This is a well written, competent ghost story but unfortunately it just didn’t grab me at all.

I found it quite slow and lost interest several times.

On a dark, cold, stormy night I read this book while drinking my coffee. It was a great read that had enough suspense to keep you in the edge of your seat.

A splendid haunted house thriller that follows a family trying to make a fresh start in a bargain-priced house with a history. Sharp writing and clever plot twists keep the reader engaged as the horror builds and accelerates to a satisfying ending you will not see coming.

A solid book that started out with some interesting supernatural touches, that gave me lots of images of The Conjuring, but the last third of the book became something completely different and it didn't work for me at all. I lost all interest in the characters and although the threat level was amping up I felt less inclined to care about what was happening. Definitely worth a read for the first two thirds alone and would be interested in reading more from this author in the future.

My my my..is this a psychological thriller, a haunted house tale or a supernaturally leaning yarn?

How about a little of this, a pinch of that, all of which blend into an uncomfortable read which creaks and spooks the reader as much as the house which the Easton's move into...

An intriguing preface from a girl named Mary intimates that there is at least one secret that the house will at some point reveal, followed by a swift introduction to the Eastons, courtesy of first person narrator, Alice.

The Eastons are dad Frank, mum Debra, and kids Dean and Alice. The house they are buying is in a real state-Frank plans to fix it up and 'flip' it for a profit. Flipping is his latest passion and the reader cannot help but wonder if a) he has bitten off more than he can chew and b)if the house is a metaphor for their marriage which needs fixing up. As he tours Debra and  Alice(Dean hasn't arrived yet) through their new home, he seems increasingly desperate to prove that this is a good move for them all.

Alice wanders through the house, trying to familiarise herself with the layout-avoiding the creep basement. As she does,uneasy feelings overwhelm her. It is a rundown, dilapidated pile with multiple danger points so when she sees a peeling edge of wallpaper, she pulls on it thinking no one will notice her knowing act of defiance against the house. She is shocked to find her vandalism revealing a primitive four figure family, scrawled on the wall.

The only difference is that the Eastons cat,Baxter, is replaced with a dog.

Possibly a complete coincidence, however, with a snow front coming and the eerie feeling building, a very Shining-esque situation begins to creep over the reader .

This is a family in peril from forces which are both internal and external and whether any of them will survive to the end is suddenly thrown into doubt, beginning with a diary found by Alice, written by Mary-but what happened to the family who lived there before? Where is Mary? And who is crossing off the figures on the wall as one at a time, the Eastons disappear?

Ordinary people thrust into extraordinary situations which demand of them acts of defiance, resilience and love. Fighting themselves as well as finding themsleves, this Winchester House style property resembles a huge dollshouse,into which the author has placed his characters, and then lets rip with all sorts of situations and spookiness that will please, in this readers opinion, fans of CJ Tudor and Sarah A Denzil.

An atmospheric horror story I loved it! Told from a child's point of view. A creepy story about a family falling apart. One to re-read I think as I liked it so much.

A scary, edge of your seat book. Never a dull moment! I wanted a creepy read and this definitely fit! I read it in one sitting (one night) because I couldn't put it down! I look forward to more from this author.
I received an ARC of this book from Netgalley. Thank you, Netgalley!
All opinions are my own.

Okay so this had that creepy factor to it and I loved it. Yet, the only thing that bothered me truly was the fact at the end we were given a visual of the burnt man's private area? That was one thing that I believe could have been left out as this wasn't that type of book. By that I mean, we are not talking about private areas throughout the book so to have that one part in it kind of was weird in my opinion. Other than that it was a good read.

A family moves into this fixer-upper and they got a good deal on it, yet as the story goes they seem to start to change with their demeanor. Weird things are happening and the tension is high with the parents. As the story unfolds things will not be like it seems.

What do the X's mean that happen to appear on the wall marking out members of a family? Jump in and find out.

