A deliciously weird, dread‑soaked domestic horror with a premise that grabs you instantly: a house that eats anything that was once alive and makes you forget it ever existed.

I could not put this down! It has been a long time since I have sat down with a book, particularly a horror book, and not moved until it was resolved. There was so much delightful, gripping, and messy horror in this book that I had to know what would happen next... I had to know. Completely absorbed in every page of this book

The House That Eats the Dead follows Claire and her family as they move into a new home in search of stability and a fresh start. However, it quickly becomes clear that something is deeply wrong. Items begin to disappear, flowers decay overnight, eggs are found hollow, and cherished belongings vanish without explanation.

Claire soon discovers the horrifying truth: the house is consuming anything that was once alive, and only she and her husband retain any memory of what has been lost. As Claire begins to understand, and ultimately use the house’s unsettling power, she forms a dangerous connection with it. But as its hunger grows, so too does the risk of losing control.


Max Doty’s The House That Eats the Dead offers a fresh and unsettling take on the haunted house genre. Rather than relying on traditional horror elements, the novel builds tension through a slow, pervasive sense of unease that gradually intensifies.

The central concept is both original and deeply disturbing, exploring themes of consumption, memory, and control in a way that feels both intimate and thought provoking. The idea that something can be erased not only physically but also from collective memory adds an extra layer of psychological horror.

Claire is a compelling and complex protagonist, and her evolving relationship with the house is particularly well-handled. Her moral ambiguity adds depth to the narrative, raising questions about complicity and the lengths one might go to when given access to such power.

The atmosphere is one of the novel’s strongest elements. Doty creates a persistent sense of dread, transforming ordinary domestic spaces into something quietly menacing. The pacing allows the tension to build effectively, resulting in a story that is both immersive and unsettling.

Overall, The House That Eats the Dead is a distinctive and thought provoking horror novel that will appeal to readers who enjoy slow-burn, psychological horror with a strong conceptual core.

I loved the story from the first chapter! Each character grows and changes throughout as the house becomes more involved. The house became a character I felt sorry for in the end, kind of reminded me of Monster House.

Thank you for the free copy!

With Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

This was a really unique, unsettling story about a house that does more than haunt it's inhabitants... Little Shop of Horros meets American psycho!

When Claire and her family move into their large new home, they realise they may not have crumbs or dust, but they do have a hungry house to feed...

The author excels at creating a deeply unnerving atmosphere. A sense of dread begins to build early on, especially as we start to see that Claire’s husband, Tom, isn’t quite as perfect as he first appears. Before long, the house is consuming not only leftovers, but also the sanity of those who live inside it.

By the end, my heart was racing with anticipation. This isn’t your typical haunted house story, nor is it a conventional horror novel. It really got under my skin, making me question my own morals and how far I’d be willing to go for happiness.

A genuinely unique read for me. A slow burn thriller at its finest. The characters are believably flawed, and even the house itself becomes a strangely compelling character, with moments where you almost find yourself thinking, “good for them.” Some elements test the imagination despite this being a paranormal horror stoty, but the pacing is strong enough that I was completely hooked throughout.

Wow, I could not put this book down!

Claire’s voice is like stepping into an autobiography, and I was right there in the house, living her life while I was reading. The decisions she had to make were often emotionally complex, but the writing style didn’t make it a heavy read. It’s a fast paced, quick read that I really enjoyed.

Tom was an infuriating character, and he got what he deserved at the end, as did Claire being able to give her sister a better life.

The concept of the house was really interesting, and personally I haven’t read any books where the house physically eats the dead, so I thought that was really original. I’d love a prequel about the origins of the house to flesh that out, but maybe one day!

Having read a lot of haunted house books, I can say that this premise isn’t one that I have come across before. The idea that the house is sentient but not inherently evil was a refreshing take on the genre, with the house becoming a character that you almost feel sorry for by the end.

We follow Claire and her family through their experiences of owning a house that literally eats the dead. As the characters face increasingly difficult moral decisions, it made me think about what I would do in the same situations, making it an interesting book to read and one I will definitely be recommending.

With all of the characters feeling so real from the outset, you were able to see that the house was changing them in unique ways. This often left me unsure whom to trust as the story evolved and secrets piled up. This and the tension that is built throughout go hand in hand to make it a book you won’t want to put down.

With thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Delicious domestic horror, I couldn't put it down! Tense feeling throughout the entire book, but I couldn't look away!

I wanted more of it, like a cake that was so good that I just needed more!

The horror in this book is absolutely brilliant; I couldn't put it down!The narrative maintained a consistently tense atmosphere, yet I couldn't look away. I was so captivated by the story that I desperately wanted more. For me, the most crucial aspect is that the characters feel incredibly natural and genuinely real.This allows us to connect with them on a deeply personal level in countless ways.

I absolutely loved The House That Eats The Dead. The premise was so unique that I wasn’t sure it would work, but it absolutely did. It was a powerful, gripping read — I felt completely connected to the main characters and fully invested in their story. Who knew I’d end up rooting for a house that eats the dead? And honestly, a house that never needs cleaning sounds like a dream. I can’t wait for Max Doty’s next book.

