The storyline is very similar to The Haunting of Hill House – TV show not the book – and The Amityville Horror. On the downside, however, the familiar ground in this book veers too much from tribute into straight up replication. I liked the book-within-book framing and the excerpts of Maggie’s father’s fictional book, called House of Horrors, are pretty entertaining. I devoured the book in one night! Unlike the author’s previous books, I was pleased to see there is no unnecessary instant romance situation which usually detracted from the main plot.

The writing is quick, addictive and easy to digest. Home Before Dark has all my favourite beats – a decrepit house, dark history, family secret, strange incidents. Let’s start with the positives! I love haunted house stories and I always find them enjoyable, even if they are treading on familiar grounds. They cover up a home’s stories and secrets, rendering them silent until someone comes along to reveal them. She never believed her father’s accounts, but what if he was telling the truth?Įvery house has a story to tell and a secret to share. He wrote a horror memoir about their experience, which was received with both success and skepticism.Īfter his death, Maggie inherits the house and she’s determined to find out what happened in the past. Maggie’s father, Ewan, claimed they experienced terrifying paranormal encounters. Three weeks after they moved in, they fled in the night leaving everything behind. Twenty-five years ago, Maggie and her parents moved into the huge, rambling Baneberry Hall.

Novel home before dark