ABOUT THE BOOK:
There's something wrong with Ashburn House...The ancient building has been the subject of rumours for close to a century. Its owner, Edith, refused to let guests inside and rarely visited the nearby town.
Following Edith's death, her sole surviving relative, Adrienne, inherits the property. Adrienne's only possessions are a suitcase of luggage, twenty dollars, and her pet cat. Ashburn House is a lifeline she can't afford to refuse.
Adrienne doesn't believe in ghosts, but it's hard to ignore the unease that grows as she explores her new home. Strange messages have been etched into the wallpaper, an old grave is hidden in the forest behind the house, and eerie portraits in the upstairs hall seem to watch her every movement.
As she uncovers more of the house's secrets, Adrienne begins to believe the whispered rumours about Ashburn may hold more truth than she ever suspected. The building has a bleak and grisly past, and as she chases the threads of a decades-old mystery, Adrienne realises she's become the prey to something deeply unnatural and intensely resentful.
Only one thing is certain: Ashburn's dead are not at rest.
LISTEN TO AN EXCERPT:
MY REVIEW:
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
The Haunting of Ashburn House by Darcy Coates is a 2016 publication.
Effective and Entertaining
Ashburn House has enjoyed a sinister reputation for nearly a century. When the current owner of the old house dies, her sole heir, Adrienne, inherits the house.
Adrienne is in no position to turn down her inheritance. She has twenty dollars to her name, one suitcase, and her cat. But, holding on to the legendary house becomes a living nightmare when she learns about the Ashburn's horrifying history, and the puzzling mystery that haunts it.
Soon Adrienne is faced with a shocking dilemma as the ghosts of the past refuse to be silenced…
This is my first book by Darcy Coates. I have seen her books listed in the Kindle Unlimited program and noticed she was quite prolific and popular. But, when a relative read one of her books last fall for Halloween and enjoyed it, I decided I would give her a chance someday.
Normally, I reserve my traditional horror reading for Halloween, and even then, it is only to re-read favorites or to read classics I never got around to previously. Newer horror novels are a hard sell for me as so many of them lack atmosphere and rely too heavily on gore and gratuitous violence.
But, I am always a sucker for a good haunted house or ghost story, and due to all the lunacy of 2020, I have dabbled in any and all genres, hoping for something to keep my mind busy and entertained for a while
So, in the height of summer, when daylight lingers past 9 PM, at a time when I am normally engaged in lighter reading, I am instead reading a good old-fashioned horror novel- and what an entertaining ride it was!
The story has a great atmosphere, a terrific backstory and some superficial chills and thrills and suspense. No, this novel is not the in league with some of horror novel heavy weights I usually rely on and am accustomed to. In fact, it could be easily be labeled as ‘horror novel lite' but that suits me just fine- and happened to be what I needed to escape into at the moment.
It’s a quick, absorbing read, and works even without the mood setting chill of a dark, cold winter’s night curled up by the fire listening to what you hope is the wind howling… and not something else…
GRAB A COPY HERE:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01H0LB2HG/
https://www.amazon.com/The-Haunting-of-Ashburn-House-audiobook/dp/B06XB3SC13/
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-haunting-of-ashburn-house-darcy-coates/1124182367
*ALSO AVAILABLE WITH YOU KINDLE UNLIMITED SUBSCRIPTION
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Darcy is the USA Today Bestselling author of Hunted, The Haunting of Ashburn House, Craven Manor, and more than a dozen horror and suspense titles.
She lives on the Central Coast of Australia with her family, cats, and a garden full of herbs and vegetables.
Darcy loves forests, especially old-growth forests where the trees dwarf anyone who steps between them. Wherever she lives, she tries to have a mountain range close by.
You can hear about her next book by joining her newsletter: www.darcycoates.com/subscribe
