Following a personal bereavement & a scandal following her last true crime book, writer Alex Kelly is offered the opportunity to ghost-write a book about a long closed-down orphanage in Vermont named Coram House. The job means packing up & moving on-site to Vermont for 6 months but when Alex arrives some of the locals are rather unfriendly & definitely not co-operative, including her police liaison.

The Church who owned the orphanage paid out to some of the former occupants of Coram House for the abuse they suffered whilst there, but Alex is sure there is an additional story here - murder. She starts to investigate but someone wants the truth to stay hidden & will kill to ensure it does.

This could have been a really dark, almost gothic, mystery thriller - all the ingredients were there, but it was a bit of a miss for me. I think the issue is that the main character, Alex Kelly, is difficult to like. She does all the clichéd things: drinks too much making her unreliable, rushes into situations without thinking, thinks she's the only one who can solve a cold case, thinks she's the only one with any tragedy in her life, blah blah blah blah. Yes, I really didn't care for her character at all if you can tell so it affected my enjoyment of this one. 3.25 stars (rounded down)

My thanks to NetGalley & publishers, Bloomsbury Publishing PLC/Raven Books, for the opportunity to read an ARC.

Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing an eARC of this book. I was not paid to read and review this book, any thoughts or opinions expressed are my own.

3.75 ⭐️

Coram House follows writer Alex Kelley as she relocates to a new city to research and write a book about the mysterious Coram House. While digging into old depositions from a case that surfaced in the late ’80s, she discovers mention of a little boy known only as Tommy—and becomes determined to uncover what happened to him. The story includes several twists and red herrings, and I have to say, the final reveal genuinely surprised me, which I always appreciate.


Seybolt does a great job building an eerie, unsettling atmosphere—I definitely felt the tension as I read. That said, I had a few issues. I found myself frustrated by Alex’s repeated poor decisions; she somehow escapes danger despite making choices that seem to defy logic. I also felt the pacing was too slow in the beginning. I can appreciate a slow burn, but this one took a while to really find its momentum—it didn’t pick up until around the halfway point.


All in all, I did enjoy the book, especially for its suspense and the twist ending. But the slow start and occasionally maddening protagonist did detract from the overall experience.

Struggling true crime writer Alex is offered to ghost write a book about an old orphanage where a child vanished. Desperate for a fresh start she accepts. She travels to wintry Vermont and is soon discovering that there may be more to this mystery when she discovers a woman’s body in the lake. Are these events connected?

I liked the sound of this debut and I can say after reading that this was a solid mystery. I enjoyed the subject of the ghostwriter and the fact this was inspired by true life, which made it feel more authentic. The overall story was very well written and very atmospheric. Even though the story at time was very dark and bleak, I felt engaged in the plot and wanted to carry on to see what would happen.

The story is told in some mixed media and I enjoyed the interview transcripts. I think these added extra intrigue. The story was quite a slow burn, which I usually don’t love, however in this instance it worked. This was a clever, eerie debut overall and I would read more by this author. 3.5 stars rounded up. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this copy in return for an honest review.

Thank you NetGalley and Bloomsbury Publishing for this eCopy to review

I recently finished Coram House, and it was an eerie, atmospheric read that kept me hooked from start to finish. Seybolt blends true crime and fiction in a way that feels both unsettling and immersive, making this novel a gripping experience.

The story revolves around Alex Kelley, a struggling true crime writer who moves to Burlington, Vermont, to ghost write a book about Coram House, a now-abandoned orphanage with a dark past. Decades earlier, in 1968, nine-year-old Tommy vanished without a trace from the orphanage. Rumours swirled: some claimed a nun drowned him, others believed he ran away, and some even questioned whether he ever existed at all.

Fifty years later, Tommy’s disappearance remains unsolved. As Alex digs into the orphanage’s history, she uncovers disturbing accounts of abuse and secrecy. But things take a chilling turn when she discovers a woman’s body in the lake near Coram House. Convinced that the death is connected to the orphanage’s past, Alex pushes forward with her investigation, despite scepticism from local police officer Russell Parker. As more bodies turn up, Alex realizes that the key to solving the present-day murders lies in unravelling Tommy’s fate, before she becomes the next victim.

What I loved most about Coram House was its haunting atmosphere. Seybolt’s writing is incredibly immersive, making the orphanage feel like a character in itself, its decaying walls and buried secrets adding to the tension. The mystery unfolds in layers, keeping me engaged as Alex pieces together the truth. The novel also explores the ethics of true crime writing, questioning the impact of digging into past tragedies.

