroline, his wife, feels like that would be the perfect place to start over since they had a rough year. They move to the Croft and start to renovate the house to make it into an inn. Charlie and Bub, their children, seem to love the place and Charlie their older boy especially seems to love to roam the woods. But strange things are happening, dead animals are left around the house and outside the door and Charlie feels that someone is watching them from the woods.
House of Echoes is not a book for those that can't stand a story that takes its time to get to the action. Sometimes slow buildup works and sometimes it doesn't and I think the slow buildup worked quite well, for the most part, even though even I felt sometimes that I wanted to get to the point.
But what I really liked about this book is despite how normal everything seems and how lovely the Crofts and the close town Swannhaven seem to be, you just know that something is wrong. You just don't know what it is, but there seems to be some big secret the people in the village have. You get some clues in the letters that are alternating the chapters from the 1800 century during the terrible Winter siege when Swannhaven was attacked by Indians and the people starved.
I was quickly pulled into the story, I have a weakness for books with families moving to an old house with a history, and the Crofts sure has been true a lot since it was built in the 1800 century. The two sisters that were the last Swann's died two years prior and Ben and Caroline are the first to live in the house that is not of the family. And at first, everything is just fine, but slowly, slowly things start to happen until the very end when everything is revealed. The ending is really no big surprise, I mean there are clues throughout the book that there is something very wrong. I admit that it felt sometimes like it took some time to get somewhere despite how well-written the book was. I did enjoy the story, but I felt sometimes a bit impatient and it never got truly thrilling though it got a bit intense towards the end. I think I actually was most worried about the dog Hudson throughout the book. Animals in books like this have a tendency to perish.
I'm impressed with this debut book by Brendan Duffy and will without a doubt read more from him.
Thanks to Random House and NetGalley for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!
House of Echoes is not a book for those that can't stand a story that takes its time to get to the action. Sometimes slow buildup works and sometimes it doesn't and I think the slow buildup worked quite well, for the most part, even though even I felt sometimes that I wanted to get to the point.
But what I really liked about this book is despite how normal everything seems and how lovely the Crofts and the close town Swannhaven seem to be, you just know that something is wrong. You just don't know what it is, but there seems to be some big secret the people in the village have. You get some clues in the letters that are alternating the chapters from the 1800 century during the terrible Winter siege when Swannhaven was attacked by Indians and the people starved.
I was quickly pulled into the story, I have a weakness for books with families moving to an old house with a history, and the Crofts sure has been true a lot since it was built in the 1800 century. The two sisters that were the last Swann's died two years prior and Ben and Caroline are the first to live in the house that is not of the family. And at first, everything is just fine, but slowly, slowly things start to happen until the very end when everything is revealed. The ending is really no big surprise, I mean there are clues throughout the book that there is something very wrong. I admit that it felt sometimes like it took some time to get somewhere despite how well-written the book was. I did enjoy the story, but I felt sometimes a bit impatient and it never got truly thrilling though it got a bit intense towards the end. I think I actually was most worried about the dog Hudson throughout the book. Animals in books like this have a tendency to perish.
I'm impressed with this debut book by Brendan Duffy and will without a doubt read more from him.
Thanks to Random House and NetGalley for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!
March 9, 2015
A solid and enjoyable debut from Brendan Duffy: a gothic style mystery that had excellent pacing with subtle clues that can be easily missed, and those are my favorite kind. There is a constant feeling that something ominous is quietly lurking behind every page. Duffy never lets us get too comfortable. There are no tricks and no gimmicks here, just good, old-fashioned storytelling. I did feel like the author lost a little steam at the end, not quite knowing exactly how to wrap things up and kind of went for an artsy sort of ending. It was like he knew what he wanted to say, but not exactly how to say it (you'll know what I mean if you read it). I wasn't too crazy about that artsy wrap up, especially since the book was so classic and straightforward in all other respects. It didn't quite fit with the overall tone and feeling of the book. But he did tie up the loose ends and for that I am satisfied. I'm teetering between 3 and 4 stars, but I'm rounding up instead of down here because it was highly readable, perfectly paced, had well-developed characters, and didn't try any funny stuff (unless you count those last 3 pages). Good job, Brendan Duffy. You're one to watch.
June 12, 2015
3.5 it has been awhile since I have read a horror novel, not because I don't like them but because I haven't found many that don't include vampires or zombies. This one fit the bill nicely. Has a flavor and tome that reminded me of Salem's lot or, Children of the corn, though the children in this book are not the villains.
Moving into a huge old place, The Croft, in Ben's grandmother's old village, he and his family hope to make a new start. Caroline has plans to renovate the place and make it into an inn. Charlie, in the beginning loves the woods, and spends much time there.
Things don't turn out as they planned, as they find many things wrong, though it takes a while. What is in those woods and what is going on with the village?
ARC from libraryrhing
I think the key to liking this, novel, is liking the family. I didn't at first, though they slowly grew on me as revelations were made that explained some of the behavior that bothered me. But, a good solid horror move, well written, spooky enough not to, read at night, or so I thought. There is part near the end that furthered the plot but didn't make much sense. You will have to read the book to find out which part it is.
Moving into a huge old place, The Croft, in Ben's grandmother's old village, he and his family hope to make a new start. Caroline has plans to renovate the place and make it into an inn. Charlie, in the beginning loves the woods, and spends much time there.
Things don't turn out as they planned, as they find many things wrong, though it takes a while. What is in those woods and what is going on with the village?
ARC from libraryrhing
I think the key to liking this, novel, is liking the family. I didn't at first, though they slowly grew on me as revelations were made that explained some of the behavior that bothered me. But, a good solid horror move, well written, spooky enough not to, read at night, or so I thought. There is part near the end that furthered the plot but didn't make much sense. You will have to read the book to find out which part it is.
December 4, 2016
At first, the more I got into this book, the more it reminded me of another thriller, Chris Bohjalian's THE NIGHT STRANGERS. A man (here he's a writer with writer's block) and his wife (she has some mental health issues) and two kids (boys in this case) move to an old fixer-upper mansion in small-town New England, where the house and surrounding forest are of a foreboding nature, to say the least. I loved C.B.'s book, and this one maybe even more. Right up until the end, that is, when it just got a little more farfetched than I'm willing or able to accept.
The previous owners' histories become of interest to the protagonist, and he decides to write about them, gathering as much history as possible from the local villagers--mostly members of other families who have graced the area for centuries, including, what else, an herbalist. But this isn't the half of it. There are mutillated animals in the woods, killed by... who, or what? Multiple fires. Eerie noises in the house and woods. The eight year old son is acting as if possessed and finds someone or something in the woods to keep him occupied. It's all leading up to the couple finishing their remodel and opening up a much anticipated bed and breakfast, sure to fix all their problems.
