To preface.. I freaking LOVED Masterson's Katie Maguire series - it was this series that originally got me into crime thriller/police procedural books and still to this day is my favourite series that I recommend over and over again. So obviously as soon as I saw this on Netgalley, I couldn't click on request quick enough. 

Set in an abandoned old military hospital, this was a refreshing and interesting twist on the haunted house trope. The plot and writing gave me chills: creepy, gory, and macabre, this was an enjoyable and eerie novel. I would describe this more as mystery than horror, genre-wise, it was slightly on the predictable side, and the pacing was rocky - fast-paced to begin with, then definitely slowing through the main part of the plot, before picking up again in the last quarter. 

This wasn't my favourite by Masterson, but I will still always read anything he writes, and this has definitely made me want to re-read the Maguire series again. 

𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘢𝘭𝘴𝘰 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘱𝘶𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘥 𝘰𝘯 @𝘳𝘦𝘥𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘨𝘪𝘳𝘭 (𝘐𝘯𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘮) 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘎𝘰𝘰𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘦 𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘈𝘮𝘢𝘻𝘰𝘯 𝘰𝘯 𝘱𝘶𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘥𝘢𝘵𝘦.

𝐑𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠: ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆

𝐃𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐥𝐚𝐢𝐦𝐞𝐫: 𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐤 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐨𝐭𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐦𝐲 𝐞𝐀𝐑𝐂 𝐢𝐧 𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐧 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐦𝐲 𝐡𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬 - 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐨𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐦𝐲 𝐨𝐰𝐧.

A spooky different horror story that will leave you wanting more. I'll admit to being a huge fan of Graham Masterton's Katie McGuire series but I've not really loved his horror books until now. I think what I enjoyed the most about this spooky thriller is that managed to deliver something different than your usual run of the mill ghost story. The setting was excellent, who doesn't love an abandoned hospital! The book left me thinking about it long after the story ended which to me is a mark of good storytelling. I think I will continue to read more horror by this author.

Definitely an interesting read! Kept me engaged the whole time. The premise of a haunted military hospital turned fancy hotel was interesting. It read more like a mystery with horror elements and was a bit long at times, it kept me reading because I wanted to solve the mystery . Don’t get me wrong there’s definitely some spooky and visceral moments which is pretty par for Masterton. Great book for spooking yourself out during the spooky season! Publish date 10/1/2022

***Thank you to Netgalley and Atria for the eARC***

This was my first Graham Masterton novel. It is filled with all the thrills, chills and in this case shrills of a great horror story. I was originally drawn to this book by its title. It did not disappoint!! The story is set at St. Philomena’s Military hospital. It was once busy and filled with activity. It housed injured soldiers who had returned from the war in Afghanistan. It has since been abandoned and a developer has employed Lillian Chesterfield to begin the process of renovation. It turns out this building may not have ever been truly abandoned. While attempting to start work on this project Lillian steps into a nightmare. Loud screams, apparitions, footsteps, doors slamming and knives seemingly floating in mid air. Is this some elaborate hoax to prevent any progress on this project? Are there truly tortured spirits begging for a way out? It is so worth finding out!!!
I truly enjoyed this page-turner! It is obvious that Masterton is an extremely skilled writer. I loved that it was original, entertaining and provocative. I look forward to diving into more of his work and I highly recommend this spooky read!

I am a big fan of Graham Masteron's books and was delighted to have been offered an arc of The House at Phantom Park for review.

This is a solid 3 star read for me. It is a good, unique storyline of a haunted former military hospital now in the line for renovation and conversion to luxury flats. Strange things happen such as noises, voices, cutlery being strewn around the kitchens, and when two surveyors fall prey to mysterious pain and paralysis while calling for a now retired commander from an overseas trip to Afghanistan, events gain momentum.

There are some gory scenes in this book, so beware, if that is not your thing. The book felt a little dragged out at times and I found I didn't have any characters that I warmed to enough to root them on. All in all, a quick read and perfect for Halloween.

