by Graham Masterton
SYNOPSIS
In this abandoned hospital, pain lives on... and it wants revenge.
St Philomena's military hospital has been abandoned for over three years. Now Lilian Chesterfield, who works for one of the most successful building companies in England, is in charge of developing it into a luxury housing complex.
But as soon as she and her colleagues started work in the Jacobean-style mansion, their dream turned into a nightmare. They heard screaming from wards full of empty beds. They heard doors slamming and found cutlery scattered over the kitchen floor. Then they saw faces peering at them from the mullioned windows.
Lilian is pragmatic – she doesn't believe in the supernatural. But just when she's put her mind at rest by scouring the mansion from top to bottom and finding nothing, a former patient of St Philomena's arrives with a warning. This hospital may be haunted by something a thousand times more terrifying than ghosts... This hospital may still be haunted by pain.
REVIEW
Lilian is working on a new development, turning an old military hospital into a housing complex when things on site start to take an unsettling turn. Their surveyor working at the property is rushed to hospital in unbearable pain and yet every test they run on him comes back clear, followed by a string of other incidents leading to others being taken to hospital suffering equally baffling symptoms.
Lilian and her co-worker David begin to investigate, trying to find any kind of explanation for the screams that can be heard throughout the building, the doors mysteriously locking and the more serious incidents which keep happening. While they are doing this, they meet Moses, an ex-army physician who toured in Afghanistan, and for some reason seems to be a connection between the building and the people who have been taken ill. Despite being very rational people, the more they discover about the former hospital, the more they begin to believe that there are actual spirits trapped there destined to cause pain and suffering to anyone who tries to stop them.
When I was younger I used to read a lot of horror novels. Now I tend to stick more with crime/thrillers but every year at around this time I do love to choose a new horror to get into the Halloween spirit. What I love about Graham Masterton's books is that they have that classic horror element that I have always loved, but at the same time, there is always an unexpected addition to the stories that makes them totally unique. In the recent books I have read, that added extra has been the link to folklore. In The Soul Stealer this came from Native American Mythology, and in The House at Phantom Park it was an even more unusual exploration of Afghani folklore, in particular the 'Spirits of Pain'. This is something that I have never looked into before but will definitely be researching now. All of the aspects covered in the story were fascinating and blended perfectly with the narrative to create a really surprising (and shocking) outcome.
A perfect addition for other horror fans to add to their Halloween TBR's.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Graham Masterton is best known as a writer of horror and thrillers, but his career as an author spans many genres, including historical epics and sex-advice books. His first horror novel, The Manitou, became a bestseller and was made into a film starring Tony Curtis. In 2019, Graham was given a Lifetime Achievement Award by the Horror Writers Association. He is also the author of the Katie Maguire series of crime thrillers, which have sold more than 1.5 million copies worldwide. Website: grahammasterton.co.uk
Thanks to Andrew at Head of Zeus, Aries Fiction - @AriesFiction and Graham Masterton - @GrahamMasterton for the opportunity to read and review.
Amazon: https://amzn.to/3UGtSlv
Fiction: Horror / Ghost / Horror Thriller
Publisher: Head of Zeus - Aries Fiction
ISBN: 978-1801103985
Pages: 368pp
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