Graham Masterton is a master of gore! The House at Phantom Park is a bloody tale of pain and what some took back with them from war. Cursed ghosts in a old vet hospital and the men and women who come along to repurpose the place into housing. One by one they are befallen and the need to figure out what is happening becomes immense. Terrifying, gruesome and one great read.

Thank you NetGalley for this arc

The House at Phantom Park is a horror novel about a woman charged with redeveloping an old military hospital who finds it isn't as empty as expected. Lilian works for a building company who has plans of turning St Philomena's, an ex-military hospital, into luxury housing. As she and her colleagues start work there, they start hearing weird things, and then someone ends up in excruciating pain with no physical reason why. Something is going on at St Philomena's and Lilian believes she has to get to the bottom of it if she wants to keep her job.

I've not read a Graham Masterton book before and expected some classic horror, but I found this one to feel more like a police procedural horror, with a lot of focus on the police and the investigation, and not so much that felt very atmospheric. The plotline is a fairly typical horror one, with an abandoned location holding echoes of the past, and Masterton does give it a more complex backstory, but the characters didn't really feel properly formed or explored, which meant it didn't all come together. A lot of the main characters were described or presented in slightly weird ways, focusing on othering some of them or adding in weird details (for example, Lilian's refusal to have a Covid vaccine was a throwaway line meant to make her seem like a sceptic, but it didn't really add anything as she was already spending pages denying anything could be supernatural).

Ultimately, it was an interesting concept that didn't work for me in terms of execution, as the plot was more police investigation than horror half the time and the characters felt underdeveloped and at times presented weirdly. I like horror that says things about society or people or situations, and this didn't feel like one of those, with confusing messages about the police (there's a weird throwaway line about Hillsborough) and war, so maybe people who prefer more straightforward, predictable horror will enjoy this more.

DNF at 30%. I'm finding the dialogue stilted and I'm just not connecting to the story. Many thanks to the publisher for the opportunity to read an advanced copy.

I will not be reviewing on retailer sites out of fairness.

Firstly I’d like to thank the publisher and Net Galley for the opportunity to read this ARC, however my views are my own.

I have been a fan of Graham Masterton for many years so I was excited to find this on Net Galley, the book has an interesting take on the haunted hospital plot and includes some very gory details.

Although I enjoyed it I found that at times the book dragged on a bit too much for my liking and the MC’s insistent denial of believing in ghosts/paranormal got to be a bit grating after a while.

I wish I could rate this higher as I did enjoy it however as I said it just dragged too much in places and I found it easy to guess what was going to happen

The premise of this book is interesting- it’s a take on the haunted abandoned hospital plot line that I found interesting. Do be warned, however, that this definitely has some gory descriptions.

The plot line kept me reading, as I wanted to know exactly what was going on with this hospital! The main character seemed a bit too insistent about her reluctance in believing in ghosts/supernatural elements for my liking.

I did not like that a female character’s pain/suffering was oddly sexually described, or that when some characters mentioned that if another character (keeping it vague so to not spoil) was a woman then God would need to help them. Both these instances were unnecessary and distracting as a reader, as instead of focusing on the story I was annoyed at the characterization of women/what was being implied about women. Both those references could have been easily edited out as they don’t add anything significant to the plot line, they’re just offhand comments.

Overall, I thought this was a good creepy story and I liked that it was something different than a typical haunted house story.

An abandoned hospital in England is due to be transformed into luxury apartments. Unfortunately terrible things start to happen when the work begins and project leader Lilian is not sure what to think. She does not want to believe that the building is haunted but the reality may be even worse.

This is the first book I have read by Graham Masterton, I was hooked immediately and couldn’t wait to find out what happened next. I enjoyed how each chapter left you wanting to know more.

However it is not for the faint-hearted and certainly not one to read late at night - as I discovered! The writing during the tense scenes was so well done which really gave it the shock factor. I think I would have enjoyed this book even more if I had connected better with the characters.

Overall an entertaining read, I would definitely pick up more of Graham Masterton’s books.

This book had a good twist on the standard haunted hospital/mansion vibe. There was, unfortunately, an excessive amount of screaming at every other page. I wish the characters were more developed overall but it was a good horror read and entertaining overall.

I received a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Thanks to Netgalley for a free copy for an honest review.

