The House on Widows Hill

Ishmael Jones #9

by Simon R. Green

Ishmael Jones investigates a haunted house . . . but is haunted by his own past in the latest of this quirky paranormal mystery series.

"That house is a bad place. Bad things happen there . . ."

Set high on top of Widows Hill, Harrow House has remained empty for years. Now, on behalf of an anonymous prospective buyer, Ishmael and Penny are spending a night there in order to investigate the rumours of strange lights, mysterious voices, unexplained disappearances, and establish whether the house is really haunted.

What really happened at Harrow House all those years ago? Joined by a celebrity psychic, a professional ghost-hunter, a local historian and a newspaper reporter, it becomes clear that each member of 'Team Ghost' has their own pet theory as to the cause of the alleged haunting. But when one of the group suddenly drops dead with no obvious cause, Ishmael realizes that if he can find out how and why the victim died, he will have the key to solving the mystery.

Genres: Mystery, Urban Fantasy, Fantasy, Science Fiction, Audiobook, Fiction, Paranormal

Audiobook

First published July 1, 2020

About the author

Simon Richard Green is a British science fiction and fantasy-author. He holds a degree in Modern English and American Literature from the University of Leicester. His first publication was in 1979.

His Deathstalker series is partly a parody of the usual space-opera of the 1950s, told with sovereign disregard of the rules of probability, while being at the same time extremely bloodthirsty.

Excerpted from Wikipedia.

Reviews

[Sandysbookaday (taking a step back for a while) · Rating 4 out of 5]

EXCERPT: 'I don't like the feel of the house,' I admitted. 'As though it's hiding something from us.'

'Are you feeling anything specific?'

Nothing I can put a name to. Not dread or horror, just . . . a general feeling of being watched, by unseen eyes.'

'I am definitely feeling all of that,' said Penny.

'Remember the ink blot,' I said. 'It's more than likely we are only feeling these things because the file told us we would.'

'But we're professionals,' said Penny. 'You are Space Boy,I am Spy Girl; we're used to walking into dangerous situations. We don't get nervous; we make other people nervous. And yet . . . it does feel as if something in that house is waiting for us, and rubbing its hands together in anticipation.'

ABOUT THIS BOOK: Set high on top of Widows Hill, Harrow House has remained empty for years. Now, on behalf of an anonymous prospective buyer, Ishmael and Penny are spending a night there in order to investigate the rumours of strange lights, mysterious voices, unexplained disappearances, and establish whether the house is really haunted.

What really happened at Harrow House all those years ago? Joined by a celebrity psychic, a professional ghost-hunter, a local historian and a newspaper reporter, it becomes clear that each member of 'Team Ghost' has their own pet theory as to the cause of the alleged haunting. But when one of the group suddenly drops dead with no obvious cause, Ishmael realizes that if he can find out how and why the victim died, he will have the key to solving the mystery

MY THOUGHTS: Another amusing and entertaining romp with Ishmael and Penny. Although this is a series, the books are easily enjoyed as stand alones. Author Simon R. Green gives enough information on the unique Ishmael Jones' history to keep the reader up to speed.

While I easily guessed the murderer and motive, this in no way diminished my enjoyment.

The House on Widow's Hill is a quick read, read easily in an afternoon, that blends a number of genres and sets us up for the next installment.

😱😱😱.5

#TheHouseonWidowsHill #NetGalley

'Fight fire with fire. When science can't protect you, and logic is off in a corner having a panic attack, magic is right there kicking arse and taking names.'

Never put off until tomorrow what you can do today. Because if you do it today and you like it, you can do it again tomorrow.

THE AUTHOR: and fantasy-author. He holds a degree in Modern English and American Literature from the University of Leicester.

DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Severn House via Netgalley for providing a digital ARC of The House on Widow's Hill by Simon R. Green for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.

For an explanation of my rating system please refer to my profile page on Goodreads.com or the about page on sandysbookaday.wordpress.com

This review and others are also published on Twitter, Amazon, Instagram and my webpage https://sandysbookaday.wordpress.com/...

[Sue · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ah! What a pleasure to read this latest Ishmael Jones story. Once again he teams with Penny Belcourt to solve what has been a decades long mystery. Is Harrow House, a Victorian that sits on a hill high above the city of Bath, actually haunted or not?

They are in Bath at the end of their last case, having to stay the night as there are no return trains to London until the next day. And on the next day, a representative of the Organization presents them with a new job requiring only one night’s work: stay overnight in Harrow House to assess if the property has “issues” or not. There are, of course, more details than that, there are others involved in the “stay over” who should make things interesting. A psychic, a white witch, a reporter, what could go wrong? Of course Ishmael does not believe in ghosts though he knows that all types of other monsters and creatures definitely exist. Penny is more interested in the prospect of a haunting. Before the story is over, both will confront many things they hadn’t expected.

