The Haunting of the Morgan Estate

A Riveting Haunted House Mystery #32

by Emery Gray

It's been three years since a local college girl went missing, leaving a trail of theories about what really happened in the Morgan Estate.

Genres: Horror, Mystery, Fiction, Amazon, Ebooks, Paranormal, Ghosts

306 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 24, 2021

Reviews

[Andrea Repp · Rating 1 out of 5]

Sometimes more is just more. This was terribly written. Every sentence is the same...subject, verb, clauses. Plus modifiers, lots and lots of modifiers. I felt that every word had a modifier. Just stop. It was very disjointed, there were so many inconsistencies. I hate not finishing books, in fact in my 55 years of reading I have only not finished one book. It took every ounce of willpower I had to finish this it was so bad. The story was boring and predictable, I figured out the villain once all the pieces had been placed but maybe that was just my cynical and suspicious brain. SPOILER and just how did a girlfriend of a couple months legally get her boyfriend's family's fortune??? The only good thing was that it did help me fall asleep for a few nights during a stressful time :)

[robin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was generous with my 3 stars. This was an ok read.. Very unbelievable and I rolled my eyes about 30 times. No one and I mean no one is stupid enough to stay in that house after even the first 2 scary episodes. I did have fun discussing it as I went along with my adult daughter. We both had the plot figured our not far into the book - but I did enjoy it - and if it gets a good convo going with her, it was worth the read.

[JoyceM · Rating 1 out of 5]

Very difficult to read this to the end but I stubbornly persevered because I don't like to leave a book unfinished. Might have to change that practice in future. Poorly written, boring and disjointed. A beautiful, well kept mansion became a decrepit old building with creaky stairs, a vintage camera is discovered and immediately put to use. It showed photos as they were taken and photos from it were also developed in house. Where did the film come from? A flash drive was discovered and never mentioned again, a girlfriend of a few months inherits the money?? None of this made sense.

[Linda · Rating 2 out of 5]

This one had potential, but for me, it just didn't reach it. It dragged in places and was totally unbelievable in others. I figured out who the culprit was, pretty early on and rolled my eyes as Chloe just stuck around the mansion, like things would get better. Eli disappeared a lot, and the last uber that she called..was never mentioned as arriving. There were other things, like repeated sayings, etc. It was ok.

[Mandi Vining · Rating 1 out of 5]

may be the worst book I’ve ever read.

Massive. Enormous. Impossibly. Please. Find a thesaurus. The book was painfully predictable. I surprised myself by finishing it but I’m not a quitter. SPOILER:::::
Even when Eli is chasing her down, his words are redundant. And how are we to believe she’s the beneficiary of the Morgan fortune? Like people that rich don’t have trusts in place?

[Deanna Moon · Rating 2 out of 5]

The Haunting of the Morgan Estate opens three years after a local college girl disappears under mysterious circumstances, leaving behind rumors, unanswered questions, and an eerie legacy tied to the Morgan Estate. As new eyes fall upon the mansion and its unsettling past, strange occurrences begin to surface, hinting that whatever happened there may not be finished.

Although the premise of The Haunting of the Morgan Estate promises a tense, atmospheric mystery, the story struggles to deliver anything fresh or compelling. The setup—an old estate, a tragic disappearance, unexplained phenomena—leans heavily on long‑established haunted‑house tropes. Unfortunately, the book doesn’t elevate them or add a unique angle, resulting in a plot that feels predictable from early on.

One of the biggest issues for me is the writing itself. Scene transitions often feel abrupt, with moments jumping forward in time or tone so suddenly that the narrative becomes disjointed. This disrupts immersion and makes it hard to stay connected to the atmosphere the story tries to create. The pacing also suffers from these jumps, and the overall flow feels messy and underdeveloped.

Because the book sidesteps deeper character development, it lacks the emotional anchor that could have elevated the mystery. Without that central character depth, the story has trouble distinguishing itself from countless similar plots across books and films.

Interestingly, The Haunting of the Morgan Estate was adapted into a 2020 indie horror film directed by Brendan Rudnicki. The movie centers on similar themes: a paranormal phenomenon, a mysterious curse, and an unsolved murder tied to the estate’s past. The film may very well provide a different experience, especially since atmospheric haunted‑house stories sometimes translate better on screen than on the page.

Given the issues I had with the book around pacing and atmosphere, the film might actually offer a tighter, more coherent experience—indie horror often leans on mood and visuals in ways that can compensate for narrative gaps.

Between what I felt was its predictability, structural issues, and uneven writing, this is ultimately a haunted‑house mystery that fails to stand out.

[Alexandra · Rating 1 out of 5]

I would have for sure DNFed this book, but I’m stubborn and have never not finished one. Honestly, I regret pushing through. The repetitive descriptions made it feel like five chapters of nothing but walking down a “long and narrow hallway.” The vintage camera storyline was inconsistent—sometimes the ghost appeared instantly in a photo, other times she had to develop film in a red room. No rules, no explanation.