The House at Phantom Park
By Graham Masterson

Horror is not my genre, but with Hallowe'en approaching I thought I'd dip into one. What drew me to this title was the cover, I know, how shallow, but it screamed of gothic haunted house. Set in a creepy ex military hospital it should have had all the atmosphere I craved, but unfortunately for me, this book was more like cozy horror (is there such a thing?) meets police procedural.

I found the characters a bit one dimensional, there was nothing there for me to root for. The plot felt a little formulaic and it dragged. Not for me, but should be perfect for those looking for something for the haunting season.

Publication date: 1st October 2022
Thanks to #netgalley and #ariafiction for the egalley

St Philomena’s House once belonged to a rich family, but in later years it had been used as a serviceman’s hospital, catering mainly for those injured during the Afghanistan war. The building has seen more than its fair share of tragedy and pain. Now abandoned for years, the property has been snapped up by a developer to turn into luxury apartments, with the promise of a profit expected in excess of £30,000,000. The personnel put in charge of the huge development are Lillian and her assistant David, and Lillian is adamant that nothing is going to get in between her and her commission. However, when unexplained events escalate, things take quite a different turn

I think this might be the first book I have read by this author, and it is quite a specific style of writing. The intro was good, though a little sexist, and I got into the story quite quickly. Sadly the book started to unravel and became less than absorbing as the plot went along. There was a lot of repetition and waffle, with the main characters becoming very annoying. The story plodded along, and, I though appreciate poetic licence, some actions were ridiculous. I did like that the author didn’t back down and take the easy route of all ok in the end, but chapter 31 was unnecessary and more than a little twee!

Thank you NetGalley.

Sadly, I couldn't get into the swing of things with The House at Phantom Park. There was shade of 'Men Writing Women Badly' that was unshakeable and made the experience unenjoyable.

Solid mystery/thriller with horror elements. I enjoyed the premise of this book, the primary setting being a potentially haunted hospital. The story line was intriguing and the horror elements were well done, there is some graphic scenes through out so be warned. I didn’t particularly like the some of the characters they felt a little one dimensional to me. Also the pacing was another negative for me, there seems to be portions of the story that just dragged.

Another great read from Graham Masterton. It was a good story, with great characters. Can't wait for more from Graham Masterton. #TheHouseatPhantomPark #NetGalley

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and the author, for an ARC of this book, in exchange for an honest review.
The premise of the book drew me in but once I started reading it, I just couldn’t get into it at all.
I wish the author, publisher and all those promoting the book much success and connections with the right readers.

The house of Phantom Park by Graham Masterton

St Philomena’s Military hospital used to be a busy hospital mainly looking after the injured soldiers that returned from the war in Afghanistan. Years later the hospital is now abandoned and ready for re-development. It’s Lillian Chesterfield’s job, she works for a well know building company to make it ready for re-development for a luxury housing development.
But when the building works start, things turn out to be a nightmare when the workers hear people screaming in pain, doors slamming, and knives are floating in the air from the hospital’s kitchen. But when they check it out. There is no one to be seen.
Lillian thinks it is a couple of Activists that are joking about and trying to stop the development and not ghosts that the rest of the development team think there is. She doesn’t believe in ghosts. But these sightings and screams of pain are not from just ordinary ghosts.
Thank you, Aria and Ares, for a copy of Graham Masterton’s latest offering. I am quite a late bloomer regarding the works of Mr Masterton. I have been reading his works for the past two years. This is another interesting tale from the author set in abandoned hospital with spooky goings on. What more do you want? I really enjoyed the premise of the story and regarding the ghosts which I thought was unique take on them. It had great characters except for the protagonist Lillian, she did annoy me a bit as I was astounded how far gone the horrors that took place in the hospital before she believed what was happening and don’t get me started on the abrupt ending. 3.5 stars from me.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.
This was a good one. I had a hard time putting it down. Finally a thriller that is different than all the others!

This book gave me chills! The hospital setting was a refreshing break from all the haunted house stories. It did drag in places and the ending wasn’t what I was expecting. Overall I think this book was more of a mystery with elements of horror mixed in.

