The Haunting of Blackwych Grange

by Amy Cross

Blackwych Grange stands abandoned in the remote English countryside. Abandoned, but not forgotten. For over a century, the house has been left with its windows shuttered and its doors locked. Nobody is allowed to venture inside.

Until now.

Having gained permission to enter Blackwych Grange, a small team of researchers arrives at the front door. Their plan is to investigate a series of strange claims, and to determine whether the horrific ghost stories are true. They're about to discover, in the most terrifying manner possible, that something long dead does indeed still lurk within the house.

Many years ago, a young woman named Elizabeth Marringham lived at Blackwych Grange with her uncle. Even today, long after her death, Elizabeth's vengeful spirit roams the empty corridors. What does she want, and how will she react when her peace is finally broken by the voices and footsteps of intruders?

The Haunting of Blackwych Grange is a haunted house horror story about a house filled with a legacy of pain, about a tortured ghost, and about the small group of researchers who dare to unlock the front door. This is the updated 2022 edition of the 2016 novel.

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

320 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 16, 2016

About the author

Amy Cross writes novels and short stories in a number of genres, mainly horror, paranormal and fantasy. Books include The Farm, Annie's Room, The Island, Eli's Town and Asylum.

Reviews

[Cheryl · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a 4.5 star read.

A corker of a read from Amy Cross, it was frightening in it's ghostliness, repulsive in it's horrific abuse of the girl who once resided in the house and menacing in the descent into madness that was the conclusion.
I really hope the author is planning a prequel and/or sequel to this riveting horror because it left some questions unanswered. Whose bones were they that was discovered while Blackwych Grange was being built? What was the malevolence that seemed to infect males in the house? Who were the other ghosts that haunted the property and what really happened at the Hanging Tree? Finally, what becomes of Paula Clifton who is possessed by the vengeful spirit of Elizabeth Jane Marringham?

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story starts off in present day with Paula and three colleagues about to embark on a visit to Blackwych Grange to try and prove once and for all, whether ghosts really do exist there. Then we are taken to the past to find out the history of the house before returning back to the present day.

I really enjoyed the parts set in the past. Not that the owner of the house is a very nice person and I really felt for Elizabeth who was pretty much a prisoner there having come to live there after her parents died. Elizabeth really is a great character who is strong in her beliefs and is one who likes to break the rules, to her uncles distaste. In a time where women should be seen and not heard, she certainly liked to make her mark.

Without a doubt, the parts to do with the present day are very chilling and you can feel the tension and suspense mount as to whether the paranormal team are going to find any answers are not. It definitely had me hooked.

The Haunting of Blackwych Grange is definitely one to read with the lights on. It will certainly spook you and had me on edge, especially towards the end. A very chilling read and great for fans of ghost stories.

[Tiffany Williams · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good story, lots of mistakes

I've noticed with Amy Cross that there are always small mistakes in her books and usually I don't mind too much. This time though... Names change all over this one. Clara turns into Carla, that one really got to me and at one point the house was Blackthorn Grange.
I know people make mistakes, but where is the editor here? I have a friend who is a writer, I proof read and point out simple mistakes like the ones that run rampant in this book. This would have been a five star rating if there hadn't been so many mistakes.

[Tammi · Rating 1 out of 5]

Just another poorly edited book by Amy Cross

I've read many of Amy Cross' books and with each one the editing/proofing just seems to get worse and worse. Where to begin??? Is it Blackwych Grange or "Blackthorn Grange"; Clara or "Carla"; since when does "Elizabeth was my sister's boy" seem right; when Daniel left Elizabeth was 18 years of age but when he returned two years later her headstone read "1821 to 1853"...that would make her 32 subsequent to his two year later return when she was 18; when referring to Daniel and his friend's discussion it states: "her pauses for a few seconds"; not to mention numerous typos and grammatical errors...I could go on and on. I used to try to overlook the lack of proofreading, typos, and grammatical errors in Amy Cross' writings because some of the stories were entertaining albeit predictable. IF YOU ARE A SERIOUS READER AND ENJOY GREAT READS, AMY CROSS BOOKS ARE NOT FOR YOU.

