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The House at Phantom Park
Disturbing. Original. Terrifying. The 'master of horror' is back with the chilling tale of what lurks in the walls of an abandoned hospital. The perfect Halloween read.
In this abandoned hospital, pain lives on... and it wants revenge.
St Philomena's military hospital has been abandoned for over three years. Now Lilian Chesterfield, who works for one of the most successful building companies in England, is in charge of developing it into a luxury housing complex.
But as soon as she and her colleagues start work in the Jacobean-style mansion, their dream turns into a nightmare. They hear screaming from wards full of empty beds. They hear doors slamming and find cutlery scattered over the kitchen floor. Then they see faces peering at them from the mullioned windows.
Lilian is pragmatic – she doesn't believe in the supernatural. But just when she's put her mind at rest by scouring the mansion from top to bottom and finding nothing, a former patient of St Philomena's arrives with a warning. The hospital is haunted. And it is haunted by something a thousand times more terrifying than ghosts...
Perfect to read at Halloween and for fans of The Haunting of Hill House, The Shining and The Woman in Black.
In this abandoned hospital, pain lives on... and it wants revenge.
St Philomena's military hospital has been abandoned for over three years. Now Lilian Chesterfield, who works for one of the most successful building companies in England, is in charge of developing it into a luxury housing complex.
But as soon as she and her colleagues start work in the Jacobean-style mansion, their dream turns into a nightmare. They hear screaming from wards full of empty beds. They hear doors slamming and find cutlery scattered over the kitchen floor. Then they see faces peering at them from the mullioned windows.
Lilian is pragmatic – she doesn't believe in the supernatural. But just when she's put her mind at rest by scouring the mansion from top to bottom and finding nothing, a former patient of St Philomena's arrives with a warning. The hospital is haunted. And it is haunted by something a thousand times more terrifying than ghosts...
Perfect to read at Halloween and for fans of The Haunting of Hill House, The Shining and The Woman in Black.
480 pages, Hardcover
First published October 13, 2022
427 people are currently reading
2694 people want to read
About the author
Graham Masterton
422 books1,968 followersGraham Masterton was born in Edinburgh in 1946. His grandfather was Thomas Thorne Baker, the eminent scientist who invented DayGlo and was the first man to transmit news photographs by wireless. After training as a newspaper reporter, Graham went on to edit the new British men's magazine Mayfair, where he encouraged William Burroughs to develop a series of scientific and philosophical articles which eventually became Burroughs' novel The Wild Boys.
At the age of 24, Graham was appointed executive editor of both Penthouse and Penthouse Forum magazines. At this time he started to write a bestselling series of sex 'how-to' books including How To Drive Your Man Wild In Bed which has sold over 3 million copies worldwide. His latest, Wild Sex For New Lovers is published by Penguin Putnam in January, 2001. He is a regular contributor to Cosmopolitan, Men's Health, Woman, Woman's Own and other mass-market self-improvement magazines.
Graham Masterton's debut as a horror author began with The Manitou in 1976, a chilling tale of a Native American medicine man reborn in the present day to exact his revenge on the white man. It became an instant bestseller and was filmed with Tony Curtis, Susan Strasberg, Burgess Meredith, Michael Ansara, Stella Stevens and Ann Sothern.
Altogether Graham has written more than a hundred novels ranging from thrillers (The Sweetman Curve, Ikon) to disaster novels (Plague, Famine) to historical sagas (Rich and Maiden Voyage - both appeared in the New York Times bestseller list). He has published four collections of short stories, Fortnight of Fear, Flights of Fear, Faces of Fear and Feelings of Fear.
He has also written horror novels for children (House of Bones, Hair-Raiser) and has just finished the fifth volume in a very popular series for young adults, Rook, based on the adventures of an idiosyncratic remedial English teacher in a Los Angeles community college who has the facility to see ghosts.
Since then Graham has published more than 35 horror novels, including Charnel House, which was awarded a Special Edgar by Mystery Writers of America; Mirror, which was awarded a Silver Medal by West Coast Review of Books; and Family Portrait, an update of Oscar Wilde's tale, The Picture of Dorian Gray, which was the only non-French winner of the prestigious Prix Julia Verlanger in France.
He and his wife Wiescka live in a Gothic Victorian mansion high above the River Lee in Cork, Ireland.
At the age of 24, Graham was appointed executive editor of both Penthouse and Penthouse Forum magazines. At this time he started to write a bestselling series of sex 'how-to' books including How To Drive Your Man Wild In Bed which has sold over 3 million copies worldwide. His latest, Wild Sex For New Lovers is published by Penguin Putnam in January, 2001. He is a regular contributor to Cosmopolitan, Men's Health, Woman, Woman's Own and other mass-market self-improvement magazines.
Graham Masterton's debut as a horror author began with The Manitou in 1976, a chilling tale of a Native American medicine man reborn in the present day to exact his revenge on the white man. It became an instant bestseller and was filmed with Tony Curtis, Susan Strasberg, Burgess Meredith, Michael Ansara, Stella Stevens and Ann Sothern.
Altogether Graham has written more than a hundred novels ranging from thrillers (The Sweetman Curve, Ikon) to disaster novels (Plague, Famine) to historical sagas (Rich and Maiden Voyage - both appeared in the New York Times bestseller list). He has published four collections of short stories, Fortnight of Fear, Flights of Fear, Faces of Fear and Feelings of Fear.
He has also written horror novels for children (House of Bones, Hair-Raiser) and has just finished the fifth volume in a very popular series for young adults, Rook, based on the adventures of an idiosyncratic remedial English teacher in a Los Angeles community college who has the facility to see ghosts.
Since then Graham has published more than 35 horror novels, including Charnel House, which was awarded a Special Edgar by Mystery Writers of America; Mirror, which was awarded a Silver Medal by West Coast Review of Books; and Family Portrait, an update of Oscar Wilde's tale, The Picture of Dorian Gray, which was the only non-French winner of the prestigious Prix Julia Verlanger in France.
He and his wife Wiescka live in a Gothic Victorian mansion high above the River Lee in Cork, Ireland.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 485 reviews
July 27, 2022
My thanks to Aria and Aries books, Graham Masterton and Netgalley.
I've been reading and collecting Masterton books for as long as I can remember. I've still got a few shelves full of them. None of which I could ever give or throw away. I'll leave that to others!
Those books are still safe. But, I must confess that I've found it very difficult lately to like Masterton or his books. Let's face it, the man is old and very unlikely to change his ways!
Still, I keep reading.
I had a few issues on how he portrayed a couple character's, but I'll give it a pass.
I really didn't expect to like this story much, but I always have to give him a go because his books can be so disgusting and scary!
Turns out that while I wasn't scared, I managed to find some life in my poor shriveled up heart!
