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The Beresford
Everything stays the same for the tenants of The Beresford, a grand old apartment building just outside the city … until the doorbell rings… Will Carver returns with an eerie, deliciously and uncomfortably dark standalone thriller.
Just outside the city – any city, every city – is a grand, spacious but affordable apartment building called The Beresford.
There’s a routine at The Beresford.
For Mrs May, every day’s the a cup of cold, black coffee in the morning, pruning roses, checking on her tenants, wine, prayer and an afternoon nap. She never leaves the building.
Abe Schwartz also lives at The Beresford. His housemate, Sythe, no longer does. Because Abe just killed him.
In exactly sixty seconds, Blair Conroy will ring the doorbell to her new home and Abe will answer the door. They will become friends. Perhaps lovers.
And, when the time comes for one of them to die, as is always the case at The Beresford, there will be sixty seconds to move the body before the next unknowing soul arrives at the door.
Because nothing changes at The Beresford, until the doorbell rings…
Eerie, dark, superbly twisted and majestically plotted, The Beresford is the stunning standalone thriller from one of crime fiction’s most exciting names.
Just outside the city – any city, every city – is a grand, spacious but affordable apartment building called The Beresford.
There’s a routine at The Beresford.
For Mrs May, every day’s the a cup of cold, black coffee in the morning, pruning roses, checking on her tenants, wine, prayer and an afternoon nap. She never leaves the building.
Abe Schwartz also lives at The Beresford. His housemate, Sythe, no longer does. Because Abe just killed him.
In exactly sixty seconds, Blair Conroy will ring the doorbell to her new home and Abe will answer the door. They will become friends. Perhaps lovers.
And, when the time comes for one of them to die, as is always the case at The Beresford, there will be sixty seconds to move the body before the next unknowing soul arrives at the door.
Because nothing changes at The Beresford, until the doorbell rings…
Eerie, dark, superbly twisted and majestically plotted, The Beresford is the stunning standalone thriller from one of crime fiction’s most exciting names.
326 pages, Paperback
First published May 22, 2021
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1004 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 262 reviews
December 2, 2025
You Have Sixty Seconds
to Answer the Doorbell...
THE BERESFORD
by Will Carver
3 1/2 stars. At the Beresford, when an apartment became available, it was available immediately...
There is no need for a long contract or a huge deposit, and it came furnished...
The building, run by the kindly old Mrs May, was very old and once housed a serial killer as well as artists and writers...
College student Blair, anxious to leave her small hometown behind, rang the bell of the Beresford, and a young man answered...
Out of breath...
You see, he had just sixty seconds to admit the young woman into the building. The woman was replacing an artist who just vacated his apartment without notice...
This story is the opposite of the Biblical Old Testament stories of who begat who and is more about who slew who because one of the tenants always had to die.
I liked this story even though I gave it only 3 1/2 stars. It got off to a good but glacial start, but I was always wondering what was going on.
There were some real shockers that hit me unexpectedly and really held my interest, but the reveal was so ho hum.
If you are easily aggravated by a slow-burning plot, then you might want to skip this novel, but I found it intriguing up until the reveal.
Another good book about a spooky apartment building is THE SEARCH FOR JOSEPH TULLY, which takes place in NYC.
to Answer the Doorbell...
THE BERESFORD
by Will Carver
3 1/2 stars. At the Beresford, when an apartment became available, it was available immediately...
There is no need for a long contract or a huge deposit, and it came furnished...
The building, run by the kindly old Mrs May, was very old and once housed a serial killer as well as artists and writers...
College student Blair, anxious to leave her small hometown behind, rang the bell of the Beresford, and a young man answered...
Out of breath...
You see, he had just sixty seconds to admit the young woman into the building. The woman was replacing an artist who just vacated his apartment without notice...
This story is the opposite of the Biblical Old Testament stories of who begat who and is more about who slew who because one of the tenants always had to die.
I liked this story even though I gave it only 3 1/2 stars. It got off to a good but glacial start, but I was always wondering what was going on.
There were some real shockers that hit me unexpectedly and really held my interest, but the reveal was so ho hum.
If you are easily aggravated by a slow-burning plot, then you might want to skip this novel, but I found it intriguing up until the reveal.
Another good book about a spooky apartment building is THE SEARCH FOR JOSEPH TULLY, which takes place in NYC.
September 6, 2021
Audio - 4 Stars
Story - 4.25 Stars
Will Carver knows how to deliver wicked craziness.
Story - 4.25 Stars
Will Carver knows how to deliver wicked craziness.
May 10, 2021
This was intense, brilliant, horrific, humorous and everything inbetween. I ADORED it.
Full review to follow for publication. Might be my favourite Carver yet but I'll get some distance from the sheer adrenaline rush of it before I confirm that.
Really most excellent.
Full review to follow for publication. Might be my favourite Carver yet but I'll get some distance from the sheer adrenaline rush of it before I confirm that.
Really most excellent.
Read
December 9, 2024Horror set in an unnamed US city. The Beresford is an old hotel with rooms to rent very cheap and a swiftly changing roster of lodgers, largely because they rapidly develop a tendency to murder one another. Entertainingly ghastly in a 'hell is other people' way.
July 27, 2021
Think of any word like Quirky, add a bit of weird and a lot of unusual and whatever you imagine it will pretty much sum up this book
The Beresford is an imposing building, made into flats and ruled by the ever present Mrs May, the rent is cheap, the deposit not worth thinking about and the facilities good….however there is an equally good chance you wont be leaving it once you move in
We meet a host of characters, most eccentric, some irritating who eagerly arrive not knowing it will be the last place they live, but Mrs May knows…..and when we find out why it is quite the shock!
Very witty in parts, darker than dark in others this author has a talent for shocking the reader, overall it was a challenging, eye opening, gory, quick paced read that ( as his other books ) is unique
8/10
4 Stars
The Beresford is an imposing building, made into flats and ruled by the ever present Mrs May, the rent is cheap, the deposit not worth thinking about and the facilities good….however there is an equally good chance you wont be leaving it once you move in
We meet a host of characters, most eccentric, some irritating who eagerly arrive not knowing it will be the last place they live, but Mrs May knows…..and when we find out why it is quite the shock!
Very witty in parts, darker than dark in others this author has a talent for shocking the reader, overall it was a challenging, eye opening, gory, quick paced read that ( as his other books ) is unique
8/10
4 Stars
May 10, 2021
This review can also be found on my blog The Tattooed Book Geek: https://thetattooedbookgeek.wordpress...
The Beresford is an apartment building that is owned and run by Mrs May, a kindly, if somewhat eccentric, old landlady. Mr May’s routine is the same, day after day, always and forever, and she never leaves the grounds of The Beresford. Only venturing as far as pruning the rose bushes outside the front door.
Cheap and affordable, The Beresford is an attractive prospect for people looking for affordable accommodation. Those who don’t belong, who don’t fit in, who are escaping, who are running away from someone, something or somewhere, and those who are looking to start a new life can all find a welcome at The Beresford.
There is a swift turnaround of tenants at The Beresford, one in, one out. A chain of events, often something innocuous like a comment taken the wrong way, a perceived slight, or an argument that has escalated ends with an accidental death. The tenants aren’t killers, but within the building they become killers. They don’t mean to kill, but they snap and can’t stop. It is like they are not themselves; they have been poisoned, and they are being influenced by an outside force that is making them act out of character. Sometimes the aggressor triumphs, the one who lashed out first, and other times, the one acting in self-defence becomes the killer and survives.