Right. Don't believe any of it for a second
The previous owners' histories become of interest to the protagonist, and he decides to write about them, gathering as much history as possible from the local villagers--mostly members of other families who have graced the area for centuries, including, what else, an herbalist. But this isn't the half of it. There are mutillated animals in the woods, killed by... who, or what? Multiple fires. Eerie noises in the house and woods. The eight year old son is acting as if possessed and finds someone or something in the woods to keep him occupied. It's all leading up to the couple finishing their remodel and opening up a much anticipated bed and breakfast, sure to fix all their problems.
Right. Don't believe any of it for a second
August 9, 2019
This book is so scary I would not recommend it to be made in to a film. Amazing read!
March 5, 2015
2.5 stars.
HOUSE OF ECHOES is the first novel by author Brendan Duffy. A gothic style mystery that centers around a small town that obstinately clings to its past and each other, forsaking all "outside" influence.
It begins with a typical "family looking to get away from city troubles" theme, and inheriting property that they never knew existed from a deceased relative. The family gave off the impression of being strangers co-existing, rather than an actual family. The only character I felt I "knew" throughout the course of the book was Ben, the father. Conveniently, it turns out that Ben is a descendant of the original families to settle there.
While the writing was good, I felt that it took entirely too long for anything to really happen. Yes, the menacing atmosphere continued to build, but there were so many lulls in the action that I was losing interest fairly quickly. While the ending was solid--although rather predictable by that point--the real drama seemed to occur within the last 12% of the novel. For myself, this made the previous 88% seem like mere "filler".
Overall, a solid writing style that shows promise, but just too drawn out for my tastes.
*I received an advance copy of this bevel from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.*
HOUSE OF ECHOES is the first novel by author Brendan Duffy. A gothic style mystery that centers around a small town that obstinately clings to its past and each other, forsaking all "outside" influence.
It begins with a typical "family looking to get away from city troubles" theme, and inheriting property that they never knew existed from a deceased relative. The family gave off the impression of being strangers co-existing, rather than an actual family. The only character I felt I "knew" throughout the course of the book was Ben, the father. Conveniently, it turns out that Ben is a descendant of the original families to settle there.
While the writing was good, I felt that it took entirely too long for anything to really happen. Yes, the menacing atmosphere continued to build, but there were so many lulls in the action that I was losing interest fairly quickly. While the ending was solid--although rather predictable by that point--the real drama seemed to occur within the last 12% of the novel. For myself, this made the previous 88% seem like mere "filler".
Overall, a solid writing style that shows promise, but just too drawn out for my tastes.
*I received an advance copy of this bevel from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.*
December 14, 2017
2.5 stars
This is truly one of those "ok" ratings. Not bad, not good, but kind of boring and stereotypical of the gothic-thriller genre. The premise is good, intriguing even in it's 'been done many times before' theme. But I never really felt any depth or connection with the characters and their actions were always so damn predictable.
Ben and Caroline Tiernny escape their high-paced city life and retreat to a quaint little village where Ben's family descended from, Swannhaven. Not only do they purchase a creepy old house with a history of death and fires but the Tiernny's encounter the not-so-welcoming townspeople that always seem a bit 'off'. As strange things begin to happen, including the disappearance of their infant son, the Tiernny's question their decision of moving to Swannhaven....but will they be able to escape the noises of the night?
"Demons in the woods, Devil at your door".
I received a free digital copy of this book in return for an honest review. Thank you Netgalley!
This is truly one of those "ok" ratings. Not bad, not good, but kind of boring and stereotypical of the gothic-thriller genre. The premise is good, intriguing even in it's 'been done many times before' theme. But I never really felt any depth or connection with the characters and their actions were always so damn predictable.
Ben and Caroline Tiernny escape their high-paced city life and retreat to a quaint little village where Ben's family descended from, Swannhaven. Not only do they purchase a creepy old house with a history of death and fires but the Tiernny's encounter the not-so-welcoming townspeople that always seem a bit 'off'. As strange things begin to happen, including the disappearance of their infant son, the Tiernny's question their decision of moving to Swannhaven....but will they be able to escape the noises of the night?
"Demons in the woods, Devil at your door".
I received a free digital copy of this book in return for an honest review. Thank you Netgalley!
March 5, 2016
I am always in pursuit of great creepy thrillers. Especially a good story that adds some historical fiction flavor. Maybe haunted, maybe not. Just as long as it gives the creepy tingle up the spine. House of Echoes is that story.
It has perfect pacing, starting out in the hazy, dreamy days of summer. Something is not right with the inn the Tierney's are renovating and living in, and there's something off about the small, unfriendly village where it's located. And the creepiness sets in.
The storytelling is superb (and certainly a nod to Stephen King), while the writing is crisp, clean, and uncluttered. The multiple viewpoints, from well-defined characters adds dimension and suspense. Throw in some great twists and eery atmosphere and House of Echoes was one of the best thrillers I've read in a very long time. I was riveted start to finish.
It has perfect pacing, starting out in the hazy, dreamy days of summer. Something is not right with the inn the Tierney's are renovating and living in, and there's something off about the small, unfriendly village where it's located. And the creepiness sets in.
The storytelling is superb (and certainly a nod to Stephen King), while the writing is crisp, clean, and uncluttered. The multiple viewpoints, from well-defined characters adds dimension and suspense. Throw in some great twists and eery atmosphere and House of Echoes was one of the best thrillers I've read in a very long time. I was riveted start to finish.
July 10, 2018
A very solid, enjoyable horror thriller with a great cast of characters, and a steady storyline that kept me interested thru to the end.
It’s narrators of the audiobook were George Newbern and Allyson Ryan. They were also very good.
Recommended to anyone interested, and I give this novel 3.5 stars.
It’s narrators of the audiobook were George Newbern and Allyson Ryan. They were also very good.
Recommended to anyone interested, and I give this novel 3.5 stars.
April 12, 2015
In a genre that relies on a dark atmosphere, suspense, mystery and dark secrets from both the past and the present, Brendan Duffy’s House of Echoes is a breath of fresh contemporary air. A young family of four already burdened with inner turmoil leaves the pressures of city life behind to re-create themselves in a quiet small town and a dilapidated old mansion. Little do they know their dream life will turn into a nightmare from Hell even as the good citizens of the town appear to offer kindness, a warm casserole and an otherworldly curse?
Ben and Caroline have turned the world as they know it on its heels when they decide that restoring an old mansion into a Bed & Breakfast is the perfect way to make a clean start, without the burdens of the past to overpower them. Small town stories and legends abound as they soon discover not only may their house be haunted, but woods around them may be a deathtrap to anyone who ventures near them is this Hell on Earth. Everyone has secrets, but what happens when they are exposed, deadly and aimed at your family?
Brendan Duffy has put the thrill back in thrillers as he weaves his tale of terror. Well-paced, filled with characters that just don’t feel right (because they aren’t), as well as characters who are completely unsuspecting (because they were) and the dark shadow in the woods. Everything as is not as it seems and Brendan Duffy will leave you looking over your shoulder and under your bed for days after reading this one!
I received an ARC edition from Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine in exchange for my honest review.