Recommended. Can be read as a stand alone though some references may be missed. Background information is provided that gives basics on Ishmael’s history.

A copy of this book was provided by the publisher through NetGalley in return for an honest review.

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm going to just come right out and say it at the very beginning.....get it out in the open....

I am a HUGE Simon R. Green fan! I loved his Nightside series and I have been a dedicated reader of the Ishmael Jones books since the first one. Green could write blurbs for toilet paper wrappers and I would buy megapacks just to read what he had to say.....

That being said....

I knew the minute this book popped up on my available-to-review list that I would love this book. I always do. Ishmael Jones. His sidekick Penny. The Organization. And......a haunted, creepy house. What's not to love?

And I was right, as usual. Green never lets me down. Great suspense, creepy and a fun, engaging read! The Ishmael Jones books are short -- about 120-150 pages each. The House on Widows Hill is the 9th book in the series. Jones is an alien. He's not exactly sure what type....or where he came from. He only vaguely remembers a crash...his ship going down. Then the onboard AI repaired him and wiped his memory so he could live as a human and survive until rescue. But no rescue ever came. Since he doesn't age -- he's been the same age since 1963 -- he trades protection and safety offered by a covert organization in return for handling strange cases for them. He and Penny have investigated some really really strange stuff.....and now, they are spending the night in an infamous supposedly haunted house. Their mission? Join a group of ghost hunters and determine if the house is really haunted. When one of the group mysteriously drops dead, Ishmael realizes this is going to be so much more than traipsing around with an EVP recorder and a body cam. This isn't reality tv.....Harrow House is real...and dangerous.

This story is a quick read as usual. Green expertly weaves a creepy story of suspense. He packs a lot into 150 pages! Lots of twisty-turny creepiness!

Great read!! Can't wait for the next adventure of Ishmael and Penny!

[Magdalena aka A Bookaholic Swede · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had to reread this book since I had forgotten the story from the first time I read it. Technically, I listened to the story the second time, and I'm glad I did because I found myself enjoying the story much more the second time. The books in this series have a tendency to feel a bit the same after you have read a couple, but I must say that this book, thanks to the second half of the book and the great twist, was pretty good.

I want to thank the publisher for providing me with a free copy through NetGalley for an honest review!

[Alisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5*
What I always enjoy about this series is a balance between the mystery of the book and the mystery of the series overall. This one pretty much only had a haunted house mystery,the overall series plot didn't get any new revelations. The mystery was ok, but I guessed very early on. Looking forward to the next book, hoping that what we discovered in book 8 will be further developed.

[Joyce · Rating 4 out of 5]

192 pages

4 stars

Ishmael Jones and Penny Belcourt are asked to investigate a “haunted” house. Someone wants to buy it but first they want the rumors investigated. It seems simple enough for neither believes in ghosts and while Penny is more open to the possibility, Ishmael is sure it is all just a story to scare people. The hitch is that they won't be alone. There are four amateur “experts” who will join them. They are a psychic, a ghostbuster, a white witch and a reporter.

As they approach the house and meet their new colleagues, they get a creepy feeling. They enter the house and begin to search it. Arthur, a member of the family who owns the house and a reporter, says that the floors upstairs are rotten and suggests that no one goes up there. So the group stays downstairs. Soon, odd things begin to happen. Terrifying things.

The “psychic” suggests a séance. Someone dies. Ishmael and Penny suspect the person was murdered. It's up to Ishmael and Penny to discover who murdered the person.

This is a delightful haunted house story with an unusual twist – and some surprises! It is well and intelligently written. It reads very quickly and the plotting makes logical sense. This is a great little book and I am so glad I read it. I liked Ishmael and Penny. Although the rest of the “team” was a little odd, they were certainly entertaining. Oddly enough, this is my first Simon R. Green novel, but it won't be my last. I need to learn more about Ishmael and his past.

I want to thank NetGalley and Severn House Publishers for forwarding to me a copy of this very good book for me to read, enjoy and review.

[Cordelia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. It was a great read and lots of fun.

I really nedd to go back and read the earlier books of the series.

Thank you to netgalley, the publisher and the author for sending me this ARC.

[Terry · Rating 5 out of 5]

A new addition of things that can happen, a simple mystery that happens around a bigger mystery. Interesting repercussions of assisting a new character.

[Dawn]

Short, frivolous, entertaining. I haven't read any others in the series.

[Craig Robinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bravo 👏

[Lynn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun to read, but ultimately a disappointment because there were no displays of Ishmael's super powers. 😒

[Abe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Spygirl and spaceboy are back in their element . A locked house . This book was fun

[Kathy Davie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ninth in the Ishmael Jones paranormal mystery series revolving around an alien spy and his partner. The focus is on a house rumored to be haunted in Bath, England.

