Title: NO ONE'S HOME
Expected publication: out now
My Rating: 🌟🌟🌟
Book Description:
Margot and Myron Spielman move to a new town, looking for a
fresh start and an escape from the long shadow of their past. But soon after
they buy Rawlingswood, a foreclosed mansion rumored to be haunted, they realize
they’re in for more of the same…or worse.
After a renovation fraught with injuries and setbacks, the Spielmans move in to the century-old house, and their problems quickly escalate. The home’s beautiful facade begins to crumble around them when their teenage son uncovers disturbing details of Rawlingswood’s history—a history of murder, betrayal, and financial ruin. The Spielmans’ own shameful secrets and lies become harder to hide as someone or something inside the house watches their every move.
As tensions build between the family members, the home’s dark history threatens to repeat itself. Margot and Myron must confront their own ghosts and Rawlingswood’s buried past before the house becomes their undoing.
After a renovation fraught with injuries and setbacks, the Spielmans move in to the century-old house, and their problems quickly escalate. The home’s beautiful facade begins to crumble around them when their teenage son uncovers disturbing details of Rawlingswood’s history—a history of murder, betrayal, and financial ruin. The Spielmans’ own shameful secrets and lies become harder to hide as someone or something inside the house watches their every move.
As tensions build between the family members, the home’s dark history threatens to repeat itself. Margot and Myron must confront their own ghosts and Rawlingswood’s buried past before the house becomes their undoing.
My musings:
Who likes a creepy haunted house setting with an undertone
of menace and danger? If the answer is yes, then you’re in the right place! It
worries me that the author has modelled her freaky house in Shaker Heights on a
real life building she visited once, because it was such an eerie place that
you couldn’t pay me enough to spend even one hour there after dark.
Picture a stately, century old home in a peaceful affluent
suburb. It may be in pretty bad condition, but the price is a steal and it’s
nothing a bit of renovating can’t fix. But the house has a history. From its
first owners to the last, no one has escaped it unharmed. People have died here,
others have gone mad. There are terrible personal tragedies connected to it,
and the mysterious graffiti on the walls tells the story of lives unravelling.
Locals agree that the place is simply bad. However, the new owners who have
bought it for a bargain don’t know yet what they are letting themselves in for.
It’s not long until the old house lets them know that it doesn’t want them
there ....
I have a bit of a weakness for spooky settings, even though
I know that I should not read this type of book after dark. This one freaked me
out so much in the first quarter that I had serious doubts whether I should
continue reading. But if you are a bit of a chicken like me, rest assured that
the tension significantly lessens in the later part of the book, as we get to
know some of the old house’s secrets.
Pulley knows how to create an atmospheric setting, and this
old house has it all! Lights that go on and off, doors that randomly open and
close, an old dried bloodstain in the attic, secret passages, a creepy wine
cellar and an evil presence that lingers behind you as if constantly peering
over your shoulders. It doesn’t get much better than that! I could vividly
picture the setting, and it gave me goosebumps.
The author has chosen to tell her story in various
alternating timelines, recounting the fates of its former inhabitants right
down to the current owners, the Spielman family. Even though the timeline
jumped back and forth between the various families, it was easy to keep track
of everyone and fun to slowly connect the dots until a picture formed. There
were a few surprises here!
I think I would have loved the story a lot more if I had
found the current owners more likeable. Or any of the characters, for that
matter. As it was, whilst I was intrigued and thrilled, the book lacked a true
connection to any of the characters for me, leaving me slightly dissatisfied
and remote, even though all the elements of a truly spooky story were
represented. I also felt that the story lost a lot of momentum towards the end
and some threads could probably have been cut down a bit to move it along at
the same pace it started out at. However, I loved the way it was spooky without
being too farfetched, and contained some true historical elements, which is
often difficult to find in this genre. It would certainly make for the perfect
Halloween read!
Summary:
All in all, if you are looking for a spooky read with an atmospheric
haunted house setting, but are not a fan of gore, then this one is a definite
contender. The old house was almost a character in its own right, and probably
my favourite part of the story, even though it haunted my nightmares. A book
that is perfect for those long, dark autumn nights when the wind is howling
around the eves whilst you are snuggled up safely inside.
Thank
you to Netgalley and Thomas & Mercer for the free electronic copy of this novel and
for giving me the opportunity to provide an honest review.
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