Publication Date: April 14, 2015
Publisher: Ballantine Books
ISBN: 9780804178112
Genre: Thriller|Suspense
Print Length: 402 pages
Available from: Amazon | Barnes & Noble
Reviewed for: http://tometender.blogspot.com
Ben and Caroline have turned the world as they know it on its heels when they decide that restoring an old mansion into a Bed & Breakfast is the perfect way to make a clean start, without the burdens of the past to overpower them. Small town stories and legends abound as they soon discover not only may their house be haunted, but woods around them may be a deathtrap to anyone who ventures near them is this Hell on Earth. Everyone has secrets, but what happens when they are exposed, deadly and aimed at your family?
Brendan Duffy has put the thrill back in thrillers as he weaves his tale of terror. Well-paced, filled with characters that just don’t feel right (because they aren’t), as well as characters who are completely unsuspecting (because they were) and the dark shadow in the woods. Everything as is not as it seems and Brendan Duffy will leave you looking over your shoulder and under your bed for days after reading this one!
I received an ARC edition from Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine in exchange for my honest review.
Publication Date: April 14, 2015
Publisher: Ballantine Books
ISBN: 9780804178112
Genre: Thriller|Suspense
Print Length: 402 pages
Available from: Amazon | Barnes & Noble
Reviewed for: http://tometender.blogspot.com
October 17, 2015
House of Echos by Brendan Duffy is a 2015 Ballantine Books publication. I was provided a copy of this book by the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
It seems that the good old fashioned chiller is a thing of the past, replaced by blood, gore, and slashers, with as much nauseating violence as possible. The understated, atmospheric, spine tingling suspense that makes you jump at every little noise in the house, is a lost art, for the most part.
However, in “House of Echos”, the horror genre is blessed with a well thought out thriller that creates a sinister tone, setting the stage for the slow, but steady increase of suspense and foreboding, that keeps you turning the pages, but dreading what you will find there.
The writing was a bit jarring at times as the author shifted gears suddenly, taking me in an entirely new direction I wasn't expecting. However, the build up of suspense was superb despite the occasional sharp turns here and there.
This story is an ideal Halloween read, if you are in the mood for a spooky tale this month. I loved the Gothic undertones in this one, and appreciated the limited amount of violence and gore. Naturally, with a novel classified as 'horror', one must expect some disturbing descriptions and events, and in this case animals seem to be a target, and of course as an animal advocate, I cringed a lot. I don't know why animals and small children always have to be the first targets when evil hangs in the air.
However, for the most part the author replies upon the psychological tension in this family unit, and the parallel to events of the distant past, in a small community, set in a large isolated mansion, filled with a deeply rooted feeling of oppression. You get the idea...
I rarely read horror novels any more, but of course the month of October puts me the mood for a supernatural tale. I'm very picky about the books I will read within this genre, and am delighted to say this one did the job it set out to do, by giving me a few chills and thrills along the way.
3.5 stars
It seems that the good old fashioned chiller is a thing of the past, replaced by blood, gore, and slashers, with as much nauseating violence as possible. The understated, atmospheric, spine tingling suspense that makes you jump at every little noise in the house, is a lost art, for the most part.
However, in “House of Echos”, the horror genre is blessed with a well thought out thriller that creates a sinister tone, setting the stage for the slow, but steady increase of suspense and foreboding, that keeps you turning the pages, but dreading what you will find there.
The writing was a bit jarring at times as the author shifted gears suddenly, taking me in an entirely new direction I wasn't expecting. However, the build up of suspense was superb despite the occasional sharp turns here and there.
This story is an ideal Halloween read, if you are in the mood for a spooky tale this month. I loved the Gothic undertones in this one, and appreciated the limited amount of violence and gore. Naturally, with a novel classified as 'horror', one must expect some disturbing descriptions and events, and in this case animals seem to be a target, and of course as an animal advocate, I cringed a lot. I don't know why animals and small children always have to be the first targets when evil hangs in the air.
However, for the most part the author replies upon the psychological tension in this family unit, and the parallel to events of the distant past, in a small community, set in a large isolated mansion, filled with a deeply rooted feeling of oppression. You get the idea...
I rarely read horror novels any more, but of course the month of October puts me the mood for a supernatural tale. I'm very picky about the books I will read within this genre, and am delighted to say this one did the job it set out to do, by giving me a few chills and thrills along the way.
3.5 stars
July 29, 2015
I gave this book 3 stars and I might go 3.5. The book is about a family trying to escape the busy and sometimes dangerous life of a big city. While looking at property his grandmother left to him and his brother Ted, Ben Tierney talks to his wife Caroline about possibly moving to the village of Swannhaven. The Tierney's decide to buy a large mansion on the Drop, fix it up and open a bed and breakfast. They are hoping for a slower paced life and a safer life for their two sons, Charlie and Bub. However, not all small towns are safe and before long, the Tierney's realize that something is not quite right.
This is a debut novel and it is very well-written. But, the storyline is one that has appeared before and did not seem to present anything new. Hence, the 3 to 3.5 stars. Good, but not great.
This is a debut novel and it is very well-written. But, the storyline is one that has appeared before and did not seem to present anything new. Hence, the 3 to 3.5 stars. Good, but not great.
April 14, 2015
A special thank you to Random House Publishing Group/Ballantine, and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Brendan Duffy’s HOUSE OF ECHOES is a suspense psychological thriller of one family’s journey, leaving you page-turning into the wee hours of the morning.
A family in trouble, the Tierneys need to get away for a fresh start. When Ben inherits some land overlooking the village of Swannhaven, from his grandmother, in a remote area of upstate New York, they decide to leave Manhattan behind.
Ben is a writer and his second novel is not going so well, his wife, Carolyn, a banker, with bipolar disorder, has lost her job. Their eight year old son, Charlie was being bullied at school; so a good time to pick up and move with two month old Bub, for a fresh new start.
They buy an old estate nearby and make plans for renovation. They move into the 1700s original home, called The Crofts of the Swann family, and have dreams of turning it into an inn. The house is located on a plateau called The Drop between two mountains. While preparing for renovations and their new home/business, they begin researching the history of the home and the town, as well as establishing relationships in town.
At first things seem to be going as planned, and the renovations are moving along. Charlie is busy exploring in the woods and Ben has an idea for his novel, Carolyn busy with the renovation plans.
However, things begin to change, with dark haunting secrets and evil lurking, with strange chilling things happening through the forest. Swannshaven has some history going back to the Revolution. Everyone seems strange as winter approaches, and they begin uncovering secrets and Charlie becomes withdrawn venturing deep into the woods. Carolyn, who is always walking a fine line with depression, is not happy and the baby is crying more. The family is coming apart, and their well laid plans are falling apart.
What happened in this town, now haunted by echoes in the forest? A mix of horror, mystery, gothic, suspense, humor, and supernatural thriller. King fans will be reminded of The Shinning. Duffy keeps the intensity and suspense high, with some nice writing and storytelling. Look forward to more --to come!
