The General Theory Of Haunting

The Snow Trilogy #1

by Richard Easter

"The surprises and shivers come thick and fast… a real page-turner. I cannot recommend it highly enough." - Brian Allan, Editor, Phenomena Magazine.

NEW EDITION WITH EXTRA MATERIAL & TASTER OF “THE GENTLE ART OF FORGETTING”

Every haunting has a design…
Winter, 1809. Lord Francis Marryman’s wife Patience, dies.
In the madness of his grief, he builds her a memorial in the form of a remote country Hall.
But there is so much more to it. Francis, a brilliant mathematician, and scholar has put more into the walls than just bricks and mortar.
Autumn, 2019. Siblings Greg and Lucy Knights, owners of K&K Publishing Company, are looking for a venue to celebrate their company's 18th anniversary.
There is only one option that still has vacancies: Marryman Hall. Winter arrives and amid heavy snowfall, the guests drop out until just 6 reach their destination and soon find themselves snowed in.
As the guests’ private lives and demons are exposed in the claustrophobic atmosphere, the secrets of Marryman Hall and her history are also brought into the light.

In his grief, it’s possible that Lord Francis Marryman may have made a terrible mistake…

"The General Theory of Haunting" is the perfect ghost story to curl up with on the long winter nights - like Marryman Hall's guests, you won't spot the twists or know what's truly happening until it's way too late...
"This book is surprising, moving and terrifying." - Harry Hill.

Richard Easter has worked as a professional writer since 1987, writing for radio, TV, print, and music. Over the last 3 decades, he has written for many of Britain's best-known TV programmes and presenters.
The General Theory Of Haunting is one third of his first trio of books, "The Snow Trilogy."

"The Gentle Art Of Forgetting", the next in the trilogy, will soon be available for pre-order & released on December 22nd.

Genres: Horror, Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Fiction, Mystery, Science Fiction, British Literature

427 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 24, 2017

About the author

I was born in a blackout, in a blizzard, by candlelight.
This is true, although it sounds like I've made it up for purposes of authenticity.
My birth took place in my Mum and Dad's bedroom in Great Wakering, which is the last point of mainland Essex, around 40 miles from London, if that helps with locating it.
I mention so much detail about my birth because I have, of course, gone on to write a trilogy of books about snow. Admittedly, I did this over 4 decades since the event, but I blame delayed shock.
Fast forward through the usual primary school / secondary school/sixth form shennanigans (I never made it to University) and ended up by accident at BBC Radio One after dressing as a girl and infiltrating a Ladies' toilet in an Essex nightclub.
This sounds way more perverse than it should do - I was, in fact, writing an article on "What Women Talk About When Men Aren't Around". I didn't get killed, a Radio One DJ saw the article and I ended up working as the runner there at the age of 19. By accident, I started writing for one of their most popular shows, "Steve Wright In The Afternoon" and that led me on to professional writing full time. So to sum up - I love music and snow, and hence I write about both. Often at the same time.

Reviews

[Montzalee Wittmann · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great sci fi and fantasy ghost book

The General Theory of Haunting sucked me in and held me. It's not your every day haunting story. Take a love story, add some quantum physics, mysticism, great writing, well developed characters, and a twisting plot and you have a unique story. Enjoyed it tremendously.

[Marie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Marryman Hall which was built by Lord Francis Marryman in 1809 in memory of his wife, Patience is haunted.

K&K Publishing Company (Greg and Lucy Knights-owners) want to have a celebration and the only place that seems suitable is Marryman Hall. Not everyone from the publishing company is able to make it to the hall as a winter storm rages outside. Only six people from the company show up, so they decide to go ahead with their plans and decide to stay there. All of them eventually get snowed in and they are now stuck in the Hall with no where to go.

There is a caretaker (Mr. Boulder) that has worked for the Marryman family for years and he helps the publishing company get settled for their stay. As everyone starts to unwind from their trip to the hall and as they all get settled in their rooms, the house wakes up with the activity. The Knights along with their employees have second thoughts about staying at Marryman Hall as they endure slamming doors, whispers, footsteps, and cold drafts that start rolling through the house.

