One house on Fisher Street is different to all the others. Protected by a state-of-the-art security system, this particular house is clearly owned by someone who has a lot of money. Somebody definitely lives there, yet he never leaves the property. He lives all alone, adhering to a strict routine, seemingly oblivious to the rest of the world.
Paula has already told her boyfriend Ryan that they're leaving town, and that they have to put their criminal activities in the past. When they're offered the chance to help break into the house on Fisher Street, however, they find themselves tempted by the prospect of one final payday. If the rumors about the house are true, they could make enough money to start their new lives with a bang. And the plan is so good, so airtight, that nobody has to get hurt.
By the time they realize their mistake, Paula, Ryan and Davey are in a trap from which no-one has ever escaped before.
Edward Van Dorsey is far from defenseless. Obsessed with his family's military history, Edward needs fresh victims for his hideous games. All he wants is to show the world that the Van Dorsey family can rise again and reclaim its position as one of the most powerful forces in the world. And while he waits for an opportunity to really show his strength, he's more than happy to hone his skills by taking out three helpless intruders.
The House on Fisher Street is a horror novel about a girl who wants a fresh start, a man who wants to bring back the glory days, and a house that hides all manner of dark secrets.
Amy Cross writes novels and short stories in a number of genres, mainly horror, paranormal and fantasy. Books include The Farm, Annie's Room, The Island, Eli's Town and Asylum.
One of the better Amy Cross offerings! What started out as a simple home invasion turned into the thieves fighting for their lives against an unknown adversary. Was the homeowner a vampire? Just some creepy, rich old dude? Something else? Must be some good damn reason that the house is behind a twenty foot wall and packed to the brim with security measures. But what the leads, Davey, Paula, and Ryan, didn't realize was that all the precautions were put in place, not to stop someone from getting inside this giant property. They were meant to keep the resident from getting out. I loved how the antagonist, Edward, was a completely new and terrifying sort of creation. Not just a monster or a beast, but something incredibly unique with an incredible lore. Amy Cross did a terrific job creating a tense atmosphere and keeping the reader unsure of what was going to happen. Nothing was quite what it seemed and it all worked really well. The only critique I had was that towards the latter portion of the story, some of the emotional components of the characters, namely Paula, left a lot to be desired. And the ending was very ok, but not my favorite conclusion. Still a very strong showing from Amy Cross that is worth the gander of any horror fan.
Well this book went left, then right, and then did an 180 😂 All the poor girl wanted was to go legit, get married, and have a couple of kids. Now she is some crazy guys experiment into madness thanks to a ring. Fast pace read with an unexpected ending.
Title: The House on Fisher Street Author: Amy Cross Genre: Horror, Home Invasion Publication Year: 2021
Review: One of Amy Cross's greatest skills is her ability to take a rather common horror trope and with a little bit of creative finagling transform an otherwise old, overused idea, and put her own unique spin on it. Home invasion narratives are wonderfully scary horror fare. However, let me add that I live alone on a mountain less than a mile from a mental health care facility that occasionally makes overt its presence in my life by helicopters and spotlights. Home invasion is a constant fear.
Paula and Ryan are talking about making a change. They want to leave town because things are getting too hot for them. Their criminal acts are being investigated and there appears to be a bigger police presence in the neighborhood. Paula wants to leave immediately, but Ryan wants one more score. When they see the house that their partner has targeted, they figure that this last one will be a cakewalk.
Little do they know that the house belongs to Edward Van Dorsey, member of a family with a history of military service. Edward has made the house into a trap. He wants to re-establish his family's name in the pantheon of the cruel and the godless. Soon, Edward pits his military knowledge versus the home invaders, but he holds a wild card up his sleeve fully expecting that the invaders will never escape. . . alive.
I have to admit that I am in awe of Amy Cross’ ability to be so prolific that she practically writes a book a month. So, when she takes a familiar trope and gives it a fresh little spin, I am on board 100 percent. We, horror fans, have seen many stories that follow established tropes only to deviate somewhere along the line and end in a fresh way. The House on Fisher Street is one such novel. This is a home invasion narrative where the protagonists are the home invaders. The story begins very much like “Don’t Breathe,” (thieves enter a house, only to find themselves unable to leave: I mean, have you seen Home Alone?) but the characters have different motivations, especially the villain (the invaded). As most of Cross’ stories, this one moves very quickly with moments of heart-pounding suspense, buckets of gore, and sheer horror. Me likey very much. Not for the feint of heart.