The conclusion of this story was awful/heartbreaking/a painful loss/ etc...
I've been reading and collecting Masterton books for as long as I can remember. I've still got a few shelves full of them. None of which I could ever give or throw away. I'll leave that to others!
Those books are still safe. But, I must confess that I've found it very difficult lately to like Masterton or his books. Let's face it, the man is old and very unlikely to change his ways!
Still, I keep reading.
I had a few issues on how he portrayed a couple character's, but I'll give it a pass.
I really didn't expect to like this story much, but I always have to give him a go because his books can be so disgusting and scary!
Turns out that while I wasn't scared, I managed to find some life in my poor shriveled up heart!
The conclusion of this story was awful/heartbreaking/a painful loss/ etc...
July 12, 2024
Masterton's The House at Phantom Park is an unrelenting psychological suspense filled gore fest from beginning to end. It had me hook line and sinker almost immediately.
My one big qualm was the ceaseless and nonsensical decisions and actions being made by several of the characters which left me shaking my head in disbelief.
For example:
There is absolutely no way in real life that any sane person would choose to first call the police to assist them in escaping a haunted facility in order to avoid getting in trouble for property damage. Seriously?? Nor would it cross my mind. Especially as I am running for my life from a horde of invisible and angry entities about to break down the door which is the only thing protecting me from being swept up in their painful wrath.
The graphic descriptive horror scenes were spectacularly gruesome. A great read for those seeking some carnage filled escapism.
My one big qualm was the ceaseless and nonsensical decisions and actions being made by several of the characters which left me shaking my head in disbelief.
For example:
There is absolutely no way in real life that any sane person would choose to first call the police to assist them in escaping a haunted facility in order to avoid getting in trouble for property damage. Seriously?? Nor would it cross my mind. Especially as I am running for my life from a horde of invisible and angry entities about to break down the door which is the only thing protecting me from being swept up in their painful wrath.
The graphic descriptive horror scenes were spectacularly gruesome. A great read for those seeking some carnage filled escapism.
September 29, 2022
The House at Phantom Park delivers on the creepy vibes but not much else.
Lillian and David are in charge of overseeing the conversion of an old hospital into luxury apartments. From the beginning, everything starts to go wrong, with contractors suddenly becoming immobile or knives floating in the air. They suspect it might be activists messing with them. But Lillian has a job to do, and she is nothing if not determined, no matter how many people end up in the hospital with perplexing symptoms.
The publisher’s blurb is slightly different from the contents of the book. It mentions John and Petulia Pearson, who are excited to convert the hospital into a seaside hotel, but they start witnessing unfathomable terrors. That makes it seem like those two would be the main characters, but as I described above, it is Lillian and David tasked with converting the hospital into apartments, not a hotel.
Overlooking those discrepancies, I found most of the characters were unlikeable and poorly developed. I enjoy reading about unlikeable characters if they’re multifaceted and have some depth to them. Many of the characters here were one-dimensional and fell a bit flat. And it took them an incredibly long time to start taking things seriously.
I had to push myself to finish this one and was glad when it was over.
CW: gore, war, ableism, sexism.
Thank you to the publisher for providing me with an arc via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
https://booksandwheels.com
Lillian and David are in charge of overseeing the conversion of an old hospital into luxury apartments. From the beginning, everything starts to go wrong, with contractors suddenly becoming immobile or knives floating in the air. They suspect it might be activists messing with them. But Lillian has a job to do, and she is nothing if not determined, no matter how many people end up in the hospital with perplexing symptoms.
The publisher’s blurb is slightly different from the contents of the book. It mentions John and Petulia Pearson, who are excited to convert the hospital into a seaside hotel, but they start witnessing unfathomable terrors. That makes it seem like those two would be the main characters, but as I described above, it is Lillian and David tasked with converting the hospital into apartments, not a hotel.
Overlooking those discrepancies, I found most of the characters were unlikeable and poorly developed. I enjoy reading about unlikeable characters if they’re multifaceted and have some depth to them. Many of the characters here were one-dimensional and fell a bit flat. And it took them an incredibly long time to start taking things seriously.
I had to push myself to finish this one and was glad when it was over.
CW: gore, war, ableism, sexism.
Thank you to the publisher for providing me with an arc via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
https://booksandwheels.com
November 1, 2023
This novel is about a former military hospital (St Philomenas) the main character Lillian wants to turn into luxury apartments. But there seems to be some unholy force left. At first you only hear screams but soon people start to die in a painful way. What ist the Spirits of Pain about? Why are the Afghanistan vets forever bound to that location? What's the role of Martin, the gardener? Can Moses with all his experience in the Afghanistan war help? How will the story end for the characters involved? Can the house be cleaned? To be honest this haunted house story was different than expected. Many aspects from the Afghanistan war, some evil power, mysterious incidents and brutal deaths. Somehow though the plot and the logic of the story didn't fully convince me. There are too many questions open. But even though it was an intriguing read at parts. Really recommended for those looking out for some unusual horror!
March 13, 2023
Terrifying Ghosts!
Backstory:
Lilian Chesterfield works for a company that is wanting to turn the abandoned hospital of St. Philomena which use to be a military hospital into luxury housing. As Lilian along with David part of her team tries to see what they will need to do in order to get the building fixed they are confronted with forces out of their control trying to stop them from working on the place.
When two surveyors are struck down with odd calamities within the building it makes Lilian wonder if some activists in the area are trying to impede their progress of the luxury housing being complete - Lilian doesn't believe in ghosts so the thought never crosses her mind but as more weird things start happening within the building their thoughts are about to change as what haunts the building makes its presence known and before long, Lilian will come to realize that hauntings do exist!
That is about all I can give on a backstory without giving away spoilers so if you are intrigued then go grab this book!
Thoughts:
This story was one spooky ride into the haunting realm of Graham Masterton's mind! I was captured right away with the storyline and though there was a tiny bit of a slow burn with the story it didn't take long for it to escalate with the haunting. The mystery of what is actually haunting the building takes some time, but I felt that it was more of a suspenseful buildup for the revelation of "who" and "what" was doing the haunting.
The mystery deepens the further I became involved in the storyline and I really liked the characters Lillian and David - though Lilian was a little aggravating not realizing that the place was haunted - after a few incidents in the book she was still not convinced that it was anything other worldly but other than her being "in the dark" some of the time, the story was still very good. Also there are some descriptive gore scenes within the story as well which was a nice change of pace from the haunting. All in all the story was an excellent creepy haunted house story that kept me encased with a few nights of insomnia. Another great book by this author and the book will be going on my favorites shelf. Giving this book five "Haunting Heebie-Jeebie" stars!