Overall, Coram House is a chilling and well-crafted mystery that blends real-life horrors with fiction. If you enjoy atmospheric thrillers with slow-burning tension, this one is worth picking up. A compelling and unsettling story.

Unfortunately, Coram House just didn’t work for me. I struggled to get into it from the start, mainly because the plot never truly hooked me. I wasn’t invested in the story or the characters, and I found myself indifferent to what was happening.

The book felt like it was trying to build off a previous story, even though it’s a standalone. There were heavy references to past events and character backstories that made it feel like I was missing some key context. I think the inclusion of mixed media or a more layered narrative could’ve helped build tension and intrigue, which the story really needed.

The main character didn’t resonate with me at all. Since the entire book is told through their POV, my lack of connection to them really impacted my enjoyment. I expected a slow-burn thriller, but what I got felt dry, predictable, and lacking in suspense.

While I appreciated the eerie setting—Coram House definitely had potential as a chilling backdrop—I felt it was underused. The wintery, isolated atmosphere could’ve been such a strong asset, but it never became a character in itself.

In the end, while the writing wasn’t bad, the story just didn’t land for me. I couldn’t connect, didn’t care about the outcome, and ultimately found it forgettable.

We start in the past. At Coram House back in the 60s, when it was an orphanage run by Nuns. There were rumours of cruel behaviour, injuries, disappearances, and deaths. One such disappearance/death was a young boy called Tommy. But with conflicting stories about him, was he real or just a story told to frighten kids? Did he die, run away, or did he never exist at all?
Enter true crime author Alex Kelley who is really struggling to write her second book. She has been commissioned to ghostwrite a book about the orphanage. To do so, she has to move to the locale, to Burlington Vermont, to take her instructions, and make a start on the research.
So she starts her investigations in earnest. Using both old written information and also interviewing several people, she starts to home in on Tommy's story. She also visits the old house which is being redeveloped, interestingly by one of the former residents.
And then a body turns up. Deemed to be an accidental death, Alex isn't convinced when the woman turns out to be related to Coram House. But she has some persuading to do as local cop Russell Parker is not convinced.
One of the things I loved about this book was its use to mixed media to "tell" the story via transcripts and court documents. I always find these to be a very good way of imparting a lot of information in a succinct and easy to follow way. We also go back to the past using flashbacks. These are injected perfectly to both illustrate what is happening in the present as well as progressing the story.
It's not a fast paced book. But the pacing does match the narrative. It is all about a cold case after all and these tend to move at a much slower pace than a fresh case. It also helps and adds to the chilling nature of the case in question. A case that I understand is born from reality and which chilled me when I read more about it.
I also took to Alex as a character right from the start. She both interested and intrigued me and was well fleshed out with a tragic back story. She also progressed nicely throughout the book, which was good for both her and me as a reader.
And if I wasn't impressed enough by this book, I find out that it is a debut, which kinda blew me away. And led me to wondering what the author will follow up with? I am definitely going to be looking out for that...
My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

Thanks to @netgalley and @bloomsburypublishing for my ADC. This was a fantastic debut, beautifully crafted and based on a heart-wrenching true story, yet featuring fictional characters.

The story revolves around Coram House, a Catholic orphanage marred by unspeakable abuse in the 1970s.

Alex, a ghost writer, is hired by the retired lawyer who led the case to pen a memoir about the disturbing events of that era.

As she delves deeper, Alex becomes obsessed with unraveling the tragic fate of a little boy named Tommy Underwood, who was allegedly tossed from a boat and drowned in a sinister incident. The sole witness to this shocking occurrence died in an accident, leaving Alex with an insatiable desire to uncover the truth.

Complicating matters, another chilling murder occurs, and Alex finds herself in the harrowing position of discovering the body. Parker, the intrepid detective assigned to assist her in penning down the story of the orphanage, emerges as her only ally, heeding her haunting instincts that something is deeply amiss.

The victim turns out to be none other than Sister Cecile, the nun widely believed to have been responsible for Tommy’s tragic fate.

While Alex tries to find the connection between Sister Cecile’s death and what happened more than thirty years ago, she must first prove that Tommy truly existed.

I truly enjoyed the **atmospheric** setting that drew me in. While I found it puzzling to understand Alex’s fixation on validating Tommy’s story amidst the countless atrocities at Coram House, the novel ultimately held my interest with its **compelling** characters and **thought-provoking** themes. It's a slow burn, and I believe the story would have been clearer if Alex had a personal connection to Coram House, motivating her to write her own story rather than serve as a ghostwriter.