Being in the hotel business and working with investors to purchase mixed use properties, renovating them for B&B inns, historic, and boutique hotels, I have come across some scary ghost properties, especially in some older remote towns. I have actually worked as an innkeeper for some haunted inns and stayed in a few. Fun, fun!
Judith D. Collins Must Read Books
Brendan Duffy’s HOUSE OF ECHOES is a suspense psychological thriller of one family’s journey, leaving you page-turning into the wee hours of the morning.
A family in trouble, the Tierneys need to get away for a fresh start. When Ben inherits some land overlooking the village of Swannhaven, from his grandmother, in a remote area of upstate New York, they decide to leave Manhattan behind.
Ben is a writer and his second novel is not going so well, his wife, Carolyn, a banker, with bipolar disorder, has lost her job. Their eight year old son, Charlie was being bullied at school; so a good time to pick up and move with two month old Bub, for a fresh new start.
They buy an old estate nearby and make plans for renovation. They move into the 1700s original home, called The Crofts of the Swann family, and have dreams of turning it into an inn. The house is located on a plateau called The Drop between two mountains. While preparing for renovations and their new home/business, they begin researching the history of the home and the town, as well as establishing relationships in town.
At first things seem to be going as planned, and the renovations are moving along. Charlie is busy exploring in the woods and Ben has an idea for his novel, Carolyn busy with the renovation plans.
However, things begin to change, with dark haunting secrets and evil lurking, with strange chilling things happening through the forest. Swannshaven has some history going back to the Revolution. Everyone seems strange as winter approaches, and they begin uncovering secrets and Charlie becomes withdrawn venturing deep into the woods. Carolyn, who is always walking a fine line with depression, is not happy and the baby is crying more. The family is coming apart, and their well laid plans are falling apart.
What happened in this town, now haunted by echoes in the forest? A mix of horror, mystery, gothic, suspense, humor, and supernatural thriller. King fans will be reminded of The Shinning. Duffy keeps the intensity and suspense high, with some nice writing and storytelling. Look forward to more --to come!
Being in the hotel business and working with investors to purchase mixed use properties, renovating them for B&B inns, historic, and boutique hotels, I have come across some scary ghost properties, especially in some older remote towns. I have actually worked as an innkeeper for some haunted inns and stayed in a few. Fun, fun!
Judith D. Collins Must Read Books
March 25, 2015
This book reminds me of thriller movies such as 'The Shining' and 'Rosemary's Baby' with a twist of an author Dean Koontz. These of course, are some of my favorites. My imagination coupled with a talented writer is clearly vivid if I can't read a book in the dark with just a book light or alone. I finally resorted to finishing this book in the comfort of my home, in daylight, with curtains open, lamps blazing and my dog by my side.
The writing and style hooked me from the very beginning. A classic and old historical story, yet had a contemporary feel to it. It felt eerie and chilling throughout several chapters. Almost ghost-like. It think it could have used a little more 'chill' though.
I enjoyed the history of the family, the village, the estate and the tragedies with which they befall for over 300 years. When Ben was in the cellar with his son Charlie, I felt unnerved but very curious about what they would find down there. The description of the items found were so vivid it almost felt as if I were in the cellar with them. *shiver*. Ben finds items that his ancestors left behind, which add to his growing questions about the estate and the people in it.
Something is also in the woods. A 'WATCHER'. Little Charlie spends much of his time out there, playing. *shiver*
Ben and Caroline's marriage felt like I was on a roller coaster of emotions. Happy and bantering one minute, desperate and miserable the next and part of it comes from the strangeness of the villagers. Ben tries so hard to understand the emotional turmoil Caroline is going through but it feels as if he is walking on egg shells, tip toeing around her moods. The writer genuinely knows what it feels like to care for a loved one who's anxiety builds along side paranoia and then becomes manic. It is exhausting to read, but even more so to live it. It sucks the life out of you. All the while Ben and Caroline are trying to repair the estate, in hopes that it will some how restore their sense of direction in life, with each other, their children and themselves; but things keeping going wrong.
They soon find out this move was a big mistake.
I couldn't decide whether to give it 3 or 4 stars. Some chapters were at 3, some at 4. I'll give it 3 stars and hope the writer will deliver us another book.
A special thank you to Random House Publishing Group/Ballantine, and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
The writing and style hooked me from the very beginning. A classic and old historical story, yet had a contemporary feel to it. It felt eerie and chilling throughout several chapters. Almost ghost-like. It think it could have used a little more 'chill' though.
I enjoyed the history of the family, the village, the estate and the tragedies with which they befall for over 300 years. When Ben was in the cellar with his son Charlie, I felt unnerved but very curious about what they would find down there. The description of the items found were so vivid it almost felt as if I were in the cellar with them. *shiver*. Ben finds items that his ancestors left behind, which add to his growing questions about the estate and the people in it.
Something is also in the woods. A 'WATCHER'. Little Charlie spends much of his time out there, playing. *shiver*
Ben and Caroline's marriage felt like I was on a roller coaster of emotions. Happy and bantering one minute, desperate and miserable the next and part of it comes from the strangeness of the villagers. Ben tries so hard to understand the emotional turmoil Caroline is going through but it feels as if he is walking on egg shells, tip toeing around her moods. The writer genuinely knows what it feels like to care for a loved one who's anxiety builds along side paranoia and then becomes manic. It is exhausting to read, but even more so to live it. It sucks the life out of you. All the while Ben and Caroline are trying to repair the estate, in hopes that it will some how restore their sense of direction in life, with each other, their children and themselves; but things keeping going wrong.
They soon find out this move was a big mistake.
I couldn't decide whether to give it 3 or 4 stars. Some chapters were at 3, some at 4. I'll give it 3 stars and hope the writer will deliver us another book.
A special thank you to Random House Publishing Group/Ballantine, and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
March 2, 2015
This debut novel is entertaining, though not really breaking any new ground with its premise. A young family, struggling both financially and in their marriage have moved from the city to a crumbling 65-room manor which they plan to restore and use as a country inn/bed-and-breakfast type establishment. They work to rehab the house, but soon the weight of the house’s history becomes apparent. From the very first pages, Duffy creates an ominous tone that hints at more darkness to come.
It’s a polished first novel and I like Duffy’s style as he allows readers directly into Ben’s stream of consciousness. There are some clever lines, too, like “no matter how far you run, you’re still yourself when you get there.” Ultimately, though, there is little that is very fresh or innovative about the book. The history of the manor and the letters add to the overall tension, but it isn’t enough to give the plotline a spin to feel unique. The book drags a bit and like the title suggests, the book itself feels more like an echo of other more successful spooky stories set in small towns chock full of secrets. And despite the tone, there is little here to give any genuine chills to the reader.
It’s a polished first novel and I like Duffy’s style as he allows readers directly into Ben’s stream of consciousness. There are some clever lines, too, like “no matter how far you run, you’re still yourself when you get there.” Ultimately, though, there is little that is very fresh or innovative about the book. The history of the manor and the letters add to the overall tension, but it isn’t enough to give the plotline a spin to feel unique. The book drags a bit and like the title suggests, the book itself feels more like an echo of other more successful spooky stories set in small towns chock full of secrets. And despite the tone, there is little here to give any genuine chills to the reader.