This was a good ghost story and it would even be perfect to curl up with it on a cold, winter day. There was one slight flaw that was irritating and that was every other chapter or so, the story would go back in time to Lord Marryman and then would come back to the present. It flip-flopped like that through the first part of the book, but after the halfway point the book stayed more in the present. Giving it four stars.

My thanks to NetGalley and BooksGoSocial for letting me read this book.

[Bookworm · Rating 2 out of 5]

The author has knack for writing gothic horror. I enjoyed the atmosphere and eerie descriptive prose. Where things fell flat for me was in the character development. I didn’t feel like I really knew any of the characters all that well except for their glaring flaws. As a result, I didn’t particularly like any of them or feel like I was emotionally attached to any of them. This ultimately made it challenging to stay invested in the story. I think with better character development from the onset, I would have enjoyed this book much more than I did.

Thank you to publisher and Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Dustin]

Wow. The only way you could beat this sale is if it was free. Currently at $.99, it might as well be.:))

https://www.amazon.com/General-Theory...

[Rissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

The general theroy of haunting ⭐️
After lord fancis’s wife died he became slightly obsessed with reuniting with his wife. He is a man of science but knows that he can bring her back somehow.

It was a good ghost story but also you know when you pick it up that it is going to be spooky (or at least hope so) so every page kept me guessing when will the action the mystery the haunting start.

Star reasoning
⭐️The writing drew me in right away. I loved his description of the characters

⭐️The characters were relatable and fun and i wanted them to survive and solve the mystery so to say.

⭐️The haunting was ultimately handled in the end which i didn’t expect. I thought there would be an ongoing mystery that would haunt those for years to come. But it didnt.

-2 I found that i liked the year 1810 perspective better then 2018. I liked all the characters just fine but I didnt connect with them. I wanted the spirit to win and overtake the people because a good ghost story for me is gruesome and has you terrified that ghost are real. I didnt get that from this. I did enjoy it but maybe i just wasnt in the ghostly mood.

Thank you so much to Endervour media via netgalley for sending me an ARC copy of The general theory of haunting by Richard Easter. This is already available to read at your pleasure. (December 24, 2017)
All opinions are my own.

[Kira FlowerChild · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a solid 3.5 stars. I debated bumping it up because it was really difficult to suspend disbelief when a character who lived in the late 1700s/early 1800s comes up with a version of quantum theory. I'm sorry, but no. He is a nobleman, educated, consults with other educated men (back then precious few women were educated, of course), but still, according to Google, the word "quanta," meaning "quanta of electricity," was first used in 1901. The phrase "quantum mechanics" was used in a paper by German scientists published in 1924. Apparently the word "quantum" in general was well known before 1900, in the sense of "quantity." It is quite a jump from "quantity" to "quantum mechanics." But the author has his main character come up with a simplified version of quantum mechanics in 1810!

He could just have easily set that portion of the novel in 1910, and it would have made his character a little advanced for the era but not much. It is quite possible that some version of quantum mechanics was being tossed around in the scientific community a few decades earlier than papers on the subject were published, because to publish papers you have to have at least reasonable proof of your theory.

But enough. In this story, Lord Francis Marryman falls in love with Patience. It is a romance for the ages but alas, their marriage lasts only eleven years before Patience dies of an unknown illness (as most illnesses were unknown at that time). With her dying breath, Patience says, "Find me." So Lord Marryman sets out to do just that.

Switch to present day, specifically late December, 2019. A group of fourteen - six couples and Lucy and Greg Knights, brother and sister - from the publishing house Knights & Knights (books on religion, spirituality, and science), have made reservations to stay at Marryman Hall for the New Year holiday. However, a raging blizzard has kept all but two couples and Lucy and Greg from reaching the rather remote area where Marryman Hall is located.

I do not believe in ghosts but what happens in this story has just enough science behind it that it makes me wonder. And that is why I bumped my rating up from 3.5 stars to 4. I won't say any more, no spoilers, just that a book has to be pretty good to keep my interest for 429 pages, and then get a 4-star rating.

TRIGGER WARNING: ONE OF THE CHARACTERS IN THIS BOOK IS SUICIDAL. IF YOU ARE DEPRESSED AND/OR HAVE SUICIDAL IDEATION, YOU MIGHT NOT WANT TO READ THIS BOOK.

[Peter · Rating 2 out of 5]

Disappointing.

The book lost me about a third of the way through by which time I had just grown bored with the characters who became increasingly leaden. The only character who retained my interest was Lucy who went through the book in a delightful state of inebriation, something that might have made me enjoy the book more.
Apart from that I think the story was a little chaotic and just didn't hold my attention enough. My preference is for a more Victorian approach to ghost stories and I feel that my observations have more to do with me rather than the book being a bad read, if it had have been I would not have finished it. I could not recommend it purely on the fact that I personally didn't enjoy the book, but I would also say that it was not a bad book, merely not to my taste.

[Jeanine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Definitely a five star book! Excellent.

[Melise · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was quite a surprise. The concept is very reminiscent of Shirley Jackson’s The Haunting of Hill House. A small company decides to hold a News Year Eve party/retreat in an old hall in the English countryside. A snow storm keeps the majority of guests unable to reach the building, while the few who do make it are trapped within its walls for a number of days.

They are served by a single man, Mr. Boulder, who prepares their meals, shows them to their rooms, and tells them some of the history of the building, which was built by an ancestor of the family who still owns it.

As they try to remain entertained while stuck within this house, the six coworkers began to explore and unusual, unexplainable events begin to occur. Just as in The Haunting of Hill House, I felt as if events that the characters believed had supernatural causes were just as likely resulting from psychological issues within each of the characters themselves. And, although I love Shirley Jackson’s book, and I was enjoying the atmospheric writing of this novel, I was feeling rather disappointed at times because of how derivative it felt.

However, the book takes a strong turn away from the expected course when one of the visitors discovers what appear to be explanations of quantum physics in the writings of the man who originally built the house. From there, the story veered off into a completely unexpected path, and one that was at once very interesting and truly creepy. From that point, I found the story fascinating and enjoyed the novel through to the end.

I received an advanced reading copy from Booksgosocial via NetGalley. Thanks!

[julianne · Rating 1 out of 5]

I'm always on the lookout for the next greatest ghost story... This wasn't it.

I'd lost interest completely half way through and only the thought that it could get better kept me going... It didn't

Only Lucy kept me going, her character provided some relief from the overwhelming tedium of the rest of the book.

Will I read again... Hell no!
Would I recommend... Nope unless a friend needs an insomnia cure.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.

[Valerie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love this book and didn't want it to end. I look forward to the next in the series.

Anytime a book has haunted I tend to be interested but haunting and a group of people snowed in is a win win for me.

[Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I thought this book was extremely clever. It had a time-slip element, which I found interesting, because I've been reading more books like that lately. It was intriguing to find the connections between the past and the present.

This book had some of the conventions of a classic story in the crime/mystery genre, but it was more of a horror story. There were some moments that I found quite chilling, and during those moments, I felt like I couldn't read fast enough!

I understand that this book is part of a trilogy, so I would be interested in reading the others.

Thank you to Booksirens and the author for a free copy to review.

[Sam Law · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read More Book Reviews on my blog It's Good To Read

Summary:
A ghost story, replete with an isolated Victorian mansion, built in 1810 by a grieving widower Lord Marryman, and whose mysterious purpose has not been unveiled until New Years eve, over two hundred years later.

Main Characters:
There are six visitors to the house on this ill-fated New Year’s eve, all employees or owners of K&K Publishing Company. Each have their own strengths, but most importantly their own weaknesses and secrets, which are laid bare in the house.

Mr Boulder: The suave, knowing, polished butler, who has served the Marryman family for over forty years, and seems to hide more than he shows.