Nevertheless, it was a great debut with an ending that left me contemplating the possibility of a sequel...

Alex Kelley is a true crime writer and is asked to ghost write a book about events at Coram House Orphanage in Burlington, Vermont. Alan Stedsan gives Alex materials on the orphanage and its inhabitants. Alex Kelley sets about uncovering the secrets from the past and to discover the truth behind the mystery. It was well written and very descriptive. All the sub plots wove together to a dramatic conclusion. It was atmospheric, fast paced, gritty and plenty of twists and turns.

This is a difficult review to write because whilst I didn't think this book was great, I didn't quite hate it.
Bailey Seybolt is a debut author and I have to say that her writing doesn't show this. I thought it was well written book, but unfortunately this just wasn't for me.
I struggled to enjoy this book right from the start and the entire reason was the plot. It just never grabbed me and I wasn't invested in the story or the characters. I couldn't care less.
To me this also read like it was the second book in a series, even though it wasn't. Probably because of the numerous references to MC Alex's previous book and personal history. I also would have liked there to be some mixed media involved in this as this would have helped add tension and intrigue. As the story in my opinion was dull and lacking tension, this was sorely needed.
I didn't like the main character of Alex and felt no connection to her and as we only get her POV that really spoiled my enjoyment.
I got the impression this was going to be a slow burn but I found it dull, dry, and ever so slightly boring. The whole plot lacked any tension and I easily figured out what the reveal was going to be.
Unfortunately I just never got into this book, it didn't grab me at all.
Also, this book is set in winter and gives those vibes, so I struggle to understand why this is being published in the UK in the spring?
In fact the only thing I did like about this book was the setting of Vermont but I feel like this could have been a bigger part of the story.
So, whilst I didn't find the writing bad, I just couldn't connect/care about this story at all.

Pub Date 24th April 2025

If you like big twists, un-guessable endings, atmospheric storylines, and falling into Google rabbit holes, then this is absolutely the book for you.

This sensational thriller is set in wintery Burlington, Vermont where struggling true crime writer Alex Kelley has come to stay to ghost write a book about the abuse and dark past of Coram House, a derelict orphanage on the edge of Lake Champlain. As she digs up the troubled history of this bleak place, she unearths long buried secrets, which result in local murders..

It wasn't until the end of the book that I discovered much of the book was inspired by true events that occurred at St. Joseph's Orphanage in Burlington, and omg I tumbled deep into a google rabbit hole concerning this cruel and upsetting history yet the history added so much credence to this story and really sets it aside from other thrillers.

I couldn't get enough of this. It is staggering that it is a debut. So very excited to see where this author goes next.

“ Maybe goodness it’s like a tank of gas – enough bad stuff happens and one day you just run empty. Or maybe evil is a seed, born inside all of us, waiting for the right conditions to thrive. I wonder if you feel it – that moment it starts to bloom.”

Coram House sits at the edge of a beautiful lake surrounded by stunning views of mountain peaks but a darkness and evil lures in its past, which it cannot shake off. It was once an orphanage where the nuns and priests abused those they were meant to care for and whilst these children later tried to get justice, the church settled the case through a settlement and tried to bury it all by also trying to discredit the statements made. But does that pain ever go away? And did those awful things really happen? Did a child drown in the lake whilst a nun watched on? If so, how has his name been erased from all the records?

These are all the questions Alex Kelley, a true crime writer, is asking now, fifty years later, as she is approached by the lawyer who worked on the original case, to ghostwrite a book about the place. Alex, an outsider in the tight knit community, within which Coram House sits, digs deep to find answers. Whilst working all hours, she feels she is always one step behind and is unsure who she can trust and it is not long before she stumbles upon a dead body in the woods… It looks like an accident but Alex is convinced she heard more than one person. Will anyone believe her? And when she is being told to step back but she can’t, will she be putting herself or others at risk? Maybe the past isn’t buried after all, even if some would like it to be because let’s face it: “You can leave Coram House but you can’t leave it behind. […] The worst of it you carry with you.”

An absolutely brilliant debut thriller, which I just could not put down!

By all accounts, Coram House wasn't a nice place to live. As an orphanage, in charge of taking care of children, it left much to be desired. There was talk of a pedophile priest, and nuns who dealt out the cruelest of punishments. Now, as the building is about to be transformed into condominiums, Alex Kelly is hired as a ghost writer to write a book about the building and its history. Alex quickly zeroes in on one event, the possible deliberate drowning of a little boy called Tommy. Those in charge have always refuted the claims but as Alex digs deeper, she becomes convinced that Tommy definitely existed and that he was murdered.