[Angela almeida · Rating 1 out of 5]

I wish I could say better

Several things just seriously annoyed me. On just about every page, almost every time someone speaks their sentence is cut off or "drifted off". Literally on almost every damn page. Some parts of the story held my interest but all in all can't say it was good. The ending was kinda crap as well. Thank god it was only 99 cents

[Amanda · Rating 2 out of 5]

The Haunting of Blackwych Grange was an attempt to put a unique spin on the tale of a haunted house. Blackwych Grange has been abandoned for a ver long time. No one has been allowed to investigate the property due to a dreadful accident that happened 5 years previously. Paula is part of a small team granted access. As the team start investigating it is apparent that the lead investigator, Mac, wants to recreate the disastrous earlier investigation.

Once the investigation is underway we start to find out more about the dark history affecting Blackwych Manor. We learn more about Elizabeth Manning. Living at Blackwych Manor in 1851, Elizabeth is ruled by her awful uncle. What takes place with Elizabeth in this period sets the scene for what came after.

I regularly pick up books from lesser know authors, and have found some hidden gems in the past. I found reading The Haunting of Blackwych Manor somewhat difficult. The part of the story set in the present tells the tale of the purportedly scientific investigation into Blackwych Manor, and this was ok. However if you were wanting haunted house scares and a creepy atmosphere the book did feel sadly lacking.

When I was reading the middle section set in 1851 about Elizabeth I really found myself struggling to engage with the storyline. Now it may just be me, but I found that I could quite easily skim read most of the section, with a full understanding of what was going on. Objectively my thinking is that the historical section could have done with some editing down. Some really serious editing down. I think my enjoyment of reading this book would have been far more if I'd this section had been so ver much shorter! For me this is a 2 star read, not the worst that I have read, but a little more work would greatly improve the scoring.

****I purchased this book. This is review contains my honest opinion, and all opinions are my own****

[Annie Castaneda · Rating 2 out of 5]

After the word "hiss" and "irrational" being written about 50 times the books just started to lose it. Characters were dull and dumb. The plot was good until it started getting drab towards the end. Just a waste of time.

[Shweta · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is by far my favourite Amy Cross book yet. It was sinister, eerie, and ruthless and I found it simply unputdownable. I’d have given it 5 stars if not for the few unanswered questions I had.

[Boundless Book Reviews · Rating 5 out of 5]

Let me just start off by saying this book was awesome from page one. Sometimes you get a ghost or paranormal book that starts off slow and builds the apprehension and mystery. This one started off giving me chills and kept them up the entire book.

For years researchers have been going to Blackwych Grange. The tales of ghosts has an alluring appeal. When a researcher goes and ends up in a mental hospital, her fiance decides to follow in her footsteps. He wants to help her. His team goes and once again most meet awful fates while one is destined to be cursed.

This book was written very well. It was action packed and scary. It told a sad history that leads one ghost to seek revenge for all her life before and after the grave. The characters were colorful, the story was sad and disturbing, and the ending was awesome. All around this book was great....Stormi

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[Empress Reece (Hooked on Books) · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story itself was pretty good but the characters did absolutely nothing for me. Toby was a babbling idiot; Paula was a skittish, scaredy cat; Mac was a moody, head case and Helen was a bitchy, know-it-all.

[John Morris · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fascinating and disturbing story

This was horror at it's best. A truly frightening ghost story which I just couldn't put down. I cannot recommend this author highly enough.

[An Imaginary Cat · Rating 3 out of 5]

Amazing beginning, amazing ending. Long and boring in between.

[S. Wigget · Rating 3 out of 5]

Either I skipped a paragrah or two (laundromats can be distracting), or this book has continuity errors that could have been corrected in a critique group or by an editor. A character is meeting the homeowner on the front porch and doesn't go inside.. and yet the rude host is helping himself to whiskey...soon without any description of their walking to the garden, a grave that's supposedly in the garden is right next to the visitor.

That's an example; there are other examples of errors that could have easily been corrected with editorial feedback. Certainly, there could have been much more description, such as when we first look at the old house, and also during the historic scenes. Also, sometimes the same word is used twice too close together, suggesting that the author didn't have a thesaurus close at hand (such as "rear" twice in the same sentence).

That aside, it's a highly entertaining read. I like how it immerses the reader in the past, thus showing how the house came to be haunted. it is a pity the book did not receive the revision and editorial feedback it deserves; I was torn between 2 and 3 stars.

[Julie Powell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great horror story from one of my favourite authors. It had all the ingredients...ghosts, tragic past, lost love, horrific behaviour and revenge, although, I think the reality was more horrific than the paranormal elements.

Paula was rather annoying, indecisive and weak. Elizabeth was a prisoner of the times, while her uncle...shudder! I mustn't give spoilers but will say that this tale will keep you hooked.

