The House That Horror Built
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3.6 • 10 Ratings
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- $4.99
Publisher Description
A single mother working in the gothic mansion of a reclusive horror director stumbles upon terrifying secrets in the captivating new novel from the national bestselling author of Good Girls Don't Die and Horseman.
Harry Adams has always loved horror movies, so it’s not a total coincidence that she took the job cleaning house for movie director Javier Castillo. His forbidding graystone Chicago mansion, Bright Horses, is filled from top to bottom with terrifying props and costumes, as well as glittering awards from his career making films that thrilled audiences—until family tragedy and scandal forced him to vanish from the industry.
Javier values discretion, and Harry has always tried to clean the house immaculately, keep her head down, and keep her job safe—she needs the money to support her son. But then she starts hearing noises from behind a locked door. Noises that sound remarkably like a human voice calling for help, even though Javier lives alone and never has visitors. Harry knows that not asking questions is a vital part of working for Javier, but she soon finds that the sinister house may be home to secrets she can’t ignore.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Henry (Good Girls Don't Die) spins an eerie haunted house tale set in the home of a famous horror director. Having escaped an abusive upbringing and homelessness, single mother Harry Adams now lives paycheck to paycheck while raising her 14-year-old son, Gabriel. Her latest in a string of low-paying gigs is cleaning the mansion of Javier Castillo, who closely resembles Guillermo del Toro in his career trajectory, elaborate home, and frequent collaborators—but that's where the comparison ends. Castillo has been a recluse since his wife and son vanished in the midst of a murder investigation in which their son was a suspect. He takes an unexpected interest in Gabriel, and Harry doesn't know how she should feel about the attention the eccentric but renowned filmmaker is showing her son. Meanwhile, strange happenings occur in the house: props move, costumes reach for her, and a strange voice from a perpetually locked room calls out for help. Harry's motivations are occasionally muddled, making it difficult to fully invest in her plight. Still, Henry captures the epic scale of the best horror movies and her passion for monstrosity comes through clearly. The results are familiar but fun.