When the current tenant dies, the next tenant moves in straight away. From the moment they breathe their last breath and their soul leaves their body, there are exactly sixty seconds before the doorbell rings. One minute until the new tenant arrives to take the now newly deceased tenant’s place and continue the cycle.
The writing in The Beresford is slick, stylish, has a very modern feel to it, and includes plenty of black humour. The chapters are short, snappy, and rapid-fire. The story which is devilishly addictive is inventive, gory (in places), creepy, and has a depth buried beneath the menacing surface.
Reading a book by Will Carver is a unique experience, you’re not quite sure what to expect, or where the story will go, but you’ll sure as hell enjoy the sadistic ride that he takes you on.
A little bit weird, and a whole lot of twisted fun The Beresford is a sharply crafted and delectable slice of entertaining darkness.
The Beresford is an apartment building that is owned and run by Mrs May, a kindly, if somewhat eccentric, old landlady. Mr May’s routine is the same, day after day, always and forever, and she never leaves the grounds of The Beresford. Only venturing as far as pruning the rose bushes outside the front door.
Cheap and affordable, The Beresford is an attractive prospect for people looking for affordable accommodation. Those who don’t belong, who don’t fit in, who are escaping, who are running away from someone, something or somewhere, and those who are looking to start a new life can all find a welcome at The Beresford.
There is a swift turnaround of tenants at The Beresford, one in, one out. A chain of events, often something innocuous like a comment taken the wrong way, a perceived slight, or an argument that has escalated ends with an accidental death. The tenants aren’t killers, but within the building they become killers. They don’t mean to kill, but they snap and can’t stop. It is like they are not themselves; they have been poisoned, and they are being influenced by an outside force that is making them act out of character. Sometimes the aggressor triumphs, the one who lashed out first, and other times, the one acting in self-defence becomes the killer and survives.
When the current tenant dies, the next tenant moves in straight away. From the moment they breathe their last breath and their soul leaves their body, there are exactly sixty seconds before the doorbell rings. One minute until the new tenant arrives to take the now newly deceased tenant’s place and continue the cycle.
The writing in The Beresford is slick, stylish, has a very modern feel to it, and includes plenty of black humour. The chapters are short, snappy, and rapid-fire. The story which is devilishly addictive is inventive, gory (in places), creepy, and has a depth buried beneath the menacing surface.
Reading a book by Will Carver is a unique experience, you’re not quite sure what to expect, or where the story will go, but you’ll sure as hell enjoy the sadistic ride that he takes you on.
A little bit weird, and a whole lot of twisted fun The Beresford is a sharply crafted and delectable slice of entertaining darkness.
November 18, 2022
If you are into slasher novels this is for you, only thing is this book was boring and repetitive. I like dark stories but the repetition make me think there was no idea for a plot. When we get to the section “What do you want” I thought I was hearing teenager’s rantings and discoveries, there was nothing inspiring or thought provoking.
Don’t get me wrong I totally agree with some of the things he is saying about guns, religion etc but it seems to me that either he just discovered how he felt, he was high (drugs, alcohol or both) or he thinks he is shocking the readers by postulating his views that for me sometimes are evident. When I finished reading this book I thought I finally escaped The Beresford. This writer is definitely not for me.
Don’t get me wrong I totally agree with some of the things he is saying about guns, religion etc but it seems to me that either he just discovered how he felt, he was high (drugs, alcohol or both) or he thinks he is shocking the readers by postulating his views that for me sometimes are evident. When I finished reading this book I thought I finally escaped The Beresford. This writer is definitely not for me.
July 18, 2021
Right everyone, time to gird your loins and prepare for the latest book from the maniacally brilliant and twisted genius that is Will Carver. I confess to always experiencing a frisson of excitement when the time comes to read and review his latest release, because like life itself, you never know quite what to expect, and strange things always lay in store. Especially if you were ever foolish enough to countenance a move to The Beresford…
Let’s start with a quote which perfectly sums up the type of person you will readily encounter in the confines of The Beresford itself, a grand apartment building overseen by the mercurial and disturbing landlady, Mrs May. “The people who lived at The Beresford did not belong. They had that in common. The kind of people who wanted to sit in the centre of the circle but existed on the side of a square. They were outside. They floated on the periphery.” I have long been fascinated by books that focus on people residing in boarding houses or hotels like Patrick Hamilton’s The Slaves of Solitude or William Trevor’s Mrs Eckdorf In O’Neill’s Hotel in which people’s lives are given a vein of impermanence in the sense of them waiting to move on, or helplessly trapped in a kind of residential purgatory. This was exactly the sense that I got from this book too, where characters assume a kind of holding position (some shorter than others) waiting to make a leap into life different from where they came from, or egotistically think themselves destined for greater things, or as a short term escape from trauma or trouble. Carver captures perfectly the thwarted dreams and disappointment of some, and much to the twisted amusement of this reader cuts down the perky optimism of others with aplomb. Most of the characters are intensely dislikeable which kind of makes this conveyor belt of kill and replace at times ghoulishly enjoyable, but as always with Carver tinged with a dark pathos that sometimes pulls you up short as you begin to enjoy the inner workings and tribulations of body disposal, and the countdown to another killing. As the residents come and go, and come and go, on the conveyor belt of carnage, Carver still rounds each character out focusing on their dreams, ambitions, fears and the adage that should be carved above the entrance to The Beresford, kill or be killed…
Aside from his always astute and well depicted characters who harbour between them all the quintessential frailties and triumphs of what being human entails, from love, to hate, to despair and the fragile hope of redemption and happiness, there is again ample room for Carver to take us on several of his existential ruminations too. You can feel him shaking his fists to the sky as he takes us on a whirlwind tour of the greatest afflictions of society as he fires pithy arrows at the scarcity of depth and intelligence in humankind, the culture of fakery, the damage wreaked by religion on people’s wellbeing and life choices, the meat industry, death and so on. I usually find myself nodding in sage agreement at various points throughout his books, as his barbed observations and exposure of the most facile elements of human experience are always shockingly, or amusingly spot on. I really enjoy these little flights of metaphysical darkness that Carver intersperses his books with which set him apart not only as a writer but also as someone who genuinely gives a care to what a state the world is in, cutting through the white noise with sharp and incisive truths.
For those people out there who belittle crime fiction as a genre, and trust me I meet them every day, books like this, and writers like this, undermine every negative observation that is made of crime fiction. The Beresford is not only an intriguing crime mystery, but is textured with a rich and bountiful use of language and description. The characters are little microcosms of everything that troubles us or shapes us as humans, and with the little detours into the facile and dangerous elements and beliefs that arise in life itself, there is a punchy intelligence running through that adds another striking layer of difference to the book. As always, highly recommended.
