Nightmare House

Nightmare House by Douglas Clegg is a fantastic haunted house story that will leave you wanting more. Clegg’s eloquent style transports the reader to a different time and place, making one feel as if he is actually at Harrow House experiencing the horrors with the narrator of the story.

The heir of Harrow House, Ethan Gravesend, stakes his claim on the estate hoping for a new beginning. What Ethan finds instead is the true terror the house has to offer including poltergeists, hallucinations, and psychic activity. With the help of housekeeper, Maggie Barrow, Ethan discovers a boarded up room with the remains of a woman inside.

Clegg masterfully guides the reader through the twists and turns of Harrow House. The horror unfolds as Ethan show more uncovers the secrets of his own past and the identity of the woman who was walled up alive in the room.

The Bottom Line: It’s been a long time since I’ve read a haunted house story that I’ve truly enjoyed, and this is one of the best. This scary tale of the supernatural truly terrifies proving that classic horror still exists. Perfect reading for stormy, Autumn nights; just make sure you leave the lights on. Highly recommended for horror aficionados.

Don’t miss Mischief and The Infinite as the horror of Harrow House continues. show less

This novel is about a man who inherits a huge, rambling mansion and how he is drawn into the life the house and it's previous occupants. The tone of the novel is nice and creepy, and the suspense increases as the novel unfolds. I liked the psychological twists at the end of the book, but it devolved a little too Lovecraftian for my taste. The second novella in the book, was way over the top Lovecraftian - like Dagon-ish and I didn't get too far into it.

Well I tried to make it through this story, but I am going to have to put it down as one of my dreaded dnf reads.

A small backstory though just for the heck of it:

Estaban Gravesend has inherited a mansion from his uncle which supposedly is haunted. As Estaban settles into the mansion he tries to learn the secrets and mystery of why the house is haunted.

That is about all I am going to say on the backstory.

Thoughts:

Okay so the reasoning for the dnf is because too much world building all the way up to near half of the story and there is no haunting that Estaban has to experience until near the 50% mark which there was just a dribble - nothing to spook you out of your skin. The dialogue is off as well and to me the storyline didn't flow show more along. There is also a change up between first person and third person with the character Estaban as sometimes the author will have him in first person and then it switches over to the third person. My opinion is: stay in either one or the other as it is just too confusing with jumping around.

I was not feeling anything with any of the characters in the book and I fell asleep a few times just trying to get through the storyline. To be reading a haunted house story and to fall asleep is not good as it shows there is something lacking in the entertainment of the book. I can see now why some reviewers struggled with this book as I felt the struggle too. Since this book is a dnf there will be no star rating. If I did give a star rating it would be for the cover only as the book cover is way creepier than what lays within the pages of this book. show less

Pretty damn good!
Esteban (Ethan) Gravesend has just inherited his grandfather's mansion home. but this home comes with more than just the usual ghouls and ghosts. This house is chocked full of family secrets and nightmares!
Very well written, easy to follow with characters that are easily relatable. I do wish however that the book was a little bit longer and would have given the last chapter just a little bit more explaining. Other than that the book and the story we're darn near perfect.
This book had me so engulfed and creeped out that everytime my phone went off I would jump. 😳 I like a good haunted house story but this one is definitely a good one. Douglas Clegg weaves a world of mystery and suspense so perfectly that the reader is show more consumed from the very beginning.
And as for the ending I only had part of it figured out. The rest of it came as a surprise. That is an awesome thing for me to say because usually I have the whole thing figured out by the halfway point of the book.
I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who likes a really good haunted house tale. show less

Ethan inheirits his grandfather's house, Harrow House. Returning to the strange home after years away, he remembers childhood visits there. He meets the household servants and tries to settle into his new life. But, Harrow House holds some very dark secrets.....family secrets so terrible that nobody entering the house is ever quite the same again.

I really, really, really wanted to enjoy this book.....I love spooky tales and ghost stories and the Harrow House series sounded just like what I enjoy. But.....I listened to the audiobook version of the story. And.....to be honest, I couldn't stand the narrator. Michael Taylor has a very deep, booming male voice, and to me it just didn't fit the nature of this book at all. When Taylor show more attempted to do female voices or elderly male voices, his tone was just awkward and, for me, annoying. It really put a damper on my enjoyment of this book. Taylor's voice might fit a western story, a regular children's story, or maybe a comedic type book....but, in my opinion, it was not a good choice for a horror or suspense novel. I finished listening.....but couldn't fully immerse in the story because I just hated his voice and narration style. This happens sometimes with audiobooks.....it doesn't mean he is a bad narrator. His style, in this case, just isn't for me. Others might have a different opinion and love it.

The story itself seemed rambling and not all that scary or suspenseful.

All of the audiobooks for the Harrow House series are narrated by Michael Taylor. So, I will be leaving this series after finishing book 1. Just not for me. show less

As some of you may know I'm a helpless Clegg fan! I adore his writing style and how his stories always manage to send a chill down my spine.

Nightmare House was fantastic. I enjoyed the changing points-of-view; that really kept the story interesting.

Another thing about Douglas Clegg's writing...it's always shrouded in mystery that keeps you guessing. It makes the story more exciting because I never know what will happen.

If your a horror fan I'll say check this one out. If you haven't read this author's work yet I'll also include a recommendation to check out Neverland. That's also an awesome book!

This haunted house story was okay. Ethan's storyline was well-developed and, for the most part, interesting. I even liked the plot twist when he confronted the ghost of the house. However, the final ending was somewhat of a let down. It didn't seem as well-developed as the rest of the story. Still an enjoyable read.