My Take
It was an unexpected mission, taking on a haunted house, but it certainly suits Green's preferences for the weird. It does remind me of Agatha Christie's Ten Little Indians mystery.

I did wonder why it took so long for the "team" to realize they couldn't just sit there. As for Freddie's insta-love for Arthur...huh?

Green uses first person protagonist point-of-view from Ishmael's perspective so we know what he's thinking and seeing. But only that. It's how we know how weird is the architecture of the house. Only one window on the main floor? No kitchen? Why, or should I ask how would Malcolm's family have lived there? What was with the stuffed animals? How come they spoke English when the rest of the "haunting" didn't? Why did Penny fly off the handle about an issue she should have already understood? I kept thinking it must be a set-up...and not Penny being so childish.

Ishmael is right. We have no idea what the future holds, and any of us could die at any time.

I do like Freddie's motto:

"Never put off till tomorrow what you can do today. Because if you do it today and you like it, you can do it again tomorrow."

Although, I do hafta say that The House on Widows Hill was not a favorite. The prose is readable but the story meanders around with some action that's mostly character-driven. It was such a slow read in spite of its mere 192 pages.

Huh? Green never does mention why it's called Widows Hill. I should've thought that would have added to the tension.

The Story
Investigating haunted houses isn't Ishmael's area of expertise, and he's forced to cooperate with a group of amateurs.

The results are...and aren't what he expects, as his own past comes back to haunt him.

The Characters
Ishmael Jones arose in 1963 from the ruins of his spacecraft. Today he works for the Organization. Penny Belcourt is Ishmael's human partner ( The Dark Side of the Road , 1).

Team Ghost includes...
...Lynn Barrett, a celebrity psychic who specializes in cleansing haunted houses, has a degree in organic chemistry. Tom Shaw is an amateur ghost-chaser who invests everything in scientific equipment. Arthur Welles is a reporter for the local paper, the Bath Herald. He's also a member of the family that owns Harrow House. Winifred "Freddie" Stratton is an historian who specializes in local history as well as being a white witch. Flossie is Freddie's sister.

Harrow House was...
...built in the 1880s by the wealthy, unscrupulous Malcolm Welles, the head of the family back then.

Dennis is a frightened cab driver with his own personal experience in childhood. Kevin had been the leader of their gang.

The Organization is...
...a super-secret group that investigates weird cases and strange happenings. The Colonel is Ishmael's sole contact within the Organization. Mr Whisper negates that with his own request.

Mr Nemo, a.k.a. Mr Nobody, is a psychic and member of the British Psychic Weapons Group, who has given Ishmael's memories a nudge.

The Cover and Title
The cover is black and white, but not what you're thinking. It's a black background that frames a haunting photo in the lower half of a lone Victorian (with windows?? on the ground floor?) at the top of a sparse hill, bats flying by well beneath a huge spiky branched tree on the left, and a huge full moon on the right under a cloudy sky. All the text is in white, starting with the series information at the top. The author's name is distressed below that with a shadow lightly touching here and there on the title below that. At the very bottom is a testimonial.

The title is where it's haunted, The House on Widows Hill.

[Marlene · Rating 5 out of 5]

The House on Widows Hill is more of a twist on the typical English country house mystery than even Ishmael Jones and his partner Penny Belcourt usually have to contend with.

And that’s definitely saying something about the cases that the mysterious “Organization” usually assigns to this unconventional pair – even after the case in the previous book, Night Train to Murder, that has literally just dropped them off in Bath when this investigation begins.

Someone high up in that secretive, blacker-than-black-ops ‘Organization’ wants Ishmael and Penny to spend the night at that house on Widows Hill overlooking the city, a house with a reputation so dark that not only has no one lived there since the Victorian Era, but no one even goes near the place.

The place is so creepy that not even the local kids go there on dares, and haven’t for decades. Probably because of the overwhelming sense of impending doom and dread that comes over anyone and everyone who approaches the outer gates.

Someone in the ‘Organization’ is considering buying the place – or that’s what Ishmael and Penny are told, anyway. That night is a ‘one-night-only’ invitation to not just Ishmael and Penny as representatives of the potential buyer, but also to a whole team of “ghost botherers” (as Ishmael calls them) who have been begging – for years it seems – to get inside the old haunt. Along with one intrepid reporter who represents the family that owns the creepy pile – and really would like to get shed of the place once and for all.

The rumor is that the house is haunted – but there have never been any reports of actual ghost sightings. At least not until the first member of the little group of wannabe ghost hunters dies in the midst of what Ishmael is sure is a fraudulent séance. Then again, Ishmael believes that all séances are fraudulent so he’s not disappointed that this one is all a wheeze – although he is peeved that he let himself get caught up in the distraction.

