I found this to be far from the author’s best work. In the past, scenes from a previous book of the author’s made me go physically cold, difficult to make me do as I don’t scare easily. This one carried a slight creepiness but didn’t scare. I liked the plot and these less than average ghosts impressed. A lot of info gets repeated in the narrative, particularly in conversations and within a short timeframe, reminding me of several shows that have unnecessary exchanges to remind the audience of what they already know. In style, this made me wonder if the book’s intended as YA horror, though some scene content seems a little too gory for that. I wanted to like this more than I did, though there were elements I appreciated. ( )

The House at Phantom Park is a haunting and engrossing horror novel that showcases Graham Masterton's mastery of the genre. This masterful blend of horror and supernatural elements deliver a chilling reading experience that will make you want to read with the lights on and make the hairs stand up on the back of your neck.

The story revolves around the notorious house at Phantom Park, an eerie and foreboding house with a dark history. Once used as a military hospital for wounded Soldiers, the house is now under the beginning stages of construction to be turned into new luxury apartments. However, ghastly and unexplainable events keep delaying the start and leaving the developers perplexed and distressed. As the haunting escalate you will find yourself sitting at the edge of your seat, frustrated alongside the main characters as they navigate the history of the house and trying to figure out the root causes of their misfortune in hopes of stopping the hauntings and preventing any more catastrophes.

One thing I really enjoyed in this book is the messages that you pick up on between the lines of main story. As you read, you quickly learn that the devastating consequence of war serves as an underlying theme throughout the novel. This will leave you pondering philosophical topics such as: the lasting scars war leaves on individuals and society, the lasting consequences of war and the profound grief it leaves behind, and the haunting reminder of the destructive forces unleashed during conflicts (both tangible and not). All which makes this deeper than a horror novel just looking for surface level jump scares or gore frightening tactics.

All in all, with its compelling characters, atmospheric setting, and spine-tingling suspense, The House at Phantom Park is a must-read for fans of supernatural thrillers. Prepare to be captivated and terrified in equal measure as you journey through the dark and twisted halls of Phantom Park. ( )

In the new book by the master of horror Graham Masterton, the setting is an abandoned military hospital in rural England haunted not by ghosts, but by the pain of soldiers injured in Afghanistan and who were hospitalized and died there. An interesting premise to be sure, but, in my opinion, as poorly developed as the characters inhabiting the novel.

The hospital is to be renovated into multimillion Euro residences. While being surveyed, bad things happen to those working on the premises. Lillian, in charge of the renovation, slow.y comes to realize that there’s something very wrong at St. Philomenas. Various gruesome deaths occur in the course of the book. The final resolution was, for me, signaled earlier in the book and came as no surprise. The characters were not really fleshed out and I really had a hard time sympathizing with their difficulties.

My thanks to the publisher and to Netgalley for providing an ARC of the book. ( )