Haunting

by Joan Lowery Nixon

Fifteen-year-old Lia comes from a long line of courageous women, dating back to a Civil War survivor who single-handedly saved her Louisiana plantation house, Graymoss, from destruction. But Graymoss is haunted bya terrible evil. With clues from a diary and "Favorite Tales of Edgar Allan Poe, " Lia, who doesn't feel as if she's inherited any family genes of courage, must figure out what--orwho--the evil wants. When Lia's parents decide to move into Graymoss, Lia isn't sure how to convince them to change their minds. But it's up to her to chase away the horror lurking inside the old house. Can she find thecourage to deal with a noisy ghost who wants vengeance? "From the Hardcover edition."

Genres: Mystery, Young Adult, Horror, Fiction, Paranormal, Teen, Ghosts

192 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1998

About the author

Author of more than one hundred books, Joan Lowery Nixon is the only writer to have won four Edgar Allan Poe Awards for Juvenile Mysteries (and been nominated several other times) from the Mystery Writers of America. Creating contemporary teenage characters who have both a personal problem and a mystery to solve, Nixon captured the attention of legions of teenage readers since the publication of her first YA novel more than twenty years ago. In addition to mystery/suspense novels, she wrote nonfiction and fiction for children and middle graders, as well as several short stories. Nixon was the first person to write novels for teens about the orphan trains of the nineteenth century. She followed those with historical novels about Ellis Island and, more recently for younger readers, Colonial Williamsburg. Joan Lowery Nixon died on June 28, 2003—a great loss for all of us.

Reviews

[Yodamom · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not horrible, written for YA ? The MC was 15. I figured the mystery out after the first 30 pages, the parents were unreal. The side characters dropped in from nowhere and dropped out almost the same way. There were a lot of things brought up that were never ironed out. It took me 5 days to finish a 180 page book ! Hey, it was free, and I was looking for something I knew nothing about, and I got it. Meh

[Eden Silverfox · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lia's great-grandmother has recently died, but before she died she told Lia about Graymoss. Graymoss is to go to Lia's mother, but Lia's great-grandmother warns to never go to Graymoss because of the terrible evil that haunts the seemingly peaceful plantation.
Lia's parents do not believe in ghosts and so they don't believe in the stories of the hauntings of Graymoss. Even after reading the diary of an ancestor who once lived in the house and experienced it's evils they still don't believe. Her parents still wants to move into the house and adopt children that people don't want because they are too old.

Lia does believe the stories. And although she doesn't really want to move to Graymoss, but is going to be made to anyway she decides it has to be her to finally stop the evil that has been haunting the house for so long.

This book was very, very good. I finished it in about a day and it was one of those books that I just couldn't put down. Even though Lia might seem a bit selfish at first, I did like her. She turned out to be a lot braver than the rest of the women in her family.
It was intense and the descriptions of the hauntings were creepy. It was a wonderful mystery, I really enjoyed it.

[Danielle Bucholtz · Rating 3 out of 5]

"The Haunting" is a fictional book about a girl, Lia, whose parents want to move to a house called Graymoss, which was willed to Lia's mother by her great-grandmother when she died. Lia finds out some interesting things about Graymoss that start to worry her. Once she visits the new house, she experiences events that warn her of something haunting the house. "The Haunting" is another book that I have completed from the Joan Lowery Nixon book series. In my opinion, "The Haunting" was not as enjoyable as the previous book I read from the series, "Whispers from the Dead". Even though I didn't think the book was as great, it was still a nice book and I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys reading of ghosts and scary stories.

[Nadia · Rating 5 out of 5]

the book was great. It is a great mystery. It is about lia and how her great grandma left her family the house. But it is haunted. She wants to get ride of it but how?

[The Book Ghost · Rating 2 out of 5]

A part of my Halloween reading. If you want more spooky reads, check out my Halloween 2025 list:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/list...


