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3.6 AVERAGE
3.6 AVERAGE
A bit disappointing, ended with a whimper instead of a bang.
Not Rickman's best effort. I found the book too talky, and the characters not well distinguished. In some places, I had to go back to figure out who was talking or to pick up the narrative thread. I wanted to slap the main character, Grayle, several times to sober her up. She seemed weak and whiny, her motivations aren't clear, and she's pretty much a crap researcher.
I had a hard time imagining the house, and it didn't seem spooky at all--mostly an architectural disaster. There's too much talk about the house being a person, with nothing really happening to support this claim (cf. Thomas Hardy's landscapes).
And someone named their daughter "Trinity"? Good God!
I had a hard time imagining the house, and it didn't seem spooky at all--mostly an architectural disaster. There's too much talk about the house being a person, with nothing really happening to support this claim (cf. Thomas Hardy's landscapes).
And someone named their daughter "Trinity"? Good God!
Rickman stole my story! Many years ago, while recovering from a road accident, I acquainted myself with daytime television and uncovered a whole new world of Jeremy Kyle, Loose Women - and a place where Most Haunted is top of the food chain. Most Haunted with Yvette Fielding, perpetually in infra red, mouth wide open screaming at dust floating on the air and that ridiculous scouser making Doris Stokes look like Houdini on a daily basis. I started wondering about a story involving slebs locked up in a reality tv hellhole, where the hatred turns to murder. Should have got writing it really, with all that time with my feet up...
Anyway, here's valiant Phil with a reliable tale of celebrity mayhem, claustrophobia and violence, with the usual trademarks of steadily building tension, twists and turns and the dramatic and slightly disturbing finale. Big Other is a neat conceit and the link to some rather sordid history about Katharine Parr is well handled. It's solid, workmanlike stuff that satisfies an itch and I can't knock it - I wish I'd written it and I'd rather be reading this than watching Big Brother.
Anyway, here's valiant Phil with a reliable tale of celebrity mayhem, claustrophobia and violence, with the usual trademarks of steadily building tension, twists and turns and the dramatic and slightly disturbing finale. Big Other is a neat conceit and the link to some rather sordid history about Katharine Parr is well handled. It's solid, workmanlike stuff that satisfies an itch and I can't knock it - I wish I'd written it and I'd rather be reading this than watching Big Brother.
This was a really strange book, maybe in part because it’s written in 3rd person, present tense.
Around about the first half (maybe more) was setup. I kept hoping something would happen soon, but not much did.
Also, there is a character who dresses in women’s clothing but is constantly referred to as him/his throughout, but no explanation is given until at least halfway through the book. I was worried that this was a case of misgendering, but thankfully it turned out not to be; we’re seeing how the character thinks about himself. I wish that had been made clear much earlier, as it really bugged me until it was clarified.
Around about the first half (maybe more) was setup. I kept hoping something would happen soon, but not much did.
Also, there is a character who dresses in women’s clothing but is constantly referred to as him/his throughout, but no explanation is given until at least halfway through the book. I was worried that this was a case of misgendering, but thankfully it turned out not to be; we’re seeing how the character thinks about himself. I wish that had been made clear much earlier, as it really bugged me until it was clarified.
Liam Defford doesn't believe in ghosts. As the head of a production company, however, he does believe in high-impact TV. On the lookout for his next idea, he hires journalist Grayle Underhill to research the history of Knap Hall—a Tudor farmhouse turned luxury hotel, abandoned by its owners at the height of its success. The staff has been paid to keep quiet about what happened there, but the stories seep through. They're not conducive to a quick sale, but Defford isn't interested in keeping Knap Hall for more than a few months. Just long enough to make a reality TV show that will run nightly. A house isolated by its rural situation and its dark reputation; six people—known to the nation but strangers to one another—locked inside; but this time Big Brother is not in control.
Fantastic page turner. My only criticism is that because I was only able to read the first half in fits and starts I kept losing track of the multitude of characters - and the fact that they were referred to by different names (i.e. first name/last name/nickname) didn't make life any easier! Once I got stuck into the book I was riveted.
Fantastic page turner. My only criticism is that because I was only able to read the first half in fits and starts I kept losing track of the multitude of characters - and the fact that they were referred to by different names (i.e. first name/last name/nickname) didn't make life any easier! Once I got stuck into the book I was riveted.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I don't know if you've necessarily heard of Phil Rickman before, but in case you haven't, he write mysteries of a semi-paranormal bent. His most famous creation is Merrily Watkins, a diocesan exorcist, who gets pulled into mysteries by the local police force, when there seems to be things of a slightly paranormal bent going on.
Rickman hasn't written as much about her of late. Maybe it was becoming hard to come up with new stories (how many rural/semi-rural religious conundrums can there be?), so this book is different. It sees a group of z=list celebrities get locked in a haunted house for a week (a la Celebrity Big Brother), as they tell themselves horror/ghost stories a la one of those bad ghostly haunting shows, or Haunted by Chuck Palahniuk).
Personally, I liked it. My grumble for a while has been that they Watkins books haven't been that scary, and that it felt like he was jumping on bandwagons of late. This book isn't like that, and it feels better because of it.
Rickman hasn't written as much about her of late. Maybe it was becoming hard to come up with new stories (how many rural/semi-rural religious conundrums can there be?), so this book is different. It sees a group of z=list celebrities get locked in a haunted house for a week (a la Celebrity Big Brother), as they tell themselves horror/ghost stories a la one of those bad ghostly haunting shows, or Haunted by Chuck Palahniuk).
Personally, I liked it. My grumble for a while has been that they Watkins books haven't been that scary, and that it felt like he was jumping on bandwagons of late. This book isn't like that, and it feels better because of it.
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes