Corner House

by Stephen Barnard

Claustrophobic terror behind closed doors.Three days, four max; that’s all Coop said it would be.Gabriel Evers agrees to help his slacker friend with a university a short film documenting the sheltered lives of the reclusive Farley family. They live in the Corner House, and – apart from the father – they never leave, self-sufficient and safe from the horrors of the outside world.But is Gabe safe from them? As he learns more and more about their peculiar routines and habits he cannot shake off the creeping sense of dread. Are the smiles real or hiding something more sinister? And what about the note left for him by one of the children? 'Help me. Get me out of here.'Torn between loyalty to his friend, his attraction to the eldest Farley daughter, and a desire to find out who it is that feels like a prisoner in their own home, Gabriel Evers journeys to the darkest of places without having to leave the confines of the Corner House.Leave? Why would anyone want to leave?A novel of suspense and intensifying horror, 'Corner House' will make you question whether home is truly where the heart is.Praise for ‘Corner House’ by Stephen “A riveting, compelling story that I kept thinking about long after I finished reading.”“…did not see that ending coming!”“The last section of the novel… is outlandish but so well controlled and executed.”“I was absorbed and creeped out… This was a good read.”“Great story and the suspense is fantastic. It holds your attention right to the very end. I couldn't put it down.”“Extremely well written, keeping you on your toes and guessing, right the way through to the very end. A dark intense novel, full of imagination and surprise.”“Would definitely put it up there with some of the best horror I have read recently and was very memorable.”“The suspense builds and builds to a shocking conclusion that doesn't disappoint.”“Intriguing, fast paced and thoroughly enjoyable. Loved it.”

Genres: Horror

228 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 12, 2018

About the author

Stephen Barnard has been writing fiction (and non-fiction cricket exploits) for a number of years. The success of his short story collection 'A Very Bad Year' encouraged him to push further. He now has over 20 published works, mainly in the horror/suspense genre. When he's not writing he teaches, reads, snoozes and binge-watches horror films.

Reviews

[Jenelle Compton · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked this a lot. The slow build of the story as Gabe discovers more and more about Cornerstone really sucked me in. I was creeped out by the family from the very start. The weird house, their over friendliness, the father's silent leadership...I dunno. They weren't doing anything that odd at first, but I found them creepy.
At any rate, the gradual increase in tension, building to the insane climax caught me and I found this book to be super absorbing. I really liked Gabe's character and was curious about his family and story. I honestly felt the bulk of the story was disarming enough, that I kept wondering if this really was a horror story. I had to keep reminding myself about the prologue. The family and children are nice and don't seem scary...but then there was the "library", the talk of outsiders, the weirdly religious/nonreligious way they all respond to everything...and Drew and Dan's characters in general.

I was as equally absorbed and creeped out as Gabe was. This was a good read.

[Jeanine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bizarre story.. I did not see that endings coming.

[MIKE OKELLEY · Rating 4 out of 5]

totally weird book and story line, many twists and turns along the way kept you wondering where it was going till the big surprise at the end. i knocked off a star because of the irritating use of the words was and were IN places they were not needed at all. such as he was stood or they were stood instead of just saying they stood or he stood. do people talk like that where the author lives i have read another book that did the same thing but don't remember the title. maybe I'm just to picky but every time i read a passage like that i felt that it distracted from the story line. just my $.02

[Nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

This took a couple of chapters for me to get into...but after that I was really sucked into this story. A lot of this was predictable in terms of the what but I was reading it more to find out the how...how were these things going to come to pass, how were things going to be revealed, etc. I will say that the ending for me fell a little short and didnt really have an impact. I also wasnt really connected to the main character...he was fine but there was something that was missing there for me. But overall...I enjoyed this read and I want to check out more from the author. His book The Deleted was my favorite horror read of 2021...so I'm hoping to find another that hits me the same way.

[Kari Corbett · Rating 5 out of 5]

Easy reading and fast paced writing. Read it in one setting. Keeps you interested. Only thing I didn't like was the ending. It focused on Daniel, but the book as a whole focused on Gabe. We're left wondering what happened to him. Did he go crazy, die, get killed or go home?

[Barbara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Corner House Cornerstone

Once again, I have been thoroughly entertained by Stephen Barnard's writing. This is a novel, not short stories and I loved it. It is hard to review without spoilers and I refuse to do that. Let me say that you will not be disappointed with this book or this author. I am now on to another book of his!

[kim wood · Rating 5 out of 5]

Corner House

I love Stephen’s books , and this offering from him was a riveting read .
The characters and story was believable and thought provoking. Definitely recommend

[Dakota Creppel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not Tied Together

The story itself was interesting enough. I had an idea of what was coming as far as storyline since twist endings are my niche for reading, but the prologue and epilogue just didn't tie it all together, unfortunately. I did sit and read it in one sitting because the writing was well done and I wanted to see what happened next, but I felt like the story came to a sudden, confusing ending, but only because of the last few sentences of the book itself. I wish it had gone on at least a paragraph longer to wrap up, but overall a good read.

[Mickey Noel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Don't have words to describe the weirdness.

I read this story to the end, but didn't enjoy it. The beginning seemed like it would be a good story, but dragged through most of the book. When it came together near the end, and the one surprise was exposed, it was anticlimactic.

[Brenda Lee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ok book

I don't usually read these kind of books. Now I know why.its not my cup of tea.I was hoping it would get better .but didn't.