Lia’s parents want to adopt children. No, THEY MUST ADOPT CHILDREN. At all costs…


Pros
-Laughably bad throughout



Cons
-No suspense
-Incredibly dull plot
-A cliche’s paradise



Review
What more could a girl deal with? Her parents want to adopt (like, are completely and terrifyingly infatuated with the thought), her family’s just gotten a beautiful (but haunted) plantation house that's been passed down through the generations, and her best friend is scared that they’ll be too far away to see each other again. That's a lot on the plate. But what's more, there’s a horrifying amount of LACKING SUSPENSE.

Yes, it does the most horrifying thing that a thriller/mystery book could manage: it gives the reader absolutely no suspense or surprises. The big reveal at the end was sadly more predictable than I had wanted to believe. Honestly, what was more suspenseful was wondering when the story would finally pick up.

And it never did…

It just kept droning on. There was a solid 50 pages or more of this exact same encounter repeating ad infinitum:

Townsfolk: “Wait, yer goin’ a stay in this here house?” (Because southern)

Parents: “Why, yes, we're going to start a family of a dozen adopted children or more, completely ignoring our daughter!”

Townsfolk: “Well, jus’ know tha’ this here house is haunted at night. You’ll wanna leave soon. And when you do, we’ll be here ready to buy 'er from ya.”

Parents: “That won't be necessary.”


Oh, and when these encounters were on a near constant level, the mom was so comically pissed it was actually funny. The thing is: Lia’s family has got a lot of problems. They get mad at her because she likes to read; they want to adopt all of the children in the world, and because all of the women in her family have been incredibly successful, they’re disappointed in Lia (because guess what? She just likes to read).

And they've got absolutely no fear of pale men shoving smelling salts into their daughter’s nose during a funeral.

In all fairness though, the quality of the story was so terrible I genuinely enjoyed it in parts. Or as much as I could. There's only so much enjoyment that you can get out of a generic (or quite possibly worse) ghost story. The quality was somewhere between So-Bad-It's-Good and just Plain Bad.

So if you want to pick a laughably bad… Ahem, sorry, laughably amazing book, pick this one up from somewhere. I don't really know where you'd find it. Try online.


*1.5 out of 5*

[Emma-Lee Buffington · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was suggested to me by mom. This setting takes place in the current time in at a plantation named Graymoss in Louisiana. Graymoss is a magnificent ,vintage and huge. Complete with columns and a filled garden.

Back during the Civil War Charlotte Belvins and her grandfather lived in Graymoss. They read the Favorite Tales of Edgar Allan Poe book together days upon end. Their renter Mr. Slades had then stole their precious jewelry. If things couldn't get worse Graymoss was threated to be burned by the enemies, trying to stop them Charlotte’s grandfather was shot. His last words was to save Graymoss and all the answers Charoltte needs is in the book. After he died strange things were happening in the house. She saw evil faces on the walls and they were whispering something that she could not make sense of . She kept all these encounters in her dairy. Centuries later Lia who is Charlotte’s great-great granddaughter witnesses her great grandmother pass away. In her great grandmother’s will it states that Lia’s mom was to be the new owner of Graymoss. But the evil still lives there and is so terrifying that no one has lived in Graymoss since Charlotte and her grandfather. Despite of the recordings in Charlotte’s diary , stories from visitors and even her own mother’s word Lia’s mother still wants to move there. She plans to fill the home with children that are usually not wanted by other families. Lia at first is not too thrilled by this idea because she just wants to be normal and have her parents to herself and not to a dozen more kids. After Lia met the kids and heard their heart wrenching stories she decided that she wouldn't mind opening her home and her heart to kids who need it the most. But first she must find the answers to which Charlotte’s grandfather told her to find in the book and get rid of the evil that lurks in Graymoss once and for all.