He just wasn’t expecting this particular bit of shenanigans to be a way of covering up murder. But he should have been, even if he’s a bit off his usual game. Because while there may not be any ghosts in the house, there certainly is a real something. Something that’s speaking to Ishmael himself in ways that seem entirely too familiar – even if they are speaking of a past that he can no longer claim as his own.

Escape Rating A-: I normally save this series for around Halloween, but I’m in the midst of a reading quandary that I hoped this book would solve – or at least beat back for a couple of days. I’m in the middle of listening to Erik Larson’s No One Goes Alone, and it reminds me A LOT of the Ishmael Jones series – at least so far. The thing about the Larson ‘book’ is that it’s audio only – there’s no actual book. If there were I’d have finished the damn thing by now, because I’m desperate to find out not just whodunnit but also how and why it was done. ‘Thumbing’ to the end of an audio is just damnably awkward – but I’ve been sorely tempted all the same. (I’ll finish the damn thing this week one way or another! And in case you can’t tell, I’m really, REALLY frustrated by the lack of a text.)

Once the resemblance between the two became clear to me, I picked up The House on Widows Hill, which is the next book in my catchup on this series, in the hopes of getting a bit of resolution by proxy for the book I can’t quite carve out enough time to finish.

It even worked, sorta/kinda. Which is awesomely relieving in a peculiar, reading obsessive kind of way.

So this book was pretty much the right book at the right time, even if my reading did start out as a search for a catharsis by substitution.

The House on Widows Hill very much has the classic haunted house vibe going on – even though with Ishmael and Penny involved the reader begins the story aware that it just isn’t going to go to any of the places that haunted houses normally go. That Ishmael gets shaken out of some of his internal certainties and securities added a bit to the ongoing arc of the series while at the same time ramping up the tension of both this book and the books in the series yet to come.

As I’ve already read the final book in the series so far, Haunted by the Past, I have one more book left in my catchup of this series, and that’s Buried Memories. Which I’ll probably get around to THIS coming Halloween, unless the urge for some of this author’s trademark line in snark hits me sooner and isn’t satisfied by the next book in his Gideon Sable series, Where is Anybody?, scheduled for publication in August.

Originally published at Reading Reality

[Elaine White · Rating 4 out of 5]

The House on Widow's Hill, by Simon R. Green
Ishmael Jones, 09
★★★★☆

192 Pages
1st person, single character POV
Themes: murder, science fiction, aliens, secret organisations, psychics, ghosts
Triggers: mentions of gore, violence and supernatural beings
Genre: Contemporary, Murder Mystery, Science Fiction, Crime


The House on Widow's Hill is the ninth book in the Ishmael Jones series, and delves into another ghost story in a locked-room, forced proximity setting. Ishmael and Penny are asked to stay overnight in a house for a prospective buyer, to prove whether the ghostly tales are true or not.

The cast include Ishmael and Penny, as always, and a team of investigators:
Lynn Barrett – a celebrity psychic
Tom Shaw – an amateur ghost-chaser who believes in recording his findings
Arthur Welles – a reporter for the local newspaper, and related to the family who own the house
Winifred Stratton – local historian, self published author, and white witch

There's also Mr Whisper, who takes the place of the Colonel in this instance, and Dennis, who is their taxi driver for a short journey and a local who gives them background information.

The story takes place the morning after the events of the previous book. They're approached by Mr Whisper in the hotel at Bath, where they're staying after the train incident. He's passing along a message, as the Colonel is occupied elsewhere, that someone high up in the Organisation would like to buy Harrow House on Widow's Hill in Bath, except there are so many rumours of ghosts and hauntings that they want Ishmael and Penny to investigate before the purchase goes through.

When they get there, there are a team of ghostly/paranormal investigators who area all there with their own agendas, which surface over time. The story deals with various creepy factors, some of which are real, some are illusionary and others are unexplained, like ghosts, taxidermy that talks! and spooky distorted reflections in a mirror. There's a strong sense that something is haunting the house, but it takes a while for Ishmael to fathom what that might be...and it's not at all what he expected.

As usual, the pacing was well done, though the creep factor was dialled right up in this book compared to others, and the characterisation was nicely, evenly distributed. Everyone felt like a well rounded character and no one felt left out or overly obvious as a suspect. While I did have my suspicions about the killer, again there were many times when it could have been someone else. I also really enjoyed the hints of recognition about his past as an alien, and how he's one step closer to figuring out what happened and finding the other alien who survived the crash.

I can't wait to see what happens next.