Let’s start with a quote which perfectly sums up the type of person you will readily encounter in the confines of The Beresford itself, a grand apartment building overseen by the mercurial and disturbing landlady, Mrs May. “The people who lived at The Beresford did not belong. They had that in common. The kind of people who wanted to sit in the centre of the circle but existed on the side of a square. They were outside. They floated on the periphery.” I have long been fascinated by books that focus on people residing in boarding houses or hotels like Patrick Hamilton’s The Slaves of Solitude or William Trevor’s Mrs Eckdorf In O’Neill’s Hotel in which people’s lives are given a vein of impermanence in the sense of them waiting to move on, or helplessly trapped in a kind of residential purgatory. This was exactly the sense that I got from this book too, where characters assume a kind of holding position (some shorter than others) waiting to make a leap into life different from where they came from, or egotistically think themselves destined for greater things, or as a short term escape from trauma or trouble. Carver captures perfectly the thwarted dreams and disappointment of some, and much to the twisted amusement of this reader cuts down the perky optimism of others with aplomb. Most of the characters are intensely dislikeable which kind of makes this conveyor belt of kill and replace at times ghoulishly enjoyable, but as always with Carver tinged with a dark pathos that sometimes pulls you up short as you begin to enjoy the inner workings and tribulations of body disposal, and the countdown to another killing. As the residents come and go, and come and go, on the conveyor belt of carnage, Carver still rounds each character out focusing on their dreams, ambitions, fears and the adage that should be carved above the entrance to The Beresford, kill or be killed…
Aside from his always astute and well depicted characters who harbour between them all the quintessential frailties and triumphs of what being human entails, from love, to hate, to despair and the fragile hope of redemption and happiness, there is again ample room for Carver to take us on several of his existential ruminations too. You can feel him shaking his fists to the sky as he takes us on a whirlwind tour of the greatest afflictions of society as he fires pithy arrows at the scarcity of depth and intelligence in humankind, the culture of fakery, the damage wreaked by religion on people’s wellbeing and life choices, the meat industry, death and so on. I usually find myself nodding in sage agreement at various points throughout his books, as his barbed observations and exposure of the most facile elements of human experience are always shockingly, or amusingly spot on. I really enjoy these little flights of metaphysical darkness that Carver intersperses his books with which set him apart not only as a writer but also as someone who genuinely gives a care to what a state the world is in, cutting through the white noise with sharp and incisive truths.
For those people out there who belittle crime fiction as a genre, and trust me I meet them every day, books like this, and writers like this, undermine every negative observation that is made of crime fiction. The Beresford is not only an intriguing crime mystery, but is textured with a rich and bountiful use of language and description. The characters are little microcosms of everything that troubles us or shapes us as humans, and with the little detours into the facile and dangerous elements and beliefs that arise in life itself, there is a punchy intelligence running through that adds another striking layer of difference to the book. As always, highly recommended.
October 29, 2022
Here it is, The Beresford. A grand imposing apartment building. Run by Mrs May. She’s a stickler for routine; coffee in the morning, wine in the afternoon. She never leaves the building, she’s always there for her tenants, despite the fact that they’re all mostly murderers…
This book really has it all; darkness, depth, entertainment and humour. I absolutely loved Mrs May, she’s possibly the best landlady in fiction! It’s such an incredibly original read, shades of Rosemary’s Baby alongside a very fast paced &
explosive plot.
Crazy, wild, exhilarating - perfect for the spooky season!
This book really has it all; darkness, depth, entertainment and humour. I absolutely loved Mrs May, she’s possibly the best landlady in fiction! It’s such an incredibly original read, shades of Rosemary’s Baby alongside a very fast paced &
explosive plot.
Crazy, wild, exhilarating - perfect for the spooky season!
June 15, 2021
I’m a huge, huge Will Carver fan, and I couldn’t wait to start reading The Beresford. I’m certain I’ve found my top book of 2021. This is such an original, chilling and compelling read. I’ve said it before, but I’ll say it again, no writer writes like Will Carver does.
The setting in this book, The Beresford, a block of apartments, becomes a character in its own right. The building is owned by a strange character, Mrs May, and we get to know the other residents who live there. The building comes with its own dark tales, which will chill you to the core. Abe, an artist, is one of the blocks most fascinating tenants. He is a very messed up person, but he is also someone who I did feel sorry for. He is desperate to be loved by someone, and as Abe says, he wants other people to look at his life and want what he’s got. But there is a very dark side to Abe. And this is what makes him such a compelling and terrifying character.
Will Carver’s writing propels you into the story, and I was turning the pages faster and faster as I got further into the book. There are short and snappy chapters, but it was his unique writing style that made me fly through it.
I’ve mentioned Abe’s character in this review, but Mrs May is another person who I really wanted to get to the bottom of. From the beginning, we can see that she is a very religious person. Mrs May is a person who has suffered from trauma in her life. Her husband passed away several years earlier. But she is a much more complicated character, and I thought this was very clever.
The direction this book took completely took me by surprise. At first, I was thinking, what on earth is going on here? But this was in a good way. My eyes were kept glued to the whole book, but the final chapters kept me really gripped. I wanted to understand what was going on and who these people really were. It is so, so well done. I think many people may form different opinions when they get to the end of this book, but I absolutely loved it.
If you’re a fan of Will Carver’s books, then you will love The Beresford. It is so good. Highly, highly recommended!
The setting in this book, The Beresford, a block of apartments, becomes a character in its own right. The building is owned by a strange character, Mrs May, and we get to know the other residents who live there. The building comes with its own dark tales, which will chill you to the core. Abe, an artist, is one of the blocks most fascinating tenants. He is a very messed up person, but he is also someone who I did feel sorry for. He is desperate to be loved by someone, and as Abe says, he wants other people to look at his life and want what he’s got. But there is a very dark side to Abe. And this is what makes him such a compelling and terrifying character.
Will Carver’s writing propels you into the story, and I was turning the pages faster and faster as I got further into the book. There are short and snappy chapters, but it was his unique writing style that made me fly through it.
I’ve mentioned Abe’s character in this review, but Mrs May is another person who I really wanted to get to the bottom of. From the beginning, we can see that she is a very religious person. Mrs May is a person who has suffered from trauma in her life. Her husband passed away several years earlier. But she is a much more complicated character, and I thought this was very clever.
The direction this book took completely took me by surprise. At first, I was thinking, what on earth is going on here? But this was in a good way. My eyes were kept glued to the whole book, but the final chapters kept me really gripped. I wanted to understand what was going on and who these people really were. It is so, so well done. I think many people may form different opinions when they get to the end of this book, but I absolutely loved it.
If you’re a fan of Will Carver’s books, then you will love The Beresford. It is so good. Highly, highly recommended!
December 17, 2023
I usually don’t rate books that I DNF, but seeing as I made it to 75% I’m making an exception.
There was a lot a I liked about Carver’s insights and the dialogue of his characters, but this story just got to be so repetitive that I had to throw in the towel. I couldn’t go a couple of pages without checking reviews for reasons to continue or not. A sure sign to stop.
I searched out spoilers and I’m glad I stopped. Too bad, though, because I liked some of the writing.
This story just wasn’t for me.
There was a lot a I liked about Carver’s insights and the dialogue of his characters, but this story just got to be so repetitive that I had to throw in the towel. I couldn’t go a couple of pages without checking reviews for reasons to continue or not. A sure sign to stop.
I searched out spoilers and I’m glad I stopped. Too bad, though, because I liked some of the writing.
This story just wasn’t for me.
January 12, 2022
Solid horror novel with an interesting Groundhogs’ Day meets Rosemary’s Baby vibe, but I became too bogged down in all of the God stuff, so much so, that I had to look up the publisher and see if they were some weird atheist propaganda machine. They’re not, and, while I could have done with fewer references, I saw what the writer was trying to by the time I reached the end. I’m looking forward to Carver’s next book to see if it is more of the same or if he does something totally different.
March 20, 2022
This is my first read from author Will Carver and I'd heard such good things that I thought I'd give it a try. To say it was a step away from my regular reading genre is quite the understatement! Despite this it is probably the book that has had me turning the pages fastest so far this year.
The story is based around an old, large, rather foreboding building called The Beresford. The lower two floors have been broken down into spacious apartments by the owner, Mrs May. A mysterious, ageing yet ageless lady who somehow seems to know all that goes on in the building yet never appears to witness any of it herself. So how does she have her finger on the pulse (or lack of it!) so well?