Three friends (Davey, Ryan, and Paula) want one last thieving job and they think once they score a big haul they won't be stealing anything else. They decide to break into a house that is on Fisher street, but it is almost set up like a prison as it seems to be impenetrable. They do find a way in to the house, but once inside they realize that not all is what it seems and when they meet the owner, he has plans for them and there is no escape.
Thoughts:
The story was intriguing and had some tension when the characters broke into the house. The story moves at a fast pace as I found myself reading almost half the book in one day. I felt that the two guy characters (Davey and Ryan) were just kind of wimpy and the girl character (Paula) was the level headed one. All in all it was a good book. Giving this one four "tension" stars!
I can't say this is my most favorite Cross book, but not the worst either. The reviews that say this is like a movie are wrong. Sure, lots of movies are about burglars who break into the wrong house. But I've never seen a movie with this overall plot. There are a couple of interesting topics this book made me think about. Firstly, wealthy people are eccentric. Also, the human mind can be something totally bizarre. The beginning of the book ( setting up the burglary) was kinda boring. Then the actual breaking left me scratching my head at how easy it was . Luckily, all of that gets explained away as you read on
Ok, so I completely get the reviews comparing this story to a popular movie, and it is a very similar plot. But this one had a much different explanation for why things go the way they do, and comments on the different types of crime for those with and without wealth. And I have to say there was some pretty gruesome stuff here, though it isn’t described too horribly. The thing that made it 4 stars for me was that when I finished, and I read it quickly, I couldn’t get the ending out of my head. It had a wonderful twist that left me picturing things I didn’t want to see. And honestly, isn’t that a mark of true horror?
Before reading this I'd heard that it had a very similar outline to a popular movie and I fully agree. There is nothing original about some thieves wanting to steal from the 'guy that never leaves his house', but that's fine, very little is original anymore. This meant, though, that before I even got a few pages in, it was obvious how the story was going to pan out and was more just a question of who was going to survive rather than what might happen. The ending was different and not quite what I was expecting, but that was it. However... This is the first of Amy's books I had read, and while currently reading another of hers I downloaded for free, I have discovered that Amy seems to have fallen in love with the word 'realize'. Every other sentence is 'realize this' and 'realized that' which made it quite monotonous and boring. Not to mention 'began to do this' and 'began to do that'. Perhaps in her newest book she could learn to use a few different words for a change...
Aku random aja pilih baca ini pas lagi ada free langganan Kindle Unlimited. Lihat dari cover nya sih akan jadi fun read buatku yang memang suka cerita horror. Awal aku baca buku ini, premisnya mirip sama film Don't Breathe. 3 orang pencuri (2 laki-laki dan 1 perempuan) membobol rumah seseorang yang punya sejarah militer dan berakhir tragis. Soal disiksa/diburunya sih sama, tapi si orang punya rumah di buku nggak buta. Semua inderanya lengkap dan sempurna, malah lebih serem lagi ya.. Karena kemiripan itulah, di awal aku agak skimming bacanya. Bosan. Hingga tiba saat perburuan dimulai.
Perjalanan membaca buku ini bisa dibilang agak sulit buatku karena karakter pencuri perempuan di sini sangat menyebalkan. Dia itu kan diceritakan ingin bertaubat dan pencurian ini adalah yang terakhir. Jadi di sini dia tuh bersikeras jadi orang baik. Banyak sekali pendapatnya yang, jika dinilai di situasi dia yang mempertaruhkan nyawa itu serasa nggak penting, sebenarnya wajar dilakukan tapi karena nilai-nilai yang menurutnya nggak etis malah jadinya nggak dilakukan. Penting banget ya dinilai orang baik saat seperti itu. Nyawa loh taruhannya. Bad choices indeed.
Habis struggle sama karakter ceweknya, dihadapkan lah dengan psikopat ini. Dia itu latar belakangnya dari keluarga militer dan bangsawan. Jadi keluarganya itu punya sejarah yang panjaaang dan juga berkontribusi besar. Sayangnya, haus darah. Psikopat ini bernama Edward, dia itu seakan nggak bisa lepas dari jaman keemasan keluarganya gitu. Saat nyiksa pun dia masih menjunjung tinggi nilai-nilai dan etika gitu. Karena korbannya pencuri (bad guy) jadi dia merasa nggak salah gitu kalau mereka disiksa. Selama ini pun korbannya lebih ke PSK, tunawisma dan pencuri/perampok gitu.
