Thank you Netgalley and Publisher for this Arc!

This is a great new look on the haunted hospital up for renovations idea that is found in some other ghost stories. I really love the haunted hospital vibe because it offers so much for gruesome and intense horror which this book certainly has. Also, this story has a very unique take with these ghosts, how they affect their victims and where exactly they are from. All of this together gave me a very satisfying spooky read!

If you enjoy books by this author and intense ghost stories then this may be the perfect read for you!

Out October 1, 2022!

Content Warning for gruesome details and depictions.

I'm going to try and write this review and not sound ageist or mean but perhaps Graham Masterton's time at writing horror has come and gone. I've read his books in the past but this....this shows that he has lost his touch a bit. This truly is a book of an old man spilling out sexist thoughts about a woman's body and stick in the mud ideals. With some light horror and 'spooky' things tossed in.

Not as scary as one would hope after 400 pages.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review. this book.

All I can say is… bizarre!

This book started out extremely eerie and is actually the first book I’ve ever read where I had to stop reading at night because it creeped me out that much… which I LOVE. I never get creeped out by books, so I had very high hopes. But it quickly went from a haunted, creepy, dark book, to extremely gory and graphic with disturbing, highly descriptive scenes of bodies blowing apart. Though I really did like the unique lore behind it all!

Though very disgusting and pretty repetitive, it held my attention and had me turning the pages to find out what happened next. The language style in it felt a little odd, and maybe a bit formal. But maybe that's just because of where the setting was and how they speak there. The characters were flat with nearly no backstory, so I was never able to connect or feel much for any of them. And as with other reviewers, I agree the story was all over the place and could’ve definitely used quite a few more edits to fix that and the dialogue.

Although a lot of aspects fell flat, and it might’ve been a bit much at times in terms of gross factor, it excelled in creepiness and besides a couple of trigger warnings, I very much recommend horror lovers to check this one out.

Thank you for this ARC that was generously provided by the publisher and author via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Honestly I struggled through this. The story and premise of the book was grest, could have been brilliant. But the characters were just so flat. No one appeared to have any reaction to anything that happened. No matter how gruesome. Full of potential but not realised.

I really enjoyed reading this book, it was weird and creepy and it kept me hooked the entire time. Full of twists!

I don't often read horror and I don't believe I have ever read a book by Graham Masterton. That being said, I kind of enjoyed it!

My interest was held and I was a little surprised at the ending- I got part of it but not all. I also thought some of the Afghani customs etc,, if they are true, were interesting to read about.

I will give a thumbs-down on the author commenting on how Lilian would get out of breath from going up the stairs, comments about her weight, and comments about her not putting Spanx on WITH HER JEANS. I mean, when you are fearing for your life and job, I don't think these things are worth much of a mention!

While there were disturbing images (Ex. Blown up bodies, ect.) nothing ever truly felt scary. Hardly even suspenseful. It just felt a tad drug out.

I don’t want to spoil anything but some of the lore that was questioned and discussed was extremely interesting and had so much potential. But it just missed the mark. I feel like what held this book back the most were the living characters. Lillian had the potential to be a very strong MC and just… wasn’t. She even had a troubled past that they just never explored. It was just touched upon during an anticlimax conversation.

The best character was Martin. But even still, he didn’t portray any passion. Just fact. This character could have been more. So much more.

I love horror so I was really excited to read this, but very disappointed.

The first two chapters were a good setup and I was a little intrigued and then I have no idea what happened. It jumped all over the place after that and almost felt like I was reading more than one book.

I do not normally read horror, my over active imagination just does not do well with it. However, sometimes a book just comes along and begs to be read. Thanks to the publishers of The House at Phantom Park and NetGalley, this book did just that. And OMG, mind has been in a complete twist since I started the book. This book put me in the mind set of House on Haunted Hill. It even gave me moments of the jeebies and Lord when my dog barked after I'd really got going into it I nearly fell out of my chair. Luckily I love being scared, Graham Masterton will be my future go to when I feel the need for the feeling. I thank him for an amazing ride, which is always a given when you end up liking the character you disliked for the whole book, at the end.

When compared to other horror stories I have read, The House at Phantom Park never gripped me, made me feel suspense or even scare me.

The book never felt original either and I felt like I was reading a story that was based on other stories such as Hill House, The Turning of The Screw and other haunted house stories.

The characters also didn’t connect and not caring for characters especially in a horror story can hurt the story overall.

I received an ARC of The House at Phantom Park, by Graham Masterton. This is a really good book. Turning a haunted building into a new development , should not be that hard. Hearing people screaming when no one is around, people getting sick or injured, working on the project. A great book to read around Halloween.