Lord Marryman: Third Lord Marryman, he builds Marryman Hall seemingly as a country getaway, but it has a deeper purpose than what he is willing to publicly reveal.

Plot:
Deep in the Dorset countryside, in the teeth of a vicious snowstorm, six people are struggling to make their way to a New Year’s Eve party, being thrown over three days by K&K Publishing. It was a last-minute choice of venue, and most of the team has cried off for various reasons.

Two are the sibling owners, Greg and Lucy Knight (one deeply and smugly religious, the other an alcoholic), two are the married couple Dan and Anne Barker (who outwardly are united, but inwardly struggling to come to terms with the death of their disabled son Nat), and finally Ian and Paula Hatton, also married, but also with their own secrets to hide. Especially from each other.

Ian and Paula finally get to the door, and are bundled inside by the butler, Stanley Boulder. We immediately get a sense of the Hall watching, looming, waiting. Quite quickly, we find out just how isolated the Hall is – no internet other than dial-up (kudos to younger readers who know what that is!), no working phone, and roads sealed by the blizzard. There is an unease in the group, with no-one really wanting to be there, and Boulder sets the scene with benign explanations of the noises the Hall makes.

The story then cuts to 1809/1810, where the Third Lord Marryman is losing his wife Patience. His final promise is to find her, and he makes this the focus of the rest of his life. Immensely wealthy, he has access to the great and the good to the odd and downright mad, and consults them all. A sharp intellect fed by voracious reading in multiple disciplines, this leads him to design plans for a Hall in Dorset. He has the money to enable his project to be completed, and the social standing to be able to ignore the naysayers.

Back in the twenty-first century, the snow has entombed the guests, who begin to take a more active interest in the Hall, for want of other distractions. They get glimpses of the history from Boulder, but also begin to pick up the scent of a puzzle, that something is not quite right about the Hall.

They begin to hear voices, footsteps, phrases out of context, and what appear to be warnings, and unexplained shapes appear. Increasingly scared, the individual issues each of the group is personally facing come to a head, and they cannot hide from them anymore.

Coming across writings of Lord Marryman, the scientist amongst the group recognises formulae equivalent to quantum mechanics, written some two hundred years before they were officially proven. Quantum mechanics, from what I gathered, is the science of the extremely small, down at a level where “magic” happens.

From there, the tension builds, as the guests figure out the real purpose behind the Hall. Even the sceptics begin to wonder exactly what did happen two hundred years ago, and what might Marryman have unleashed? The fear and paranoia of each of the guests influences their actions and interactions, and leads to some decisions being taken that under ordinary circumstances would not even had been thought of.

All of this builds the tension, up to the surprising reveal.

What I Liked:
- How the characters began light and easy (e.g. Ian and Paula in the car), through to the fractured nature of the relationships at the end – very believable transition, and excellent interplay between all the characters.
- The characters themselves were excellent, each with deep flaws (e.g. Lucy the alcoholic, but we only find out at the end the reason for her self-loathing; Dan, who cannot articulate his sense of loss, and is unable to help his suffering wife).
- I liked the layman’s explanation of quantum mechanics!
- The interchange between past and present went very well, and I did like the ending of the 19th Century part of the story.

What I Didn’t Like:
- It was slow to take off, the author focusing on scene-setting and atmosphere-creation, but then picked up pace about half-way in.
- For me, the reveal was a little anti-climactic, with me looking for more horror and scare. However, it IS part of a trilogy, so other characters make step forward in the next book.

Overall:
It was a good read, and a relatively quick one. Once the story picks up, it moves at a rattling pace, and the tension builds nicely.

There are some excellent twists before the end, and the author takes an innovative angle on the purpose behind the Hall. If you like your gothic horror, this is a very good choice.

Acknowledgements:
Thank you to NetGalley, BooksGoSocial and the author for giving me a free pdf of the book, in return for an honest and objective review.