The affordable rent Mrs May charges for each apartment makes The Beresford an attractive option for many people whose circumstances mean their choices are limited. This also explains why there is such a high turnover of different residents passing through, until you find out exactly what goes on behind closed doors, which will give you a totally different outlook altogether.
The chapters are very short yet extremely punchy meaning that you quickly become engrossed in the shocking world of Mrs May and her tenants. Time passed in a flash while I was reading this book and I had numerous late nights that stretched out even later as my mind returned to the plot while I lay in bed trying (and failing) to get to sleep in preparation for work the next morning.
The description of the book given at the start of this page is literally all the plotline you need to have going into this book. To say any more would spoil your experience. All I will say is that for such short chapters in each character's life we get to know so much about them; they are all so well described that you feel like these are people you actually know - until you realise that The Beresford will have them questioning just how well they even know themselves! My jaw was left hanging open on multiple occasions owing to the macabre goings on. Due to the regular kind of murder/mystery/crime novels I tend to read, I was waiting for the appearance of detectives and forensics and all the usual stuff. Will Carver however takes this novel in a completely different, quirky yet shocking direction which, had I known more about before I started, I probably wouldn't have entertained reading. But oh am I glad I did! This book rocked me out of my comfort zone to the extreme and if you want an author who will have you over-thinking in the most chilling, disturbing and mind blowing way then Will Carver fits the description perfectly.
Be prepared to be taken into the world of probably the weirdest but most compelling novel you will read this year!
The story is based around an old, large, rather foreboding building called The Beresford. The lower two floors have been broken down into spacious apartments by the owner, Mrs May. A mysterious, ageing yet ageless lady who somehow seems to know all that goes on in the building yet never appears to witness any of it herself. So how does she have her finger on the pulse (or lack of it!) so well?
The affordable rent Mrs May charges for each apartment makes The Beresford an attractive option for many people whose circumstances mean their choices are limited. This also explains why there is such a high turnover of different residents passing through, until you find out exactly what goes on behind closed doors, which will give you a totally different outlook altogether.
The chapters are very short yet extremely punchy meaning that you quickly become engrossed in the shocking world of Mrs May and her tenants. Time passed in a flash while I was reading this book and I had numerous late nights that stretched out even later as my mind returned to the plot while I lay in bed trying (and failing) to get to sleep in preparation for work the next morning.
The description of the book given at the start of this page is literally all the plotline you need to have going into this book. To say any more would spoil your experience. All I will say is that for such short chapters in each character's life we get to know so much about them; they are all so well described that you feel like these are people you actually know - until you realise that The Beresford will have them questioning just how well they even know themselves! My jaw was left hanging open on multiple occasions owing to the macabre goings on. Due to the regular kind of murder/mystery/crime novels I tend to read, I was waiting for the appearance of detectives and forensics and all the usual stuff. Will Carver however takes this novel in a completely different, quirky yet shocking direction which, had I known more about before I started, I probably wouldn't have entertained reading. But oh am I glad I did! This book rocked me out of my comfort zone to the extreme and if you want an author who will have you over-thinking in the most chilling, disturbing and mind blowing way then Will Carver fits the description perfectly.
Be prepared to be taken into the world of probably the weirdest but most compelling novel you will read this year!
September 21, 2021
Whilst I understand that many authors and publishers don't want to release anything too 'different' to what is currently popular, there is good reason to try and produce something different, something that stands out. Because the end result is, The Beresford.
This is unlike any book I've read before, and as I'm writing this, I'm thinking about the book still, and how it's the story's uniqueness that I like the most. The construction of the story and how it changes from telling you about a particular character, to asking you questions about your life, worked really well.
Although not part of the Det Pace series, it like those books, got deep into my head. This book messed with my mind, made me think about my life, what else I want from it, and what lengths I'd be willing to go to, to get it.
Carver is a fantastic author with a great imagination, and I hope that Orenda will go with him wherever it takes him next. With books like this, Hell ain't so bad!
This is unlike any book I've read before, and as I'm writing this, I'm thinking about the book still, and how it's the story's uniqueness that I like the most. The construction of the story and how it changes from telling you about a particular character, to asking you questions about your life, worked really well.
Although not part of the Det Pace series, it like those books, got deep into my head. This book messed with my mind, made me think about my life, what else I want from it, and what lengths I'd be willing to go to, to get it.
Carver is a fantastic author with a great imagination, and I hope that Orenda will go with him wherever it takes him next. With books like this, Hell ain't so bad!
January 3, 2022
What do you want?
2022 has really started with a bang with Will Carver’s standalone novel ‘The Beresford’. Deliciously and darkly disturbing, Carver serves up a diet of fantastic story telling while also making provocative statements about the human experience, both collective and otherwise. It really is the most unique writing style and Carver is fast becoming one of my favourite authors because of his uncanny ability to write a psychological thriller that is kind of really psychological.
Will Carver intersperses his novel with standalone chapters, each entitled, ‘What do you want?’, dissecting a number of ways that this question is responded to. It seems like such a simple question that surely is simple to answer. But even as I type these words I’m kind of in a state of paralysis over how I answer that question or what it is that I actually want. As Carver highlights, I could respond by saying what I don’t want, a common enough response, but one that doesn’t answer the question.
So, as per usual, Will Carver has set me on some sort of existential exploration, requiring reflection, introspection and the need to call a spade a spade. Carver doesn’t pull any punches in his writing and The Beresford attests to that on every page.
The Beresford is a set of apartments, an old world, grand building where the rent is unbelievably cheap but it would seem that to live there is costly. The apartment building is split into two levels with two separate entrances. The landlady and owner, Mrs May lives on the ground floor where three other apartments on two levels are accessible. The third floor up and seemingly a different world require a different doorway.
Mrs May seems to know everything that is going on with every tenant, has been around for a hundred years, has her own share of grief and heartache, is provocative and unafraid to ask her tenants that question - What do you want? Above all else. Anything. The thing you truly want with everything you are?
What is that one thing you would give up your soul for? It’s kind of an age old question and Carver explores it in a fresh, unique and sobering way. Through a cast of tenants, The Beresford is lodging for Abe, the shy geeky guy looking for love; Blair, the girl from the Bible Belt looking to find herself and cast off restraint; Gail, battered and abused, running from an abusive relationship, pregnant with life; Aubrey, privileged and wealthy, wanting to stand on her own two feet; Saffy, online jewellery maker overnight success story and Jordan Irving, would be script writer wanting to make a name for himself.
Mrs May is a pivotal character and Carver seems to use her to drive home the provocation of ‘selling your soul’ to contractually get the very thing you want (perhaps what you think you want?). She poses the question situation - “Imagine the building is engulfed in flames and you can only take one thing. I want you to grab that one thing and bring it back to me”. Firstly - that is a super hard thing for someone like me who doesn’t make choices easily and has never really allowed full expression to the things I like and secondly, how we respond to this situation gives us an insight into what it is that we really want. How to get it? Is there another way besides selling your soul and submitting to the ‘hell on earth’ idea that parallels this.
The Beresford is far more than a macabre tale - it is a statement about us, a statement about 21st century life. I have finished it feeling somewhat unsettled but pleased that this is book number one to see in the new year. It gives me much to reflect and journal - I need to spend time with that question - What do you want? - peel back the layers of each answer to find what it really really is.
