A Strange Ad
A Life Changing Opportunity
ABOUT THE BOOK
A terrifying Gothic thriller about grief and death and the depths of a father’s love, Johnny Compton’s The Spite House is a stunning debut by a horror master in the making—The Babadook meets A Head Full of Ghosts in Texas Hill Country.
Eric Ross is on the run from a mysterious past with his two daughters in tow. Having left his wife, his house, his whole life behind in Maryland, he’s desperate for money—it’s not easy to find steady, safe work when you can’t provide references, you can’t stay in one place for long, and you’re paranoid that your past is creeping back up on you.
When he comes across the strange ad for the Masson House in Degener, Texas, Eric thinks they may have finally caught a lucky break. The Masson property, notorious for being one of the most haunted places in Texas, needs a caretaker of sorts. The owner is looking for proof of paranormal activity. All they need to do is stay in the house and keep a detailed record of everything that happens there. Provided the house’s horrors don’t drive them all mad, like the caretakers before them.
The job calls to Eric, not just because there’s a huge payout if they can make it through, but because he wants to explore the secrets of the spite house. If it is indeed haunted, maybe it’ll help him understand the uncanny power that clings to his family, driving them from town to town, making them afraid to stop running.
| Listening Time | 11 hours and 15 minutes |
|---|---|
| Author | Johnny Compton |
| Narrator | Adam Lazarre-White |
| Audible.com Release Date | February 07, 2023 |
| Publisher | Macmillan Audio |
Commercials attempting to entice people to their horror movies by showing chainsaws, blood, and masks that elicit fear, immediately had me vowing to ban all horror books from my reading list.
Now that I’ve made that revelation, I’m here to say: “Mikey likes it!” What does that mean?
Who can remember the Life Cereal Commercial? (Believe me, it’s much better than chainsaw commercial.) See Below
Yes, this “Mikey“ has decided she likes, at least some, horror books.
And this debut novel immediately captured my interest with the title and the book cover. When I read that it was about a haunted house, I was definitely ready to start listening. And the narrator didn’t let me down.
Eric Ross and his two daughters, Dess and Stacy, are on the run from something, and apparently getting low on cash. When Eric see that Eunice, a wealthy woman, is willing to pay a large amount of money to someone willing to stay in the Masson House and record any supernatural occurrences, he jumps at the opportunity.
However, it doesn’t take long to discover that everyone is hiding secrets.
My Concerns
I had to keep on my toes since the perspectives changed between Eric, his girls, and Eunice.
Another reason to be more attentive was that the plot felt deeper than most.
Final Thoughts
My concerns are also the strong points of the story. The various perspectives helped unravel the emotions involved.
And I hate to disagree with the book blurb, but I don’t classify this as a “terrifying Gothic thriller.” I was not terrified, just impressed with a good story. I only mention this because I don’t want that word to keep you from picking up the book, My habit of not reading a synopsis paid off since I’m just testing the horror genre out.
I think most who read this type of book would rank it among their favorites.
My thanks to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for an early recording of this book.
The Spite House is available 2/7/2023
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Johnny Compton is a San Antonio based author whose short stories have appeared in several publications since 2006, including Pseudopod, Strange Horizons and The No Sleep Podcast. His fascination with frightening fiction started when his kindergarten teacher played a record of the classic ghost story “The Golden Arm” for her class. The Spite House is his debut novel through Tor Nightfire.
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