The House that Eats the Dead is a domestic horror. The Morgan family move into their dream mansion only to find the house has an odd quirk – it consumes dead things.

The atmosphere is suberb, the early chapters are unsettling and laced with a growing sense of dread. I was surprised how quickly we jumped into the main premise of the novel – the house eating things – but then the story unfolded in ways that I didn’t predict.

Claire’s narrative voice is on point, and I identified with so many of her familial issues: her relationship with her husband Tom, her loss of sense of self after having children, her struggle with connecting with those children as they grow older, it all resonated with me and I was satisfied with the way the story played out.

The house itself was quite a character and I like the story was not just ‘flee the haunted house’ but more complex and nuanced than that.

I thoroughly enjoyed this exploration of the darker side of the human condition and it raises some uncomfortable questions about what exactly one should do with a house that eats the dead.

Claire and Tom decide to move from San Francisco to have a more quitter suburban life and a fresh start. They ae excited to move into their new home but when Claire and her husband and the children move in, they sense that something isn’t right. Food stars to go missing and the flowers dry up. But they Claire and her husband only remember and the only ones that hear a scratching sound. Claire soon realises that the house is hungry, so she starts feeding it. But soon strangers start coming to the house to see what it has to offer.
Thank you, Pan McMillan, for a copy of ‘The house that eats the dead’. I didn’t know what to expect from this, but I am so surprised how much I enjoyed it. This is a fast read and entertaining read, with a creepy feel to it. I was expecting it to be a little more darker storyline than it was. But that didn’t spoil the enjoyment of this book. 5 stars from me.

4.5 Stars

Claire and her family move into their dream house. But soon toys and clothes start going missing, and food begins to rot as soon as it enters the house. It turns out the house is devouring anything that was once alive, but only Claire and her husband, Tom, can remember that those things existed. Using this to her advantage, Claire realises that this has consequences, even as she begins to form a bond with the house.

This was weird and a bit creepy in a very good way! I read the whole book in one day, staying up until the early hours to finish it because I couldn't put it down! I found the book to be well-paced, never losing momentum, and it manages to maintain a feeling of tension throughout.

The book is written in first person from Claire's POV, so we get to know her really well over the course of the book - I enjoyed her character, and her transformation throughout the book as her relationship with the house develops is great. I think the other characters are well written, although since everything is from Claire's POV, we don't get as much development for them. As the story progresses, the house develops its own "personality" and preferences, and it goes from being just a setting to being a main character.
I always like a book where the unlikeable characters are intentionally unlikeable AND suffer the consequences of their actions appropriately.

I enjoyed the way the book comments on how easy it is for people to lose themselves when they enter a new relationship, a "traditional" family set-up based on stereotypical gender norms and how this morphs and deforms when a different dynamic is introduced.

There were a few times in the beginning where Claire's not even questioning the weird stuff that's happening that had me thinking "this is a bit unrealistic", as well as a few other small plot points that didn't get resolved, but this is such a fun book that I didn't care!

I loved the ending, very satisfying! This is the first book I've read by Max Doty, but I'll certainly be keeping an eye out for more of their work!

Thank you to Pan Macmillan and NetGalley for providing a free advanced copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

*The House That Eats the Dead* was such a weird, creepy, and completely addictive read, in the best way possible. The premise alone hooked me, but the execution was even better. A dream family home that’s literally hungry? I was instantly in.

The slow build of dread was done so well, and I loved how unsettling everything felt right from the start - flowers dying, hollow eggs, things quietly disappearing. It created this constant sense that something was very wrong, and I couldn’t stop reading to see how far things would spiral. The idea that only Claire and Tom remember what the house consumes made everything feel even more disturbing.

Claire was such an interesting character to follow, especially as her relationship with the house started to shift in unexpected ways. The mix of domestic life, horror, and dark humour really worked for me, and the whole thing felt original and unsettling without losing momentum.

This was an easy 5 stars for me. Creepy, strange, darkly funny, and impossible to put down. If you enjoy horror that mixes family drama with genuinely unsettling ideas, definitely give this one a try.

Thanks to the author, publisher and Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Unputdownable! I loved this book and will definitely be re-reading it and recommending it in store and to my friends. It is fast-paced, dark and deliciously horrific, and challenges personal morals at the same time.

Devilishly fun read. A case of be careful what you wish for and don't play with what you don't understand. From the onset, the slow build of atmosphere and menace combine to be increasingly unsettling. Claire and her family find their dream home and it is a thinly veiled nightmare. A veil that Claire is keen to push back as she battles with her own issues with Tom, her husband and her family. Unsettling and nervy, I really enjoyed this from the prospective of rather them than me.

Thank you Netgalley and Pan MacMillan for an early copy of this book to review.

I really enjoyed this book, even the descriptions of all the gore and blood were written so well they were actually really interesting to read.