Loved this! Tense, intense and thrilling in all the right places - thriller-lovers must give this a shot, the author has done a fab job ! will look forward to more.

The House at Phantom Park is a haunted house/mystery that follows Lilian and David as they try to uncover what exactly is happening around them. Lilian and David work for a company that is renovating St Philomena's, an abandoned military hospital, into luxury apartments. Lots of spooky occurrences puts the project on hold, and sets Lilian and David off to find out what is causing these abnormal events.
The opening of this book was creepy and really set the mood for the story, however I felt that the book as a whole did not live up to the first few chapters. The main characters were slightly bumbling and refused to believe that the house could be haunted, even after witnessing several events that proved otherwise.
The ghost story aspect was creepy, but a little drawn out and repetitive.
My biggest issue with this book was the way Lilian was written. She is constantly thinking about her weight and appearance, looking at herself in the mirror, and telling herself she needs a man in her life. Actual women do not behave like this, and it is insulting, as an actual woman, to read women written this way.
Some examples:
"Lilian climbed out of the car and straightened her skirt. She had put on three or four pounds this week and the waistband was slightly too tight for her. .... She wished she had put on her Spanx" No. A normal adult's weight will fluctuate 5 - 6 pounds in a single day. 3 pounds in a week is not cause for clothes to become too tight. And Lilian is at work at this point, probably thinking about all the work she has to do, not what her ass looks like in this skirt.
"She went closer to the mirror, stood on the tiptoe and peered up at herself, and she was pleased to see that she didn't look as chubby as she felt" She is actively searching the house for intruders at this point, and stops to check herself out in the mirror?? Women do not do this.
"... I've managed to lose quite a bit a weight since I've been here." Lilian says in regards to the lifts not working. Again, while actively searching for intruders/spirits she would not be thinking about her weight. Women do not do this!
"She thought how much she needed a man in her life now. As strong as she was, she needed a man she could turn to, a man who could protect her and restore her confidence. ... all of the strange things that had been happening here at St Philomena's was making her feel useless and worthless and unattractive." OMG this passage made me roll my eyes so hard. Women. Do. Not. Think. Like. This. A haunted house situation does not make a woman feel unattractive?! Like, I don't even know how you get from "ooh spooky ghosts" to "I'm so unattractive" in the same sentence.
I'd give this 1 star just for the way Lilian was written, but it was creepy enough for me to add an extra star. Plus, I love the cover.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

I'm more of a thriller fan since I can never sleep after horrors, even though I love them, but I found this horror was actually a lot more nuanced than jist a typical ghost story. There was a lot of police procedural elements to it and I liked that the author added in a unique back story for the supernatural elements that were happening. I dont know if it's factual and a genuine belief of the Afghani people but it was fascinating all the same. I love hearing about the legends and folklore of other cultures so maybe that's why I connected more woth this horror rhan some others did? I also liked that it wasn't jist a bog standard haunted old hospital story because that's been done 20 million times before! It's cleverly written to incorporate the backstory and yeah, it was a good, scary wee read. It was atmospheric and there was a decent build up, even if it was pretty obvious who was behind it all. I really enjoyed it

Graham Masterton has written another haunted property book, this time a old hospital that housed soldiers who were injured in Afghanistan and this book was not as graphic as some of Mr Masterton previous novels, I’ve always loved the depths he goes to, to get the back ground stories, to make it more believable. My only quibble was the ending as it was quite abrupt.

DNF at 20%. This story was all over the place. I did not care for any of the characters and the dialogue seemed forced.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for my ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This book was kind of all over the place in regard to the storyline. It was not bad, but I just do not think I understood what the author was going for.

Disturbing. Original. Terrifying. The 'master of horror' is back with the chilling tale of what lurks in the walls of an abandoned hospital. WOW, WOW, WOW, WOW WOW. Do not miss this book. It is sooo well written, completely gripping so make sure you set aside many hours so that you can greedily devour it in one swoop. With an eye for precise detail balanced by a sweeping imagination, this beautifully constructed book is built on deep foundations. Read it at least twice….

This was an unusual horror- as in, it was not that horrifying. I zoned out at parts as it seemed to drag. Unfortunately, it just was not for me.

Hotel owners, John and Petulia, purchase an anabdoned hospital with hopes to remodel. However, the hospital, which underwent some brutal medical practices in the past, is now supposedly haunted.

The book went off the deep end, plot wise. Not a fan.

My head is still spinning from the ending of this book.