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The Ghost of Mackey House
The Mackey House is a century-old house that has been converted to a quaint bed and breakfast in the Pocono Mountains in Pennsylvania. When a struggling writer returns to Mackey House for a writing retreat, he learns that the husband of the owner of the B&B has gone missing. Inspired by the enigmatic statue on the front lawn, he begins researching the tragic and twisted history of Mackey House, and its predecessor the Mackey Hotel, for his next novel. He teams up with a local Sheriff’s deputy investigating the husband’s disappearance, and they uncover secrets that will put them, body and soul, in the gravest danger.
389 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 14, 2021
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
January 2, 2026
I bought this book at a local festival where I got the chance to meet the author!
I was unsure going into this book- I’m not usually a horror reader and this being my first book from this author. However, after a couple chapters in, I was pleasantly surprised!
I enjoyed the writing style, and the storyline kept me engaged. I especially enjoyed how character-driven the story was! I liked getting to know all of the characters.
My cons: the ghosty parts were spooky at times (yay!) but I really didn’t like the drive behind the ghost(s) or the way they were- very icky 🤢
Overall, I’m glad I read this book! I didn’t love it but it was a different and fun read
I was unsure going into this book- I’m not usually a horror reader and this being my first book from this author. However, after a couple chapters in, I was pleasantly surprised!
I enjoyed the writing style, and the storyline kept me engaged. I especially enjoyed how character-driven the story was! I liked getting to know all of the characters.
My cons: the ghosty parts were spooky at times (yay!) but I really didn’t like the drive behind the ghost(s) or the way they were- very icky 🤢
Overall, I’m glad I read this book! I didn’t love it but it was a different and fun read
November 1, 2021
*I received an early copy of this book as a Reedsy Reviewer. This review was originally posted on Reedsy (link below)*
I started The Ghost of Mackey House thinking this story was going to center around this B&B, Mackey House, and the ghost that was in it, with the history surrounding it as its dark and mysterious backdrop. Unfortunately, for me personally, this was not the case.
Books with a haunted house are usually very heavy with atmosphere. The Ghost of Mackey House feels like it has very little atmosphere, likely because the story is so character-driven. The characters spend so little time actually experiencing Mackey House that the haunting atmosphere just isn't there. I like in-depth characters a lot, but not when the integrity of the plot is put aside for character exposition and backstory. This sort of exposition takes up most of the book - we don't get much of the ghostly atmosphere and plotline until two-thirds into the story, and so I was very uninvested for that much of the book.
I won't get too into the characters themselves - overall, they weren't bad, and I think if I was more prepared for an almost entirely character-based story, I would have enjoyed it more. I do wish, however, that I was able to empathize with the characters more. I think if they were written in such a way that I truly felt for them, they could have been excellent characters.
I don't think this book needed to be as long as it was. I think a lot of the story relied on characters' backstories to fill the wordcount, and thus made the story feel slightly incoherent and muddled. I think this book could have been great if it was shorter, almost a novella, and if it took place more inside the titular Mackey House. However, I do think the story, as written, could make a very cool videogame. In terms of the characters and the history, it really reminded me of games like Silent Hill or Resident Evil (if you were to make it more horror-based).
While The Ghost of Mackey House was not for me, I do want to end this review with some positives. When the story does pick up, in the later half of the book, the plot was a lot more compelling and I became really eager to find out what happened in the end. And, if you are someone who likes more character-focused storytelling, I will say the background characters are very fun, and I would read the book again just for them.
*Link to the Reedsy Review: https://reedsy.com/discovery/book/the...
I started The Ghost of Mackey House thinking this story was going to center around this B&B, Mackey House, and the ghost that was in it, with the history surrounding it as its dark and mysterious backdrop. Unfortunately, for me personally, this was not the case.
Books with a haunted house are usually very heavy with atmosphere. The Ghost of Mackey House feels like it has very little atmosphere, likely because the story is so character-driven. The characters spend so little time actually experiencing Mackey House that the haunting atmosphere just isn't there. I like in-depth characters a lot, but not when the integrity of the plot is put aside for character exposition and backstory. This sort of exposition takes up most of the book - we don't get much of the ghostly atmosphere and plotline until two-thirds into the story, and so I was very uninvested for that much of the book.
I won't get too into the characters themselves - overall, they weren't bad, and I think if I was more prepared for an almost entirely character-based story, I would have enjoyed it more. I do wish, however, that I was able to empathize with the characters more. I think if they were written in such a way that I truly felt for them, they could have been excellent characters.
I don't think this book needed to be as long as it was. I think a lot of the story relied on characters' backstories to fill the wordcount, and thus made the story feel slightly incoherent and muddled. I think this book could have been great if it was shorter, almost a novella, and if it took place more inside the titular Mackey House. However, I do think the story, as written, could make a very cool videogame. In terms of the characters and the history, it really reminded me of games like Silent Hill or Resident Evil (if you were to make it more horror-based).
While The Ghost of Mackey House was not for me, I do want to end this review with some positives. When the story does pick up, in the later half of the book, the plot was a lot more compelling and I became really eager to find out what happened in the end. And, if you are someone who likes more character-focused storytelling, I will say the background characters are very fun, and I would read the book again just for them.
*Link to the Reedsy Review: https://reedsy.com/discovery/book/the...
August 8, 2026
Read this book because I needed to read an indie publisher book (for a book club bingo), as well as it takes place in the Poconos in PA. It started off slow, but got better as it went.
I now want to read the sequel that takes place in a coal miner town. I grew up in the coal regions, Nesquehoning in Carbon County, and know some of the history of the Mollie Maguires, who were hanged in Jim Thorpe.
I now want to read the sequel that takes place in a coal miner town. I grew up in the coal regions, Nesquehoning in Carbon County, and know some of the history of the Mollie Maguires, who were hanged in Jim Thorpe.
December 31, 2024
This haunted house story really took me for a ride. It's quite creepy at times, with very evocative language and a vivid setting. The ghost does use a sort of mental-sexual-lust invoking attack on the protags (difficult to describe) that will make some readers uncomfortable, but since I put the book in the 'horror' category in my mind this didn't bother me.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews