Snowbound in a creepy house on the forbidding moors....
927239
This story could have been so much more if the main male character was a bit more complex with perhaps more if the dark side revealed. And if the "Rebecca"-like  character of the sleazy cousin was more in the main  plot and revealed slowly in a very  suspenseful way.
I don't know why I kept reading--perhaps because it lulled me to sleep each night...
3854781
This is a short one. But that doesnt mean there isn't plenty to like.

When an explosion cuts off the residents of a small town and plunges them into an apocalyptic winter, they have no one to call for help and must rely on their own ingenuity. Do they stay where they are? Or do they brave trying to go for help and risk coming up against the strange things that wait in the snow?

I love stories set in wintry landscapes. Theres something about having to battle the elements as well as the horrors prowling in it that makes for an edgy read.

The creepy, crab things that hide in the snow, only detectable by their cold black eyes peering out of the drifts, were this horror lovers delight. Always looking for new, creative monsters to scare the crap out of me.  I think they stole the show from the characters, who didn't really win me over. Good thing, as theres no guarantees any will survive.

While this didn't terrify me, it sure got the endorphins pumping. Ill gladly read more by this author.
3596584
Lucy Boston's love of old homes and mysterious gardens have never been more obvious than in "Guardians of the House". The author who is most famous for the "Green Knowe" series lived during her lifetime in an ancient manor at Hemingford Grey, and devoted much of her life in restoring the house and grounds, which is now open for visitors. In this case, it is the house rather than the gardens that recieves the most attention, and though I have never been to Boston's home myself, the blurb tells me that several of the faces within the book are real items within the manor.
Like almost all her books, Boston begins with the usual senario - a young boy (in this case Tom) is drawn to an old house lived in by an elderly woman. When he is sure she has left, he creeps in to explore (the moral implications of this aren't touched on, but the dream-like narrative compensates for this trespassing). Surrounded by disembodied voices and strange masks, Tom embarks on a series of strange adventures with several of the faces dotted around the house: a donkey's head made of straw, a Roman triton's bust, an Eastern goddess idol, and an Indian face. Each face magically transports him to another place and time, whether it be a jungle, an undersea city, or a temple in the desert, all of which are both magical and dangerous, till finally he is overly frightened, and leaves the house.
Needless to say, it is a rather bizarre book, that comes across almost as a writing exercise or prose-poetry reading that was accidently published. Whatever the case, it is clearly a pet-project of Boston's, what with the features of her own house being brought to the page. Yet despite this there is something oddly fascinating about it. There is not much of a story, and Tom is hardly a well-developed character, but Boston's beautiful writing style makes this a hypnotic read - but perhaps not for children. Several of the adventures contain rather frightening imagery, including a tiger attacking a man, and a disembodied mackintosh chasing Tom - not to mention the fact that the story does not really have a beginning, middle or end: I predict children would be quite baffled at this.
Instead, if you are an adult fan of Boston or a collector, then "The Guardians of the House" might interest you. I believe that it is the book that was closet to Boston's heart given the fact that artefacts from her own home feature in the story, and I don't find it hard to imagine that the entire book was a daydream of hers surrounding her house-hold faces and what they would do to protect her house if a Tom *did* actually intrude. Reading "Guardians" in that way, is a bit like wandering into someone else's dream: it's surreal, it's mysterious, it's oddly spiritual, and it's ultimately ingrossing. If you've ever fancied the idea of visiting Boston's home based on your readings of the "Green Knowe" books, then this is the book that will make up your mind.
By the way, Peter Boston (Lucy's son) also illustrates "Guardians", and I think they're the best I've seen (perhaps because he had the real faces to sketch?)
802721
It looks warm.  The weather is not cold enough to see if my feral "Cooper" goes in all night yet.
3971417
I do not want to live next door to these people......  Can't beat a Dean Koontz story for chills and thrills
2363208
The old abandoned Kemper house wants your soul. Inside this gothic, derelict mansion at the end of Willow Street lies a darkness as old as time. When a dead body is discovered inside, no one who lives on the block is safe from the evil that invades their lives.

The various characters and their families on the block were interesting and they all had distinct personalities and troubles. I also liked the creepy crawly feeling surrounding the house, starting on the first page, when the terrible rotting smell invaded everyone's homes one morning.

This is a quick read (160 pages) and has some generally spooky moments. I'm not typically a fan of the haunted house storyline, so I gave it three stars.
1643200
Fifteen-year-old Abigail is a servant in Greaves Hall. Her mother died of cholera just one year ago, leaving her an orphan. With nowhere to go, she is left to serve in the house she and her mother have lived in since she was born. Abi's life is miserable and she dreams of running away to escape the wrath of Mrs. Cotton, the head housekeeper, who, for some reason, insists on making Abi's life a living hell. When Samuel, the son of the lord of the house returns home, gravely injured after serving in the war, strange things begin taking place around Greaves Hall. Mysterious hand prints appear on windows, rooms in the house are trashed, and Abi can't shake the feeling she is being watched. As the lord of the house slips further into madness, and Samuel's life hangs between life and death, the ghostly incidents come more frequently. Abi believes someone is trying to tell her something. Could it be her mother, reaching out to her from the grave, or is it something more sinister?

To say any more about the synopsis of this book would ruin the experience for the reader. With The Poisoned House, Mr. Ford has crafted a truly creepy, gothic ghost story. He perfectly captures the setting of 1850's London with vivid detail. The characters are all richly drawn, especially the devious Mrs. Cotton, who gives Mrs. Danvers of Daphne du Maurier's Rebecca a run for her money. This is a quick and easy read, and one that shouldn't be missed, especially by fans of good old-fashioned ghost stories.
3661433
Love it, house is dark and it looks sweet from the street.  Ok ATMOS It's time to make another film with the 8 reindeer and the slegh,  So I can figure out how to project them onto the roof.  Together it would be amazing!
851233
Something sinister is afoot in the small town of Stillwater. Down by the Narrows, kids are disappearing, livestock is being slaughtered and the entire town is in danger of dying out.
Very well written. Atmospheric and appropriately spooky.
809059
Another haunting tale that could have something to do with one of Ellie Jordans unfinished cases. In fact, the house is right next door to it! Ellie fears that monster that she was looking for back then has returned.

Whats scarier than monsters in the closet? A shadowy entity that takes the shape of your worst fears. Its almost a spidery figurethe Crawling Darkness. Ewe! Yuck! And freaky!

Its a search for the Boogeyman in this chilling tale. Its a spirit that feeds on your fears, especially the childrens.

Ellie and the gang must face their fears in this ghostly mystery, which actually has a spiritual protector. This is your nightmares come true.

This is another great ghost trapper story. A worthy read!
1322892
I will soon be driving home for Christmas and thought it would be appropriate to watch "Wind Chill."  This slice of holiday horror fare gave me goose bumps.  What begins as a routine stalker film turns into a supernatural thriller.  Think "P2" meets "Desperation."

  Finals are over and Christmas break has begun.  A self-centered engineering student (wonderfully portrayed by Emily Blunt of "The Devil Wears Prada" fame) foolishly accepts a ride home from a lonely classmate (Ashton Holmes).  Soon Blunt realizes that Holmes does not live near her home in Delaware.  Worse yet, he detours from the interstate and takes a shortcut on an abandoned highway.  What does he want?  Soon the couple are involved in an accident and the car is snowbound.  With no means to call for help and the temperature dropping, they learn that someone or something wants them dead.  Who will live to see the morning?

  "Wind Chill" is a unique blend of stalker and ghost genres.  It is highly recommended if you enjoy either genre.  The fact that it occurs during the Christmas holidays is an extra bonus.

  Blunt's character exhibits a wonderful transformation from selfish to caring as she struggles to survive an obsessed stalker, the ghost of a dead serial killer, and a freezing environment.  The odds are against her.  However, the odds are in your favor that you will enjoy this icy thriller.
2504109
3.5/5  It seems to be things that go bump in the night week for me! Jennifer McMahon's latest book is The Winter People.

 I love the dedication.....

 " For Zeila. Because one day, you wanted to play a really creepy game about two sisters whose parents had disappeared in the woods ..... Sometimes it just happens."