2022 has really started with a bang with Will Carver’s standalone novel ‘The Beresford’. Deliciously and darkly disturbing, Carver serves up a diet of fantastic story telling while also making provocative statements about the human experience, both collective and otherwise. It really is the most unique writing style and Carver is fast becoming one of my favourite authors because of his uncanny ability to write a psychological thriller that is kind of really psychological.
Will Carver intersperses his novel with standalone chapters, each entitled, ‘What do you want?’, dissecting a number of ways that this question is responded to. It seems like such a simple question that surely is simple to answer. But even as I type these words I’m kind of in a state of paralysis over how I answer that question or what it is that I actually want. As Carver highlights, I could respond by saying what I don’t want, a common enough response, but one that doesn’t answer the question.
So, as per usual, Will Carver has set me on some sort of existential exploration, requiring reflection, introspection and the need to call a spade a spade. Carver doesn’t pull any punches in his writing and The Beresford attests to that on every page.
The Beresford is a set of apartments, an old world, grand building where the rent is unbelievably cheap but it would seem that to live there is costly. The apartment building is split into two levels with two separate entrances. The landlady and owner, Mrs May lives on the ground floor where three other apartments on two levels are accessible. The third floor up and seemingly a different world require a different doorway.
Mrs May seems to know everything that is going on with every tenant, has been around for a hundred years, has her own share of grief and heartache, is provocative and unafraid to ask her tenants that question - What do you want? Above all else. Anything. The thing you truly want with everything you are?
What is that one thing you would give up your soul for? It’s kind of an age old question and Carver explores it in a fresh, unique and sobering way. Through a cast of tenants, The Beresford is lodging for Abe, the shy geeky guy looking for love; Blair, the girl from the Bible Belt looking to find herself and cast off restraint; Gail, battered and abused, running from an abusive relationship, pregnant with life; Aubrey, privileged and wealthy, wanting to stand on her own two feet; Saffy, online jewellery maker overnight success story and Jordan Irving, would be script writer wanting to make a name for himself.
Mrs May is a pivotal character and Carver seems to use her to drive home the provocation of ‘selling your soul’ to contractually get the very thing you want (perhaps what you think you want?). She poses the question situation - “Imagine the building is engulfed in flames and you can only take one thing. I want you to grab that one thing and bring it back to me”. Firstly - that is a super hard thing for someone like me who doesn’t make choices easily and has never really allowed full expression to the things I like and secondly, how we respond to this situation gives us an insight into what it is that we really want. How to get it? Is there another way besides selling your soul and submitting to the ‘hell on earth’ idea that parallels this.
The Beresford is far more than a macabre tale - it is a statement about us, a statement about 21st century life. I have finished it feeling somewhat unsettled but pleased that this is book number one to see in the new year. It gives me much to reflect and journal - I need to spend time with that question - What do you want? - peel back the layers of each answer to find what it really really is.
July 9, 2025
Will Carver's The Beresford is a thrilling and unsettling ride start to finish.
Mrs. May owns and operates the lower part of The Beresford where the story is almost entirely set. The comings and goings of it's inhabitants will have you on the edge of your couch, coffee shop chair, or where every you prefer to read. Carver's writing style is clever, original and wickedly suspenseful. The story is laid out in 5 sections which each include several short; sometimes very short chapters that will make you go from one to the next without wanting to put it down.
Interwoven amongst the numbered chapters are a smattering of those simply titled "What do you want?" Are these to provide a break from the intensity of the story? A deeper look into the characters? A foreshadowing device? Perhaps yes to all and more. All who live at The Beresford have come here for different reasons. Different life circumstances have brought them to this place. They are grappling with this question that we should all ask ourselves regularly.
It's a good question. Often, we know what we DON'T want, but knowing what we DO want is sometimes more difficult to discover. Some of the wants in my life, I am lucky enough to have. I'm careful not to take them for granted and to be grateful for them, but I admit I fall short there sometimes. A few things I've been lucky to have were things I didn't even know I wanted or thought I could ever have. Those are the special ones. Hold on to them. They can easily slip away. It's heartbreaking when they do. And they do.
"I think heartbreak is essential for everyone. It is the one pain that can make us stronger." p. 304
This question is a lifelong one. What do we want? What are we lucky enough to find? And what are we willing to work hard to hold on to? Our desires are what move us along. Help us evolve. Keep us alive.
I give this read 5 stars, and if there were a 6th I'd give it that one too. Truly an original and captivating story. I'll be sitting with this one a while.
And to future readers: Thoughts and Prayers
Mrs. May owns and operates the lower part of The Beresford where the story is almost entirely set. The comings and goings of it's inhabitants will have you on the edge of your couch, coffee shop chair, or where every you prefer to read. Carver's writing style is clever, original and wickedly suspenseful. The story is laid out in 5 sections which each include several short; sometimes very short chapters that will make you go from one to the next without wanting to put it down.
Interwoven amongst the numbered chapters are a smattering of those simply titled "What do you want?" Are these to provide a break from the intensity of the story? A deeper look into the characters? A foreshadowing device? Perhaps yes to all and more. All who live at The Beresford have come here for different reasons. Different life circumstances have brought them to this place. They are grappling with this question that we should all ask ourselves regularly.
It's a good question. Often, we know what we DON'T want, but knowing what we DO want is sometimes more difficult to discover. Some of the wants in my life, I am lucky enough to have. I'm careful not to take them for granted and to be grateful for them, but I admit I fall short there sometimes. A few things I've been lucky to have were things I didn't even know I wanted or thought I could ever have. Those are the special ones. Hold on to them. They can easily slip away. It's heartbreaking when they do. And they do.
"I think heartbreak is essential for everyone. It is the one pain that can make us stronger." p. 304
This question is a lifelong one. What do we want? What are we lucky enough to find? And what are we willing to work hard to hold on to? Our desires are what move us along. Help us evolve. Keep us alive.
I give this read 5 stars, and if there were a 6th I'd give it that one too. Truly an original and captivating story. I'll be sitting with this one a while.
And to future readers: Thoughts and Prayers
October 29, 2021
I feel bad reviewing this so low as it’s not a badly written book by any means; classic Will Carver hybrid of blunt commentary and wacky fiction, but this one just really fell flat for me. It started off with exceptional promise, putting the reader right into the thick of the action - dead bodies need to be hidden and there’s an inevitable intrigue to the whole situation. I had a million questions and was excited to keep going! For me the sixty second pattern of the Beresford got stale and repetitive and could have been conveyed in a much more thrilling way, but instead I only felt I had more questions than answers as the story progressed and it got to be quite predictable. I can see why this is highly rated; if you like an abstract and fairly open ended book, this enigma is for you! It just wasn’t for me.
May 1, 2022
I finished reading about Mrs May on the first of May. MAYDAY. MAYDAY. (Is that a cry for help?! 😳)
Mr. Carver’s stories never fail to float my boat. Smashing stuff! 👏🏻
Mr. Carver’s stories never fail to float my boat. Smashing stuff! 👏🏻
July 21, 2021
"The Beresford was old. It was grand. It evolved with the people who inhabited its rooms and apartments. It was dark and elephantine and it breathed with its people. Paint peeled and there were cracks in places. It was bricks and mortar and plaster and wood. And it was alive."
Will Carver has done it again! The Beresford is another outstanding and original novel from one of the most unique voices in fiction. The striking, eerie and trippy cover matches what’s between it’s pages: a strange, sinister and twisted tale that is both gloriously absurd and totally plausible.
The story opens with a murder. Sixty seconds later the doorbell rings. Thus begins a dark chain of events that many of those involved won’t survive, propelling the reader straight into the action, not letting go until the final page. I devoured this book, unable to put it down once I’d started. I was hypnotised by the dark, claustrophobic and haunting world of The Beresford and its doomed residents.