It’s a classic haunted house story to start with, moving to a new home, the youngest child seems to have some sort of “connection” with the haunting/activity, creepy stuff starts to happen but they’re brushed off (or even outright gaslit in this case!), and slowly the main character comes to realise that something isn’t right…

But also, MURDER.

It’s quite refreshing to see the haunted house as not only a character in its own right (though this is becoming more popular in horror stories recently) but also as… not the villain! In some ways it’s even another victim in this story, which is really interesting but I can’t get into that too much without being spoilery.

Possibly some niggles include not seeing too much of what Gracie was going through as the youngest child, and her brother’s storyline kind of fading into the background a little more than I would have liked, but honestly it was such a fun (strange word for horror but true) book that I didn’t get thrown too much by either of those aspects.

I really want to read more from this author!

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!

The House That Eats The Dead is a novel that takes a simple idea and expands it to terrifying conclusions. Claire's new house - in many ways her dream house - has one drawback: it eats anything that was once alive. This includes organic things like meat and produce, but also blood, skin flakes, and of course, dead bodies.

At first I thought this novel would be about a battle between house and owner, but Doty takes the much more interesting route of having the main character, Claire, try to understand and work with the house instead. The house becomes a character in its own right, and by the ending you are left feeling as attached to it as Claire is, despite its strangeness. One of the core strengths of the book was how the house's mystery, and the mystery of the people drawn to it and who was using it's power, developed through the book. I loved that there were so many unexpected twists and turns, and although I had my guesses, I was still surprised when the final mystery was unveiled.

One of the best things about Doty's plot is that nothing is done without a reason. He sets up his pieces and then takes pleasure in knocking them down, in making connections between everything. There were times when I wondered what the point of a certain development was, only to read further and get the gut-punch realisation of "oh, god, they're going to THAT" or "that is going to lead to THIS." Nothing was done without thought or purpose, either tied into the main story or the character's emotional journey.

I also liked the core message of the novel, that you can't cocoon yourself away from every tragedy, that you have to face the griefs and struggles of life. I liked that the ending preserved this message while also giving a horror genre appropriate dash of moral uncertainty at the main character's future plans.

This novel barely put a foot wrong, although by the end I was feeling a little cheated that we didn't entirely get to the bottom of what caused the house's strangeness, and what it's full history was. There were also one or two times I felt the novel called back to something it hadn't actually established earlier in the narrative - for example, Claire feeling "weirdly drawn to" the house, or it's listing appearing in any way odd. I felt like those things specifically should have shown up in earlier chapters, or at least been hinted at.

Overall though the book tore through twists and turns at a satisfying pace, and every piece ended up being part of the whole picture, you just had to get to the end to finally be able to step back and see the whole thing - which is the best way to experience a mystery, really!

I have never read a book like this before, and if I never have the privilege of reading one like this again I will be eternally grateful I got to read this one.

This book was fascinating, if you liked the first season of American Horror Story, you'll devour this book. Hopefully before it devours you.
I didn't want to work during the time I read this book, it was all consuming. I'd be tip tapping away at my work laptop, hands mechanically moving through excel, as I mulled over what I had already read.

I don't think the concept was new but the way this was written, was so excellent, so enrapturing. The way the characters approached the situation, especially Claire and the kids. It leapt off the page. And it was also oddly wholesome. I think this could be THE summerween book.

I've already recommended it to 5 people, and I can't see myself stopping any time soon

The House that eats the dead was such a fun, quirky, "horror" read. Whereas it has all the elements of a horror read - the house literally devours people - it wasn't scary in the slightest, and I found, much like the house, I absolutely devoured the read!

It gave me similar vibes to books such as Trad Wife by Saratoga Schaefer and the Caretaker by Marcus Kliewer - two books that simularily have horror elements, really make you question humanity, and leave you with quite a few unsettled thoughts by the end of the read! I'm not sure if this is a new sub-genre of horror that's currently emerging, but as a thriller/fantasy lover just starting to venture into horror, I am absolutely obsessed with them - they give me just the right amount of creepy fantasy elements with a dashing of horror (but not too much because I'm a soft wuss at heart).

Claire was an interesting protagonist to follow - I enjoy characters that have tragic/complicated backstories that affect their current actions as long as the author remains true to it, and Max definitely delivered with his character building! I liked the little twists, and whereas I did see the ending from about 2/3s of the way in, I enjoyed how it all made sense and gradually came together. It wasn't a surprising twist, it was a satisfying culmination of breadcrumbs that we were fed along the way.

Yes I do have questions about the house - how did it come to be? How does it work? But, I'm quite happy not knowing these answers and making my own mind up. The idea of it being a unruly pet that just wants to be loved appealed to me greatly!

I'd strongly recommend the House that eats the dead for fantasy lovers (and thriller lovers!) that are wanting to dip their toes into the horror genre but are afraid that the water is too chilling. (It's lukewarm - not too scary, but spine chilling - you'll be ok!).

ps- where can I sign up for a house that will do my dusting too please? (can I get a vegetarian version who likes crumbs and dust?).