January 22, 2015
ARC for review.
"Ben had wanted a house with a story, but this one had too many of them."
Ben is a man with problems. He's a writer in a sophomore slump, his banker wife lost her job during the recession (and her bi-polarity emerged as a result) and his son is being bullied at school. Time to pick up and move the country, and you know that always turns out well.
With a small inheritance received from his grandmother Ben and Caroline buy and begin to renovate a mansion in tiny Swannhaven, the same town Ben's grandmother was from. The locals are, predictably, an odd lot - some are kind, and some don't cotton to the new folk. The house and the town have secrets and gradually Ben learns some of them, getting a little more freaked out all the time (but never, ever freaked out ENOUGH - I would be the person in the old Eddie Murphy sketch, "Honey, I love this house, this is beautiful...." "GEEEETTTT OUUUUTT!" "Too bad we can't stay, baby.) The ending tied up a bit too neatly for me, but that's a small quibble when I quite enjoyed the ride.
Overall it's an above-average entry in the haunted house genre. This is Duffy's first book and I look forward to seeing what he does next.
Part of Book Riot's 2015 Read Harder challenge.
"Ben had wanted a house with a story, but this one had too many of them."
Ben is a man with problems. He's a writer in a sophomore slump, his banker wife lost her job during the recession (and her bi-polarity emerged as a result) and his son is being bullied at school. Time to pick up and move the country, and you know that always turns out well.
With a small inheritance received from his grandmother Ben and Caroline buy and begin to renovate a mansion in tiny Swannhaven, the same town Ben's grandmother was from. The locals are, predictably, an odd lot - some are kind, and some don't cotton to the new folk. The house and the town have secrets and gradually Ben learns some of them, getting a little more freaked out all the time (but never, ever freaked out ENOUGH - I would be the person in the old Eddie Murphy sketch, "Honey, I love this house, this is beautiful...." "GEEEETTTT OUUUUTT!" "Too bad we can't stay, baby.) The ending tied up a bit too neatly for me, but that's a small quibble when I quite enjoyed the ride.
Overall it's an above-average entry in the haunted house genre. This is Duffy's first book and I look forward to seeing what he does next.
Part of Book Riot's 2015 Read Harder challenge.
December 15, 2016
It's a shame, this book. I read the blurb and it immediately interested me, but you never know what you are going to get with these "family tries to grow closer after a traumatic event so they go to a more solitary location" type stories. The writing, while solid, seemed to focus mostly on the details of the locations and surroundings rather than the characters and their relationships, which ultimately bored me.
The novel focuses on Ben, an author struggling to find the inspiration with his latest novel, trying to appease his wife, Caroline, who is desperate to maintain some semblance of control after losing her job and being recently diagnosed bi-polar, their eight-year-old child, Charlie, who was bullied at his last school in Manhattan, their second child "Bub" and the family dog.
After Ben's grandmother's death, he inherits a large estate in a smaller, supposedly peaceful town where they hope to turn the house and land into a Bed & Breakfast Inn. Gradually creepier and stranger occurrences happen to the family in their new home, and of course, not everything, or everyone, is as it seems.
While this set-up isn't frankly new, it definitely has all the pieces there. But one wonders will this be another The Shining, or maybe The Hills Have Eyes, or maybe Haunted Mansion. The thing is I'm not really even sure what this gothic style mystery was trying to accomplish because I got bogged down in the painfully slow pacing. I mean it just dragged itself along. So many extraneous details about the house, the land, the past, the present, and let's not forgot the 254367 meals Caroline cooks. Yes, there were parts that built tension such as Charlie's times in the woods and the feeling of being watched and having a mysterious friend, but then it would go back to something mundane with the family and the storyline lost focus.
Furthermore, the novel at times felt discombobulated as there is a bit of a campfire tale aspect with letters from 1777 interspersed between chapters, and then there is the family -- Ben, Caroline, and Charlie (sorry, Bub, you couldn't do much), who seems to spend much of the novel apart. They all had their own POVs, but the only one I got a sense of was Ben. There are countless characters, both from the past such as family members and in the present with the strange-acting villagers, and I had trouble at times remembering who was who or trying to figure out if they mattered or furthered the plot. And while the letters do affect the plot, I don't know if they were used throughout the story in a way that felt memorable.
Towards the end the paranoia and tension build to a predictable, but fairly satisfying conclusion with not much that really scared me.
The writing and author have potential, but the storytelling is too busy and yet slow (ha...) for my tastes.
*I received an advance copy of this novel from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.*
The novel focuses on Ben, an author struggling to find the inspiration with his latest novel, trying to appease his wife, Caroline, who is desperate to maintain some semblance of control after losing her job and being recently diagnosed bi-polar, their eight-year-old child, Charlie, who was bullied at his last school in Manhattan, their second child "Bub" and the family dog.
After Ben's grandmother's death, he inherits a large estate in a smaller, supposedly peaceful town where they hope to turn the house and land into a Bed & Breakfast Inn. Gradually creepier and stranger occurrences happen to the family in their new home, and of course, not everything, or everyone, is as it seems.
While this set-up isn't frankly new, it definitely has all the pieces there. But one wonders will this be another The Shining, or maybe The Hills Have Eyes, or maybe Haunted Mansion. The thing is I'm not really even sure what this gothic style mystery was trying to accomplish because I got bogged down in the painfully slow pacing. I mean it just dragged itself along. So many extraneous details about the house, the land, the past, the present, and let's not forgot the 254367 meals Caroline cooks. Yes, there were parts that built tension such as Charlie's times in the woods and the feeling of being watched and having a mysterious friend, but then it would go back to something mundane with the family and the storyline lost focus.
Furthermore, the novel at times felt discombobulated as there is a bit of a campfire tale aspect with letters from 1777 interspersed between chapters, and then there is the family -- Ben, Caroline, and Charlie (sorry, Bub, you couldn't do much), who seems to spend much of the novel apart. They all had their own POVs, but the only one I got a sense of was Ben. There are countless characters, both from the past such as family members and in the present with the strange-acting villagers, and I had trouble at times remembering who was who or trying to figure out if they mattered or furthered the plot. And while the letters do affect the plot, I don't know if they were used throughout the story in a way that felt memorable.
Towards the end the paranoia and tension build to a predictable, but fairly satisfying conclusion with not much that really scared me.
The writing and author have potential, but the storytelling is too busy and yet slow (ha...) for my tastes.
*I received an advance copy of this novel from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.*
October 1, 2015
I already know what my new years resolution will be for 2016: run screaming from books with hype surrounding them. That has been the major theme of my reading year. It's been one disappointment after another. Unless it has Moon in it, I'm running away screaming. Damn it. God. I want alcohol.