St. Rosalia’s Hospital was a Victorian building adjacent to the see. The hospital was run by Dr. Vincent Grayling and houses fifteen terminally ill patients. Dr. Grayling believed that the old ways of medicine was the best way. Upon the doctors passing, the property was sold to John and Petulia Peterson who hope to turn it into a hotel.

They couple is optimistic and excited for this opportunity. However, they begin hearing strange noises at night. Eventually they discover the doctors medical notes. Things pick up from there.

The House at Phantom Park is available October 1, 2022.

Thank you to Netgalley and Arias & Aries for this book in exchange for my honest review.

This was so so creepy! Kept me up at night but in a good way. I loved it and will be re reading on the spooky Halloween nights just to scare myself even more!

Suitably icky and creepy, "The House at Phantom Park" is perfectly matched with a cold winter's night when you're alone in the house! It's a great story, with Graham Masterton's usual standard of writing. I found the characters slightly flat though and would have liked to see a little more of their personalities coming through.

My thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley. This review was written voluntarily and is entirely my own, unbiased, opinion.

Graham at his best, a slightly different take on the haunted house theme and it works wonderfully. Full of thrills and chills could not put it down.
I received this book from Aries, Head of Zeus and Netgalley for a review.

The House at Phantom Place
⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
Genre: Horror
Format: Kindle eBook
Date Published: 10/13/22
Author: Graham Masterton
Publisher: Head of Zeus
Pages: 480
GR: 3.17

I requested a digital advanced readers copy from NetGalley and Head of Zeus and providing my opinion voluntarily and unbiased.

Synopsis: Those who walk past St Rosalia's Hospital wonder what happens inside the large, mysterious Victorian building that overlooks the sea. Until recently, the hospital was run by one doctor with a total of 15 patients, all of whom were terminally ill. The epidemiologist Dr Vincent Grayling was a pioneering practitioner for his radical belief that old medicinal practises should not be so-readily dismissed. But the doctor recently passed away, and so the building was sold to John and Petulia Pearson, hoteliers from Dorset. At first, the couple are brimming with excitement for their seaside hotel. But before long, they start to hear coughs and groans in the middle of the night. And when they discover Grayling's medical notes, it becomes clear that the noises are not in their head.

My Thoughts: The plot of a haunted hospital vibe is what drew me to the book and the cover is pretty creepy. The ghost aspect gave this book a unique spin, that I enjoyed. This book is classified as a horror book but I felt like it was more of a mystery, which is not a bad thing. The book is a bit of a slow burn and long winded, I think it could have been a little shorter and still be effective. The MCs continued denial of believing into the paranormal dragged a little bit, I believe the initial disbelief followed by belief would have worked better. There are some very gory details, dark, disturbing, and makes for a perfect book leading into Halloween. There was a-lot of focus on the police investigation, which did not bother me as I tend to like police procedure novels. This book releases next month, which is perfect timing for Halloween!

The House At Phantom Park was an interesting twist on the haunted house trope. Renovating an old hospital into a luxurious building may sound familiar and ghosts that wander the forgotten rooms are not unheard of. However, there is something quite unusual going on when people working in the building are taken over by excruciating pain along with vivid memories of catastrophic injuries they are positive they suffered even though it would have been impossible.
I can't say there were many scares involved since it seemed like more of a mystery than a horror, as people attempted to figure out the hows and whys of this bizarre situation.
The pacing could have been a bit faster for my taste. After a spectacular start things slowed way down or maybe it's just me not having a lot of interest in police work in horror novels. I almost always tend to skim once detectives appear in a plot.
Overall a very creative story that was definitely worth a read.

Another masterpiece from the Master of Horror. In this book he has turned the ghost into something more abhorrent. After reading the blurb I knew this was the book for me. That was it I hooked from the first to the last page and finally turned the last page at 2.am. Yes this book is that good!!!!. I was totally immersed in the story that was unfolding. The premise was original and definitely not what I was expecting and so absorbing. The time just flew when I was reading. Terrifying and heart breaking. I absolutely loved this book and so highly recommended.
Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in return for giving an honest review.