~

Favourite Quote

“We both turned to look at the man scowling fiercely out of his portrait over the fireplace. He did look as if he knew something he wasn't planning on sharing with anyone else.
'I swear if he winks at me, I will tear that portrait to pieces,' said Penny.”

[Pop Bop · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Little Silly, But Still Plenty of Fun

I admit up front that I generally like these books. They remind me very much of Avengers episodes, with a fine John Steed/Emma Peel feeling. But much like the Avengers, the episodes vary a good deal in quality and appeal, and there are some ripping bits and some lame bits. When I get a weak one I just comfort myself that there is likely a stronger one coming up next.

All of that leads up to the fact that this was one of my favorites. It's Number 9 in the series. Number 8 was an in-betweener and Number 7 was on the higher end, so I wasn't sure where we'd end up this time. I was not much encouraged by the whole haunted house angle; it just didn't seem to bode well. Turns out my misgivings were not well based. This latest Jones book struck me as toward the higher end of the series.

The book starts well, with a fine scene involving Ishmael's and Penny's assignment to find out what's behind the ghosty history of the House on Widow's Hill. We get a creepy tale on the way to the house and some very effective scene setting. Of course we have a team at the house. Ever since Shirley Jackson haunted house books have had to have a team. Even Scooby Doo knows this. Well, our team is a celebrity psychic, a reporter, a ghostbuster, and a white witch. Enough to make Ishmael have indigestion, and a warning to the reader. But wait, the group, while absolutely true to type and expectations, is actually handled very well, with just enough twists to their personalities to keep them interesting.

We then go through ghost house folderol, which I will not spoil. The plot doesn't keep anything moving, really, but the whole haunted house deal is so nicely and ironically handled by our author that the slim premise works. Again, no spoilers, but I was quite happy with this Ishmael Jones version of a haunted house tale, and am not at all inclined to gripe about plot holes, pacing, plausibility, or any other similarly mundane complaints.

The book is a hoot. It also moves the Jones back story about a second alien forward, and I am keen to see where that eventually goes.

Bottom line, - it's a lark, but reasonably well written and fairly creepy and very Jonesy, which is all you could really ask for.


(Please note that I received a free ecopy of this book without a review requirement, or any influence regarding review content should I choose to post a review. Apart from that I have no connection at all to either the author or the publisher of this book.)

[Vivienne · Rating 4 out of 5]

My thanks to Severn House Publishers for a digital edition via NetGalley of ‘The House on Widows Hill’ by Simon R. Green in exchange for an honest review.

"That house is a bad place. Bad things happen there . . ."

This is the ninth in Green’s Ishmael Jones paranormal mystery series. In this outing for Ishmael and partner, Penny Belcourt, they are asked by a representative of the mysterious Organisation to investigate a haunted house near Bath.

Harrow House is set on the top of Widows Hill. It’s been empty for many years but now an anonymous prospective buyer has requested that an investigation be undertaken into the strange phenomenon associated with it and determine whether the house is really haunted. Ishmael isn’t keen but negotiates staying there overnight for a no-questions-asked favour.

However, much to Ishmael’s annoyance they are joined by four others dubbed by Ishmael as ‘Team Ghost’: a celebrity psychic, who specialises in cleansing haunted houses, a local historian, who is also a white witch, a newspaper reporter, and an amateur ghost-hunter who brings plenty of scientific equipment. When one of the group literally drops dead during a seance while everyone was holding hands, it raises many questions including whether whodunnit was the house itself.

Green seems to favour variations of the locked room mystery. Here the tension and weirdness builds slowly to the eventual denouncement. It certainly had some interesting twists.

These are quite short novels, easily read in a single sitting and are a mashup of science fiction, supernatural horror, and classic Golden Age Detective fiction, even though in a contemporary rather than period setting.

I have now read the last three in this series and have enjoyed all of them. Part of the ongoing storyline links to Ishmael not being actually human but an alien whose ship crash landed on Earth in 1963. He was transformed by its onboard computer into human form, but due to the computer being damaged the memories of his previous life were lost. He continues to seek answers about his origins though is very secretive about his alien status. Penny is aware, which effects aspects of their relationship as she will age and he won’t.

This is a fun series with plenty of humour amongst the thrills and chills. I have become quite committed to it and plan to catch up on the earlier books in the series as well as look forward to further outings for space boy and spy girl.

[Hans · Rating 3 out of 5]

Immediately following an investigation on a train and thus far the low point of the series, this one is a lot better than its predecessor. Which of course doesn't mean that this series has suddenly become high literature, but the plot isn't nearly as dumb and full of holes as Night Train to Murder. Mind you, there are still some holes and as per usual with Simon R. Green novels, one shouldn't think too hard about the plot and whether it all makes sense.