I feel like calls for a quote from the Evil Overlords list:
7. When I've captured my adversary and he says, "Look, before you kill me, will you at least tell me what this is all about?" I'll say, "No." and shoot him. No, on second thought I'll shoot him then say "No."
Just exchange 'tell me what this is all about' with 'read this super awesome book' and it's perfect.
This book is a complete mess. It's just horrible. Please, someone, anyone, tell me how this book was published. The prose is horrifying. There is no plot. The characters aren't characters. It's all the way around terrible.
I'm off to find a bridge to jump off of.
I feel like calls for a quote from the Evil Overlords list:
7. When I've captured my adversary and he says, "Look, before you kill me, will you at least tell me what this is all about?" I'll say, "No." and shoot him. No, on second thought I'll shoot him then say "No."
Just exchange 'tell me what this is all about' with 'read this super awesome book' and it's perfect.
This book is a complete mess. It's just horrible. Please, someone, anyone, tell me how this book was published. The prose is horrifying. There is no plot. The characters aren't characters. It's all the way around terrible.
I'm off to find a bridge to jump off of.
February 18, 2015
Initially I liked this but it fell short with so many plot holes. The suspensefull writing led to nothing much in the ending. I had a hard time liking any characters and for me that is key to liking a story!
Caroline was so drole and whiney. Ben was pretty useless. Neither of these people were good parents and Charlie was portrayed as a very unrealistic child. The best part of this novel was the descriptions of the cold winter and the surroundings of the town.
Caroline was so drole and whiney. Ben was pretty useless. Neither of these people were good parents and Charlie was portrayed as a very unrealistic child. The best part of this novel was the descriptions of the cold winter and the surroundings of the town.
May 26, 2015
I absolutely loved this book! Duffy is a very atmospheric writer with the ability to create that dark/eerie setting that so few authors are capable of creating. If I was sitting around a campfire listening to scary tales, I’d want Duffy to be the storyteller. It is hard to believe that this is his debut novel and I am anxiously awaiting his next release.
June 1, 2015
House of Echoes is plagued with problems, from a clichéd plot ripped from X-Files episodes, to an entire lack of action/plot development to a complete and total non-suspension of disbelief. Couple all of these problems with some rich whiney city people who move to a not-rural Eastern town? (C’mon New York; move to Utah, Idaho, New Mexico, Colorado, Nevada, etc., the middle of these states, and then you can start complaining about rural life). It’s a recipe for a boring waste of time.
Let’s start off with the two most glaring issues that everyone can agree make this novel not worth reading. First: nothing happens. Then some more nothing happens. Whine, money, talk, whine, money! talk. Maybe a tad bit of boring back story. Whine. Money. Whine! This sums up the first two-thirds of the book.
As I recount from my experience:
Second, the plot is literally taken from one, two, maybe even 10 episodes of the X-Files. Suspicious villagers! Evil villagers! Your children! I’m not going to give it away, but you can see it coming from the beginning. So much foreshadowing I wasn’t even sure why I needed to keep reading. But I did. Alas.
Third, let’s deal with the suspension of disbelief aspect. I’m a science fiction reader/fan, as well as a fantasy reader/fan. I suspend my disbelief lots and lots and lots. I should have no problems doing it, in a coherent and even mildly thought-out world and plot.
House of Echoes is far from any of those things. Family living in New York, New York sells the tiny apartment, uses their savings and buys a mansion. Or maybe that’s an understatement. This thing they buy had 60 rooms.
60 rooms!
And they’re going to fix it up. 60 rooms!
“Ben had seen castles a third its size. And while the scale of the place was imposing, its opulence was tempered by its condition.”
Even if these people (he’s a two-or-three-time published author and she was a banker) earned some good money in the big city and they bought this place (not on the market for very long) for a song, my disbelief is still broken from the working-over that gave it.
And they want to renovate it. And this isn’t a spoiler: they do renovate it and they even furnish it. Thank about that. Furnishings, even partial, for a 60-room hotel.
You’ve got to be pulling my leg. Oh wait! Brendan Duffy isn’t. It’s just a terribly plotted novel.
Unless these people secretly inherited a fortune in the tens-of-millions I don’t know about, I don’t believe it for a second.
Oh yea: they both drive hybrid Ford Escapes. Yea. And they have money to spare. (Give me a break.)
So then, Duffy harps on this idea that this town, probably 5-10 miles away from the next (a maximum of 20) is rural and isolated. This is in New York.
Besides the fact that the writing could use some cleaning up, again, really? Isolated? You’ve seriously got to be kidding me. Then again, maybe Duffy has never left the northeast. I used to live in Elko, Nevada. Two hours (at 80+ mph) from Twin Falls, Idaho. Five hours from Reno, Nevada and four hours from Salt Lake City, Utah.
That was isolated, as is Winnemucca, or any number of small towns in the western United States. 150-500 miles away is isolated. Ten miles is a damn swan song, although probably not a haven. So no, I don’t believe the premise, I don’t believe what goes on. I don’t believe a single word Duffy rights because it’s so ridiculous.
As I wrote above, nothing ever happens and when the ending finally does come, one saw it leaps, bounds, miles away. Probably many more miles away than this “rural” and “isolated” town is from its neighboring towns, the big cities and even New York itself.
Stay away from a sloppily plotted and boring novel.
This book was received, free of charge, from the Goodreads First Reads program.
Let’s start off with the two most glaring issues that everyone can agree make this novel not worth reading. First: nothing happens. Then some more nothing happens. Whine, money, talk, whine, money! talk. Maybe a tad bit of boring back story. Whine. Money. Whine! This sums up the first two-thirds of the book.
As I recount from my experience:
“At page 144, I thought something happened. I was wrong. At 186, still nothing."
"Something actually happens around 247. 247 to 384. That's all there is to the book. The rest is filler."
Second, the plot is literally taken from one, two, maybe even 10 episodes of the X-Files. Suspicious villagers! Evil villagers! Your children! I’m not going to give it away, but you can see it coming from the beginning. So much foreshadowing I wasn’t even sure why I needed to keep reading. But I did. Alas.
Third, let’s deal with the suspension of disbelief aspect. I’m a science fiction reader/fan, as well as a fantasy reader/fan. I suspend my disbelief lots and lots and lots. I should have no problems doing it, in a coherent and even mildly thought-out world and plot.
House of Echoes is far from any of those things. Family living in New York, New York sells the tiny apartment, uses their savings and buys a mansion. Or maybe that’s an understatement. This thing they buy had 60 rooms.
60 rooms!
And they’re going to fix it up. 60 rooms!
“Ben had seen castles a third its size. And while the scale of the place was imposing, its opulence was tempered by its condition.”
Even if these people (he’s a two-or-three-time published author and she was a banker) earned some good money in the big city and they bought this place (not on the market for very long) for a song, my disbelief is still broken from the working-over that gave it.
And they want to renovate it. And this isn’t a spoiler: they do renovate it and they even furnish it. Thank about that. Furnishings, even partial, for a 60-room hotel.