“We all go a little mad sometimes.”
His characters are ordinary and familiar but also quirky, richly drawn and compelling. Abe Schwartz is an unassuming and unremarkable geek who is lonely and aches to be loved. You can’t help but feel for him despite knowing that beneath his facade of normality is a deeply disturbed individual hiding a dark secret. It’s this juxtaposition that makes him so fascinating and frightening. He really could be anyone and you would never expect him to be a killer.
Blair Conroy is trying to escape her small town life and has come in search of the excitement of the city. It is she who Abe greets just seconds after committing murder, not realising she may have just sealed her fate. I liked Blair and could relate to her in many ways. I even liked her blossoming relationship with Abe and was rooting for her not to end up in the same position as the previous resident.
Then we have Mrs. May, the lady who oversees everything that happens at The Beresford. She is a bit of an enigma, a complex character with many layers that are slowly peeled away as the story progresses. Deeply religious, she has suffered a lot of trauma and seems to genuinely care for her tenants. But she also seems terrified of the house itself. Just what does she know? And what power does this place have over her? I enjoyed trying to figure out this mysterious lady and her secrets and found her surprisingly likeable.
"The Beresford was a halfway house for the disenchanted and disenfranchised, whose focus was to become. To be. To discover and make their impact. The inhabitants were not necessarily the outsiders, but were certainly the ones found on the periphery. The wallflowers at society's ball."
The house is a character in itself that feels as if it lives and breathes as much as any of the human characters. It oozes malevolence and foreboding and is hiding secrets so dark and terrifying they will send shivers down your spine. It is a place that changes those who live there, feasting on them from the inside before moving onto another unsuspecting victim.
Will Carver has quickly become one of my favourite authors. His distinctive style is like nothing else out there and when you pick up his books they are instantly recognisable as his. With his sharp, choppy prose that is both tongue in cheek and deadly serious, his bold topics, scathing and unapologetic social commentary and dark humour he creates an atmosphere of mystery and foreboding, a chill that runs through your veins and builds the tension and dread till you are on the edge of your seat with your heart pounding.
The Beresford is one of my favourite books so far this year and my favourite book by the author to date, so it was an easy five stars from me. A seductive and unsettling read that you will love while also questioning why. When it's over you will wonder what on earth you just read and find it impossible to forget.
Just remember: DON’T RING THE DOORBELL.
Will Carver has done it again! The Beresford is another outstanding and original novel from one of the most unique voices in fiction. The striking, eerie and trippy cover matches what’s between it’s pages: a strange, sinister and twisted tale that is both gloriously absurd and totally plausible.
The story opens with a murder. Sixty seconds later the doorbell rings. Thus begins a dark chain of events that many of those involved won’t survive, propelling the reader straight into the action, not letting go until the final page. I devoured this book, unable to put it down once I’d started. I was hypnotised by the dark, claustrophobic and haunting world of The Beresford and its doomed residents.
“We all go a little mad sometimes.”
His characters are ordinary and familiar but also quirky, richly drawn and compelling. Abe Schwartz is an unassuming and unremarkable geek who is lonely and aches to be loved. You can’t help but feel for him despite knowing that beneath his facade of normality is a deeply disturbed individual hiding a dark secret. It’s this juxtaposition that makes him so fascinating and frightening. He really could be anyone and you would never expect him to be a killer.
Blair Conroy is trying to escape her small town life and has come in search of the excitement of the city. It is she who Abe greets just seconds after committing murder, not realising she may have just sealed her fate. I liked Blair and could relate to her in many ways. I even liked her blossoming relationship with Abe and was rooting for her not to end up in the same position as the previous resident.
Then we have Mrs. May, the lady who oversees everything that happens at The Beresford. She is a bit of an enigma, a complex character with many layers that are slowly peeled away as the story progresses. Deeply religious, she has suffered a lot of trauma and seems to genuinely care for her tenants. But she also seems terrified of the house itself. Just what does she know? And what power does this place have over her? I enjoyed trying to figure out this mysterious lady and her secrets and found her surprisingly likeable.
"The Beresford was a halfway house for the disenchanted and disenfranchised, whose focus was to become. To be. To discover and make their impact. The inhabitants were not necessarily the outsiders, but were certainly the ones found on the periphery. The wallflowers at society's ball."
The house is a character in itself that feels as if it lives and breathes as much as any of the human characters. It oozes malevolence and foreboding and is hiding secrets so dark and terrifying they will send shivers down your spine. It is a place that changes those who live there, feasting on them from the inside before moving onto another unsuspecting victim.
Will Carver has quickly become one of my favourite authors. His distinctive style is like nothing else out there and when you pick up his books they are instantly recognisable as his. With his sharp, choppy prose that is both tongue in cheek and deadly serious, his bold topics, scathing and unapologetic social commentary and dark humour he creates an atmosphere of mystery and foreboding, a chill that runs through your veins and builds the tension and dread till you are on the edge of your seat with your heart pounding.
The Beresford is one of my favourite books so far this year and my favourite book by the author to date, so it was an easy five stars from me. A seductive and unsettling read that you will love while also questioning why. When it's over you will wonder what on earth you just read and find it impossible to forget.
Just remember: DON’T RING THE DOORBELL.
July 14, 2024
This was …. somewhat predictable. And a little… childish. I couldn’t shake the feeling that it was a children’s horror story, not in the content but in the telling.
June 19, 2021
Me throughout reading The Beresford: Ohmigod this is SO GOOD! How is it that I can pick up each and every new Will Carver novel with the highest expectations and still have them met, nay, exceeded?! How does he manage to surprise me every single time, to catch me off guard, to hook me from the very first page?! Just SO GOOD! (Do I sound like I’m fangirling? Good, cos I am!)
Also me throughout reading The Beresford: How the hell am I going to review this one?!
Well, I’ve finished it now and I still have no blooming idea. The most apt thing to say may be: bloody hell (although even that could be hard with my jaw still on the floor). Can I just leave it at that? No? Le sigh. Okay, well I’ll try.
The Beresford kicks off with Abe. Abe is perfectly average and normal and nice. Except for the fact that he’s just killed his neighbour. Erm… Accidents happen? Yes they do, but at The Beresford, I wouldn’t exactly call them accidents… Before you know it, you, the new Beresford tenant, are in a kill-or-be-killed situation and before you know it, you, the reader, are stuck on a batshit crazy merry-go-round, needing a breather while simultaneously feeling hella reluctant to ever jump off.
In terms of style, this is perhaps a more accessible – call it mainstream if you must – side of Will Carver, more Girl 4 or Good Samaritans than Nothing Important Happened Today or Hinton Hollow Death Trip. It is written in the third person singular and Death is not talking to the reader. Does that mean it reads like any other thriller out there? Erm… No. It is still a Will Carver after all, and I am still thanking the universe that he fell in with an indie publisher who not only respects his unique style, but allows him to hone it.
The Beresford is every bit as dark and as clever as I wanted it to be when I first heard about it. It’s unsettling from the get-go, not because you know there’s been a murder, but because you feel there’s all sorts of things going on beneath the surface that you’re not privy to yet. There is just something so insidiously sinister about The Beresford, just like there is something insidiously sinister about The Beresford. And its residents.
What was it about this building that gave me the creeps? What was it about the old landlady that made me think of that old lady in IT Chapter Two who turned into Pennywise? Was I waiting for poor old Mrs May to turn into a murderous clown? I kinda was! That was a mindfuck all on its own, lemme tell ya!