Lia is most definitely a dynamic character. She first had a negative attitude towards the adoption and she just wanted to stay with her best friend. She even tried to prove to her mom that the evil in Graymoss was real and not just made up stories so her mom would change her mind. Then Lia went to the adoption homes where she met a few of the children. She heard how the boy needed so many surgeries that no one was wanting to adopt him. She felt the pain when the little girl was telling her how she has been to six different homes and that no one was wanting her and her brother and sister in their family. She finally understood why her mom wanted to help this children and bring them to a family who cares and loves them. Lia is quite, superstitious , intelligent and caring. This can be shown when she was telling her best friend about the news. “..I told you about the kids and how I changed my mind....."(Nixon 137 )I told you all about the people we met and what they said about the evil in Graymoss , and I told you about the kids and how I changed my mind…”(Nixon , p.136)

In this book the theme in this book could be to not be selfish. Sometimes it may not be want you want but it’s not all about you and you must look out for others too. This may be the theme because Lia at first was very selfish but when meeting those kids so wanted to care for them instead.

I used the reading strategy Visualize when she would describe the structure of Graymoss and the furniture in side of the land that surrounds it. I saw the columns and the little bit of wearing away of the house because of its age. I also used the strategy predict. I used when she was trying to solve the answers and why the book would have anything to do with the evil that haunted them. I also used the reading strategy use prior knowledge when they she was talking about the Edgar Allan Poe stories . We read some of the stories in English class and I used what I already knew about the stories to help predict what may be the answers.
Finally I loved this book! I loved the suspense when you don’t know what’s going to happen next and you don’t know what the answer is and the answer is so unexpected! Definitely recommend!

[Eustacia Tan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a book that was lost to me for a really long time. The first time I read The Haunting was when I was 14 (almost half my life ago!) and on a school trip to Cambodia. The book belonged to a friend and I never really got the title.

For a few years after that, this book haunted me. I remembered the main plot: that it was about a mystery based on Edgar Allen Poe and that’s about it. I actually found the title in 2016 but the book sounded so different from what I remembered that I didn’t want to read it.

But recently, I started feeling a sense of nostalgia and I decided to reread the book after all. And it was a very interesting experience.

The Haunting starts when Lia’s mum inherits a plantation-era house that’s said to be haunted. Her mum and dad are overjoyed at the thought of being able to adopt at least a dozen kids, while Lia is apprehensive at the plan. On their first trip to Graymoss, the house, Lia encounters something that convinces her the house is haunted.

So, having read this, I can see why I remembered parts of this book for so long. The solution to the mystery was pretty smart (although I ‘remembered’ a chapter that wasn’t there!), and I found the description of the hauntings to be rather creepy. At the same time, there were issues with the book.

The biggest issue I had is that Lia doesn’t act her age. She’s supposed to be 15, but honestly, she feels a lot younger – if you told me she was 11, I would have believed it. There is a love interest of sorts and that was actually what made me realise she wasn’t a literal child – her narrative voice just feels that young! I think this was partly because of her reaction to her parent’s plan, which I’m talking about next.

The second issue I had was with Lia’s parents. I really, really don’t understand how they think fostering/adopting at least twelve children is a good idea?? I can understand wanting to adopt older children or those with siblings, but they were also talking about adopting children with disabilities and I really don’t think that two adults can take care of so many children and have jobs. I also found it really weird that Lia was so (understandably) resistant to the plan but changed her mind after meeting the potential kids once. That felt a little too convenient.

In conclusion, I see why younger me liked it and the Poe stories (plus the fact that I read it overseas) helped it stay with me for all these years. At the same time, I can’t deny that the book has some obvious weaknesses. Still, it was good to read this and finally see that yes, this was the book that I read all those years ago.

This review was first posted at Eustea Reads

[Annie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Honestly, it's great. It's perfectly atmospheric, exactly what you want when you pick up a YA ghost story set on an old, haunted, mossy plantation in Louisiana. Immersive enough to genuinely give you chills at times. I read it as a kid and I've reread it a few times as an adult, and it's still good.