You’ve got to be pulling my leg. Oh wait! Brendan Duffy isn’t. It’s just a terribly plotted novel.
Unless these people secretly inherited a fortune in the tens-of-millions I don’t know about, I don’t believe it for a second.
Oh yea: they both drive hybrid Ford Escapes. Yea. And they have money to spare. (Give me a break.)
So then, Duffy harps on this idea that this town, probably 5-10 miles away from the next (a maximum of 20) is rural and isolated. This is in New York.
“The chief or Armfield might throw the boys a twenty or two at the end of the day, but the cleanup crews practically worked for free. Ben had heard his share of clichés about rural living, and everyone one of them had rung in his head in the months he’d spent here, but there was something about watching a small, isolated community like Swannhaven pitch together in a crisis that made him feel as if this was how things were meant to be.”
Besides the fact that the writing could use some cleaning up, again, really? Isolated? You’ve seriously got to be kidding me. Then again, maybe Duffy has never left the northeast. I used to live in Elko, Nevada. Two hours (at 80+ mph) from Twin Falls, Idaho. Five hours from Reno, Nevada and four hours from Salt Lake City, Utah.
That was isolated, as is Winnemucca, or any number of small towns in the western United States. 150-500 miles away is isolated. Ten miles is a damn swan song, although probably not a haven. So no, I don’t believe the premise, I don’t believe what goes on. I don’t believe a single word Duffy rights because it’s so ridiculous.
As I wrote above, nothing ever happens and when the ending finally does come, one saw it leaps, bounds, miles away. Probably many more miles away than this “rural” and “isolated” town is from its neighboring towns, the big cities and even New York itself.
Stay away from a sloppily plotted and boring novel.
This book was received, free of charge, from the Goodreads First Reads program.
April 14, 2015
House of Echoes by Brendan Duffy is a very highly recommended, delightfully chilling, creepy, and atmospheric novel with Gothic overtones that will hold your attention from the beginning to the end.
Ben and Caroline Tierney have bought the Crofts, an old stone mansion built in the 1700s near the village of Swannhaven in the mountains of remote upstate New York. They plan to turn it into a destination inn. They needed to leave the city and believe that fixing up and remodeling the old house will provide their family with the stability they all need. Ben is a novelist, so he's used to working from home. Caroline recently lost her banking job and has been going through depression and bi-polar disorder after the birth of their youngest son. The older son is 8 year old Charlie, who was being bullied in his school. After a horrific incident that had Charlie missing, Ben knows his family needs to get out of the city.
At first it seemed like the move was a good idea. Caroline seems to be feeling better and the renovations are moving swiftly along. Charlie is enjoying living in the country and exploring the woods surrounding the large estate. But there are also secrets being kept. Ben isn't talking about the dead animals he's finding - or the deer head left on a door step. Charlie isn't telling his parents about the "Watcher" he's interacting with in a strange game of tag in the woods. Caroline is hiding the fact that she is going off her medication and paranoia is starting to visit more frequently. Soon there is a palatable tension between family members.
As the family starts to interact with townspeople, Ben begins to explore the history of the Crofts, the town, and the Swann family. Interspersed between chapters are letters from the early settlers. You know that the Croft is not going to be the safe haven the Tierney's are seeking. The opening letter is dated December 23, 1777 and in it the young women writing to her sister says, "There are demons in us, Kathy. I see that now. Our blood is cursed, and doom haunts us always. It is too late for us, but I pray it is not too late for you."
Duffy moves the story along with excellent writing and character development in this well paced story. There is no huge, horrific incident, but plenty of mysterious incidents, dead animals, and unexplained noises to help slowly ratchet up the tension. The uncomfortable feeling that something awful is about to happen sneaks up on you gradually in this novel and is just as insidious and all-encompassing as the wind that howls outside and through the cracks in the windows. You know something bad is going to happen, but you just don't know what form it is going to take. Is it going to be the weather, the weird villagers, a ghost, or something dark from the woods?
An excellent debut novel! Although I will admit to thinking about the Eddie Murphy skit on haunted houses, where he asked what was wrong with white people? Black people would just leave the house (especially once the head of a deer shows up on your front door step).
Disclosure: My Kindle edition was courtesy of Random House for review purposes.
Ben and Caroline Tierney have bought the Crofts, an old stone mansion built in the 1700s near the village of Swannhaven in the mountains of remote upstate New York. They plan to turn it into a destination inn. They needed to leave the city and believe that fixing up and remodeling the old house will provide their family with the stability they all need. Ben is a novelist, so he's used to working from home. Caroline recently lost her banking job and has been going through depression and bi-polar disorder after the birth of their youngest son. The older son is 8 year old Charlie, who was being bullied in his school. After a horrific incident that had Charlie missing, Ben knows his family needs to get out of the city.
At first it seemed like the move was a good idea. Caroline seems to be feeling better and the renovations are moving swiftly along. Charlie is enjoying living in the country and exploring the woods surrounding the large estate. But there are also secrets being kept. Ben isn't talking about the dead animals he's finding - or the deer head left on a door step. Charlie isn't telling his parents about the "Watcher" he's interacting with in a strange game of tag in the woods. Caroline is hiding the fact that she is going off her medication and paranoia is starting to visit more frequently. Soon there is a palatable tension between family members.
As the family starts to interact with townspeople, Ben begins to explore the history of the Crofts, the town, and the Swann family. Interspersed between chapters are letters from the early settlers. You know that the Croft is not going to be the safe haven the Tierney's are seeking. The opening letter is dated December 23, 1777 and in it the young women writing to her sister says, "There are demons in us, Kathy. I see that now. Our blood is cursed, and doom haunts us always. It is too late for us, but I pray it is not too late for you."
Duffy moves the story along with excellent writing and character development in this well paced story. There is no huge, horrific incident, but plenty of mysterious incidents, dead animals, and unexplained noises to help slowly ratchet up the tension. The uncomfortable feeling that something awful is about to happen sneaks up on you gradually in this novel and is just as insidious and all-encompassing as the wind that howls outside and through the cracks in the windows. You know something bad is going to happen, but you just don't know what form it is going to take. Is it going to be the weather, the weird villagers, a ghost, or something dark from the woods?
An excellent debut novel! Although I will admit to thinking about the Eddie Murphy skit on haunted houses, where he asked what was wrong with white people? Black people would just leave the house (especially once the head of a deer shows up on your front door step).
Disclosure: My Kindle edition was courtesy of Random House for review purposes.
February 8, 2022
My rating: 3.5/5
House of Echoes is a debut Gothic horror novel about what is suppose to be a family’s fresh start, but quickly turns into a nightmare. This book is told through three perspectives- Ben, Caroline, and their eldest son, Charlie. The latter was my personal favorite as it held some of the creepiest scenes concerning the “Watcher” in the woods. There are also letters sprinkled throughout the book from 1777 telling the tragic story of what had happened in the house prior.