Saat mau menjelang akhir cerita aku gak sedikit kecewa karena seperti dipaksakan harus happy ending gitu. Itu di 20 halaman akhir. Tapi... twist nya di akhir mantap sekali. Aku sampei tepuk tangan senang. (aku : Nah.. gitu dong!)
Kesimpulannya aku lumayan suka dengan ceritanya. Walaupun mirip-mirip sama Don't Breathe tapi kalau dibandingkan, masih sadis film Don't Breathe. Suasana tambah tegang ketika perburuan dimulai dan si Psikopat mulai menjejerkan alat-alat penyiksaannya. Tapi sayangnya untuk scene penyiksaan itu nggak banyak, jadi nggak terlalu berdarah-darah menurutku. Nggak gore kok. Nggak sesuai dengan covernya. Akhir cerita yang nggak mengecewakan. Aku puas. Direkomendasikan kalo kamu suka cerita horror atau pembunuhan mungkin.
This was thoroughly enjoyable from the get go. Amy Cross has a way of drawing you into the story, grabbing your attention, losing all remnants of time, right til the very end of the book. it isn't one of my normal extreme horror that I read but Amy has such a good way of drawing you in that it doesn't need to be extreme. The concept of this read was different and I enjoyed getting to know each character. Loved the strength and determination of Paula. A strong character from the start. Edward an elder gentleman whom is in the wrong era and relies on his families history a little too much, dreaming on his ancestors ways and their beliefs, with a cruel streak. An exciting novel that has you sucked into Edwards house and world. Definitely recommend.
How does Amy Cross come up with these stories? I nearly always enjoy her supernatural tales but, this gory offering left a lot to be desired. A very unusual plot with a demented, but hugely wealthy family, one highly psychotic son and one amoral daughter. Add three young thieves to the mix and you have an interesting horror story but, unfortunately, one that lacks credibility.
I love your writing skills Amy Cross! Your imagination runs rampid! I think it must be crazy to live in your head, everything you see, a sunset an old house ,a tabloid. It is all a fantastic story with gory, frightening, and very real characters Thanks for scaring the be crap out of me with this one. I love it! Best book ever!
Quick & quite thrilling. It started off slow for me as I found the 3 intruders flat, but once we start to see what's going on inside the depths of the house & its owner, the book is riveting.
3.5 stars rounded up for Goodreads. There are a bunch of typos that bothered me. I'll be happy to proof read future books lol
“You have no backbone,” Edward said finally, half turning to her. “Then again, I shouldn't be surprised. After all, you're nothing but a common thief. You broke into my home, remember? You're lucky I didn't shoot all three of you on sight. You, your boyfriend, and your associate... common criminals, no more and no less. Once a thief, always a thief.”
A pretty quick read that builds quick to the main plot. 3 thieves think they have the job to end all jobs. Nothing is what it seems when they realise this loner that never leaves his house, can't physically leave his house and now neither can they. Fast paced and interesting.
Three younger kids decide to break into a big mansion surrounded by 12 foot high concrete fencing. One inside the realize it isn’t set up to keep people in but to keep them inside.
A house where a man loves on his own. He is into the military and tortures his victims in the cellar. three young people break in, two get killed by the owner, it's hard to get out house. . Paula tries to escape but gets thrown out of the helicopter breaking her legs.
Now that was good! I really enjoyed this book. I thought the plot was really well thought though. The characters were very different from what I would have expected. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good read.
This was a bit predictable with a pair of gullible young thieves and a sadistic prisoner in the house they try to rob, bit dismal really when you think about it. It's quite a short story and not really my thing.
This book was an interesting read. Three thieves enter a house seemingly easy to rob, but how many will come out? There were a few spelling mistakes but over all not a bad book.
A couple breaks into house protected by a walled yard, intending to rob the man who lives there. Too late, they realize the wall is not there to keep them from breaking in, but to keep the man from breaking out.
A relatively short story, however, a good horror. I was a little annoyed with a couple of misspelled words, but I will recommend this book to anyone who enjoys middle horror.
This book is a creepy story where human beings can be just plain crazy. The family dynamics are weird. The thief's group dynamics are typical. Just when you think it's over.... it's not! I recommend to everyone.
This story was so creepy. The main character was a real Looney toon. It was amazing how his sister made sure he would never be able to get back into society. Loved the twist at the end.