I must star this review with.. Please read it!
this book got me from the first page, it was truly well written. It was so entertaining, I couln't stop reading it. The character was so real for me that I was speaking with them.
I was really suffering with all the people in the hospital, each of them was suffering with something and was so real for me.
I never got bored, it was so intense, this book was the first I read of this genre. I will always recommend it.

Looking for a great quality read? look no further. I’m honoured to have been given this to read and review.
From page one I was engrossed all the way to the end. Every page worth reading.
I’ve always enjoyed this author’s work.

I do so love Graham Masterton. He's such a wonderful author. This book, minus a few continuity errors, was creepy, gory and visceral. I like how he played fast and loose with Middle Eastern mythology, mixed it with some great British gallows humor and seasoned it with just enough humanity to make you genuinely like most of the characters. (I say most of, because you're not supposed to like them all)

I enjoyed this book, and horror fans probably will too.

Thanks to Netgalley, Graham Masterton (a really nice guy, by the way) and Head of Zeus Publishing for allowing me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

I love this fast paced thriller/mystery. It was highly enjoyable from first page to last. The characters were real and relatable and the plot was incredibly interesting.

This was a creepy read with a dark and chilling atmosphere woven through the book. It was well written with a compelling storyline and well developed characters. I really enjoyed it.

In the best tradition of haunted houses Graham Masterton presents us with a former military hospital where strange phenomena are constantly occurring, affecting those who approach.
Although the plot is not new the author with his mastery knows how to make good use of it and gives us an entertaining book with a good dose of tension and moments of terror that keeps you trapped until the end.

Lilian Chesterfield is a successful British developer who has been sent by her company to the site of the now defunct St. Philomenas Military Hospital. Lilian and her company will be creating a luxury housing complex in the same spot.

Lilian finds problems at every turn. The true issue is that the hospital is not abandoned - the ghosts or spirits or poltergeists of soldiers still roam the halls. But because Lilian doesn't believe in ghosts, the spirits need to find another way to communicate with her - putting her life in danger. If you like haunted spots, abandoned hospitals and ghosts and poltergeists, The House At Phantom Park is for you!
#Aria&Aries #HeadofZeus #NetGalley #TheHouseatPhantomPark

It was an interesting read and my first Masterton book.
I went through the pages quickly since they were so easy to understand.
My favorite places to wander in mind are old, abandoned hospitals and asylums just mind as real things would not be as creepy as in the places in this book, on the whole an haunting read.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading The House at Phantom Park, by Graham Masterton. I had many twists and turns and I would never have guessed the ending. I highly recommend this book

My thanks to Aria and Aries books, Graham Masterton and Netgalley.
I've been reading and collecting Masterton books for as long as I can remember. I've still got a few shelves full of them. None of which I could ever give or throw away. I'll leave that to others!
Those books are still safe. But, I must confess that I've found it very difficult lately to like Masterton or his books. Let's face it, the man is old and very unlikely to change his ways!
Still, I keep reading.

I had a few issues on how he portrayed a couple character's, but I'll give it a pass.
I really didn't expect to like this story much, but I always have to give him a go because his books can be so disgusting and scary!
Turns out that while I wasn't scared, I managed to find some life in my poor shriveled up heart!
The conclusion of this story was awful/heartbreaking/a painful loss/ etc...

4.5 stars rounded up

Graham Masterton has done it again! This man can write, there is no doubt about that. This is just another in his long list of amazing works. The characters are complex, the story is tense and atmospheric, and everything is just creepy enough. Can’t wait to own my physical trophy I mean copy!

The House at Phantom Park by Graham Masterton

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.

As a much younger person I devoured horror books , Stephen King , Robin Cook , James Herbert , but never Graham Masterton. Wow , I've been missing out on a wonderful author.
Fantastically creepy story which builds as the story unfolded with plenty of chills to thrill .
This book has re-lit my interest in horror and I will be looking out for the authors back catalogue.

I had the best time reading The House at Phantom Park by Graham Masterton

This was an expertly, skilfully plotted novel and on the outset the reader would never imagine how this one ends.
The mystery and building tension was very well done.
The characters were also very interesting, and well portrayed.
It was very intriguing but at the same time. The House at Phantom Park is one amazing horror story, was full of suspense and mystery and kept me on the edge of my seat the entire time.
My first time reading anything from the author and I'm very satisfied with my first experience.
I am so grateful to have been given the chance to read his newest release.

“I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.”

Aria & Aries,
Thank you for your generosity and gifting a copy of this approved eARC!