[Katie Followell · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very easy and unique read. Richard Easter's ghost story has a little bit of romance, a little horror, a little science-- which is very cool. It kind of gives me the vibes of Clue mixed with Haunting of Hill House. I enjoyed all of the characters, and thought their unique stories were very fascinating

I think my main problem with it was some of the character interactions at the end. Like would you guys REALLY be mad at Mr. Boulder for not telling you his life story? Y'all are just staying on the property.

Thank you Booksirens for a free copy of this book!

[Felicia Allen · Rating 5 out of 5]

this book was amazing and unique. I love the new take on haunting. the characters were believable and each had a great backstory. I loved how they interacted with each other. The other thing I really liked is the alternating POV. It gave the story more depth and dimension.

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

ARC from @BookSirens


This is the final book for me in The Snow Trilogy; however, the order doesn’t matter as it’s not a strict trilogy but rather three books with overlapping places, names, themes, and snow.

The set-up for this reminds me a little of The House on Haunted Hill. Here they are not strangers but co-workers having an NYE party in a secluded, possibly haunted, definitely eccentric, country house and getting snowed in.

This is perhaps my second favourite of the three (The Gentle Art of Forgetting was my favourite) but then, I might have enjoyed it more had I not felt pressured to finish it by the deadline. What I liked about all of these books was how unique, unexpected, and unpredictable they are; definitely not run-of-the-mill, trope-filled mysteries.

I think I said the same when I finished The Littel Tale of Wintering, but if you feel you keep reading the same story over and over, give these a go.

[Faye · Rating 4 out of 5]

Actually enjoyed reading this book. In my current climate of 3 digit degrees, the story transported me to a hauntingly cool place.

[Crittermom · Rating 4 out of 5]

The best ghost stories are not what you expect.  The General Theory of Haunting is so much more than your average tale of gothic mystery.   Yes, you get your isolated manor house, cut off from the outside world. You are told the inevitable - the house is not haunted - the strange sounds you hear are pipes and the house settling.

After Lord Francis Marryman’s wife died in 1809, he was beset with a desire - to construct a physical means of reuniting with his beloved wife.  The result of his work, this unusual house in the middle of nowhere where the staff of K&K Publishing is to stay for the New Year’s holiday.

The six who arrive are initially charmed, but become more disturbed as the long weekend progresses.  Cut off from the world, in the claustrophobic atmosphere of a house filled with echoing footsteps and whispers, the troop feel their secrets pressing in.  They have the opportunity to solve the puzzle of a lifetime, but doing so may lead to their ultimate destruction.

The General Theory of Haunting is an excellent book. I liked how the “Haunting” was ultimately handled.  I did have one bone to pick and it is a big one - the way tricyclic antidepressants were portrayed.  Not enough research was done.  Ultimately the details put out about tricyclics were complete nonsense.  Based on the descriptions in the text, it sounded like the author was confusing tricyclics with benzodiazepines.The main reason I’m harping on this is that some people may choose to take their medication differently based on false/outdated info in the book.

Without that big problem I would give the novel a 5, but I think my concern is serious enough to downgrade The General Theory of Haunting to a 4.

4 / 5

I received a copy of The General Theory of Haunting from the publisher and Netgalley.com in exchange for an honest review.

— Crittermom

[Elaine · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed The General Theory of Haunting, although I did find it a very slow moving read, especially the first 40%. I particularly liked the descriptions of the snow scenes and the personalities of the characters really came through. It is a creepy, and in parts, a scary read and the writing flows really well. Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and Mr Easter for an e-arc of this book in exchange for an honest opinion

[John Morris · Rating 5 out of 5]

A superior "ghost" story.

This was a supernatural tale for the "thinking" reader. I may have read a better haunted house book in the past but, if so, I cannot remember where and when. This was an exceptional tale, with a blend of quantum mechanics, time shifts and pure gothic horror. Brilliant!!!

