3.5 upped to 4
I found it disturbing and quite terrifying even if the femaile characters were a bit weird and not very realistic.
Horror-wise it works and it was very creepy. There's a lot going on and it kept me hooked even if it's a bit slow.
I suppose it's not the best book to start reading Masterson even if it's a good horror.
Many thanks to the publisher for this arc, all opinions are mine

It’s that time of year when scary books should be read! This book jumped out at me and whilst I’ve read books by this author before, never one of his horror reads! The House at Phantom Park is an unsettling read, focussing on St Philomena’s Military Hospital which was closed and is now due for redevelopment. Lilian Chesterfield is overseeing the project, but when two of her contractors end up seriously ill and mysterious screams are heard in the disused hospital, you do have to wonder if there is something very strange going on!

I enjoyed this book, although I did think it was a little predictable at times! There were plenty of scary moments, and whilst not technically a ghost story, there was enough suspense built up to keep me interested in the story. Disused hospitals are always going to be creepy, and St Philomena’s is no exception! As with most horror books or films, I found myself cursing the main characters when they kept returning to the creepy building like nothing had happened! If I had seen or heard some of what went on, I’d have been out of those doors so fast never to return! It was gory and gruesome at times, and there are descriptions of soldiers’ injuries and deaths in bombings in Afghanistan, so if that is a trigger point you may wish to avoid this book. Overall though, it was enough of a scary read to give me that pre-Halloween fix. If you’re looking to be jump scared by supernatural forces and evil entities, then this could be the book for you!

Thank you NetGalley and the Publisher for providing me an early copy for review.

I love haunted house books. I love possession stories. I love books where the house and the haunting represent the decay of social systems. But this one fell short for me. Every single character is unlikable, except maybe Moses, and also Artyom who is a pretty minor character. Both of these characters are basically the only ones who have the common sense that "hm, maybe all of these terrifying things happening when we're trying to develop luxury apartments on the sight of an old hospital might mean we shouldn't do it." If the moral of the story is "gentrification = bad", then our main characters have absolutely missed the memo. There are moments of lucidity in this book where minor characters point this out, but Lillian and co are so hard to root for. I kind of didn't even care if they heeded any warnings and was rooting for the paranormal to "win" because the surveyors were so insufferable.

Aside from the plot/themes, the beginning of the book felt very clunky and the dialogue was rather stilted. On many occasions (we'll take Lillian in Chapter 7 for example) characters will say or think "well gosh I don't believe in the paranormal, so obviously the screaming I'm hearing has to be real people and I must go help them!" (paraphrasing here, but that's the general vibe of some of the early dialogue.) This does get marginally better towards the middle/end of the book when the author shifts more towards the 3rd person narrative more often. In the same chapter, Lillian is also described as a skeptic - including... not believing we actually went to the moon and resisting vaccines? That's not skeptical, that's a conspiracy theorist.

I'm reluctantly giving this 2 stars. It was a genuinely terrifying concept and some parts were quite scary, but the unlikable characters and mixed themes just weren't for me.

This was creepy and unsettling. Lillian Chesterfield is in charge of turning an abandoned military hospital into a luxury housing development. Easier said than done, as the hospital is haunted and the hospital's dark past is slowly revealed.

The House at Phantom Park by Graham Masterton.
In this abandoned hospital, pain lives on... and it wants revenge. St Philomena's military hospital has been abandoned for over three years. Now Lilian Chesterfield, who works for one of the most successful building companies in England, is in charge of developing it into a luxury housing complex. But as soon as she and her colleagues start work in the Jacobean-style mansion, their dream turns into a nightmare. They hear screaming from wards full of empty beds. They hear doors slamming and find cutlery scattered over the kitchen floor. Then they see faces peering at them from the mullioned windows. Lilian is pragmatic – she doesn't believe in the supernatural. But just when she's put her mind at rest by scouring the mansion from top to bottom and finding nothing, a former patient of St Philomena's arrives with a warning. The hospital is haunted. And it is haunted by something a thousand times more terrifying than ghosts...
A brilliant read. I loved the cover. Creepy and spooky. 5*.

This one wound up being a DNF for me. I just wasn’t too keen on the amount of gore. Some felt gratuitous. Also, the pacing was too slow for me to want to stick around through it. I def think I would try other works by the author. This one was not it for me.

The old abandoned haunted hospital trope is a classic for a reason, and it’s one I simply can’t resist. And in The House at Phantom Park Graham Masterton uses that trope to weave another wonderful and at times grizzly tale, as he takes us on a tour of an old military hospital that is being developed into luxury apartments. I don’t want to give too much of the story away, but I must say Graham does a great job of grabbing your attention right from the start. The description of the how the initial person who encounters the spirits was just disturbing enough to let me know I was in for a gruesome tale, even more so when we learn who/what it claims to be. (Sorry, I know I’m being rather vague. And even though this is stuff you’ll learn in the opening 4 or 5 chapters, I hate to spoil anything, especially in horror novels.) Masterton delivers a wonderfully entertaining and creepy tale, continually ratcheting up the tension/horror. This is an excellent book to get you in the mood for Halloween. Thanks to Aria & Aries and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review an eARC of The House at Phantom Park.

https://www.amazon.com/review/R21JIHTU3Q5JPO/ref=pe_1098610_137716200_cm_rv_eml_rv0_rv

This just jumped right out without a prologue or real introduction. I was really confused because it then jumped other characters with no context. I like the idea but the execution was not my favorite.