Overall, a good read, despite the typos and the strange mix of English and American writing. I liked the first-person narrative from various points of view and the easy flow.

Recommended.

[Elizabeth McConnon · Rating 1 out of 5]

Did Anyone actually edit this?

Poor editing, names of characters changed as chapters progressed almost as if the author rushed the final part of the book and didn't pay attention to her characters or their individual stories. This whole problem made me cringe. Can you not find one person to proof read your work?!

[Jim · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read this mostly as challenge to something outside my comfort zone. I find first person, present tense to be tedious and unnatural. The story itself wasn't bad but the book seemed to be riddled with enough typos to wonder if it had actually edited at all. Halfway through, the story got a bit tedious and the ending was somewhat predictable.

[Amanda Turenchalk · Rating 4 out of 5]

First impression of the novel was not good. Paula, our narrator and student, keeps getting interrupted by everyone and really wants to back out of this exploration. Mac, a teacher and the leader of the group, is just moody and arrogant. Toby, believer in the paranormal, likes to sexually harrass his female associates and is a bully, but deep inside he's terrified. Helen doesn't say much at first but she puts Toby in his place. She's the skeptic of the group and likeable, albeit bossy, setting up all of the technology equipment.

The group are from a university research team who pay $10,000 to the owner, Mr. Foster, of the supposed haunted Blackwych Grange to investigate scientifically. Mr. Foster is very hesitant because he finds it dangerous but needs the money.

They go following a previous group's documented investigation five years prior whose leader, Josephine, was traumatized psychologically from the experience. Mac, who was engaged to Josephine, wants to find out what happened her, so he follows the details of her notebook to a T when they finally reach the estate.

Part two takes us back to 1788, our narrator now Sir Marringham, the original owner of Blackwych Grange. Then as the years go by, there are more narrators and multiple layers to our tale before going back to present day.

The details become horrific but I couldn't stop reading. The visualization of evil is thorough and it's hard to grasp how dreadful people can be towards another human.

As you progress further, the hauntings occur and the story is quite spine chilling.

The editing was a bit off. I found spelling errors, name errors (Daniel Jones was called Mr. Lester) and lots of people not finishing full sentence, which was annoying.

Overall it was an entertaining ghost story that could use a sequel.

[Tina · Rating 1 out of 5]

No....nope, do not read. This was not good, and had so many mistakes. Like others have mentioned, the name of the house changes at one point in the story, and Elizabeth's age on her tombstone doesn't match her real age.

The story is just not good, either. 😐

[Jennifer Lynn · Rating 3 out of 5]

there's a filth to this book that doesn't scrub away easily, good story but I need something more haunted, less haunting now

[Garth · Rating 1 out of 5]

Reddit - Monthly Horror Book Club (MHBC)

2023 - April

11 pages in and there have been 31 instances of “but-, I’m…, to-, we-“ etc. Three instances per page of halted or interrupted speech. That’s a bit much.

DNF’d. Don’t remember the last book I had to DNF. Way too many continuity errors and grammatical gibberish for me to get past. This book could not have been edited by an editor with any experience.

[Miikka Lehtonen · Rating 1 out of 5]

Oh lord. The Haunting of Blackwych Grange starts out so amazingly well, and then just completely flies off the rails and lands deep in the brush.

A group of scientists are heading out to a house that isn't really even spoken of except in hushed whispers, despite the owner's and everyone else's warnings that Blackwych Grange is bad news. Everything starts out well. There's creaks and groans, weird shapes in the windows, spooky goings on, but I'm sure there's a rational explanation for everything, right guys? The premise is very well worn territory in horror stories, but for a reason: the classics work.

This goes on for the first 30% of the book, and if this had been the tone the rest of the book took, my rating would probably be quite a bit higher. But then the book jumps back in time to show us how the haunting began. I'm not a big fan of this move in general, because it's usually best to leave things shrouded in mystery. In this case it gets even worse, because our half a book long flashback to Victorian times is basically gratuitous rape/torture fiction.

But what's even worse is the writing. The book is told from first person perspectives, although the perspective jumps between different narrators. In modern times this is fine, but when we jump into the past Cross seems to essentially just use characters that would have to undergo significant personal growth to be one dimensional caricatures. This is a literal example of the level of writing we're dealing with:

"He smiles, and I can tell that he is merely humoring me. I suppose that to him, I must seem like some kind of old fool, a relic of a time gone by. At least, as we reach a certain spot in the mud, the ruffian building workers have stepped back to a respectful distance, which shows that they have some degree of respect. After all, I am from a great family, and it simply will not do for them to get too close. The smell alone is quite hideous."