Having just arrived at Bath station after their previous case, Ishmael and Penny are asked to spend the night in a supposedly haunted house and check out whether it's actually haunted. And as per usual, they are accompanied by a group of people that range from the idiotic to the outright annoying. With them are a journalist, a medium, a witch and a ghost hunter, all of whom of course are utter stereotypes and completely self-absorbed. When they aren't bickering with each other, they keep asking Ishmael and Penny who they are working for and what Ishmael is hiding, so...you know...the usual stuff.

There are some slight hints to Ishmael's background and there's a conflict between Ishmael and Penny for about two minutes, but that's about all the surprises there are. Penny makes a couple of jokes about the case feeling like an episode of Scooby Doo and that's pretty much what this series boils down to in terms of depth an complexity. It's quick, mindless fun when you're not in the mood for anything profound and every episode or in this case every book is kinda the same.

Simon R. Green is aware of this of course and even pokes fun at it from time to time. Even The Nightside series, which is by far his best series and waaaaaaay better than anything else I've ever read by him, is full of repetition and certain tropes. But it also managed to tell inventive stories with unique characters and had an inner consistency that the Ishmael Jones books simply don't have. Characters' believes and behaviours can completely change from one page to another without any particular reason other than that it advances the plot. At times, it feels like Simon R. Green is just freestyling those books while shamelessly recycling everything from side characters to dialogue. Funnily enough though, it kinda works most of the time if you know what to expect and actually makes his style so recognizable, you just shouldn't confuse it with great writing.

[Annie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Originally published on my blog: Nonstop Reader.

The House on Widows Hill is the 9th book in the Ishmael Jones series by Simon R. Green. Released 2nd July 2020 by Severn House, it's 192 pages and available in hardcover, audio, and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links. I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats lately.

These books, about a generally altruistic alien trapped on earth since 1963, are genre crossing speculative fiction at its absolute best. This one is a worthy addition to the series and combines an array of literal locked door mystery, historical noir, urban fantasy, humor, and supernatural governmental espionage.

The insanely prolific author is well known to urban fantasy fans for his 200 works over 12(+) series including The Nightside. Despite being the 9th book in the series, it works very well as a standalone and readers new to the series won't have any trouble keeping up with the action. One thing that didn't appeal to me as much with this book as the previous works in the series was that this one literally takes place in the rooms of one house, and the action is *entirely* dialogue driven. Yes, it's a murder mystery with a spooky house and a "locked room" cast of suspects, but the pacing is weirdly off. It's still eminently readable, but (for me) wasn't quite up to the level of the others. The denouement was rapid, completely deus ex machina, and made me roll my eyes, but it did provide some interesting backstory for the titular character.

Very entertaining and a quick and humorous read. The author has a definite gift with repartee and I found myself smiling often whilst reading. This series will likely appeal to fans of Charles Stross' Laundry Files, Jasper Fforde, and similar.

Four stars. Well worth a look.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes

[Vera · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC of this book!

I thought I would enjoy it much more than I did, since I generally enjoy mysteries with supernatural or paranormal elements. However, I think this book was trying to be too many things at once, and didn't really succeed at any of them. It was a murder mystery, ghost story, and some kind of weird sci-fi with aliens thing going on all at the same time. Maybe I would have enjoyed it more if I had read any of the previous books in the series, but I do think that one mark of a very good author or series is that a reader can pick up any book in the series and find it both comprehensible and enjoyable, even without reading any of the previous books, and this series is not that.

I also found the pacing of the book to be surprisingly slow, especially for such a short book. I don't think I've ever read a book that was this short that dragged so much. The main character Ishmael and his partner Penny are sent to investigate a creepy old house, and they are joined by a group of amateur ghost hunters, each with a particular angle on ghost hunting. Most of the book consists of the ghost hunters sitting around arguing about why each of their particular angles on ghost hunting is the best. So basically, nothing happens for most of the book, except for one of the characters dying suddenly (not a spoiler - one of the chapter is literally called "Someone Dies" so you know someone dies just from reading the table of contents) and then the ending is just...weird. The sci-fi aspects, especially in the resolution, just really didn't mesh for me with the mystery and horror elements in the book.

The only aspect of the book that I particularly enjoyed was the main character, Ishmael, and his relationship with Penny. These were the only characters with any depth and they certainly piqued my interest a little bit.

While I appreciate having the opportunity to read this book, unfortunately it just didn't work for me.

[Stormy McDonald · Rating 2 out of 5]

I've long been a fan of Mr. Green's work, from Hawk & Fisher to the Nightside, the Ghost Finders, and now Ishmael Jones. His tales have always contained strong characters, devious villains, twisty plots, and dialogue redolent with snark and humor.