I enjoyed this spooky story and couldn’t help but be reminded of Stephen King’s The Shining, especially in the beginning between the isolated mansion in the middle of nowhere, the snow storm, and various mental health issues that unfold. I pieced together the twist not too soon before it was revealed, and I am so glad the author took the story in the direction he did.
Trigger warning: If you are sensitive to animal violence, this book won’t be for you.
House of Echoes is a debut Gothic horror novel about what is suppose to be a family’s fresh start, but quickly turns into a nightmare. This book is told through three perspectives- Ben, Caroline, and their eldest son, Charlie. The latter was my personal favorite as it held some of the creepiest scenes concerning the “Watcher” in the woods. There are also letters sprinkled throughout the book from 1777 telling the tragic story of what had happened in the house prior.
I enjoyed this spooky story and couldn’t help but be reminded of Stephen King’s The Shining, especially in the beginning between the isolated mansion in the middle of nowhere, the snow storm, and various mental health issues that unfold. I pieced together the twist not too soon before it was revealed, and I am so glad the author took the story in the direction he did.
Trigger warning: If you are sensitive to animal violence, this book won’t be for you.
April 6, 2015
REVIEW: HOUSE OF ECHOES by Brendan Duffy
Announcing another Best of 2015! HOUSE OF ECHOES is a very special novel, one that will refuse to be forgotten for a very long time. If you loved Garth Stein 's 2014 release A SUDDEN LIGHT as much as I did, you will also fall in rapture with HOUSE OF ECHOES. Both are supremely literary, set on family estates, with spooky elements; both are superbly written, engrossing, captivating, and unforgettable.
Ben Tierney and wife Caroline purchase a vast property in the Adirondacks, owned by a single family for well over 200 years, a family that considered itself uniquely blessed by God. (Read the novel to understand the bizarre outworkings of this overblown sense of entitlement!) Ben, Caroline, and their two sons just want a new start to a fresh life. What they find is so unexpected as to be downright terrifying.
Announcing another Best of 2015! HOUSE OF ECHOES is a very special novel, one that will refuse to be forgotten for a very long time. If you loved Garth Stein 's 2014 release A SUDDEN LIGHT as much as I did, you will also fall in rapture with HOUSE OF ECHOES. Both are supremely literary, set on family estates, with spooky elements; both are superbly written, engrossing, captivating, and unforgettable.
Ben Tierney and wife Caroline purchase a vast property in the Adirondacks, owned by a single family for well over 200 years, a family that considered itself uniquely blessed by God. (Read the novel to understand the bizarre outworkings of this overblown sense of entitlement!) Ben, Caroline, and their two sons just want a new start to a fresh life. What they find is so unexpected as to be downright terrifying.
October 29, 2016
A young family’s dream quickly becomes a nightmare in this distinctive thriller, when they move to a remote area of New York State to renovate a poorly maintained estate. A succession of disconcerting happenings supervene their progress—literally and figuratively. Plagued by marriage troubles, mental illness, and a son’s public humility; the lurking, malevolent force could either break up their frail family or draw them together.
The House of Echoes spawns a feeling of slow-gathering unease, propagating an unrelenting impetus.
The House of Echoes spawns a feeling of slow-gathering unease, propagating an unrelenting impetus.
May 28, 2017
I will make this short and concise, it started of good but the only 'echoe' I heard was boredom.
NEXT!
NEXT!
September 17, 2022
3,75 stars- English Ebook
March 31, 2015
Brendan Duffy's debut novel House of Echoes appears to cover a lot of old Gothic horror and mystery ground. Ben and Caroline Tierney, torn by several unfortunate turn of events, inherits a suitably large and forbidding house in the country. It appears to be a second chance for them. They plan to make it into a bed and breakfast inn and at first things are going well. But soon strange happenings occur. Their son is spending a lot of time in the woods, eviscerated animal corpses appear on their land and Caroline's re-occurring mental condition is apparently taking a turn for the worse. Add to this an isolated township of long time residents holding on to their secrets and you have the makings of a typical Gothic novel.
Yet perhaps not so typical. While Duffy has all the ingredients, he is not content to go by the book so to speak. The author has an interest in getting into the mind of his characters especially Ben Tierney, a novelist whose second book did not do nearly as well and has given him a insecure mindset tailor-made to react to the mysteries he is about to face. Caroline is fragile but not so fragile that we cannot see her strengths. Eight year old Charlie seems eight years old, not a precocious tot going on 40 which seems to be the norm in horror nowadays. He is in many ways the catalyst to the events to come. The author blends in an elaborate story of the creation of the village and its families. He gives us letters from the original 18th century settlers to ease us into the tale but the real meat of the backstory is nicely woven through the oral memories of the modern day villagers. The heavy investment in character is what drives the novel and kept me to the end. There is a lot of atmosphere in the pages of this book.
Yet this may also be an issue for some readers as one can miss the subtleties and yearn for a little more action. There are pivotal scenes that gives us a jolt now and then but the proverbial "all hell breaks loose" doesn't come until the ending when we are bombarded by all the answers. It is a satisfying ending that rewards the reader. At the end I felt like I not only understood the Tierney family but was immersed in the mystery surrounding them. The basic feel in this modern Gothic novel is that of a mystery, but there are plenty of eerie surprises sprinkled throughout to intrigue the horror fan.
If one is looking for an intriguing and intellectual entry in the Gothic Mystery, they will find it in House of Echoes. If it does drag a little at times, it is the type of drag that still tells us about the characters and moves us along in the mystery. As mentioned, this is the author's first novel and it is an impressive first try.
Yet perhaps not so typical. While Duffy has all the ingredients, he is not content to go by the book so to speak. The author has an interest in getting into the mind of his characters especially Ben Tierney, a novelist whose second book did not do nearly as well and has given him a insecure mindset tailor-made to react to the mysteries he is about to face. Caroline is fragile but not so fragile that we cannot see her strengths. Eight year old Charlie seems eight years old, not a precocious tot going on 40 which seems to be the norm in horror nowadays. He is in many ways the catalyst to the events to come. The author blends in an elaborate story of the creation of the village and its families. He gives us letters from the original 18th century settlers to ease us into the tale but the real meat of the backstory is nicely woven through the oral memories of the modern day villagers. The heavy investment in character is what drives the novel and kept me to the end. There is a lot of atmosphere in the pages of this book.
Yet this may also be an issue for some readers as one can miss the subtleties and yearn for a little more action. There are pivotal scenes that gives us a jolt now and then but the proverbial "all hell breaks loose" doesn't come until the ending when we are bombarded by all the answers. It is a satisfying ending that rewards the reader. At the end I felt like I not only understood the Tierney family but was immersed in the mystery surrounding them. The basic feel in this modern Gothic novel is that of a mystery, but there are plenty of eerie surprises sprinkled throughout to intrigue the horror fan.
If one is looking for an intriguing and intellectual entry in the Gothic Mystery, they will find it in House of Echoes. If it does drag a little at times, it is the type of drag that still tells us about the characters and moves us along in the mystery. As mentioned, this is the author's first novel and it is an impressive first try.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 775 reviews