The murder mystery was never resolved. We never learned how or why Sarah was killed, or even how the body was found after all those years. And the ending? A girlfriend of only a few months inheriting the entire family fortune—completely implausible.

The writing itself was painful at times. It was told in third person, but every thought the FMC had was spoken aloud, which just read awkwardly. If you want the reader that close to her head, write it in first person instead. My advice to the author: tighten up descriptions, cut the endless repetition, decide on clear rules for your “haunted objects,” and don’t leave major plot points dangling. This could have been an interesting premise, but the execution needs serious work.

[Diane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enjoyable read!

I did very much enjoy reading this story, hence the five stars.
I got confused when Chloe walked out of the bedroom and crossed to the kitchen, when I had thought the bedroom was upstairs. When Eli showed Chloe the red room it was like she had never seen it, even though she had looked in and saw all of the pictures hanging in it before. There was also a time when Eli’s name was used where it should have been Eathan’s name.
I did enjoy the mystery of the story.

[Laurel · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book got to me. The tension slowly builds to where this reader wondered if it was too scary for me. It is definitely not a literary masterpiece. There is some repetition. However, this was a good read, using unexplained supernatural pictures & happenings to keep one hooked. Mystery was solved with a definite ending.

[Nicole · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a generous 2 star. Like other reviews, this book had soooo much potential but it never lived up to. The beginning 3/4 was unbearably slow at times; poorly written to have zero cohesiveness; and unbelievable. And then all of sudden, you understand the true plot of the storyline and the book picked up speed.

[Greg Dungey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great story

I've been reading the Haunted series for over a year now. I love when I find one that seem follow the protocol that most of the others seem to. I'm not going to give it away, but this author has a talent for thinking out of the box. Easy reading and very captivating. Try it. You won't be disappointed.

[Gail Lanktree · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good Read

I had problems getting into it because I initially thought it was another book about a cheating politician. But I pushed myself to read it and it was not what I thought and I really enjoyed it. Grammar and flow was great. I would recommend this book.

[Candace Dill · Rating 3 out of 5]

A generous 3 star rating, for sure.

The characters were lack luster and the plot was super predictable. The repetition of the phase “the hell…” literally had me rolling my eyes.

The story line did have potential, unfortunately it fell flat.

[G · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love a good haunted story but this just wasn't cutting it. I only read halfway through as it was reading like a Harlequin romance, which is the last thing in the world I wanna read. The story was not believable and it was very written.

[Samantha herbert · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a twist!

This story has just enough ghost and plenty of twists. It's like trying to untangle a ball of knotted wool. Chloe risks her life at the hands of a psychopath and barely gets out alive. Sarah got her into trouble but was it also Sarah that helped her get out of it?

[Charlene · Rating 2 out of 5]

Okay, so this book I just couldn't seem to get into and it felt like it took forever to read. Like when I read it felt like I never made a dent. I will say towards the end it picked up a little. I feel as though it could of had some more paranormal Haunting to it.

[Kathleenalford · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was a quick but predictable read. Even though the murderer himself was supposed to be a surprise, all signs pointed to him. The book was well-written but did not include enough intrigue for me. The ending seemed to be hurried; I felt much more of the supernatural could have reappeared.

[Lacy Mckinney hargrave · Rating 5 out of 5]

Riveting!! Captivating!

This book kept me engaged from the beginning. I couldn’t put it down. I was always wondering what was next. It kept me so enthralled I lost track of time. Great mystery read.

[CJ · Rating 2 out of 5]

Story is a rip off of the classic Rebecca

The story is a rip off of the classic Rebecca. Of course somethings are modernized but the story is very similar. Not very original or well thought out.

[Dorothy Pitts · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow!!

What a fantastic book! I didn't see that coming about the true murderer!! Great characters and fantastic timing all thru the book! Amazing author!

[Barb · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good scary book

[Mary Nuss · Rating 5 out of 5]

Haunting of Morgan Estate

I loved this story. Never expected it to end the way it did. Read the entire book in one afternoon. Could not put it down!!!

[Lottie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was tedious to read and boring, not enough suspense!

[Debbie Diem]

Held my attention right from the start.

[Michael Varady · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great thriller

This was a great short thriller. It was spooky but not too scary. I loved the way it was written and it wasn't over written like some of the thriller books are.

[Lisa Morse · Rating 5 out of 5]

Riveting

I'm usually able to guess what's going to happen before the end of a book.
This one shocked me at the end.
Wonderful read!

[Micky Parise · Rating 4 out of 5]

First time reading Emery Gray and was rather impressed. Characters were outstanding, story line flowed nicely and was a nice quick read. Recommend.

[Star Shining Forever · Rating 2 out of 5]

The mystery of a ghost girl reaching out from beyond the grave with pleas to solve her murder was decent but it’s muddled with juvenile and clunky writing, continuity errors, and a lot of swearing.

[Lisa Naumann · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book!! great fast read with chilling plot twists.

[Nic · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved this ending!!! Yaaaas female revenge!!!!

Appreciated the mystery aspect of this book, beautifully done.

Good read =)