For digital images of this review, please see my blog:
https://booknookretreat.blogspot.com/...
Backstory:
Lilian Chesterfield works for a company that is wanting to turn the abandoned hospital of St. Philomena which use to be a military hospital into luxury housing. As Lilian along with David part of her team tries to see what they will need to do in order to get the building fixed they are confronted with forces out of their control trying to stop them from working on the place.
When two surveyors are struck down with odd calamities within the building it makes Lilian wonder if some activists in the area are trying to impede their progress of the luxury housing being complete - Lilian doesn't believe in ghosts so the thought never crosses her mind but as more weird things start happening within the building their thoughts are about to change as what haunts the building makes its presence known and before long, Lilian will come to realize that hauntings do exist!
That is about all I can give on a backstory without giving away spoilers so if you are intrigued then go grab this book!
Thoughts:
This story was one spooky ride into the haunting realm of Graham Masterton's mind! I was captured right away with the storyline and though there was a tiny bit of a slow burn with the story it didn't take long for it to escalate with the haunting. The mystery of what is actually haunting the building takes some time, but I felt that it was more of a suspenseful buildup for the revelation of "who" and "what" was doing the haunting.
The mystery deepens the further I became involved in the storyline and I really liked the characters Lillian and David - though Lilian was a little aggravating not realizing that the place was haunted - after a few incidents in the book she was still not convinced that it was anything other worldly but other than her being "in the dark" some of the time, the story was still very good. Also there are some descriptive gore scenes within the story as well which was a nice change of pace from the haunting. All in all the story was an excellent creepy haunted house story that kept me encased with a few nights of insomnia. Another great book by this author and the book will be going on my favorites shelf. Giving this book five "Haunting Heebie-Jeebie" stars!
For digital images of this review, please see my blog:
https://booknookretreat.blogspot.com/...
September 25, 2022
I have not read that many, Graham Masterton books, but the ones I have read before this book really wowed me. They were gripping, weird, gory, out there and hard to put down. Sadly, this one took quite some time for me to get into the book.
An old hospital, St Philomena's military hospital, sets the stage here. Lillian Chesterfield is going to turn the hospital into a housing development, or so she thinks. The hospital, you see, is haunted! But don't tell Lillian that! She is in denial and cannot, no will not believe it.
First off let me say that this is a SLOW BURN for me. Which my goodreads friends know, I struggle with. I had a hard time with this one. I wanted this book to hurry up and get to the meat and potatoes. Yes, things did happen along the way, but this book just didn't work for me as his other books have. This will not stop me from reading another of his books as I consider this a one off.
Thank you to Head of Zeus -- an Aries Book and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.
Read more of my reviews at www.openbookposts.com
An old hospital, St Philomena's military hospital, sets the stage here. Lillian Chesterfield is going to turn the hospital into a housing development, or so she thinks. The hospital, you see, is haunted! But don't tell Lillian that! She is in denial and cannot, no will not believe it.
First off let me say that this is a SLOW BURN for me. Which my goodreads friends know, I struggle with. I had a hard time with this one. I wanted this book to hurry up and get to the meat and potatoes. Yes, things did happen along the way, but this book just didn't work for me as his other books have. This will not stop me from reading another of his books as I consider this a one off.
Thank you to Head of Zeus -- an Aries Book and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.
Read more of my reviews at www.openbookposts.com
September 15, 2022
This book gave me chills! The hospital setting was a refreshing break from all the haunted house stories. It did drag in places and the ending wasn’t what I was expecting. Overall I think this book was more of a mystery with elements of horror mixed in.
St. Rosalia’s Hospital was a Victorian building adjacent to the see. The hospital was run by Dr. Vincent Grayling and houses fifteen terminally ill patients. Dr. Grayling believed that the old ways of medicine was the best way. Upon the doctors passing, the property was sold to John and Petulia Peterson who hope to turn it into a hotel.
They couple is optimistic and excited for this opportunity. However, they begin hearing strange noises at night. Eventually they discover the doctors medical notes. Things pick up from there.
The House at Phantom Park is available October 1, 2022.
Thank you to Netgalley and Arias & Aries for this book in exchange for my honest review.
St. Rosalia’s Hospital was a Victorian building adjacent to the see. The hospital was run by Dr. Vincent Grayling and houses fifteen terminally ill patients. Dr. Grayling believed that the old ways of medicine was the best way. Upon the doctors passing, the property was sold to John and Petulia Peterson who hope to turn it into a hotel.
They couple is optimistic and excited for this opportunity. However, they begin hearing strange noises at night. Eventually they discover the doctors medical notes. Things pick up from there.
The House at Phantom Park is available October 1, 2022.
Thank you to Netgalley and Arias & Aries for this book in exchange for my honest review.
April 27, 2023
I watch a lot of movies including Horror and not fond of horror books, so, I thought of give it a try. But I think, I did a wrong move of selecting this one.
Not so good. Looks like every one got their Annual pass for the hospital and need to use it before it get expires, so all of them are going inside one after another watching the people in green light, hearing the noises and coming out of hospital, these things goes on in a loop until it ends.
None of the Characters are strongly designed, all of them except David are dead at the end, but why, don't know ?
To Tell you the truth How it started and it ended was really nice, in between need to be skipped..
Not so good. Looks like every one got their Annual pass for the hospital and need to use it before it get expires, so all of them are going inside one after another watching the people in green light, hearing the noises and coming out of hospital, these things goes on in a loop until it ends.
None of the Characters are strongly designed, all of them except David are dead at the end, but why, don't know ?
To Tell you the truth How it started and it ended was really nice, in between need to be skipped..
May 16, 2023
The concept 🤌🏾 creepy atmosphere 🤌🏾 narration 🤌🏾. I was intrigued from the get-go. The only thing that grated on my last nerve was Lillian, with her blinkers on! How much more proof did ya need? You've earned your place in the list of characters I despise. Gahhhh... Okie small vent over. Before I forget, I loved the book👻
October 11, 2023
In hindsight the premise could have been quite good if executed by someone else… It was an agonising read at times with quite stupid characters who got on my nerves.
October 13, 2025
There is an unprecendented amount of exploding people in Graham Masterton's novel "The House at Phantom Park". Yes, you read that right: people who explode in a gruesome cloud of viscera and gore, splattering nearby passersby with intestines and brain matter and bone shrapnel. And it happens frequently.
For a haunted house story, the gore is off the charts in this one. So, be forewarned.
Strange, considering it starts out like a run-of-the-mill-haunted-military-hospital-in-the-middle-of-the-English-countryside story, with ghostly shadow-people lurking in corners and disembodied voices and screams in empty hallways and rooms.