As a true crime author, Alex Kelly is supposed to piece together all the pieces of the puzzle of what may, or may not, have happened at Coram House way back when. But Alex doesn't really come across as reliable. Her last book was a complete disaster, she drinks way too much, and she has a tendency to become rather obsessed which makes her lose sight of the bigger picture.

'Coram House' is one those books that is filled to the brim with unlikeable characters. So when someone is found dead, anyone's name could be on the list of potential killers. Especially as the victim had a rather dark past. But they've been living in this community for decades. Why would someone suddenly set out for revenge? And who? Could Alex's life possibly be in danger if she happens to get too close to the truth?

Well, apparently not. Herein lies a niggle that I had. The story would have been a lot more tense if danger lurked around every corner Alex walked into. As it is, she is allowed to go on her merry way and dig as deep as she likes, while someone else is cleaning house and not at all bothered by her investigation. Of the good though, I never would have figured out the identity of the killer and the reveal was both shocking to me, and also heartbreaking.

However, niggle number two. I would have preferred the story to have centred primarily around the events from the past. I would have liked the opportunity to read more transcripts, hear more stories from those who were there, as harrowing as they may have been. I found myself fully invested into the search of this boy called Tommy, who may or may not have existed, and everything that was happening in the present felt like a distraction to me.

Despite those niggles, I did enjoy 'Coram House'. There's always something rather addictive and compelling about true crime stories and this one is no different. However, I do feel that the author missed out on some real potential here.

<em>Coram House</em> was a bit of a mixed bag for me. I found it constantly engaging and enjoyed reading it overall. But I do think that some of the plotting and characterisations was very messy.

The ghostwriter angle didn't work for me here as Alex constantly oversteps her boundaries. Had she been an actual journalist writing a story on this case, properly investigating the mystery of this boy, then it would have worked much better. But that wasn't her job, and her focus on this one part of the story felt so misguided. I was expecting a big twist towards the end that would have explained why Alex was so invested in the missing boy, but when that didn't come, the pieces just didn't fit together for me.

The answers were somewhat underwhelming too. I really liked the concept around the mystery of this house and unravelling what really went on, but there could have been a lot more to it.

Good, and I'll probably read more by Seybolt as I have no doubt her next book will entice me just as this one did, but it could have been more effective.

True crime writer Alex Kelly is struggling after her last book tanked her career. Her reputation in tatters, she accepts a commission to ghost write a book about Coram House, a former orphanage by a lake in Vermont that is now being turned into luxury condos. Could this be the fresh start she needs?

What a brilliant read. Full of perfect description and mystery. The plot unravels with red herrings and blind alleys like a good mystery should. This is great writing and a gripping read. I look forward to further novels by this writer.

A well written debut. Alex Kelley was an interesting character with a successful debut book and then a follow-up which drew wrong conclusions. With this backdrop she is happy to be a ghostwriter for a story about Coram House. Some of the text is a little repetetive but it was certainly a page turner. Interspersed with the story were snippets of interviews with adults who remembered their time at Coram House but many years later no longer wished to be reminded,
Three and a half stars for me.
Many thanks to Netgalley/Bailey Seybolt/Bloomsbury Publishing plc for a digital copy of this title. All opinions expressed are my own.

Coram House lies a lake in Vermont. It is now derelict and being turned into luxury accommodation.
However, it used to be an orphanage and tales and rumours abound of abuse and murder from those days. The Church paid a settlement to some of the children but Alex Kelly, a ghost writer feels there are further stories to tell.
What secrets will she uncover and will the truth actually be told after all these years?

4.5 ⭐️

#CoramHouse by #BaileySeybolt leaves you cold. It makes you crave a hot drink, a blanket, a roaring fire. The cold creeps in under your skin. You share the pain with Alex and through every page, it pulls you in. I read this novel in two days. I couldn't put it down.

[Trigger warning] child abuse

Coram House is published on April 24, 2025

My thanks to @bloomsburypublishing and @netgalley for the free e-arc in return for an honest review.

This is a cracking read and a fabulous debut novel. It was a real page-turner, and I enjoyed the story very much. The flashbacks work well, and the writing is gritty. I look forward to more from this talented author.

Twisty! This was a good thriller, and I enjoyed being able to pick out the twist while not knowing exactly what or how it would go. However, I felt it took a little long to get started/going, though it was enjoyable throughout and an important topic with the links to residential schools.