[Patty · Rating 4 out of 5]

A haunted house novel that reads more than little like an off-brand 'The Haunting of Hill House'. Here too we have a house with inexplicable powers and a set of people with just the right skills necessary to solve the mystery. In this case it's Marryman Hall, a large Regency-era house isolated deep in the English countryside. When a publishing company needs to rent a location for their New Year's Eve 2018 party, Marryman Hall just happens to be conveniently available. Unfortunately a snowstorm closes the roads, and only six employees actually make it to the party. There they find themselves alone with the hall's butler and completely cut off from civilization: no cellular service, no internet, not even a TV. What to do but explore the odd noises coming from the house, which begin to escalate into words, footsteps, and visions? Particularly once they learn Marryman Hall was specially constructed to summon Patience, a previous Lord Marryman's wife, back from the dead. Luckily this publishing company specializes in Christian literature, New Age spiritualism, and physics (no, such a weird combination is given no real explanation), so they basically have every angle on the supernatural covered. Each person also has some dark secret – barely functional alcoholism, grief for a dead child, a secret marital affair, etc – all of which of course come into play as the story progresses.

It's a fine book (I mean, it's not as good as Shirley Jackson, but that would be an unfairly high bar to apply to all new horror novels) if not particularly memorable, but then Easter has to ruin it by trying to provide an logical explanation. Which he does through an, um, extremely unique understanding of quantum mechanics:

Could it be, Bishop, that Angels are quanta?

I have combined magic with science, and I have done it here at Marryman Hall. I have done it to find my beloved Patience because I believe part of her can be found, in the quantum.

DEAD PEOPLE ARE IN THE QUANTUM, YOU GUYS. The word "quanta" is used so often in The General Theory of Haunting that it ceased to have any meaning. Particularly because it's often used as though quantum were a place, which is not remotely how science works. Why do authors feel the need to pretend that their supernatural stories are plausible? Just tell me it's a magic house that summons magic ghosts and I will be very happy! Instead I can't help laughing at this extremely silly and inaccurate evocation of physics.

Anyway. If you have a higher tolerance than I do for Hollywood Science, you might enjoy The General Theory of Haunting. There are a few genuinely scary scenes, and I did like the eventual resolution of the mystery; it left more than a few plot holes gaping open, but it was a take on the haunted house genre that I've never seen before. For my part though, I'm forever going to giggle at "angels are quanta".
I read this as an ARC via NetGalley.

[Dr. Fiona M. Clements-Russell · Rating 3 out of 5]

I quite enjoyed this dark and sometimes compelling story, though it would not be one I will probably read again. Initially, I found the general setting a great idea for a classic horror tale - a group of (some very, some less so) damaged people, snowed in, into a typically creepy British manor house. However, to be brutally honest, (and this may well be simply down to the fact that I grew up with a alcoholic parent, but not absolutely because of this...) I found the lead female character became very annoying, as her alcohol-fuelled ramblings and antics became more and more predictable, and less than necessary to the actual story, to be so drawn out.

The story was just interesting enough, with a fairly predictable, (well, I guessed it long before the denouement) twist at the end, and, yes, some of the creepy parts were just creepy enough to get me through the otherwise sometimes annoyingly predictable behaviours of the characters. I just wish the 'Cast' in this little drama had been more fully formed - I never really felt I got to know them, other than fairly superficially as the plot dictated for them to develop.

Sorry, but I won't rush to read another book by Richard Easter, if this is a typical offering. But please don't let me put you off, if you like a typically Agatha Christie type of suffocating, 'there's no escape from here', kind of creepy story, you may well enjoy 'The General Theory of Haunting' more than I did. Everything is subjective, after all, and perhaps my own weariness with some of the characters was sadly down to personal experience of the erratic behaviour of an alcoholic. However, I doubt that accounts for the general feeling of being glad I'd got through it, and could move on...