I very much enjoyed this one I love horror and creepy books and this one is well worth a read especially as Halloween Is coming up give it a go

The beginning of this story was pretty standard. Family moves into an old house and then stuff goes wrong. I enjoyed the story up until about 40% through then it all started to fall apart for me. I could not attach to any of the family members enough to care about them. This was an easy book to get through and I would recommend it to people that haunted house stories. It just was not the one for me.

After reading the author's previous book 'Toy Chief' I had him on my radar and was thrilled to see a new title was out, and found that I like 'One by One' even better.

The story is told from the POV of young girl Alice, who moves with her family into a decrepit house that "they bought at a steal", as her father doesn't tire to tell them. However, the other family members can't share his enthusiasm over this slightly creepy, labyrinthine building. Soon, Alice notices odd things to happen after she discovers a child's drawing on the floor wall: a family of stick figures, complete with pet Alice's father grows an aggressive streak Alice never would have thought this usually easy-going man to be capable of. Even her mother is more irritated than usual. Then, a diary appears in Alice's room which belonged to a girl that previously lived in the house, telling her tragic story. Also, Alice thinks she glimpsed a strange person lurking about the house.

But things really start to get scary when the drawn pet on the wall is crossed out with a thick black X and the family's cat is found dead soon after. While her parents believe Alice or her sulking brother might be behind that cruel joke and the cat simply drowned by accident, Alice is sure something unnatural, maybe even supernatural, is haunting their new home. From there on, events come thick and fast. Only Alice recognizes what is behind all this, and it is up to her to face whatever is threatening to destroy her family.

Compared to 'Toy Thief', I found that the plot of 'One by One' appears more of a piece, leading you down a spiralling path into the depth of insanity. For a long time you are not sure what causes the mysterious events. Every now and then, the path changes directions, washing overboard previously nurtured suspicions, only to come up with a new possibility after the next turn. Alice was a believable and likeable character. It was impressive to see how she outgrew her old shy, pensive self and became the strong and determined fighter it took to stand up for her family.

The author put a lot of thought into the details, which fit together like puzzle pieces, but missing the original pattern, so that only at the end, when everything is put together neatly, you are able to recognize the scary overall picture.

I would like to thank NetGalley, the publisher and the author for my advanced copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

This book left me with mixed feelings. It took quite a while to get into it and I was starting to get worried I'd DNF it. But then, family members started disappearing and my heart quickened. D.W. Gillespie really knows how to draw you into the fear, the confusion, the accusations that drive this story. I was genuinely frightened at times. For a while it is unclear what kind of villain we are dealing with and this makes this novel deliciously complex and triggers just the right emotions. For a while the book reminded me of the Amityville horror plot with a modern twist. Are these disappearances linked to a supernatural power, is the dad going crazy, is the protagonist completely unreliable, or is there something else at bay entirely? Eventually, I was able to predict the ending and that took away some of my enjoyment - particularly since the ending felt common.

So overall, this novel has a great middle wedged between a meh beginning and a boring ending. I still recommend this book because the middle portion was just really damn good.

**3.5-stars rounded up**

When the Easton family moves into a decrepit old house they are divided as to whether it is a good thing. Alice, the youngest, and her father, Frank, are excited to learn the secrets of the old house, while older brother, Dean, and mother, Debra, are less enthused.

Frank insists the fixer-upper is exactly what the family needs. A project to draw them closer together. As they start to settle in, Alice, discovers a child's drawing under some tattered wallpaper. She calls the rest of the family to look and after the entirety of the drawing is revealed it becomes clear it is a drawing of a family. A family exactly like theirs.

When the family pet in the drawing is mysteriously drawn over with a giant black X and their aloof cat, Baxter, disappears, you are hit with the reality that something is very wrong with this house.

As with any horror story, the Easton family doesn't initially react to this as you would expect them too. They each suspect that someone in the family has done it as a sort of misguided trick. However when the X appears over Dean, they start to take things a little more seriously.

This story has a nice, eerie intensity running throughout, making it a perfect read for Spooktober. There is a found diary element to this that I also really enjoyed. You learn a bit about the mysterious family that lived in the house prior to the Eastons. As that is filled it, the horrific truth is finally revealed to the reader and it was pretty disturbing!