Sadly, the House on Widows Hill does not live up to the author's reputation. There really is not plot, only the bare thread of an idea -- the leading characters in a haunted house. The secondary characters are all flat, recycled bits of characters from previous works. One keeps expecting them to do something with their supposed abilities, yet their only true skill seems to be whining about how their skills are underappreciated. For a story about a group of people supposedly sent to investigate a haunting, there is no actual investigation -- the characters behave more like hostages, content to huddle in the corner and wait for rescue. Even Ishmael and Penny, who normally take nothing at face value and pry into everything, only decide to "have a look around" in the last thirty pages of the book.

Given the lack of plot, flat characters, and the grossly recycled dialogue (both from previous Ishmael Jones tales and other series), I'm left wondering if this offering was produced by an intern at the publishing house who was given free reign to cut and paste from Mr. Green's vast catalogue of previous works, rather than by Mr. Green.

The one good thing I can say about this book is there were no misspelled words. I would say the punctuation was also well done, but the book contained numerous sentence fragments treated as complete statements. I will think long and hard (and most definitely visit my local library) before purchasing any upcoming releases in this series.

[Joanne Hurley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks very much to #SevernHouse and #NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review the latest book in the Ishmael Jones series by Simon R. Green.

They're back - Ishmael Jones and Penny Belcourt - hot on the heels of their last mystery, which involved psychic assassins; that very same day, The Organization asks them to investigate "Harrow House" which is reputedly haunted - at least that's the story since no one has been able to live there since the man who built it and his family were forced to flee in the night, and abandon everything.

"I don't believe in ghosts", says Ishmael. But, since the Organization makes him a promise about his origins and history, in return for this simple task, Ishmael and Penny reluctantly agree. To make matters worse, they will be joined by a group of 'ghostbusters'.

There is a mysterious murder, and a ghost (who only Ishmael can see and interact with, which is par for the course considering his disbelief in supernatural phenomena).

This is a fairly quick read, but that's not to say it is not as enjoyable and as intricate as the other books in the series - all of which I have read; and the humor that is a part of Ishmael and Penny's repartee is still there.

Needless to say, they finally get to the bottom of the matter - along with a few surprises. Recommended, but I wouldn't say this is a standalone - it would really help if you knew Ishmael and Penny's history, which follow from book to book.

[Krupal Kulkarni · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am not sure that this series trolling the readers by its slow pace is deliberate on part of the author. The books in this series are incredibly clichéd although the author is successful in ensuring the reader doesn't quit by keeping the book short and some skill in keeping the reader engaged through sheer disbelief that something so obvlpesd be written. It seems that the bare minimum effort is put in the plot and dialogue with characters stereotypes being borrowed like the "White Witch" being a obvious expy of Nanny Ogg. The main character despite being a alien with super senses doesn't detect elevated levels of adrenaline in the murderer nor detected the victims manner of death despite chemistry being involved. It seems that the characters just can't do anything apart from bickering and being confounded/scared of the situation and the Alien/pretty girl romance with their aw cute catchphrases just complete the picture of a thoroughly unoriginal insipid plot and book. I almost can't believe that this is the same author who wrote the nightside series. If the author is going to be so banal in following all the tropes to a T I am excepting the final of the series to be a alien invasion or clash of alien spec where the character resumes his true form and leaves after saving the earth from some horrible threat or leaves his true species to become a true human so he can stay with his true love the ever cliché of a character that bad penny.

[S.J. Higbee · Rating 4 out of 5]

As ever, we have our usual fix of creepy shenanigans going on, as Ishmael and Penny find themselves spending the night in a haunted house. This book follows directly on from Night Train to Murder, so if you haven’t read that one, do be aware – especially at the beginning – there will be some references to events outside the story. I was interested to see this one build more slowly than usual, but given that Green does it well and I know and trust his pacing, I appreciated the general ratcheting up of the tension. It doesn’t hurt that there are the usual dollops of humour that help lighten the tension in the dark, brooding house.

Though the death and denouement rather knocked me for six. I’m still pondering as to whether Green has managed to pull this one off, as it stretched the bounds of my credulity rather. However, I think on balance, I’ll give him a pass. I certainly was never in any danger of putting the book down before getting to the end. All in all, this is an entertaining, page-turning addition to this quirky series.

Recommended for fans of paranormal murder mysteries that doesn’t take itself too seriously. While I obtained an arc of The House of Widow’s Hill from Netgalley, the opinions I have expressed are unbiased and my own.
8/10

[Anne · Rating 2 out of 5]

There are very few people I would recommend Green's work to. There's something about the worlds he writes that got me to read all of the books in 4 of his series (no Deathstalker or Forest Kingdom), but they are a bit tough to sludge through and they are pretty similar. The Ishmael and Polly definitely remind me of Edwin and Molly (hmmm Molly and Polly (coincidence?!?).