This was without a doubt one of the scariest books I've read this year, I found myself thinking about every creak of the floorboards, every shadow that I saw from the corner of my eye, and every sound I thought I heard from upstairs.

The history of the hospital, the stories of the souldiers, Lilian, David, and Moses and all they go through, the deaths we see and the Spirits of Pain, it make me wonder about every war story I've ever heard.

St. Philomena's is the stuff of nightmares, the descriptive storytelling had me feeling like I was there, the abandoned beds, medical equipment, all of it, it paints such a terrifying picture I can't imagine how Lilian could go into that horrifying place and work, she has more of a backbone than I do.

I won't give anything away for people that want to read this book, but I will say people who have faced combat or have family or friends that have could potentially be triggered by some of the more graphic deaths.

I loved the scare factor in this one, and the originality, as someone that's taken a "Haunted Asylum" tour this book sent shivers down my spine.

All of that being said this one just missed the mark a bit for me. If I could give this one 3.5 stars I would.

Thank you to NetGalley and Aria & Aries for giving me an advance copy of this book. I have voluntarily read and reviewed it and all thoughts and opinions are my own.

Thank you to Netgalley, Aria & Aries, and Mr. Masterton for the opportunity to read an ARC of this title. An honest review was requested but not required.

I’m new to Mr. Masterton’s work but every year around this time I’m always on the hunt for a good scary story. This one was fairly frightening in the exact way that scares me most.

The dustjacket premise is a very succinct recap of the plot outline. An old home, which was turned into a military hospital (St. Philomena’s), is now being renovated and developed into a luxury apartment complex. Lilian Chesterfield and her colleague David are in charge of the project, which for Lilian is something of a career-making opportunity. Because the stakes are so high, Lilian is unable and/or unwilling for a very long time to admit the truth about St. Philomena’s. She insists for at least the first third that the disturbances and tragedies are due to overzealous protesters and agitators who are resisting the development project.

It's extremely obvious to the reader that the activity at St. Philomena’s – nicknamed St. Phantom’s by former employees – is supernatural and malevolent in nature. The trope wherein the book’s characters stubbornly resist admitting what the reader can see to be true, and thereby place themselves in a great deal of danger, is one that really raises my anxiety level. That in combination with the fear factor of a haunted hospital (and the descriptions of the manifestations) had me reading this book in the daylight ONLY.

I stuck to the scary-story aspect of the plot, rather than examining its politics too closely. I was sorry that so many characters had to die to uncover the truth. The descriptions of injury and death (from the wartime experiences to the present-day events) are graphic and violent and definitely not for the faint of heart. I also wondered if the folklore elements had any truth to them.

All in all, once this train finally got going, it was at lightning speed, and I was glued all the way to the finish line. I don’t wish to spoil the ending but I will see that I saw the WHO coming from a ways away, if not the HOW. It was certainly just the right kind of terrifying story that hits home at Halloween time.

⭐⭐⭐1/2

3.5 stars

The House at Phantom Park by Graham Masterton is a horror novel.

First, let me thank NetGalley, the publisher Aria and Aries - Head of Zeus and of course the author, for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.


My Synopsis:    (No major reveals, but if concerned, skip to My Opinions)
Lilian Chesterfield has plans to change the old St. Philomena's Military Hospital into luxury flats. 

But as soon as they start, things go wrong.  Her surveyor, Alex Fowler, ends up in the hospital suffering from excruciating pain on the first night he is in the building.  There doesn't seem to any logical reason for the pain, and he insists his name is Terence Simons.  Then the second surveyor is paralyzed.  They seem to be taking on the symptoms and pain of the military vets who lived in the hospital. Moses, a physician in the war, is called to their bedsides, hoping that he can shed some light on the patients.

Lilian and her assistant David start seeing and hearing people in the building.  Strange things are happening, and they are frightened.  Unsure whether there are people trying to scare them off the site or if there are actual ghosts haunting them, they are at a loss.   Lilian doesn't believe in the supernatural, but she is starting to wonder.  Could all of this really have to do with Afghanistan and the injured?


My Opinions:
I am a fan of this author, so was excited to read this stand-alone novel.

The premise for this book was definitely intriguing, and the plot was well thought out, and smooth.  The Afghanistan mythology was interesting.  It was fairly graphic, without being over the top.   I loved the ending.

However, I found it  very slow moving  and it occasionally dragged horrendously.   I also had a bit of a problem with the characters.  Lilian's lack of belief annoyed me, and David's immediate belief didn't feel real.   I went from liking Routledge to disliking him within minutes.  I loved Moses.

Overall, it was a good book, but not Masterton's best (in my opinion).