Masterton, who has written several hundred horror novels (not an exaggeration, btw), has crafted an intriguing horror story that is a not-so-subtle examination of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), specifically among British soldiers suffering from injuries---both physical and mental---sustained during their stints in Afghanistan.
Apparently, there is an ancient evil demon that is punishing these soldiers for attacking Afghanistan, where the demon is from. Masterton loosely based this on a real Afghani folk legend, although it is (according to Google) a mash-up of various different Middle Eastern/Russian/Chinese legendary vengeful demon entities.
I have only read one other Masterton novel before this, and they are both ridiculously gory and fun, despite occasionally delving into serious issues. It's hard to take his commentary about PTSD seriously, though, with all the exploding bodies.
For a haunted house story, the gore is off the charts in this one. So, be forewarned.
Strange, considering it starts out like a run-of-the-mill-haunted-military-hospital-in-the-middle-of-the-English-countryside story, with ghostly shadow-people lurking in corners and disembodied voices and screams in empty hallways and rooms.
Masterton, who has written several hundred horror novels (not an exaggeration, btw), has crafted an intriguing horror story that is a not-so-subtle examination of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), specifically among British soldiers suffering from injuries---both physical and mental---sustained during their stints in Afghanistan.
Apparently, there is an ancient evil demon that is punishing these soldiers for attacking Afghanistan, where the demon is from. Masterton loosely based this on a real Afghani folk legend, although it is (according to Google) a mash-up of various different Middle Eastern/Russian/Chinese legendary vengeful demon entities.
I have only read one other Masterton novel before this, and they are both ridiculously gory and fun, despite occasionally delving into serious issues. It's hard to take his commentary about PTSD seriously, though, with all the exploding bodies.
October 28, 2022
I thoroughly enjoyed this latest from Masterton. One of the best books about "hauntings" that I've ever read. I liked the different take on it and the Middle East mythology. Not a lot of character depth in this one, but I just didn't care. The creepiness and gore made up for it. Were there some flaws? Of course, but again, I didn't care. This one just worked for me.
September 29, 2022
3.75 stars rounded to 4. Unique horror perfect for the spooky season. TRIGGER WARNING for veterans with PTSD, especially those who served in Afghanistan; as well as a possible TRIGGER WARNING for victims of domestic violence(nothing graphic on page). Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
Lilian, a recent divorcee, is tasked with developing luxury apartments in former military hospital St. Philomena's. She is excited for this new project and her new beginning, but when her surveyor is found screaming in never ending agony everything begins to shift. When more strange occurrences and even stranger symptoms befall other members of her team, Lilian has no choice but to get to the bottom of what is happening at "St. Phantom's"(called so by former nurses). With the help of a former Army doctor, Moses, what will Lilian uncover? Or will it be too late to make it out alive?
So let's begin with saying this story is graphic, and details a lot about the patients that were treated at St. Philomena's while it was still operating. There is flashback, via Moses, of war as I can only assume is true to what war is. I may be including the trigger warning a bit hastily, but I would rather be safe than sorry. The beginning of the story takes off like a rocket, leaving me on the edge of my seat, salivating with curiosity. The momentum continues throughout and the folklore brought in is something I had never seen used in horror before. I wish I could give this book 5 stars, as I really really enjoyed it, however with shorter chapters it tended to take you out of the horror feeling a bit jarringly, and the ending felt a bit rushed. It was a great climax, I just wish it was given the exploration and thought that the rest of the book was given.
In closing, 3.75 stars rounded to 4 for St. Phantom's. I will definitely be on the lookout for more horror from this author, but would be willing to try other genres written by them as well. Recommended for readers who love a spooky atmospheric hospital story, or a really great ghost story. Age recommended for 17+ as the violence is quite graphic.
Lilian, a recent divorcee, is tasked with developing luxury apartments in former military hospital St. Philomena's. She is excited for this new project and her new beginning, but when her surveyor is found screaming in never ending agony everything begins to shift. When more strange occurrences and even stranger symptoms befall other members of her team, Lilian has no choice but to get to the bottom of what is happening at "St. Phantom's"(called so by former nurses). With the help of a former Army doctor, Moses, what will Lilian uncover? Or will it be too late to make it out alive?
So let's begin with saying this story is graphic, and details a lot about the patients that were treated at St. Philomena's while it was still operating. There is flashback, via Moses, of war as I can only assume is true to what war is. I may be including the trigger warning a bit hastily, but I would rather be safe than sorry. The beginning of the story takes off like a rocket, leaving me on the edge of my seat, salivating with curiosity. The momentum continues throughout and the folklore brought in is something I had never seen used in horror before. I wish I could give this book 5 stars, as I really really enjoyed it, however with shorter chapters it tended to take you out of the horror feeling a bit jarringly, and the ending felt a bit rushed. It was a great climax, I just wish it was given the exploration and thought that the rest of the book was given.
In closing, 3.75 stars rounded to 4 for St. Phantom's. I will definitely be on the lookout for more horror from this author, but would be willing to try other genres written by them as well. Recommended for readers who love a spooky atmospheric hospital story, or a really great ghost story. Age recommended for 17+ as the violence is quite graphic.
September 26, 2022
Another masterpiece from the Master of Horror. In this book he has turned the ghost into something more abhorrent. After reading the blurb for this book it went straight to the top of my reading pile. Once I started reading I could not put this down. I was totally immersed in the story and the premise was original. I finally turned the last page at 2.am not realising how the time had flown. Yes this book is that good!!!! Highly recommended.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC.
October 24, 2022
1.5⭐️
I will never be able to put into words how much I disliked this book. What disappointed me most was that it held so much promise!
Graham Masterton cannot write woman. At all. No woman wishes to wear spanxs. No woman randomly gets angry when thier boss sends another woman to help them do thier job.
The amount of times covid is mentioned is unnecessary, who writes "she shivered like she had covid".
Also who says "hallo" instead of "hello"?
This book was not it for me!
I will never be able to put into words how much I disliked this book. What disappointed me most was that it held so much promise!
Graham Masterton cannot write woman. At all. No woman wishes to wear spanxs. No woman randomly gets angry when thier boss sends another woman to help them do thier job.
The amount of times covid is mentioned is unnecessary, who writes "she shivered like she had covid".
Also who says "hallo" instead of "hello"?
This book was not it for me!
January 27, 2023
I am angry at myself for deciding to pick this book up, but then again, the premise sounded amazingly promising, so who knew?
I am not really sure what to make of this story, but there are themes of self- sacrifice, suffering, sexism, ableism and revenge here that really did not sit well with me. This is a book that leaves a bad taste in your mouth. Not only does Masterton not know how to write a woman character without coming across as either a misogynistic creep or a clueless mansplainer, but he also seems to have some weird ideas about what constitutes a good horror story. The main character existed solely to become a twisted self-sacrifice for absolutely zero reason. The entire thing was bizarre, pointless, laughable at times and just plain freaking annoying. A curse of endless pain sounds good, but not when you consider its origin and the message the author is trying to send. And that self-sacrifice at the end? That little reunion of the two main characters, in heaven…? Excuse me while I bleach my grey matter in hopes of erasing this nonsense from my memory.