[Ben · Rating 4 out of 5]

Richard Easters': “The General Theory of Haunting” is a treat from beginning to end. The dialogue is tight, the characterisation is clear and the tonal shifts are brilliant. From the opening line of the novel, you will be gripped. Starting off with lighter dialogue the tone does not suffer. There is a genuine feel of the safety the characters feel within each other and the small conflicts and mistrusts that can’t be hidden, with the setting of the locked in security of a car counterpointing the dangers of outside.
The novel never strays too far into attempting comedy or attempting fear, instead it clearly treads both lines creating something that will grip you, then slowly release you, before quickly reminding you of the peril that is in the world Easters has created. The chemistry between the characters is commendable. It’s never too silly. From the start it is clear that their bantering is borne of coping mechanism, making the harrowing reality even more present when it rears its head.
Not only this, but the novel strays into letters at times which creates another interest element. The world is clearly realised and the lore is deep and intriguing, forcing a need to read on.
However, this book can feel like a slow burn at times. Some of the passages feel slightly laboured. While this does add to the slow building of the world and the reality that the characters are inhabiting, it does sometimes slightly distract from the plot.
This book is overall brilliant and fun. It delves into it’s characters and explores and develops them greatly, showing their reactions to the strangeness in the world and how this affects them with ease. Some of the writing could be tighter, but as it does benefit the plot this is an issue that is easy to get past.

[Emma Ennis · Rating 2 out of 5]

From the same company as Meddling Kids, and I checked this out because I was curious to see if the book was self-published. Why? Because of the shocking errors. Scattered punctuation, doubled punctuation, missing punctuation, punctuation in the middle of words, misspellings. There are also numerous plot errors, and none of the errors are so intricate or technical that they need much more than an extra beta read to unearth.
The story itself is engaging enough until the latter third, where I felt it was becoming overly drawn out. It is frustrating waiting for the (frankly asinine) characters to catch on to what the reader has basically known since page 10 or thereabouts. (Chapter 4, I believe). Great lengths of dialogue are used to explain to (asinine) characters what's going on, when great lengths of narrative have already been used to explain that to the reader. I believe the 'Letter to Nobody' in chapter four is repeated twice more in the latter part of the book, once as the characters read it, and then again in narrative as one character pieces it all together. There are many instances of this throughout; as each character comes to his/her understanding, the reader must undergo a 'shocking reveal' of what has been revealed to them at least once previously.
A decent edit could really have tightened this book up. As it stands, it is an aggravating read towards the end that led to me skimming past much of the repetition. The end chapter does go some way towards redeeming the story, however.

[Trisket · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story has an intriguing premise, but that alone is not enough to carry it through numerous shortcomings. My biggest disappointment can't be revealed because it's a spoiler 9even though it's obvious), but here are several other reasons why I found it less than stellar:

The mind-hopping was truly irritating. Omniscient POV is fine, but not when the reader is forced to jump from one character's mind to another within the same paragraph.

It seems as though the author was trying to achieve a Gothic sense of slowly built tension, and in some places that's exactly what happens. In others, though, I didn't find the backstory tidbits unnerving, just tedious. A slow pace on its own is not enough to create a sinister atmosphere.

I didn't like most of the characters. The butler was a caricature, and the others were unlikable, boring, or both. Lord Marryman was so endlessly far ahead of his time as to seem like a Mary Sue. The only one I cared about was Anne, and she was not enough to carry the story on her own.

The grammatical errors really bothered me. But that's just me; they might not bother other readers.

The story does have its good points. I appreciated the research; both on Lord Marryman's part within the story, and on the author's part in building the story. Such things intrigue me, and they were integral to the plot, so credit where credit's due.

All in all, I will not be reading the rest of the trilogy.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Jen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks to NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

The General Theory of Haunting is supernatural story with a Gothic twist told concurrently in dual time periods. In present day (2018) Lucy and Greg Knights, current owners of a Christian publishing company, booking Marryman Hall for a New Year's Eve celebration with their employees. A massive snowstorm strands the handful of guest fortunate (?) to have reached the Hall, wherein odd things happen leading to startling revelations and harsh truths. There are occasional flashbacks to the early 1800's with Lord Frances Marryman mourning the loss of his wife Patience and building Marryman Hall, a uniquely designed estate as a way keep her memory alive.