I like the Jones books because they tend to be under 200 pages, but that can hurt them in plot development as id definitely the case here. There are two plot lines, the house and the death. I knew what happened with the death right from the start. The house is pretty hard for anyone to truthfully know based on what's given in the story. Ishmael solves it as only Ishmael can. So, it's kind of a cheat like any mystery a dedicated reader can't solve by paying attention and tracking the clues. This is also not the first or even the second creepy house story in this 9 (so far) book series. Green needs to shake it up and maybe have the next book take place on a sunny beach or on the Brighton board walk in full (non-COVID) summer.

So, I enjoyed it enough to finish, but definitely agree with reviewers that found fault.

[George1st · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the ninth book in the Simon R Green " The Ishmael Jones Mysteries" series. I had not read any of the proceeding books, but the opening pages give enough background for this to be read as a stand alone book.

Admittedly though, previous readings will give a deeper understanding of the developing relationship between the two central characters, Ishmael Jones and his co-investigator Penny.

While staying overnight in a Bath hotel at the conclusion of a case, Ishmael and Penny are approached at breakfast by a Mr Whisperer, a member of the "Organisation".

On Mr Whisperer's behest, they agree to investigate and spend a night at a suppossedly haunted house called Harrow House which is situated high on the top of a hill on the outskirts of Bath.

Harrow House has a fearsome reputation ever since something very bad happened there in Victorian times.

Now joined by a group of amateur investigators into the unknown, the scene is set for some unworldly goings on.

Quirky, comedic and with a few thrilling moments, this book can be easily read in a day and certainly proved quite entertaining.

[Lucy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Harrow House on the top of Widows Hill near Bath has been empty for years. People want to buy it but can't stay long. Is it haunted? Or is there something else going on?
Ishmael and Penny have been asked to investigate because someone in The Organization wants to buy it, but wants it investigated first. They're given the assignment, not by their usual contact The Colonel, but by Mr. Whisper, someone previously unknown to them.
But they're not going in alone. There's a group: a celebrity psychic, a ghost investigator with all sorts of scientific measuring gadgets, a local historian who's also a witch, and a newspaper reporter, who happens to be part of the family who currently owns the house.
Some classic haunted house/ghost manifestations: doors open or close without anyone touching them, unexplained drops in temperature, a feeling of dread.
The house has no windows on the front and the only window they find has been nailed shut, with lots of nails.
With no better ideas, they have a seance and one of them suddenly drops dead.
Pretty good haunted house feel but no actual ghosts.

[Jackie Sunday · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ismael Johnes lands on Earth in 1965. He lives forever and has few friends except Penny Belcourt - his partner in crime. They work together on investigations. The latest is assigned by Mr. Whisper of The Organization. It consists of Team Ghost and they are on a mission to check out a house on Willows Hill in Bath to see if it's haunted for a real estate client. It was last occupied in 1889.

An interesting part of the book was when one of the team members, Lynn Barrett, a spiritual cleanser, encouraged a seance. She said, "Every haunted house is really about death. Loss and grief, heightened emotions and broken hearts. A need to know what comes after along with an understandable fear of what the answers might be. Strong emotional states allow the human mind to experience far more than it is normally capable of.

The book isn't long and it's easy to read but didn't put me on the edge of my seat.

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

so I decided to return to this series after a little bit of a hiatus - not that it was planned or there was a problem with the book, rather I just got distracted.

So back to the world of Ishmael Jones - a strange world of monster hunting and mysteries. This book is pretty much true to the format followed by the previous books - a mystery of the week to solve - this time a haunted house no one can stay in (as the title of the book sort of gives away).

But there is also the slower build up to the revelations (well at least I hope so) of the history and identity of Ishmael himself.

So yes it was a fun exercise in personal discovery - though sadly not so much for Ishmael (I suspect that is kept for the next title) but certainly for those that went in to the house. Not so action packed as previous stories but still a lot of fun and certainly more than enough motivation to read the next title.

[Marty Tool · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great Ishmael and Penny book. Although it stands alone, you should read the previous books to know Ishmael and how Penny met and his past, which we get bits and pieces with each book. The other characters are invited along with our duo to figure out the "haunting" of this house, a murder occurs and total sense of dread overcomes every one in the house at off times, now it's up to Ishmael to figure out the killer and the secret of the house with his normal logic and dry wit. It's an enjoyable ride and I couldn't put it down, didn't expect the twist end, but I knew the killer fairly quickly, but it's the house's secrets that kept me going. Thanks very much to #SevernHouse and #NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review the latest book in the Ishmael Jones series by Simon R. Green, already looking forward to the next.