For a more complete review of this book and others (including the reason I chose to read/review this book, as well as author information and contact details), please visit my blog: http://katlovesbooksblog.wordpress.com/

Thank you NetGalley and Head of Zeus for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. I simply loved The House at Phantom Park. Graham Masterton provides readers with a solid one-of-a-kind horror novel. The abandoned hospital setting is creepy and atmospheric. The descriptions are very detailed and I could picture every part of the book very clearly. The House at Phantom Park is not your run-of-the-mill ghost story. Without spoiling any aspect of the book, I found the concept to be refreshing and inspired. Despite finding one ofthe main characters (Lilian)to be somewhat unpleasant, everything fits together as far as the storyline is concerned. As with other books by Graham Masterton, there are some aspects that still linger in your mind days after reading this book, as it is not easily forgotten. The House at Phantom Park is horror at its finest.

This is so hard for me as this author was one of my favourites when I started my adult reading journey. In fact, Family Portrait is still in my top ten nearly 40 years after first reading it.
But I am so sorry that I really couldn't get into this book. I dnf at about 25%
It just wasn't working for me. 3 stars given as I have to give a rating and it's the middle!

The House at Phantom Park has a fabulous, eye-catching cover and I do love traditional haunted house mysteries. This is a 'haunted house' with a difference, though, as the building was originally a military hospital, now left abandoned.

Lilian Chesterfield is in charge of developing St Philomena's Military Hospital into a luxury housing complex, but as soon as work begins on the Jacobean-style mansion, she hears screaming, doors slamming and faces peering through windows. Lilian doesn't believe in ghosts - but what if St Philomena's is haunted by something worse than spirits?

Although The House at Phantom Park had all the chills I usually love in a ghost story, some scenes were a little too graphically gory for me! While the cause of the haunting was original, I found the telling a little repetitive in places and I didn't like the ending. But if you're the kind of reader who doesn't mind a bit of gore with your jump-shocks, add another star!

Trigger warnings: graphic descriptions of war and associated injuries - and it doesn't end well for the animals!

Thank you to Graham Masterton and Aries/Head of Zeus for my copy of this book, which I requested from NetGalley and reviewed voluntarily.

Master ton has been on my list for awhile, and I thought this was a great read. It was a little predictable, and he left a few things unanswered for me, but I really enjoyed it overall, and I would definitely read more by this author

I think I can safely say that I am a fan of Mr Masterton's work and have been for many, many years and whilst, for me, some of his books have been hit or miss, this one is definitely a hit and one I thoroughly enjoyed.

Mr Masterton has taken the haunted property/ghost theme and added a new dimension to it. The ghosts were something a bit different which I thought was great; even after all these years, I can still be surprised by the way good authors can bring unique and different ways to kill their characters off and give their readers the chills and Mr Masterton does it with skill here.

I didn't particularly like the majority of the characters very much and admit that the main character of Lilian annoyed me a tad, however in this instance, I don't actually think it matters whether you like the characters or not and it certainly didn't detract from my reading pleasure.

Although a little slow to get going, I would recommend this to people who enjoy a horror story which is a bit different and my thanks must go to Aria & Aries, Head of Zeus and NetGalley for enabling me to read and share my thoughts of The House at Phantom Park.

This was the perfect book to read to start October! I think this book was a unique take on a “haunted house”. I think that the storyline was interesting and kept me wanting to pick up the book to find out what happens! I did find the storyline kind of odd but I think I’m the end the author brought it all together to make sense.

Haunted hospital with Ghost soldiers. What more could you want? I loved this book it had the creepy vibes. Can't wait to read more of this authors work. Thanks netgalley for an eARC for an honest review.

Graham Masterton is very good at writing creepy and disturbing stories, and this book is no exception. I enjoyed this latest book, based in a spooky, abandoned hospital and I would recommend it to horror fans who have a strong stomach as this is definitely one of Masterton's gorier works.

I've read Graham Masterton's older novels in the past and they were phenomenal! Some of my favorites were The House Jack Built (published in 1995), Prey (published in 1991), and The Manitou (published in 1975 his horror debut). So, when I saw the opportunity to read and review his newest book I know instantly that I had to jump on it. Considering Halloween is approaching and from my past experiences reading Masterton's work, I knew I was going to get my scares in.

The House of Phantom Park by Graham Masterton is about a hospital that was abandoned three years ago and now a successful development company is coming in to turn the old building into a luxury housing complex. However, strange incidences are experienced by the development team.

Perhaps I placed this book too high on the pedestal and I'll start with the negatives first. This story had a lot of characters involved that seemed to be well developed but they were all unlikeable. There was no build-up between "spooky" moments and it was a very cookie-cutter haunted house at a theme park type. It just lost me in the horror aspect due to the frequent overexposure fright moments. Behind every corner, there was some type of scare.

I will give praise to Masterton's way of incorporating the interesting character backstories and possession/reincarnation. Would I recommend this book to a friend who enjoys the horror genre? No.

Thank you Netgalley and publisher for the free eARC copy. All opinions are mine alone.