The Beresford is bloody and brutal and darkly funny and acidic and mind-boggling and thought-provoking in a way that only a Will Carver novel is. If you enjoyed his previous work I’m going to assume this is high up on your wishlist. If you’re new to this author, The Beresford is an excellent place to start. Highly recommended either way!
Also me throughout reading The Beresford: How the hell am I going to review this one?!
Well, I’ve finished it now and I still have no blooming idea. The most apt thing to say may be: bloody hell (although even that could be hard with my jaw still on the floor). Can I just leave it at that? No? Le sigh. Okay, well I’ll try.
The Beresford kicks off with Abe. Abe is perfectly average and normal and nice. Except for the fact that he’s just killed his neighbour. Erm… Accidents happen? Yes they do, but at The Beresford, I wouldn’t exactly call them accidents… Before you know it, you, the new Beresford tenant, are in a kill-or-be-killed situation and before you know it, you, the reader, are stuck on a batshit crazy merry-go-round, needing a breather while simultaneously feeling hella reluctant to ever jump off.
In terms of style, this is perhaps a more accessible – call it mainstream if you must – side of Will Carver, more Girl 4 or Good Samaritans than Nothing Important Happened Today or Hinton Hollow Death Trip. It is written in the third person singular and Death is not talking to the reader. Does that mean it reads like any other thriller out there? Erm… No. It is still a Will Carver after all, and I am still thanking the universe that he fell in with an indie publisher who not only respects his unique style, but allows him to hone it.
The Beresford is every bit as dark and as clever as I wanted it to be when I first heard about it. It’s unsettling from the get-go, not because you know there’s been a murder, but because you feel there’s all sorts of things going on beneath the surface that you’re not privy to yet. There is just something so insidiously sinister about The Beresford, just like there is something insidiously sinister about The Beresford. And its residents.
What was it about this building that gave me the creeps? What was it about the old landlady that made me think of that old lady in IT Chapter Two who turned into Pennywise? Was I waiting for poor old Mrs May to turn into a murderous clown? I kinda was! That was a mindfuck all on its own, lemme tell ya!
The Beresford is bloody and brutal and darkly funny and acidic and mind-boggling and thought-provoking in a way that only a Will Carver novel is. If you enjoyed his previous work I’m going to assume this is high up on your wishlist. If you’re new to this author, The Beresford is an excellent place to start. Highly recommended either way!
October 10, 2021
This is probably more of a two star book for me, but it feels a bit mean to rate it less than three stars, knowing that this is a book a lot of people would love.
To me this was heavy handed, repetitive and obvious, with an ending that answered none of the Beresford’s mysteries. It just wasn’t the book for me.
As much as I didn’t get on with the Beresford, I really think it’s a case of it just not being appealing to me.
I can see the short, snappy chapters and the humour being appealing to a lot of people.
This feels like it should be a very popular book.
To me this was heavy handed, repetitive and obvious, with an ending that answered none of the Beresford’s mysteries. It just wasn’t the book for me.
As much as I didn’t get on with the Beresford, I really think it’s a case of it just not being appealing to me.
I can see the short, snappy chapters and the humour being appealing to a lot of people.
This feels like it should be a very popular book.
Read
February 2, 2022DNF'd too repetitive I'm afraid
September 13, 2025
I've been meaning to read The Beresford for quite a while, so when I came across the audio book on BorrowBox, I knew what I wanted to listen to next. 🎧
I've only read one other book by Will Carver, so I wasn't really sure what to expect from The Beresford. Nothing, but nothing, could have prepared me for that building, or it's inhabitants. Peeps, I was definitely not disappointed with my choice of audio book. 🗡️
There's a line in Hotel California that goes "you can check out anytime you like, but you can never leave." At The Beresford you can leave, just not voluntarily. 🗡️
I loved this book. Yes, it's a bit of a slow burn, but not so slow that I was losing the will to live. It's quirky, it's sinister, and it's devilishly good. 😈🗡️
I've only read one other book by Will Carver, so I wasn't really sure what to expect from The Beresford. Nothing, but nothing, could have prepared me for that building, or it's inhabitants. Peeps, I was definitely not disappointed with my choice of audio book. 🗡️
There's a line in Hotel California that goes "you can check out anytime you like, but you can never leave." At The Beresford you can leave, just not voluntarily. 🗡️
I loved this book. Yes, it's a bit of a slow burn, but not so slow that I was losing the will to live. It's quirky, it's sinister, and it's devilishly good. 😈🗡️
November 14, 2021
Another great book.. I've read all his books and they are just so twisted they draw you in your all the madness.
This author cannot write fast enough for me...already waiting for his next book.
This author cannot write fast enough for me...already waiting for his next book.
June 15, 2023
2.5/3 stars. I didn't personally get along with this one but I think for fans of thrillers/horror it might be worth a shot.
The Beresford is a mixture of Groundhog Day (a horror version) and Rosemary's Baby. Some of the characters like Mrs. May, the apartment building's caretaker are hilarious but others are a little cringe. The repetitiveness of the chapters was something I could recognize as intentional for the overall story but the chapters titled "What do you want" were not adding anything (IMO).
The Beresford is a mixture of Groundhog Day (a horror version) and Rosemary's Baby. Some of the characters like Mrs. May, the apartment building's caretaker are hilarious but others are a little cringe. The repetitiveness of the chapters was something I could recognize as intentional for the overall story but the chapters titled "What do you want" were not adding anything (IMO).
December 17, 2024
Thanks to this novel, I was able to read through a crash. Short sentences, short chapters, a kind of mystery plot but requiring nothing, not even memory, from the reader.
July 28, 2021
Anyone who has read anything by Will Carver before will know that you should always expect the unexpected. Those of you who have yet to experience the delights of this author ... be afraid, be very afraid. This is an author who makes his readers work hard. He taxes the brain with his vivid imaginary and I believe that every reader will take something different away from this book.
At times grotesque, often darkly funny and always compelling, The Beresford is a stand alone novel that pushes the reader to their boundary. Populated with characters who will shock and surprise and a setting that is as much a character as the humans, it's a book that is so hard to write about.
Mrs May has owned The Beresford forever. It could be fifty years, it could be one hundred years. It doesn't matter really. What matters is that she's there, with her strict rota for every day. A bath, cold coffee, gardening, wine ... and making sure she knows everything about her tenants. She does know everything .... or does she?
The Beresford is a house for loners and people who want to escape. No questions asked, cheap rent, one tenant out, one tenant in. No crossover. Simple. People die at The Beresford, quite a few people actually, but there's always someone to take their place. Mrs May doesn't ask questions, nobody asks questions.
I'd talk about the plot ... if I had the words, but I don't. I'll talk about the reading experience and how I was left feeling when I turned the final page. I had a million questions in my head, I laid in bed thinking about the answers that I wanted, coming to all sorts of conclusions, not really knowing if I was right or wrong.
Will Carver does this. He does this every single time. His absolute precision with words and character building are extraordinary, yet I still feel as though I don't really know Abe, and Mrs May and Blair, and Gail. I'm not sure they know themselves, I think they know who they'd like to be, but I think their actions have surprised themselves as much as they've shocked me.
Carver tells his readers, in every book, that nothing important happened here today. He lies, something really important happened; this book happened and it's important and valuable. It's unique and genre busting; a mix of crime, horror and precise, sometimes angry, but always perfect, social commentary.
There's an underlying anger that rises through the pages, about the world and what people are doing to it, and to each other. It's incredibly clever and thought provoking ... it is like no other story that I've read.