This was just bad.
I am not really sure what to make of this story, but there are themes of self- sacrifice, suffering, sexism, ableism and revenge here that really did not sit well with me. This is a book that leaves a bad taste in your mouth. Not only does Masterton not know how to write a woman character without coming across as either a misogynistic creep or a clueless mansplainer, but he also seems to have some weird ideas about what constitutes a good horror story. The main character existed solely to become a twisted self-sacrifice for absolutely zero reason. The entire thing was bizarre, pointless, laughable at times and just plain freaking annoying. A curse of endless pain sounds good, but not when you consider its origin and the message the author is trying to send. And that self-sacrifice at the end? That little reunion of the two main characters, in heaven…? Excuse me while I bleach my grey matter in hopes of erasing this nonsense from my memory.
This was just bad.
September 12, 2022
The House At Phantom Park was an interesting twist on the haunted house trope. Renovating an old hospital into a luxurious building may sound familiar and ghosts that wander the forgotten rooms are not unheard of. However, there is something quite unusual going on when people working in the building are taken over by excruciating pain along with vivid memories of catastrophic injuries they are positive they suffered even though it would have been impossible.
I can't say there were many scares involved since it seemed like more of a mystery than a horror, as people attempted to figure out the hows and whys of this bizarre situation.
The pacing could have been a bit faster for my taste. After a spectacular start things slowed way down or maybe it's just me not having a lot of interest in police work in horror novels. I almost always tend to skim once detectives appear in a plot.
Overall a very creative story that was definitely worth a read.
My thanks to Aria and Aries /Head of Zeus
I can't say there were many scares involved since it seemed like more of a mystery than a horror, as people attempted to figure out the hows and whys of this bizarre situation.
The pacing could have been a bit faster for my taste. After a spectacular start things slowed way down or maybe it's just me not having a lot of interest in police work in horror novels. I almost always tend to skim once detectives appear in a plot.
Overall a very creative story that was definitely worth a read.
My thanks to Aria and Aries /Head of Zeus
July 26, 2025
Utterly stunned this is a Graham Masterton novel. If this is your first book by Masterton please read others by him as this is like somebody else wrote it. Check out his earlier Horror and if you like dark crime the Katie Maguire series.
So, we have an abandoned hospital for war veterans. Many with horrific injuries. A property developer turning it now into apartments to make millions. It wakes the dead and they are not happy. Should be creepy and scary right? Nope, borderline ridiculous.
The characters are flat and over the top. The plot drags on and is repetitive. How many times do rooms need to be investigated for the same outcome to occur? In writing there is a saying “show don’t tell” - well some of this is like a lecture in complex medical conditions.
There are living hospitalised people, diagnosed and misdiagnosed with various conditions. But Graham tells it too much like a medical manual being read out, way too much irrelevant information about each patient. Boring. Really boring. I did eye-roll a lot. Very unrealistic too. Glad I’m not in that hospital.
And how about this…
Nurse Danjuma shocked Alex five more times. At last, Dr Wells laid his hand on her arm and told her, ‘That’s enough, nurse. I’m afraid he’s gone.’
In this scene there is NO CPR done, no Adrenalin shots. The way medical staff just stand back is utter nonsense. It wouldn’t happen like that.
And WTH?
But Charlie began to throw herself even more wildly against the bars at the sides of her bed, ripping away the sticky pads that connected her chest to her heart monitor. She was panting now as if she had been running for miles, or was about to reach an orgasm.
Pardon? An orgasm? How does a writer compare a distressing panic moment with an orgasm? What type of orgasms are they used to? Just ridiculous. Downright weird.
This isn’t like his scary horror and it’s not creepy. It’s not well written and I’m stunned that this is a Masterton novel. I’ve read a lot of brilliance from him. Even the slightly weird main angle of what’s going on isn’t thrilling or exciting. I actually hated a couple of the main characters. No depth. It’s predictable and below par for this Author. There are personality traits that are just ugly in some characters. Not in an interesting way either.
Plenty of ableism and sexism through this too. Yuck.
Please, definitely read other books by him as this is not a good reflection of one of my favourite Authors. To give this one star really shows how bad it was in my opinion.
Just nope. I’ve not read a lot of his newer stuff, I’ll try another one or two but I’d like this then he’s lost his touch. I raved over other books of his. As one other Reviewer stated that she’s baffled by five star reviews for this I wonder if they are from readers who’ve not read his true Horror? Maybe. One other reviewer said she needed to bleach her grey matter from this nonsense.
Thanks so much for reading my review! If you’d like to connect you can follow me or please send me a friend request. 🐱I love to read other reviews and talk about books we are reading.
If you are an Author and you’d like me to consider reading and reviewing your book please just message me.
So, we have an abandoned hospital for war veterans. Many with horrific injuries. A property developer turning it now into apartments to make millions. It wakes the dead and they are not happy. Should be creepy and scary right? Nope, borderline ridiculous.
The characters are flat and over the top. The plot drags on and is repetitive. How many times do rooms need to be investigated for the same outcome to occur? In writing there is a saying “show don’t tell” - well some of this is like a lecture in complex medical conditions.
There are living hospitalised people, diagnosed and misdiagnosed with various conditions. But Graham tells it too much like a medical manual being read out, way too much irrelevant information about each patient. Boring. Really boring. I did eye-roll a lot. Very unrealistic too. Glad I’m not in that hospital.
And how about this…
Nurse Danjuma shocked Alex five more times. At last, Dr Wells laid his hand on her arm and told her, ‘That’s enough, nurse. I’m afraid he’s gone.’
In this scene there is NO CPR done, no Adrenalin shots. The way medical staff just stand back is utter nonsense. It wouldn’t happen like that.
And WTH?
But Charlie began to throw herself even more wildly against the bars at the sides of her bed, ripping away the sticky pads that connected her chest to her heart monitor. She was panting now as if she had been running for miles, or was about to reach an orgasm.
Pardon? An orgasm? How does a writer compare a distressing panic moment with an orgasm? What type of orgasms are they used to? Just ridiculous. Downright weird.
This isn’t like his scary horror and it’s not creepy. It’s not well written and I’m stunned that this is a Masterton novel. I’ve read a lot of brilliance from him. Even the slightly weird main angle of what’s going on isn’t thrilling or exciting. I actually hated a couple of the main characters. No depth. It’s predictable and below par for this Author. There are personality traits that are just ugly in some characters. Not in an interesting way either.