 And that's exactly what happens. Ruthie and Fawn live with their mother Alice in West Hall, Vermont on a hardscrabble farm near a rocky ridge known as The Devil's Hand. When Alice disappears without a trace, the girls search the house for clues - and come upon a diary hidden under the floorboards. The diary is from 1908 and belonged to Sara, a former resident of the house. What Ruthie reads seems impossible. But again, there have always been rumours and legends about Devil's Hand. And people do go missing.....

 McMahon weaves her story through past and present as the girls search for their mother and we catch up by reading Sara's diary from 1908.

 "She's one of the winter people. The people who are stuck between here and there, waiting. It reminds me of winter, how everything is all pale and cold and full of nothing, and all you can do is wait for sparing."

 I really enjoyed the build up of the story and found it hard to put down - I wanted to know what had happened and what was going to happen. But I found one of the final characters involved in the ending overdone and the conclusion was a little too predictable and somewhat familiar. (Think Pet Semetary) For me, this somewhat detracted from what had been a good horror/ghost story up until then. Of the two narratives, I preferred Sara's from 1908. It was scarier and more atmospheric.

 Still, The Winter People kept me turning pages on a dark winter night. Entertaining, but not my favourite McMahon book. (Island of Lost Girls is my fave)
3105347
Good read.
Creepy in just the right places..not gorey or graphic but spooky.
64215
This is the fourth book in the Psychic Surveys series. I have not read the first three, but this tale worked well as a standalone.

The new residents of Old Cross Cottage, which is located in a small village in Dorset, have been experiencing some spooky and sinister occurrences and have resorted to asking the Psychic Surveys team to investigate. It does not help that the property stands on a crossroads, a place 'between worlds'!

I love a good ghost story (although I have to admit I'm very sceptical about the whole phenomenon) and this one did not disappoint. It had me on the edge of my seat and avidly turning the pages. It is quite a dark, eerie tale, very atmospheric and chilling. It is well written, full of unearthly intrigue and suspense, just what you would expect from a haunted house mystery.

A fabulous, spine tingling tale which will have you hiding behind a cushion - read it if you dare!  One to read with all the lights on, I think. I now look forward to reading this series from the beginning, the first book being The Haunting of Highdown Hall.

Many thanks to TBC on Facebook for giving me the opportunity to read and review this ARC.
3976174
In "Murder Checks Inn", North Carolina innkeeper Alex Winston is trying to stay afloat financially while re-building his historic Cape Hatteras lighthouse turned bed-and-breakfast.  Alex finds himself hosting a cantankerous group of guests, including a mother and her two adult children who have come to Elkton Falls for the reading of the will of their eccentric ex-husband and father Matthias Trask.  But the will reading never happens, because Trask's will turns up missing from the law office of Alex's Uncle Jase Winston, and Uncle Jase is found bludgeoned to death with a paperweight.  Amateur sleuth Alex tries to find his uncle's killer in this charming cozy.  In Alex's mind, no one is above suspicion in this murder, not even his own brother Tony.  Alex also tries to sort out his romantic feelings towards his lovely housekeeper Elise, who seems to reciprocate his feelings as well.

Author Myers has done a great job of creating a wonderful inn located in a lighthouse located at the foot of the Blue Ridge Mountains.  Reading these books makes me ready to check into this homey inn and enjoy a cozy stay. Cozy readers will enjoy this book, whether they are familiar with this series or not.
4539954
The electric goes out and all of a sudden a winter storm like no other hits in the middle of the night. Tom and Abby just moved here and have nowhere to go and when things get a bit scary its time to find a place to hide, but with the storm hitting so hard and heavy it will be a miracle if they get out alive. When they try to escape and find themselves in the midst of an evil that is killing everyone around them what do they do? Good read, do not read it at late night while alone. You may find yourself wondering!!
1548892
I actually grew up living in one of the houses that use to rent rooms out to the men that worked on this. I swear this house was haunted by some of the men that lost their lives working these teams of oxen down the road. There were supposedly two bodies buried on the grounds of this home. Door knobs would turn. Footsteps going up the stairs. Doors locking themselves so you couldn't get out.