Twenty-five years ago, Edward House and his sister Meg ran screaming from their family home. They claimed that a ghost had attacked their parents, that some kind of evil spirit had been trying to possess Edward and take control of his body. Their father lay dead on the floor, and their mother had lost her mind. Now Edward and Meg only had each other.Today, Edward is a married man with a daughter of his own. When he and his family move into a new home, they have no idea that a dark force from the past is once again beginning to stir. Edward is certain that the events of his childhood are over, but his sister's not so sure. And when Edward's daughter Molly starts seeing the same ghost that tormented Edward and Meg a quarter of a century earlier, history looks set to repeat itself.The Haunting of Edward House is a ghost story about a man who refuses to face his past, a woman can't let go of one moment of horror, and a deadly evil that will stop at nothing to get what it wants.
Amy Cross writes novels and short stories in a number of genres, mainly horror, paranormal and fantasy. Books include The Farm, Annie's Room, The Island, Eli's Town and Asylum.
Ive read so many of Amy Cross's books and while I mainly enjoy them, the theme of not believing is getting tiring. It took 80% of the book before the main character believes in ghost! C'mon Amy Cross, just make them believe sooner!
I did not finish this book. The author is British, the story is supposed to be about Americans in Colorado. The British terminology that kept popping up got on my nerves. I returned it unfinished. The story sounded good but the author needs to remove the British terms and replace them with U.S. terminology.
“Once you've done that,” she added, “sometimes you can't not see them. Once you've changed your way of seeing, you often find you can't change it back. Not even if you want to. Well...” She looked over at Edward again. “Not unless you try very hard.”
Twenty five years is a long time to forget the past, to forge new memories from the ashes the old ones crumble into. For Edward and Meg House, two siblings so close in age, the past would forever find its path right back to them. An entity of an woman, her eyes milky white who had an odd fascination with Edward would find ways to touch and even communicate with him. Yet, he and his sister Met feared this woman, even though she should’ve been the one they listened to most. Ellen Deaver, she lived over a hundred years before the House family purchased the home, and she crudely hung herself in the houses library following the suicide of her twelve year old son Percy. His malicious entity roamed the home, as he viscously blamed his mother’s attitude and actions for both his fathers death on the carriage, and the hatred that bloomed in his own heart. Percy too hung himself, yet when he came back he would whisper the words into his mother’s prone ears until she placed the road around herself too. This would all come to erupt one night with his father possessed and his mother left behind for decades in a catatonic state. Fast forward our take twenty five years and Edward is happily married to his wife Caroline, and raising their young daughter Molly. Trying to place the past where it should’ve left buried, they bought a gorgeous home with no history of deaths or violence, hoping this would be the perfect place to raise a family. Yet they couldn’t be more wrong. Meg makes herself announced one night, no phone, no car, just the clothes on her back before beginning the tales of the milky eyed woman. Fearing she was scaring his young daughter who now talked about the woman, he had his own sister committed to a mental ward for over a year to spare his daughter the haunting they experienced. Yet it wouldn’t be that simple. The woman began appearing so much more, the banister on the stairs should shatter and splinter, and an eerie red and green wallpaper from his childhood seemed to come from cracks in the walls. His wife was doubtful of the paranormal, until The night he was possessed by Percy, almost killing them all. Now with a deal with the ghost of a decade, he vowed to let the spirit have his body then. With a new baby on the way and his sister back within the folds of the family, how could things ever get worse?
“We can try to put it off for as long as possible, but death... It comes for all of us eventually. That final moment. That last breath. That knowledge that we're going into the abyss. No-one in history has ever avoided it.”
The overall story was good. It was fast paced and we didn't have to wait long before the haunting activities began. Edward's reaction as an adult to ghosts is a given as he has suffered a traumatic experience, but his wife was insufferable at times, and so are some of her actions. Meg, on the other hand, was willing to destroy all her relationships just to keep her niece, Molly, safe. I liked her character but I feel her part could have been a bit more proactive. I understand that her getting committed was her own horror story, but her role didn't match with the grand entry that she had in the story. The revelation was surprisingly good. The twist at the end elevated the story. It was sort of a cliffhanger yet it can be taken as the end. I don't know if it has or will have a sequel. But I liked it as a standalone.
This was a really good story, with a touch of "The Shining" about it. Two ghosts for the price of one! Which one was the evil perpetrator and which one was the victim? A ghost, not haunting a particular spot but terrorising a whole family. Certainly a different slant on the genre. You never know what to expect from Amy Cross but, on this occasion, she excelled herself.
Good story with a good but predictable (for me) twist. The ending was pretty good and I didn't see that coming. I have recently discovered Amy Crosss' books and I do enjoy them however this story had a lot of dialogue which seemed to trail off.... and remain unfinished as if the characters were constantly in further thought Which I found odd but over all a good read
If you enjoy ghosts and hauntings, Amy Cross is one author that always delivers. The ghosts in this one were really creepy, especially the dangerous one. Meg's part of the story and the flashbacks to Edward's childhood added some nice action to the family's tale of horror, and the house and the possession are super freaky. Tense and with enough feelings of helplessness thrown in to make parts of it genuinely scary.
I’ve read a Lot of Amy Cross books, this has to be my favorite so far! Wonderful ghostly story. When Edward House was a child something happened to destroy his family. Left only with his sister Meg, he has moved on in his life. Is it possible to leave his haunting past behind? Or do things follow him to the end.
This is my Amy Cross favorite. It's a nice spooky story that involves a pair of ghosts - mother and son. There is lots of action that doesn't get bogged down with unimportant details. I found the ending a little shocking and I really enjoyed it. Highly recommended.
I've read many books from this author, and this is my least favourite. The plot is boring and could have been done in 5 pages. Instead, we get tons of fillers, annoying characters, and a bland twist. I do not recommend this one.
it's a nice horror book with all the suspense and horror. somewhere it didn't meet the expectations of a horror movie. but it's a nice one-time read. It was fast-paced and we didn't have to wait long before the haunting activities began. It was a page-turner from beginning to end.
Loved the short chapters. Makes me feel like I'm reading fast. At first I thought this was a book about a house not a person. Another book about assuming who the ghost is and them being wrong. Ending was interesting not sure if I like it. 3.5
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
This is the first book I have read by this author. Will be reading more of her books. This book picks you up from the beginning and doesn't let go. Keeps you guessing till the end. Would recommend this author to read.
Really didn’t expect the ending…. This was definitely a new spin on a haunted house. Loved the storyline and the characters. Amy Cross never disappoints!!
It was a page turner from beginning to end. I love a book that captures my interest in the first couple of paragraphs (or pages) and keeps me thinking about it even when I'm not reading. You can't go wrong with this one.
‘The Haunting of Edward House” by Amy Cross has a ghost story to tell, with all the attendant spooks and tremors. A ghost a family tries to escape from, two siblings rushing out into the night, away from the home where their father lay dead, and their mother lost her mind. With great difficulty, they are trying to make a fresh start, and Edward, the brother, now has a wife and daughter and a happy home. His sister Meg hasn’t been able to live a new life, what with old ghosts still dogging her. The book is good, but the character Edward is so unlikeable that he robs the book of most of its appeal. He is selfish, weak, cruel, and obstinate. For me, he stole the entire book of its charm., And because he is so despicable, the book rates a 2.5 * from me.