The Epilogue really tied everything together and I loved that the author chose to include that portion of the story. It was a really satisfying conclusion. This was my first Gillespie book and I definitely look forward to reading more from him in the future.

Thank you so much to the publisher, Flame Tree Press, for providing me with a copy of this to read and review. If you are looking for a quick spine-chiller to round out your October TBR, you should definitely check this one out!

This book begins like a typical haunted house story where a family moves to an old, dilapidated house. The move is due to the father’s plan to shake up their lives so the rest of the family is pretty unhappy. Of course things start going haywire!

The book is from the POV of the daughter, 10-year-old Alice. She’s smart but prone to daydreams so when weird stuff happen her family dismisses her concerns. I liked that while Alice is shown to be naive in some ways due to her age, she catches on pretty quickly. I could feel her frustration at her family's disregard for her worries. I thought the portrayal of the parents' marriage feels real and raw, even uncomfortable. It really added to the tension in the house. The way the family dynamic is depicted makes it clear that they love each other but there's an underlying stress. It asks the question of whether they can survive the move - and whatever else is thrown at them.

The story takes some time to get going but once it does, it‘s intense! It goes to places I didn’t expect and brings up the horrors of family secrets and lasting trauma. There is a pretty gruesome animal death so take note if this bothers you. Overall, this is a solid horror story, a nice twist on the haunted house trope.

A bittersweet reading. The story and the characters were good ideas, but some of the family members were plain and simple when they could have been way much more complex, and some of the scenes were unrealistic (who would let their daughter have the diary of a dead girl? Or leave that same daughter alone in the house after a strong discussion, in the middle of the night, after shich she almost killed herself by accident?)
The beggining was a a bit slow, but there were some parts that created such an atmosphere that I got totally into the reading, and the ending was way too unexpected. The author blurred the line between paranormal and mystery way to well, now all that is needed is a bit more of experience so future stories have a better developement, but a really good reading in the end.
Full review published on my blog: https://tintanocturna.blogspot.com/2019/10/resena-review-one-by-one.html

*Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for an ARC in return for a fair and honest review.
And it all becomes clear. I did not realize that I had previously read any of Gillespie's work until the moment I plugged "One by One" into my Goodreads account and saw that I had read an earlier novel titled "The Toy Thief". I clearly remember being very impressed with that book, and even comparing him in the review to King, my personal god of horror. I read "One by One" in a day, reading during my lunch hour and after work, becoming very cranky and resentful when asked to do things like make dinner for my children.
Gilespie's newest book is the familiar story of a family moving into a new (for them), creepy old house where weird things begin to happen. As an old hat at this horror stuff, it's unusual for me to read a book where I actually get creeped out, but Gillespie is able to achieve it. At one point early in the book the child finally convinces herself that the silhouette looking at her through the window has a logical explanation...until it begins to slowly tap a finger against the glass. Ugh. I guessed the twist well before it came, but that didn't diminish the creep factor when it actually happened. I need to purchase another of his novels....NOW. Highly recommended for jaded horror fans who think they can no longer be scared.