[Mackenzie Green · Rating 3 out of 5]

it was a good, quick story and it had a good ending! if you need a quick and spooky story , this one is pretty good and i would recommend

[Leila Ivory · Rating 1 out of 5]

2.5⭐️ Ummmmmm..... This book was interesting but only at the end. Yes, I'm glad I read it, but if you're in a reading slump or trying to get out of one, I really DON'T recommend reading this. Anywho, the book was okay. There were basically like 4 characters. The rest of the characters came in the book and right out. The first, like 130-40 pages, were not interesting, and for a small book like this, that's almost the whole book. Sooo... hopefully, that helps😁. Happy reading!😊 📚

[Michelle Miller · Rating 3 out of 5]

Michelle Miller
10/25/11
Oral & Written 2nd
Mr. Bales
The Haunting
The title of this book is “The Haunting”. It was written by Joan Lowery Nixon. She was the author of more than 130 books for young readers. All of which are horror stories, but she was the ONLY four time winner of the Mystery Award.
The main character in this horror is Lia Starling. She was a shy, bookworm, who had no bravery like her ancestors. Anytime one of her family members was out climbing Mt. Everest or fighting a sea monster, she had her nose stuck in a book. She had only dreamed about being brave like her family, but she didn’t realize that her chance was not far off.
Besides her mother Anne (She is a see-to-believe kind of person). If you can’t see it then it isn’t real. Her grandmother and her great grandmother were the eccentric, brave ones of the family. They were the adventurers and all of them were heroic, except Lia, until it comes to Graymoss.
Over generations, Lia’s family had been told about a plantation known as Graymoss. Apparently, it is being haunted by an evil presence. No one, not even the bravest of the Starling family would step foot there. Her mother is the only one that cannot be convinced of the hauntings of Graymoss. Lia’s mother decides to move the family into Graymoss, to complete her dream of adopting unwanted children. So Lia has a choice, either change her mother’s mind or chase away the evil that lurks there.
The Haunting was a very enjoyable book. I like ghost stories, but it could have been more horrific, and scary. It should have had less details of the interior design of the house, and more action. There should have been different action too. More physical violence needs to be added. Not just seeing faces, and hearing voices. Overall, the book was good, but again it could have been much better.
So in conclusion, the Haunting is a story of ghosts, demons, and brave little girls. If this is the genre of books that you are into then I strongly recommend this book to you. If not, then keep looking. You will find that perfect book and it will inspire you as this one did me.

[Courtney Gruenholz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rounded up to 4.5 stars because it was really good but amazing may be a little much.

I see that as Nixon went longer into her writing career, the stories get better. Experience of writing really does help but also it is set in its present time period without an underlying issue to sort of influence my opinion.

Just a good old ghost story set in 1997 Louisiana with connections to a home built in the 1830s and able to withstand The Civil War (or The War Between The States as Nixon writes it).

It has been handed down to family of the Blevins and their ancestors born from Charlotte Blevins, who survived her parents and grandparents to keep their plantation home Graymoss from being burned down.

Still standing but no one has lived in the house for it is haunted by an evil spirit. Nothing during the day but at night, frightening faces in the walls and ceiling with forked, wagging tongues.

Charlotte made a promise to her dying grandfather Placide as he was shot by the very Union soldiers who wanted to burn her home to the ground that she would not let Graymoss be torn down since he built it with his own two hands.

Charlotte kept her promise and passed it down so now it has fallen to the new generation. Lia Starling is Charlotte's great-great-great-granddaughter with the house being left to her mother Anne by her grandmother, Sarah Langley. Lia's grandmother, Augusta, thought she would be left the house so she could finally tear it down so what a shock huh?

The Starlings plan to turn the house into a place where they can home children seen as "unadoptable" because siblings don't want to be seperated or the children have physical or mental disabilities too burdensome. Lia isn't exactly thrilled to move away from her best friend Jolie and then share a house with a bunch of screaming kids but that seems small in comparison to a house so terrifying no one will stay in it.

Well except for Lia's parents who don't believe in ghosts and try to use rational psychology to chalk it up to just mass hysteria through the power of suggestion brought on by a young girl suffering unspeakable tragedy. Lia is more open-minded thanks to being a reader of fiction but she has also read Charlotte's diary that came with the house.

