Haunted: Perron Manor: 1

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So, keep that in mind, if you’re thinking of diving into Lee Mountford’s newest, ‘Haunted: Perron Manor.’ Why drop a star - the ending, but not the denouement - the denouement left me with more chills... however the ending left me cold - in the worst possible way I stopped caring about the characters because they started making completely bone-headed out-of-character decisions, and then there is Sarah, heavily foreshadowed as falling under the malign influence of the house, just isn't during the ending when I expected that foreshadowing to be revealed, and for no special reason I could see... geez this was anti-climatic. I will admit, I felt the "connection" between the characters was forced somehow, and many of their conversations/actions just didn't feel . . . authentic. . . to me. Sisters Chloe and Sarah are left Perron Manor in an inheritance after their Uncle passes away. Chloe with her husband, Andrew and their baby Emma along with Sarah all decide to live together in the manor as they figure it would be a great opportunity for all of them, so they move in. Chloe though has been in the house when she was little with her parents, but bad things happened in the house at that time and she doesn't remember everything that took place. Inside: Perron Manor is the prequel novella to Lee Mountford’s six-book Haunted series. I’m not normally a fan of the classic horror ghost-story, unless I’m reading the Gothic masters, but Lee Mountford’s novella blew me away.

Having no recollection of anything during that time, Chloe doesn't hesitate to urge her husband to move there, along with their young child, and co-heir sister.I will probably be reading the next book as well. Not sure when. I did try the second book but it couldn’t grab me, but then again, that may have to do with me having another book on my mind (Don’t Tell a Soul). Guess after I finish that one I will try again. In many ways this is an excellent book. The characters of Chloe & Sarah, and the house itself are developed well over the course of the story, and for the majority of the story, the pacing is exactly on point for this story's subject matter. I listened to the audio book version of this story. Narrated by Hannibal Hills, the audio is just over 8 hours long. Hills does a great job of voice acting. I enjoyed his reading of the prequel, Inside: Perron Manor, and his performance was just as scary this time! As for the story, I enjoyed it from start to finish. The characters were a bit annoying at times and their decisions were total crap....but I don't think I would make great choices in a similar situation either! I found it interesting that only Chloe truly saw the horrors of the house (oh and Oliver, RIP that dude (he didn’t die, but dang, that was scary)). Sarah had some things happening to her (including naked sleepwalking to that one room..) and she did get some glimpses, but nothing the sort that Chloe experienced. I mean, it is normally already tough for the one who sees, but generally they only have to deal with just one person close to them not believing…not two. Supernatural Scandal! Famed Investigator Ignored! "Well, I tried to warn them. I really did! But did they listen? No, (shrugs) what can you do with the modern sceptic?" - D. Ritter - The Paranormal Investigators Chanticleer.

When we begin, Chloe and her younger sister Sarah, have inherited the Manor from their reclusive Uncle Vincent. The last tragedy recorded there was when Chloe was only six years old, and was staying there as her parents helped her Uncle and his partner, Marcus. What I didn’t like: I think the toughest thing going in for me personally, was that this is part of a series. Knowing that I didn’t expect to get all the answers, but I found I didn’t get ANY answers. We got hints and bits of what had happened and maybe why the things were occurring, but I think, personally, too much was left unanswered as a draw for readers to dive into book two. As an example (spoiler-free) a discovery is made. A book. Not once do we hear about any attempt at research being done on the book. We do get an antiquities dealer, who may or may not return to the fold in the future, but otherwise nothing. This book is a prelude to a book series that the author has coming out soon as this book sets up the rest of the series. I will be looking forward to reading the other books in this series to continue on with the hauntings of Perron Manor and what is in store for its next victims. Giving this book five Which for this reader was a crying shame, as the story promised a lot more for at least 89% of the book (and from 96% onwards...)Nechci tím říct, že bych měla tendence klepat se při čtení takových knih hrůzou, to skutečně ne. A když se nad tím zamyslím, dokonce bych řekla, že knihy, které na k tomu přivedly, bych za celý dosavadní život, dokázala dokonce spočítat na prstech jedné ruky. Mnohem důležitější však pro mě je, moct si hlavně vychutnat, onu tíživě hutnou atmosféru a napětí, které taková kniha s sebou přináší. V tomto směru je, Sídlo hrůzy, jednou z těch hodně dobrých ukázek, jak má takové dílo, vlastně vypadat. Little do they know that the manor is known to be haunted as none of them believe in such things as ghosts and hauntings. Paranormal investigator, David Ritter shows up on their doorstep letting them know the manor is haunted and that he would like to know if they would let him do an investigation. They do not let him in the manor and they tell him to leave as they do not believe in those kind of things. One of the most common plot points or tropes for haunted house stories, especially those involving sprawling mansions, is the one where a family inherits it from a relative who has passed away. Typically the relative is one who has been a recluse or distanced themselves from the rest of the family over the years, so that not much, if anything, is known about them. Chloe and Sarah go through a great transformative arc, both individually, as well as siblings and the added dependent (Emma), makes for some fantastically tense moments. Inside: Perron Manor is a prequel to Lee Mountford's book Haunted: Perron Manor. I absolutely love, love, love haunted house stories. I came across the Haunted series online and jumped right in. Glad I did!

However, while I had a difficult time with these characters and their motivations, the atmosphere and history of the Manor captured my undivided attention. The scenes that dealt with the house itself and its sordid history were mesmerizing, to say the least, and some of the minor characters brought more interest and mystery to it.I’ve read a lot of Splatterpunk and Extreme Horror in my time. I’m certainly not against the spilling of guts. But I admire an author who can turn the camera away and give me a different kind of fear even more than one who can twist my insides in disgust. Lee Mountford has taken to heart the age-old lesson that what you don’t see is far scarier than what you do. He never oversteps the mark, which many horror authors do, where the plot then descends into parody, and even at the tense conclusion of the novella what is waiting for Ritter never quite steps into the light… Coupled with this intuitive sense of when not to show us something, or when to let the silence speak, is a concise descriptive power. Many of the “scares” in this book are classic horror fare: faces in windows, shadows at the end of the bed, and yet Mountford will often offer up just one subtle little detail that sets his image apart from the generic. For example, By the end of the novel, the characters were starting to grow on me, and some scenes with them were more "believable" than they were in the first three-quarters or so. Do the sisters and Andrew make it out of the house? Why is the manor haunted? What is haunting the manor? What happens to this family when the haunting escalates? No spoilers here as you will just have to read the book!