It's like someone took a glance at Baby's First Book of Bad Victorian Stereotypes, got bored on the first page and decided to make the rest of it up. And this goes on for half the book.

It's one of the most baffling turns I've seen a book take, and it makes for insufferable reading. What a shame the first third of the book was so misleading, because Blackwych Grange could've been great. Now it's borderline awful.

[Jackie · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book first of all suffered from very poor editing. There were numerous errors throughout the book that ultimately made it a struggle to read. Clara changed to Carla, Elizabeth's age didn't make any sense in terms of continuity, even the name of the house changes as well, as well as numerous formatting errors. I couldn't stand that, and frankly I can't believe this made it to publishing with so many errors.

I was initially interested in reading this book because I like the idea of paranormal researchers studying in haunted houses, but there was far less of that group and, to my mind, more to do with the events in the past related to Elizabeth Marringham. The cruelty of John Marringham was so over the top as to be cliche, as were his (and others') depravities. I felt some parts of the plot were thrown in and not entirely well developed, such as Daniel and his relationship, such as it was, with Elizabeth. None of the characters were particularly likeable, and I felt the ending was both rushed and abrupt.

I didn't enjoy this as much as I wanted to, although it was certainly a quick read. I'm also glad that it was only $.99, because I would've regretted paying more for such a disappointing read.

[Alyson Holdren · Rating 2 out of 5]

The story was okay.

Alright, does anyone even edit these books before they're uploaded to kindle? Repeated words in multiple paragraphs as if the writer only knows a core set of works. I'm honestly surprised that she's written so many books with such a small bank of descriptive words.

The actual story itself:
It was enough to keep me interested as a whole. I wasn't waiting for breaks in my day to just read it though. It passes through like five or six povs telling different aspects of the story. I feel like that could have been contained to maybe max of four. As I stated earlier, the verbs and adjunctive were lacking in the creativity department. I'm sure that I read the word "faint" more than I would have enjoyed.

To amazon:
You guys seriously need to add a suggestion thing because there are some major grammatical errors in some of the books.

[Angela M. McCoy · Rating 2 out of 5]

The editor needs a serious talking to....

I enjoyed the story, but I found all of the errors really distracting. Not just little type-o's, but really big, silly errors. Most of the characters spoke using the same tone and language dispite living in different eras. Poor Clara or Carla or Clara or Carla or Clara or Carla - her name changed again and again, sometimes on the same page. Surely, the author can find another word for 'untoward'. Every character in every chapter used that word at least once. To my previous point, I don't know a single modern day college kid who would use that word. Ever. For any reason. Nothing is more frustrating to me as a reader than a sloppy writer. This was seriously sloppy.

[Janice Stinnett · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ok

The book had the right ingredients to make a great book but the author didn't seem to have the right imagination. There were things that made no sense and throughout the book I kept thinking things made no sense. The ending seemed to be thrown together with no explanation. The book hinted at certain things to be revealed that never materialized. I wouldn't recommend this book even go ghost story lovers.

[Patricia Romero · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a good story. A young woman locked away by her uncle and abused in horrible ways finds revenge after death. I really enjoyed the tale.

That said, where was the editing? Names were different, people in two places at the same time. It was a mess. A simple read through should have caught these but alas they did not and it really crippled the story. 

This book really needs a clean up and that said, the story deserved better.

[Jan Funnell · Rating 2 out of 5]

I can't say that I was very happy with this book I found the characters aggravating and the young student had me almost frothing at the mouth with her continuing wavering about. I'm sure this author can write really good spooky stories it's just that this one wasn't one of them.

[Michelle · Rating 2 out of 5]

There were some good parts to this story, and at first it seemed very promising. Unfortunately, in my opinion, it went downhill pretty fast.
The end was very rushed and really just felt like an add on. Sorry, but I found this very disappointing.

[Sophia Alex Biggs · Rating 1 out of 5]

Worst Amy Cross Book Ever

Stupid characters doing stupid things, don’t bother with this one. So mind numbingly stupid, no rational people would make decisions like they do in this book, Amy has dropped the ball with this one

[Teena Renken · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very creepy

A haunting tale. If you enjoy a good ghost story this book is for you.
I've read several books by this author and they've all been good