Her mother passes it off as gobbledygook but Lia learns there was something Placide Blevins didn't have enough time to tell his granddaughter before he succumbed to the bullet, blood bubbling from his throat. All he could do was shove a copy of Favorite Tales of Edgar Allan Poe in her hand, the book he read to Charlotte so often, as a clue.

Lia's parents go off to see Graymoss and take her along, ready to start making plans on what all they will do to pass inspections. Almost everyone in the small town knows Graymoss' history and no one would be in their right mind to stay after dark but there seem to be other reasons anyone would want the house.

One man wants to but the land and tear it down for new homes, another wants all of the antique furniture inside, the caretaker of the grounds and his wife have a garden on the property, an older woman has taken a home in the old overseer cabin on the property and likes her privacy and another woman wants the house to be a historical sight and charge people for tours.

Despite every effort on the townspeople and Lia herself, it doesn't seem to stop her parents from wanting to go on with their own plans. Lia is soon adult enough to know she wouldn't want her poor mother frightened away screaming so she is left with no other choice...she has to find the way to drive the evil from the house.

Told from Lia's P.O.V. it doesn't bother me as much as the style usually does because it reflects how she changes from the beginning to end of the book. A selfish, fifteen year old girl at first...I can relate.

She loves her parents and Lia soon learns that what they want to do with the plantation may seem they are being just as selfish not asking her to move away from her home isn't really selfish at all.

It probably doesn't help that all of the women in Lia's family going back to Charlotte have shown themselves to be extraordinary women in helping others and standing tall against anything that can be thrown at them: wars, politics and devastations of Mother Nature. At first, Lia just sees herself as a bookworm but she proves even more capable than she seems.

All of the other characters who want the house for some reason besides the caretaker and the old woman have really petty reasons actually. Privacy? I get it. Taking pride in a garden you planted yourself when you do so much already? Deserved.

The society lady brings along her handsome grandson to have him relate an incident he had in the house but that does nothing to budge Lia's mom. He soon turns out not to be a nice guy after all and I'm not surprised really. Even though I may be a romantic I like that Nixon has her female characters only think shortly about hooking up with cute guys...they are strong, young women with higher stakes.

The realtor wants the money for the land and the antique man wants to sell the furnishings so it's just all greed all around except for what Lia's mom and dad want. Even her grandmother just wanted the house because she felt "entitled" to it just to tear it down because she didn't like it. It's stated in Sarah's will that if her granddaughter didn't want it, it would be held in trust for Lia when she turned twenty-five.

I'm thinking Sarah Langley just had this feeling that her own daughter wouldn't keep the house like all the others: taking care of Graymoss even if they didn't live there. Too bad we didn't get to have her stay around longer.

Tying in the use of Edgar Allan Poe was a very nice touch but it also is one reason I couldn't exactly give five straight stars to The Haunting. Mostly because if you know Poe's stories, it isn't very hard to figure out which one in the book helps to unravel the mystery. If you are a stranger to Poe's work, you might be a little more surprised.

As the list of titles Lia read became smaller, most of them being "new" to her with potential clues, I felt myself getting a smug smile on my face. If you watch movies with me or see me reading a book and making "that face"...it's not really good. I mean I won't spoil it for you and I won't be a punk but it did make the reveal less...thrilling.

After that, it just kind of ends but you already know despite the little zinger that everything is going to work out the way it should for Lia and her family. As for everyone else besides again the caretaker, his wife and the older woman living in the cabin on the land with the late Sarah Langley's permission and that of her granddaughter...they get what they deserve karmically speaking.

Well I guess Lia's grandmother starts being a little less prickly so she's not so bad...

Of the Joan Lowery Nixon books I have read so far, The Haunting is probably my favorite. If any part of my review has you wanting to read some of her work, I recommend giving The Haunting a go first.

As I find more books my opinion might change but that is then and this is now...