“But what secrets could owls have to tell?”
First off – massive apology to D.W. Gillespie, Flametree and Netgalley. I had this marked down as an October release and when I started to see the release posts and tweets, I realized I’d messed up! So, my sincere apologies for not getting this read and reviewed before release date! I actually have another book from Netgalley that I’ve done the same with, so need to get through that ASAP as well!
One by One is my first time reading Gillespie’s work and it definitely won’t be the last. I actually have the paperback copy of The Toy Thief already (thanks Flametree Fourth of July Sale!) and I’ll be diving into that once done my other physical read.
The book follows Alice and her family as they relocate into a new house. Well – new to them. Her dad, Frank, exclaims how they’ve lucked out and found a great deal. Once fixed up they’ll be sitting pretty.
Heard this before in horror stories, am I right?
Things soon unravel when a mysterious drawing is uncovered behind some old wall paper and it’s then that Gillespie ramps up the massive creep and fears.
I found a number of spots where I was legitimately creeped out and unnerved. Haunted house type tales always do that for me, but this one added the elements of a brutal blizzard, tense family dynamics and a piece of the house’s history inserted to add back story. It hummed along.
This would typically be a book that I’d whip through in one or two sittings, but with a number of books on the go, it ended up taking me waaaaay longer than I wanted. This isn’t a negative about the book at all, it was just the reality of my life at the moment.
I had one negative in the entire book, and truly it’s probably more of me just getting confused.
The house has a lot of odd architectural quirks. One such description was of a small door and a very narrow passageway. I didn’t completely comprehend what this was and where it was going. I know it was going to another room, and the room had stuff in it, but I’m still not sure if it was going up to the attic or across to another room on the same floor. This was just my issue and it wasn’t a big deal overall, but a few times I got a bit confused!
The ending to this book is superb. I felt something similar to what happened was going to happen but without being spoilery – I really dug how Gillespie finished this one off. And the epilogue after was a great touch.
This one is a stunning read, Gillespie can write his derriere off and it’s another fantastic release from Flametree. I highly recommend this for all readers of horror as there are elements from numerous sub-genres to really let the reader connect.
** This review will feature on Kendall Reviews! **

The Easton family(Frank, Debra, Dean, Alice, and their cat)is moving into a new house. Sure, it has some serious DIY issues, but by doing a lot of the work themselves, they will not only save money but also be the proud owners of a unique home. Of course, I choose One by One as one of my spooky October reads, so there is a lot more going on in this house than just your average fixer-upper a/k/a money pit.
The story is told by Alice, who is ten going on thirty. A girl prone to daydreaming who is wise beyond her years. When Alice discovers a picture underneath a section of old wallpaper, she is surprised to see a child's drawing of a family that is eerily similar to her own. What happened to these people and will Alice and her family fall victim to the same fate?
A lot is going on here and without veering into spoiler territory, it is hard to say more about the plot. The story is atmospheric, scary, and honestly, a very engaging read. There is a twist that I didn't see coming and this one checked many of my boxes for being a good, creepy tale. I read the author's book, The Toy Thief and enjoyed it, but I found One by One to be even better.
4 stars – A really solid read that made me glad I read the book. It didn't keep me up all night or make me abandon my plans, but I would recommend it without hesitation.
I received a DRC from Flame Tree Press through NetGalley.

I love reading horror/spooky books in the fall, especially around Halloween, so when I read the description for One by One, I was excited to pick it up! 

The book pretty quickly jumps into the creepy aspects - a family moves into a new house, albeit one that's run down, and has a violent past. When odd things start happening around Alice, and Alice's father starts acting out of character, I was excited for what was to come! 

That said, the further the book progressed, the less creepy it became, which admittedly dampened some of my excitement. I was hoping for a haunted house type of story, especially since this was positioned as a horror, not a thriller. I think had my expectations been more realistic, I would have landed at a solid 4 star rating, rather than a 3.5, which is what I'm rating this one. 

Expectations aside, I did enjoy the writing of the book, and it was a great read for fall, especially if you want something lightly spooky, but not very graphic or  supernatural.

Well shit. That was creepy as fuck and that only amplified after having a Ghost Adventures marathon the night before. Go big or go home I say. Nevertheless, I was highly impressed by the authors writing style and how he was able to showcase Alice, the ten year old lead, POV and her journey in finding out what was happening in her family's new home. I will note that despite the fact that this story is supposed to be in a 10 year old POV, the lead character had an almost grown-up persona and it didn’t make me feel like I was reading the story from the child’s perspective. Besides that flaw and lackluster epilogue in which case I didn’t think concluded the story in the way I envision, I wasn’t able to put this down. It was a non-stop suspense thriller creepfest surrounding a family who decided to move into a fix-upper while unbeknownst to them, something or <i>someone</i> lingers in the dark ready to strike. This would be perfect for readers looking for a little scare this upcoming holiday and would recommended that everyone keeps this author on their must watch list.