Plenty of ableism and sexism through this too. Yuck.
Please, definitely read other books by him as this is not a good reflection of one of my favourite Authors. To give this one star really shows how bad it was in my opinion.
Just nope. I’ve not read a lot of his newer stuff, I’ll try another one or two but I’d like this then he’s lost his touch. I raved over other books of his. As one other Reviewer stated that she’s baffled by five star reviews for this I wonder if they are from readers who’ve not read his true Horror? Maybe. One other reviewer said she needed to bleach her grey matter from this nonsense.
Thanks so much for reading my review! If you’d like to connect you can follow me or please send me a friend request. 🐱I love to read other reviews and talk about books we are reading.
If you are an Author and you’d like me to consider reading and reviewing your book please just message me.
March 6, 2023
1.5 star, rounding down to 1 star.
So.
What this book does right:
- a few very well crafted scenes of horror, in particular a shocking one midway through.
- I learned a lot of new British expressions and slang - I'm American.
- it doesn't take itself too seriously (lots of British humor peppered throughout), so the fact it's not good was OK for me for long portions of it.
- I don't personally read crime/thriller/procedural type stories, and while this is a horror book, it incorporates many elements/tropes from those stories, so it was different for me.
- So while the ending was boring, I felt the first two acts were well paced and structured with the mystery/crime/Law and Order vibes.
What this book does wrong (oh boy):
- Masterton clearly wrote this just to cash in on a paycheck. He has talent to write, but he gave the absolute LEAST for this story.
- plenty of misogyny (the main character only thinks about her weight and how men view her), some racism, one casual line of homophobia
- terrible, disjointed, awkward dialogue
- lots of convenient characters just around the corner to give tons of exposition when necessary
- clichés abound with people running upstairs, dropping car keys, choosing to risk your life to go back in the scary house on purpose, spooky things happening around Halloween
- offensive and distasteful commentary on victims of marital abuse
- extremely repetitive dialogue between characters of information we already know and descriptions of the terror in the house (basically screaming)
- superficial commentary on war/victims of war that had zero connection to the actual horror in the house, which was also poorly managed as I am pretty sure Masterton knows very little about Afghani culture, history, or mythology/folklore.
This was a fun hate read at first, but when it became a bit more procedural with different people in law enforcement and hospitals doing their jobs to work together, I thought that was kind of interesting. But this book is straight up offensive, ultimately boring, with little to contribute beyond some pithy remarks on how war is bad (duhhh) and who are the true victims of war, topics that could be very interesting had they been handled well.
If this book had just chosen to be a stupid, grisly horror book with lots of people dying, the 1D characters and bad dialogue would be fine, because Masterton can write horror scenes. But no, it became this instead. Worst book I read this year by far, please don't read this.
So.
What this book does right:
- a few very well crafted scenes of horror, in particular a shocking one midway through.
- I learned a lot of new British expressions and slang - I'm American.
- it doesn't take itself too seriously (lots of British humor peppered throughout), so the fact it's not good was OK for me for long portions of it.
- I don't personally read crime/thriller/procedural type stories, and while this is a horror book, it incorporates many elements/tropes from those stories, so it was different for me.
- So while the ending was boring, I felt the first two acts were well paced and structured with the mystery/crime/Law and Order vibes.
What this book does wrong (oh boy):
- Masterton clearly wrote this just to cash in on a paycheck. He has talent to write, but he gave the absolute LEAST for this story.
- plenty of misogyny (the main character only thinks about her weight and how men view her), some racism, one casual line of homophobia
- terrible, disjointed, awkward dialogue
- lots of convenient characters just around the corner to give tons of exposition when necessary
- clichés abound with people running upstairs, dropping car keys, choosing to risk your life to go back in the scary house on purpose, spooky things happening around Halloween
- offensive and distasteful commentary on victims of marital abuse
- extremely repetitive dialogue between characters of information we already know and descriptions of the terror in the house (basically screaming)
- superficial commentary on war/victims of war that had zero connection to the actual horror in the house, which was also poorly managed as I am pretty sure Masterton knows very little about Afghani culture, history, or mythology/folklore.
This was a fun hate read at first, but when it became a bit more procedural with different people in law enforcement and hospitals doing their jobs to work together, I thought that was kind of interesting. But this book is straight up offensive, ultimately boring, with little to contribute beyond some pithy remarks on how war is bad (duhhh) and who are the true victims of war, topics that could be very interesting had they been handled well.
If this book had just chosen to be a stupid, grisly horror book with lots of people dying, the 1D characters and bad dialogue would be fine, because Masterton can write horror scenes. But no, it became this instead. Worst book I read this year by far, please don't read this.
August 9, 2022
The House at Phantom Park is a haunted house/mystery that follows Lilian and David as they try to uncover what exactly is happening around them. Lilian and David work for a company that is renovating St Philomena's, an abandoned military hospital, into luxury apartments. Lots of spooky occurrences puts the project on hold, and sets Lilian and David off to find out what is causing these abnormal events.
The opening of this book was creepy and really set the mood for the story, however I felt that the book as a whole did not live up to the first few chapters. The main characters were slightly bumbling and refused to believe that the house could be haunted, even after witnessing several events that proved otherwise.
The ghost story aspect was creepy, but a little drawn out and repetitive.
My biggest issue with this book was the way Lilian was written. She is constantly thinking about her weight and appearance, looking at herself in the mirror, and telling herself she needs a man in her life. Actual women do not behave like this, and it is insulting, as an actual woman, to read women written this way.
Some examples:
"Lilian climbed out of the car and straightened her skirt. She had put on three or four pounds this week and the waistband was slightly too tight for her. .... She wished she had put on her Spanx" No. A normal adult's weight will fluctuate 5 - 6 pounds in a single day. 3 pounds in a week is not cause for clothes to become too tight. And Lilian is at work at this point, probably thinking about all the work she has to do, not what her ass looks like in this skirt.
"She went closer to the mirror, stood on the tiptoe and peered up at herself, and she was pleased to see that she didn't look as chubby as she felt" She is actively searching the house for intruders at this point, and stops to check herself out in the mirror?? Women do not do this.
"... I've managed to lose quite a bit a weight since I've been here." Lilian says in regards to the lifts not working. Again, while actively searching for intruders/spirits she would not be thinking about her weight. Women do not do this!
"She thought how much she needed a man in her life now. As strong as she was, she needed a man she could turn to, a man who could protect her and restore her confidence. ... all of the strange things that had been happening here at St Philomena's was making her feel useless and worthless and unattractive." OMG this passage made me roll my eyes so hard. Women. Do. Not. Think. Like. This. A haunted house situation does not make a woman feel unattractive?! Like, I don't even know how you get from "ooh spooky ghosts" to "I'm so unattractive" in the same sentence.