[Jaymee · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Haunting
Joan Lowry Nixon



Are you a young reader who loves mysteries about ghosts and haunted houses. Then you should read The Haunting, written by Joan Lowry Nixon. If you have ever read any books by Nixon, then you know she has been called the grande dame of young adult mysteries. With more than a hundred books, some being Murdered, my sweet and Don’t Scream. The story follows fifteen-year-old Lia Starling. She talks about how all of her female ancesters are very brave and then there was her. Her great-grandmother mistakes Lia for her mother, Anne Starling and says her old plantation house, Graymoss will go to her. Lia definatley does not want to move in, but hearing the stories of ghosts and hauntings from the towns people and reading about from a diary, makes her not want to go even more. In the beginning Lia gets a charm to ward off evil spirits and is deciding wether she should get rid of the evil and move in with a bunch of noisy kids or have her parents spend a night in the house just to have them see all the horror they’ve heard about and hopefully (for Lia’s sake) get rid of Graymoss for good. What does she decide?
Personaly, I thought the book was good. However, it didn’t have as many exciting parts as I had originally hoped for. Also, the climax was not untll the very last chapter. What I do like about the book is that it had a fifteen year old girl and it talked about what normal teenage girls do and think. I aslo liked that it had stories from Edgar Allen Poe and told of what happened during the Civil War age. I felt a connection with Lia when she met Jonathan and felt all wierd when she was around him because we all find someone who we like alot. I would give the book a star rating of 3, manly because it didn’t have as many exciting parts as I wanted. So, if you’re a young reader who loves mystery and ghosts, than you should read The Haunting, written by Joan Lowry Nixon.

[Deb · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wanted to grab a quick read, and this book fit the bill perfectly at 184 pages. It's about a 15 year old girl whose mother inherits a haunted house, Graymoss, in Louisiana and plan to adopt a bunch of hard-to-adopt children with her husband and live there. Problem is, Lia isn't crazy about that idea. The walls whisper one word over and over which no one can quite figure out, the designs on the ceiling turn into hissing and spitting monsters, invisible hands reach out and grab at people's hair and face; there have even been a couple of "accidents" of people falling down stairs after claiming they were pushed by something. The answers to the haunting lie in Lia's great-great-great grandmother's diary and a well worn copy of 'Favorite Tales of Edgar Allan Poe'. Can Lia solve the mystery and free Graymoss from the evil within it's walls? What is that one word that the house keeps whispering, then screaming? Will Lia and her parents be able to live in Graymoss, or will they run from the old plantation house like their ancestors have for the past 200 years?

This is an enjoyable read. Overall I give it 3 stars out of 5.

[Taylor Fenner · Rating 4 out of 5]

When Lia's great-grandmother dies she leaves her a cryptic message: She must save the plantation that has been in their family since before the Civil War.

Lia's grandmother wants the old Graymoss Plantation to be demolished and her parents want to modernize it and fill it with lots of adopted children; but Lia fears the "evil" said to haunt the halls every night.

Equipped with her great-great-great-grandmother Charlotte's journal, a tattered copy of 'Favorite Tales of Edgar Allan Poe', and the help of her best friend Jolie; Lia sets out to find out the truth about the mysterious plantation.

'The Haunting' is a quick read but it will hold your attention and keep you guessing until the end. I definitely recommend this book to anyone looking for a mystery rich with ghosts, creepy plantations that go bump in the night, and carefully cultivated small town Southern legends.

[Sarah Matthews · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is not the book that makes your skin crawl or makes you whip your head around, looking to see what lurks in the shadows. Despite it's title, this is not a ghost story meant to frighten you. This is a mystery book that simply involves ghosts. That being said, this book was a good read. I enjoyed trying to solve the mystery of who was haunting the Graymoss plantation and why with the main character. I enjoyed the fact that the author actually tied in Edgar Allen Poe stories as the clues for solving the mystery; that was brilliant! I am a big fan of the story she chose that was correlated to the mystery! The book had moments where Nixon repeated herself more so than needed, but all in all, it was a good book.

[Debbie · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a book my 11 year old was interested in reading. She had two chapters left and so I picked it up to see what it was about. The story started out promising, but I figured out the ending well before the main character, which is always a little disappointing. There were phrases that were repeated over and over in the text which droned on and on and on, and the ending didn't come soon enough. The big showdown at the end was rather anti-climatic, but as far as "not-so-spooky, spooky stories" goes, this is a good one for a pre-teen reader.

[Alec Price · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought the book was very intense, and the story line as it went from problem to problem you would become flabbergasted as you read along in this thriller of a book. I didn't really like it though. It didn't keep you into the story line and I became bored with the book. When the grandmother dies she leaves the house to her grand daughter and but is actually talking to her great grand daughter. and when her grandma tries to sell the place she wont let her becuase it was hers to keep and she intended to do so. even though the whole house was haunted.

[Wesley S. · Rating 4 out of 5]

i am a big fan of joan lowery nixon,but i got to admit that this book is one of her best books that she ever wrote. its basicly about a girl that recently found out fascinating secrets and trying to find out what the evil spirits want and trying to get rid of them.

[Catherine · Rating 2 out of 5]

I would give this book another half of a star if I could, but I found the plot too predictable. Anyone who has read Poe could figure out the ending by the first couple of chapters. I liked the growth of the Lia's character.

[Hanna Richardson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would really like to reread this book, as I haven't actually seen a copy since...I want to say grade 6. It was one of my first "scary stories" and I remember loving it. Time to pick it up again and see if it's still as good!

[Jarrad · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was ok, but a little weird.

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great ending, but I belive it deserves a sequal.

[Jessie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Definitely my least favourite of Joan Lowery Nixon's books.

[Jackie Leeds · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was preety good. You should read it!!

[White Witch · Rating 5 out of 5]

this is a really great book!! i loved it!

[Jacqui · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book. Very descriptive and kinda scary.

[Elizabeth Hanks · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is a good quick read. A bit predictable but well written.

[Srikavyaj]

t was really good you'll have to read it

[Pamela Chelekis · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the first one of the four that I haven't read that I picked up a few months ago when I started doing this project. So, this is my first read through. And, you know, it's not that bad. I'd say it's on the upper end of these kinds of books, but ooff, still issues.

The plot revolves around Graymoss -- an old home in Louisiana belonging to protagonist Lia's family. Lia's mother wants to turn it into a foster care home for kids. But everyone else on the planet is like -- you crazy, place haunted.

On the one hand - meant to be a lot like Shirley Jackson's Haunting of Hill House. Having the story built on a creepy atmosphere and psychological terror instead of cheep jumps scares and gory slasher tactics. But... the novel spends so little time away from the house that it never really gets that spooky. Which is odd - because JLN is usually pretty good at setting a tense atmosphere.

A lot of her normal tropes are somewhat subverted. We're not in Texas because this was clearly inspired by something she discovered in Louisiana (the dedication points in this direction). Lia is fine as a protagonist and I really didn't feel like punching her at any point. The family is mostly decent -- except Grandma is a little weird, but not matriarchal. And, there is a guy who is involved but only for about two seconds, he's barely around to even be considered a love interest, and he's discarded just as quickly.

Oh - and there was mention of cell phones. Which I found interesting for a book set in the late 90s. These books almost feel out of time when they start mentioning modern technology.

The book does have a pretty decent premise, and there were pieces of the mystery that were intriguing but it never really gets off the ground. Plus - we spend a lot of time (especially for a short book) talking to people who don't really matter, who don't really tell us anything, or don't move the plot forward. (There's an entire chapter where they spend time with kids at an orphanage just to remind you that they want to put little kids into foster care using the haunted house.)

This entire novel could have worked better as a short story - one that took place in a single night -- kind of like A Deadly Game of Magic did. The clues that are sprinkled throughout the novel kind of point in an obvious direction -- especially the use of the Edgar Allen Poe book (which really, if anyone had been thinking - the whole mystery would have been solved easily way back when).

Overall, it's fine. There's nothing egregiously wrong with it, nothing made me want to throw it against the wall. But, she just didn't make great use of a haunted house trope, and you can tell a lot of why this book was written was because she was inspired by different parts of Louisiana culture.

Rating: 3.25 Stars