I enjoyed the overall pacing and the melding of science and spiritualism into the story, as the guests in the present day deal with the isolation of being stuck in a "haunted" estate, and the groundwork in the flashback scenes that trigger the events in the future. Time is definitely wibbly-wobbly in many ways which I should have anticipated but didn't, and the conclusion fit in the way most ghost/horror stories end.

As this is to be the first in a trilogy of stories (though given the flexible use of time in this story, that might be debatable), I'm curious to read more about these characters and the scientific theorems presented (in an understandable, not-too-technical way).

[Lennox Rex · Rating 4 out of 5]

Let's get those content warnings right out of the way, shall we? Please be aware that suicide is something you'll come across here.

Now, then. Onto my thoughts!

The General Theory of Haunting is one of the more inventive ghost stories I've read, without a doubt. By using, of all things, Quantum Physics to reframe the idea of the Afterlife, Ghosts, and Hauntings, Easter puts a rather fresh spin on the bereaved person messes with forces beyond their understanding and their control trope.

He also easily maintains a sense of mystery that keeps you turning the page, because you want to know what on Earth is going on just as badly as our cast of characters. There are plenty of wonderfully unnerving "oh shit" moments throughout the story that are so easy to insert yourself into, thanks to the skilled writing.

For me personally, there got to be just a bit too much science at times, but that's where the characters themselves come in to hold your interest. If the sci-fi vibes don't grab you, then the scrutinizing looks into the psyches of Marryman Hall's unwitting guests surely will. If you, like me, enjoy character studies, then you'll be pleased to know that there's lots to uncover here.

If you want a ghost story that's going to give you those delicious chills up your spine, but also play with your mind a bit and leave you musing, then look no further.

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Lorna · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting read. Part 'ghost' story part mystery I suppose though difficult to define.

When K&K publishing are celebrating a landmark anniversary, they struggle to find somewhere big enough to accommodate them for the whole weekend. Then organiser Greg gets an email advertising Marryman Hall, a grand house in the middle of the Dorset countryside that happens to be available for hire on the dates he needs it.
The house is constantly talking. Wind blowing through the walls in a medieval equivalent of air conditioning. All the people present have come through a sense of obligation to their employers and once there, they are stuck in several inches of snow.
The house's echoes, whines and creaks start to get to the inhabitants, and as they go on journeys of self discovery they take us with them.
I liked the character development, but when it came to the explanations of quantum physics I kind of switched off, but I got the concept. Whether any of this would be based on fact is highly unlikely but nonetheless interesting. I liked seeing the individual struggles of the characters and how they oped in a very closed off environment and I wouldn't mind reading the other books in this series just to read more about them. 3.5 stars

[Sarah Z · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received an ARC from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was a very creepy read. I may have slept with the light on for a night or 2 because of it. It starts out as your typical haunted house story, a giant estate in the middle of nowhere, in the middle of a snow storm, but it quickly morphs into something else entirely. Each character has their own back story, some scandalous, some tragic, and some more developed than others . The events take place over the Christmas holidays, to celebrate the new year and the company's 18th anniversary. Things get weirder and weirder as the clock ticks down to New Years and I'd advise to start paying attention to the little details.
One thing I did notice, and it may have already been sorted out in a different copy, but on the entries marked Dec 31, the times that are supposed to be in the AM are actually marked as PM in error....unless I missed something.
I really enjoyed it and I would recommend it to those who like a bit of a scare. I would definitely love to read this author again

[Keeley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this one for review from NetGalley.

I really enjoyed this one. The General Theory of Haunting is a new take on a traditional haunted house story. Partially set in the 1800s and in 2018, you follow a group of main characters as they navigate Marryman Hall in December 2018. While on a company retreat a group of fellow employees begin to realize there may be more to the Hall than they originally thought. The butler, Mr. Boulder, insists that the Hall is not haunted (because of course not), and is quick to explain away any suspicious noises they may hear in the night.

The setting bounces between present day (December 2018) and December 1810 as the Hall was first being built.

Definitely not the scariest or creepiest ghost story I've ever read, but it had enough of a spooky atmosphere to it that I found myself wanting to know what would happen next and I was pleasantly surprised.