The Keeling family have upped sticks and moved from London to the rural town of Weldon. Kate and the twins - Sophie and Tom - will be living full-time in their new home, a big old Victorian pile called Haverscroft House, while Kate's husband Mark commutes back and forth from London.
This is supposed to be a new start for them all, after Kate's recent illness, but she cannot get over the feeling that there is something not quite right about Haverscroft, especially the spare bedroom - and the twins feel the same. However, Mark is convinced they are all being melodramatic and will soon come to love the big old house and grounds - although he is a bit reluctant to let Kate venture in the attic on her own...
Little does Kate realise that Haverscroft's dark secrets will cause her to question her own sanity and put her family in danger. Can Kate keep her children safe and stop the past from repeating itself?
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How I love a ghost story - particularly a haunted mansion! The idea that bricks and mortar can absorb the echoes of the past has always been a compelling one for me. I had been saving Haverscroft as a delicious treat for the Halloween season, and it fitted the bill perfectly!
This is a gripping, modern take on the ghost story theme, with enough chill to have you reaching for a warming hot toddy while turning the pages - both for the warmth and the Dutch courage! Haverscroft is so completely creepy that it probably wasn't a good idea to be reading this one at bedtime, but I could not help myself - although it did mean that any little noise in the night had me hiding my head under the duvet!
S.A. Harris ramps up the eerie tension nicely, as the scary goings-on in the house remain unexplained and you become convinced that there is a malevolent spirit at work. You will also find yourself getting quite angry with Mark as he refuses to take the worries of Kate and the twins seriously, and begin to speculate about his motives for moving here. Kate's fear and frustration come across so clearly, as she struggles to rationalise her feelings about Haverscroft with her need to prove to Mark that she is coping after her illness, and you are with her every step of the way as she tries to get to the bottom of what is happening in their new home.
There are secrets galore to uncover, and a nice little family twist that I did not see coming at all, on top of the plentiful chills, that will keep you turning the pages well into the (scary) night. I absolutely loved it, even though it scared the bejesus out of me! In fact, it is one of the scariest ghost stories I have read.
Highly recommended for whenever you feel the need to be terrified!
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