I'd give this 1 star just for the way Lilian was written, but it was creepy enough for me to add an extra star. Plus, I love the cover.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.
The opening of this book was creepy and really set the mood for the story, however I felt that the book as a whole did not live up to the first few chapters. The main characters were slightly bumbling and refused to believe that the house could be haunted, even after witnessing several events that proved otherwise.
The ghost story aspect was creepy, but a little drawn out and repetitive.
My biggest issue with this book was the way Lilian was written. She is constantly thinking about her weight and appearance, looking at herself in the mirror, and telling herself she needs a man in her life. Actual women do not behave like this, and it is insulting, as an actual woman, to read women written this way.
Some examples:
"Lilian climbed out of the car and straightened her skirt. She had put on three or four pounds this week and the waistband was slightly too tight for her. .... She wished she had put on her Spanx" No. A normal adult's weight will fluctuate 5 - 6 pounds in a single day. 3 pounds in a week is not cause for clothes to become too tight. And Lilian is at work at this point, probably thinking about all the work she has to do, not what her ass looks like in this skirt.
"She went closer to the mirror, stood on the tiptoe and peered up at herself, and she was pleased to see that she didn't look as chubby as she felt" She is actively searching the house for intruders at this point, and stops to check herself out in the mirror?? Women do not do this.
"... I've managed to lose quite a bit a weight since I've been here." Lilian says in regards to the lifts not working. Again, while actively searching for intruders/spirits she would not be thinking about her weight. Women do not do this!
"She thought how much she needed a man in her life now. As strong as she was, she needed a man she could turn to, a man who could protect her and restore her confidence. ... all of the strange things that had been happening here at St Philomena's was making her feel useless and worthless and unattractive." OMG this passage made me roll my eyes so hard. Women. Do. Not. Think. Like. This. A haunted house situation does not make a woman feel unattractive?! Like, I don't even know how you get from "ooh spooky ghosts" to "I'm so unattractive" in the same sentence.
I'd give this 1 star just for the way Lilian was written, but it was creepy enough for me to add an extra star. Plus, I love the cover.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.
December 10, 2022
This horror novel took ages for me to get into and liked it overall in the end just a shame it was slow burner to start off with though. many twists and turns before the final climax.
August 20, 2022
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Great book about a hospital haunted by soldiers.
Totally gave me the creeps! Can’t wait to read more of his books. Thanks NetGalley and Aria & Aries for this ARC!
Great book about a hospital haunted by soldiers.
Totally gave me the creeps! Can’t wait to read more of his books. Thanks NetGalley and Aria & Aries for this ARC!
November 19, 2022
Spooky!
This was a first class dark mystery. It wasn't technically a ghost story but, nonetheless, it did encompass elements of the supernatural. A former military hospital was being converted into luxury apartments but there was a problem. A huge problem! No ghosts, no demons and no devils, instead we had an entity from Afghanistan's ancient folklore myths. A sacred protector of Afghan borders who brought misery to all who sought to invade that country, be they alive or dead. It was almost impossible to escape this curse, almost! This was a hugely enjoyable read and well recommended.
This was a first class dark mystery. It wasn't technically a ghost story but, nonetheless, it did encompass elements of the supernatural. A former military hospital was being converted into luxury apartments but there was a problem. A huge problem! No ghosts, no demons and no devils, instead we had an entity from Afghanistan's ancient folklore myths. A sacred protector of Afghan borders who brought misery to all who sought to invade that country, be they alive or dead. It was almost impossible to escape this curse, almost! This was a hugely enjoyable read and well recommended.
October 31, 2022
Lilian and David are overseeing the renovation of an abandoned hospital. St Philomena’s has been empty for several years and is prime real estate. The opportunity to develop it into luxury apartments is just too good to pass up.
But from the offset there are problems. Screams from empty wards, doors slamming and bloodstained beds are just a few of the experiences Lilian and David witness. And it only gets worse as they very slowly begin to realise that there is a strong supernatural force here, which does not want this decaying and abandoned building changed at all.
Such a great premise. I love old abandoned buildings, I find them fascinating and creepy in equal measure. The descriptions of St Philomena’s were evocative and incredibly atmospheric. You couldn’t have paid me a million quid to go in there! There was an interesting storyline going on regarding the ghosts of those that lingered within the hospital and there was a lot of gore. A lot!
So if you like your horror filled with blood splatters and creepy buildings fill you with dread, then look no further and prepare to be spooked.
But from the offset there are problems. Screams from empty wards, doors slamming and bloodstained beds are just a few of the experiences Lilian and David witness. And it only gets worse as they very slowly begin to realise that there is a strong supernatural force here, which does not want this decaying and abandoned building changed at all.
Such a great premise. I love old abandoned buildings, I find them fascinating and creepy in equal measure. The descriptions of St Philomena’s were evocative and incredibly atmospheric. You couldn’t have paid me a million quid to go in there! There was an interesting storyline going on regarding the ghosts of those that lingered within the hospital and there was a lot of gore. A lot!
So if you like your horror filled with blood splatters and creepy buildings fill you with dread, then look no further and prepare to be spooked.
September 18, 2022
The house of Phantom Park by Graham Masterton
St Philomena’s Military hospital used to be a busy hospital mainly looking after the injured soldiers that returned from the war in Afghanistan. Years later the hospital is now abandoned and ready for re-development. It’s Lillian Chesterfield’s job, she works for a well know building company to make it ready for re-development for a luxury housing development.
But when the building works start, things turn out to be a nightmare when the workers hear people screaming in pain, doors slamming, and knives are floating in the air from the hospital’s kitchen. But when they check it out. There is no one to be seen.
Lillian thinks it is a couple of Activists that are joking about and trying to stop the development and not ghosts that the rest of the development team think there is. She doesn’t believe in ghosts. But these sightings and screams of pain are not from just ordinary ghosts.
Thank you, Aria and Ares, for a copy of Graham Masterton’s latest offering. I am quite a late bloomer regarding the works of Mr Masterton. I have been reading his works for the past two years. This is another interesting tale from the author set in abandoned hospital with spooky goings on. What more do you want? I really enjoyed the premise of the story and regarding the ghosts which I thought was unique take on them. It had great characters except for the protagonist Lillian, she did annoy me a bit as I was astounded how far gone the horrors that took place in the hospital before she believed what was happening and don’t get me started on the abrupt ending. 3.5 stars from me.
St Philomena’s Military hospital used to be a busy hospital mainly looking after the injured soldiers that returned from the war in Afghanistan. Years later the hospital is now abandoned and ready for re-development. It’s Lillian Chesterfield’s job, she works for a well know building company to make it ready for re-development for a luxury housing development.