I apologise if you are no closer to knowing anything about the plot, and what happens at The Beresford. I don't think it's my place to tell you. I'd urge you to #ringthedoorbell yourself, and if you do, #leaveyoursoulatthedoor
At times grotesque, often darkly funny and always compelling, The Beresford is a stand alone novel that pushes the reader to their boundary. Populated with characters who will shock and surprise and a setting that is as much a character as the humans, it's a book that is so hard to write about.
Mrs May has owned The Beresford forever. It could be fifty years, it could be one hundred years. It doesn't matter really. What matters is that she's there, with her strict rota for every day. A bath, cold coffee, gardening, wine ... and making sure she knows everything about her tenants. She does know everything .... or does she?
The Beresford is a house for loners and people who want to escape. No questions asked, cheap rent, one tenant out, one tenant in. No crossover. Simple. People die at The Beresford, quite a few people actually, but there's always someone to take their place. Mrs May doesn't ask questions, nobody asks questions.
I'd talk about the plot ... if I had the words, but I don't. I'll talk about the reading experience and how I was left feeling when I turned the final page. I had a million questions in my head, I laid in bed thinking about the answers that I wanted, coming to all sorts of conclusions, not really knowing if I was right or wrong.
Will Carver does this. He does this every single time. His absolute precision with words and character building are extraordinary, yet I still feel as though I don't really know Abe, and Mrs May and Blair, and Gail. I'm not sure they know themselves, I think they know who they'd like to be, but I think their actions have surprised themselves as much as they've shocked me.
Carver tells his readers, in every book, that nothing important happened here today. He lies, something really important happened; this book happened and it's important and valuable. It's unique and genre busting; a mix of crime, horror and precise, sometimes angry, but always perfect, social commentary.
There's an underlying anger that rises through the pages, about the world and what people are doing to it, and to each other. It's incredibly clever and thought provoking ... it is like no other story that I've read.
I apologise if you are no closer to knowing anything about the plot, and what happens at The Beresford. I don't think it's my place to tell you. I'd urge you to #ringthedoorbell yourself, and if you do, #leaveyoursoulatthedoor
October 6, 2021
I never do this; pleae indulge me for a second. That Cover. Love it. I can happily ignore 99% of book covers without needing to comment but that one’s a cracker. I wonder if Orenda realise they are saving the very best covers for their supernatural stories? Quite right too – a good horror tale needs a suitably grabbable skin wrapped around it.
So a horror story about a house called The Beresford. But not a haunted house story, this book is all about the people who come to live in The Beresford. And those who come to die.
It seems the cycle is inevitable. A new resident will arrive to stay in The Beresford exactly sixty seconds after the last breath of life leaves one of the current occupants. In that sixty seconds a body has to be hidden and Mrs May (the owner of The Beresford) will come out from her room and introduce herself to the new resident and try to help them settle in.
Mrs May is the old lady at the heart of the story. The enigma. She jokes she is 100, 150, 1200 years old but her residents just see a kindly old woman who is rather set in her ways and appears to be a bit of a matchmaker if her residents are suitability single and lonely.
Nobody arrives at The Beresford with murder in their heart but once they get inside those cheap but surprisingly spacious rooms something changes. A trigger moment will arise and a moment of madness will lead to the next corpse on the floor. The clever ones will cover up their crimes and kindly old Mrs May will just make a few subtle suggestions about “cleaning up”. In some instances Mrs May will need to take direct intervention and tell the murderer how to dispose of a body.
Mrs May knows everything that happens at The Beresford and down the years she has become very adept at body disposal.
What a clever, twisted and entertaining story this was. The constant knowledge someone in the story was going to be killed. Rooting for a favourite or waiting for the irritating ones to be erased but always compelling. There are 1,000 stories which could be told about the people that visit The Beresford and 1,000 more about the people that come looking for them when they are gone. I could have read all 2,000 of them.
This isn’t a scary horror tale in the jump-scare, something’s behind me mould. This is a disturbing story of demonic forces, murder and dismemberment and one for the reader to try to understand what is happening then try to understand how the story could possibly find closure. It’s the best I have read from Will Carver and major kudos to him for delivering such an accessible, readable and utterly enjoyable horror tale.
So a horror story about a house called The Beresford. But not a haunted house story, this book is all about the people who come to live in The Beresford. And those who come to die.
It seems the cycle is inevitable. A new resident will arrive to stay in The Beresford exactly sixty seconds after the last breath of life leaves one of the current occupants. In that sixty seconds a body has to be hidden and Mrs May (the owner of The Beresford) will come out from her room and introduce herself to the new resident and try to help them settle in.
Mrs May is the old lady at the heart of the story. The enigma. She jokes she is 100, 150, 1200 years old but her residents just see a kindly old woman who is rather set in her ways and appears to be a bit of a matchmaker if her residents are suitability single and lonely.
Nobody arrives at The Beresford with murder in their heart but once they get inside those cheap but surprisingly spacious rooms something changes. A trigger moment will arise and a moment of madness will lead to the next corpse on the floor. The clever ones will cover up their crimes and kindly old Mrs May will just make a few subtle suggestions about “cleaning up”. In some instances Mrs May will need to take direct intervention and tell the murderer how to dispose of a body.
Mrs May knows everything that happens at The Beresford and down the years she has become very adept at body disposal.
What a clever, twisted and entertaining story this was. The constant knowledge someone in the story was going to be killed. Rooting for a favourite or waiting for the irritating ones to be erased but always compelling. There are 1,000 stories which could be told about the people that visit The Beresford and 1,000 more about the people that come looking for them when they are gone. I could have read all 2,000 of them.
This isn’t a scary horror tale in the jump-scare, something’s behind me mould. This is a disturbing story of demonic forces, murder and dismemberment and one for the reader to try to understand what is happening then try to understand how the story could possibly find closure. It’s the best I have read from Will Carver and major kudos to him for delivering such an accessible, readable and utterly enjoyable horror tale.
February 13, 2023
The Beresford starts off strong with an intriguing, inventive premise and a plot that almost immediately kicks into action, but is soon bogged down by the repetitiveness of its writing. While I understand that the chapters are repetitive by design, I feel that aspect of the story could have been conveyed in more interesting ways. The way it is written seems to leave little room for subtlety, instead continually beating the reader over the head with the narrator's observations and cryptic one-liners. "Things were different at the Beresford"? Ok.
The story might have still been enjoyable overall had at least the resolutions been satisfactory, but many of the mysteries that are introduced in the first third are abandoned somewhere along the halfway mark. Instead, the ending dedicates itself to concluding storylines that are introduced much later in the story, and these are more focused on certain character arcs than the interesting, abstract ideas related to the Beresford itself. Had these characters had more (or any) depth, this wouldn't have been a problem, but most of them are one-dimensional. For all its intrigue and potential, the book seemed to do little apart from revelling in the supposed cleverness of its own premise.
I'm sorry @ Will Carver, liked the idea but not the execution. :-/
The story might have still been enjoyable overall had at least the resolutions been satisfactory, but many of the mysteries that are introduced in the first third are abandoned somewhere along the halfway mark. Instead, the ending dedicates itself to concluding storylines that are introduced much later in the story, and these are more focused on certain character arcs than the interesting, abstract ideas related to the Beresford itself. Had these characters had more (or any) depth, this wouldn't have been a problem, but most of them are one-dimensional. For all its intrigue and potential, the book seemed to do little apart from revelling in the supposed cleverness of its own premise.
I'm sorry @ Will Carver, liked the idea but not the execution. :-/
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