But when the building works start, things turn out to be a nightmare when the workers hear people screaming in pain, doors slamming, and knives are floating in the air from the hospital’s kitchen. But when they check it out. There is no one to be seen.
Lillian thinks it is a couple of Activists that are joking about and trying to stop the development and not ghosts that the rest of the development team think there is. She doesn’t believe in ghosts. But these sightings and screams of pain are not from just ordinary ghosts.
Thank you, Aria and Ares, for a copy of Graham Masterton’s latest offering. I am quite a late bloomer regarding the works of Mr Masterton. I have been reading his works for the past two years. This is another interesting tale from the author set in abandoned hospital with spooky goings on. What more do you want? I really enjoyed the premise of the story and regarding the ghosts which I thought was unique take on them. It had great characters except for the protagonist Lillian, she did annoy me a bit as I was astounded how far gone the horrors that took place in the hospital before she believed what was happening and don’t get me started on the abrupt ending. 3.5 stars from me.
February 13, 2023
This book is quite literally one of the worst books I’ve read.
The author cannot write a female perspective without coming across as outdated and misogynistic. Lillian is portrayed as being constantly worried about her weight, to the point where she’s looking in the mirror whilst searching the building for intruders and comments on her weight. ‘I’ve lost a lot of weight since being here’ - her comment on the lifts not working. There is one passage that got my blood up about how she could really do with a strong man to look after her and just take all her worries away because it was all just a bit too much. Just dog shite writing really.
Now from the off the book has dramatic ghosts, people self combusting and blowing up and figures being seen. I gave up at 80% because STILL the characters are like ‘oh there’s people in this building playing tricks’ and they see figures on night vision cams that they cant see with their own eyes and they go ‘just what are these people doing here’ . LIKE FUCK at that point you know it’s a ghost.
The descriptions were awful, my favourite being ‘she was shivering like she had covid’. Actually laughable.
Steer well clear of this book if you are any sort fan of horrors and thrillers.
The author cannot write a female perspective without coming across as outdated and misogynistic. Lillian is portrayed as being constantly worried about her weight, to the point where she’s looking in the mirror whilst searching the building for intruders and comments on her weight. ‘I’ve lost a lot of weight since being here’ - her comment on the lifts not working. There is one passage that got my blood up about how she could really do with a strong man to look after her and just take all her worries away because it was all just a bit too much. Just dog shite writing really.
Now from the off the book has dramatic ghosts, people self combusting and blowing up and figures being seen. I gave up at 80% because STILL the characters are like ‘oh there’s people in this building playing tricks’ and they see figures on night vision cams that they cant see with their own eyes and they go ‘just what are these people doing here’ . LIKE FUCK at that point you know it’s a ghost.
The descriptions were awful, my favourite being ‘she was shivering like she had covid’. Actually laughable.
Steer well clear of this book if you are any sort fan of horrors and thrillers.
September 27, 2022
A spooky different horror story that will leave you wanting more. I'll admit to being a huge fan of Graham Masterton's Katie McGuire series but I've not really loved his horror books until now. I think what I enjoyed the most about this spooky thriller is that managed to deliver something different than your usual run of the mill ghost story. The setting was excellent, who doesn't love an abandoned hospital! The book left me thinking about it long after the story ended which to me is a mark of good storytelling. I think I will continue to read more horror by this author.
December 29, 2022
⭐⭐ -- Most excellent cover on this one!
I previously read The Shadow People by this author and it was a 5 star read for me. So you can imagine how excited I was to dive into this book! Alas, this one just wasn't as much of a hit with me. While the setting was indeed spooky and atmospheric, the plot itself was slow and boring. Add in characters that were "meh" and unlikable and you have a book that just wasn't the greatest. It happens...🤷🏻♀️
**ARC Via NetGalley**
I previously read The Shadow People by this author and it was a 5 star read for me. So you can imagine how excited I was to dive into this book! Alas, this one just wasn't as much of a hit with me. While the setting was indeed spooky and atmospheric, the plot itself was slow and boring. Add in characters that were "meh" and unlikable and you have a book that just wasn't the greatest. It happens...🤷🏻♀️
**ARC Via NetGalley**
October 13, 2022
3.5 stars
The House at Phantom Park by Graham Masterton is a horror novel.
First, let me thank NetGalley, the publisher Aria and Aries - Head of Zeus and of course the author, for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
My Synopsis: (No major reveals, but if concerned, skip to My Opinions)
Lilian Chesterfield has plans to change the old St. Philomena's Military Hospital into luxury flats.
But as soon as they start, things go wrong. Her surveyor, Alex Fowler, ends up in the hospital suffering from excruciating pain on the first night he is in the building. There doesn't seem to any logical reason for the pain, and he insists his name is Terence Simons. Then the second surveyor is paralyzed. They seem to be taking on the symptoms and pain of the military vets who lived in the hospital. Moses, a physician in the war, is called to their bedsides, hoping that he can shed some light on the patients.
Lilian and her assistant David start seeing and hearing people in the building. Strange things are happening, and they are frightened. Unsure whether there are people trying to scare them off the site or if there are actual ghosts haunting them, they are at a loss. Lilian doesn't believe in the supernatural, but she is starting to wonder. Could all of this really have to do with Afghanistan and the injured?
My Opinions:
I am a fan of this author, so was excited to read this stand-alone novel.
The premise for this book was definitely intriguing, and the plot was well thought out, and smooth. The Afghanistan mythology was interesting. It was fairly graphic, without being over the top. I loved the ending.
However, I found it very slow moving and it occasionally dragged horrendously. I also had a bit of a problem with the characters. Lilian's lack of belief annoyed me, and David's immediate belief didn't feel real. I went from liking Routledge to disliking him within minutes. I loved Moses.
Overall, it was a good book, but not Masterton's best (in my opinion).
For a more complete review of this book and others (including the reason I chose to read/review this book, as well as author information and contact details), please visit my blog: http://katlovesbooksblog.wordpress.com/
August 4, 2022
I do so love Graham Masterton. He's such a wonderful author. This book, minus a few continuity errors, was creepy, gory and visceral. I like how he played fast and loose with Middle Eastern mythology, mixed it with some great British gallows humor and seasoned it with just enough humanity to make you genuinely like most of the characters. (I say most of, because you're not supposed to like them all)
I enjoyed this book, and horror fans probably will too.
Thanks to Netgalley, Graham Masterton (a really nice guy, by the way) and Head of Zeus Publishing for allowing me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
I enjoyed this book, and horror fans probably will too.
Thanks to Netgalley, Graham Masterton (a really nice guy, by the way) and Head of Zeus Publishing for allowing me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
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