The House by the Cemetery

Written by John Everson

Narrated by Christopher Ragland

Rumor has it that the abandoned house by the cemetery is haunted by the ghost of a witch. But rumors won’t stop carpenter Mike Kostner from rehabbing the place as a haunted house attraction. Soon he’ll learn that fresh wood and nails can’t keep decades of rumors down. There are noises in the walls, and fresh blood on the floor: secrets that would be better not to discover. And behind the rumors is a real ghost who will do whatever it takes to ensure the house reopens. She needs people to fill her house on Halloween. There’s a dark, horrible ritual to fulfill. Because while the witch may have been dead... she doesn’t intend to stay that way.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Flame Tree Publishing
• Release date: Oct 18, 2018
• ISBN: 9781787580688

John Everson

John Everson is a staunch advocate for the culinary joys of the jalapeno and an unabashed fan of 1970s European horror cinema. He is also the Bram Stoker Award-winning author of seven novels, including the erotic horror tour de force of NightWhere and the occult/urban legend mystery of The Pumpkin Man. Other novels include Covenant, the prequel to Sacrifice, as well as Siren, The 13th and the upcoming spider-driven Violet Eyes. His tales have been translated into Polish, French and German and optioned for potential film development. His short stories have been gathered in a handful of collections, including the Cage of Bones & Other Deadly Obsessions and Needles & Sins. A 10th anniversary edition of his second collection, Vigilantes of Love, was reissued in 2013.

Reviews for The House by the Cemetery

[David · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Good book, It had a good slasher film feel to it….

[Vi Car · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This was hilariously entertaining in a B-Movie sort of way. Enjoy!

[cole23 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

You can relate this book to how women are lol. My man’s was a pure sucker lol

[johannes · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Wow one of the best books i have read i really recommend it, narrator doing an awesome job too.

[irenecole · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

When Mike is offered a job shoring up a ramshackle old house to make it safe enough to walk through so that it can be turned into a Halloween attraction, he is not overly excited by the idea. For the last 50 years or so, rumors have circulated that this house is haunted. Not having worked steady for quite a while and in need of money he reluctantly agrees. There are strange happenings as soon as he starts working but for some reason a befuddled Mike doesn't quit his job. It kind of bothered me when Mike was not the least bit suspicious when a couple of random girls showed up to hang out at the house with him, and that he didn't seem to find it odd that he could be talking to them one minute and turn around and they were gone. It was just a bit too obvious and predictable for me. Towards the last half of the book there is lots of blood and gore for those of you who like the gross out factor but I just didn't find it to be as frightening as I had hoped.

I received an advance copy for review.

[booknookretreat7 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This was a creepy and page turning book!

Legend has it that the house and cemetery located in Bachelor's Grove was the site of where a witch had died and now the property is now haunted by her. Satan worshippers had performed rituals in the house through the years which make the property and house very active.

Mike Kostner and his friends decide that what place could be better to use for a Halloween house than the witch house. Mike wants the house to be the best Halloween house ever to scare the residents of the town. Mike and his friends start fixing up the house by buying all kinds of Halloween props along with setting up trap doors for moving around the place.

As the friends work on the house, they endure all kinds of strange things including knocking, footsteps, tools disappearing, and cold drafts. They don't really think much of it as they continue to work toward their goal of getting the house completed before Halloween.

When everything is completed and the scary night has arrived, Mike and his friends find out the true meaning of "haunted" as the ghost of the witch brings the "hellish" might down on everyone that enters her domain and the gore starts to fly as she makes her presence known.

This book was a very creepy ride that turned into an extreme blood fest past the halfway mark of the book. I couldn't seem to turn the pages fast enough as the book took off into the bloody unknown and I stayed up late into the night wanting to finish it.

This book is not for the faint of heart as there is extreme gore through the last half of the book and if you can't handle it, then don't read it, but for you horror fans that love your gore, then by all means pick up this book. Giving this book five stars for one heck of a scary, gory ride.

[carol420 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This would have been absolutely perfect for a Halloween read. I'm...as you can see a month behind. Oh well. I still enjoyed it. The author delivers the perfect ghostly treat for fans of gore-splashed '70s and '80s horror. The interesting aspect of this is the main character, Mike, isn't exactly hero material. He was hired to repair an old haunted house next to a cemetery in time to open in October. Mike is distracted by a pair of strange visitors. The setting is inspired by the actual Bachelor's Grove Cemetery in Midlothian, Illinois...a place rumored to be haunted. In Everson's hands, the haunted site transforms into a bloodbath of epic proportions in the final act. Another solid effort by the always reliable Everson. If you like horror...check out some of his other books.

[charrlygirl · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

3.5/5 stars!

Bachelor's Grove is a small town featuring a house backing onto a cemetery. There have always been rumors about the house-something about a witch and a haunting. Rumors have no impact on Perry, though. He's an entrepreneur that wants to open a Halloween haunted house there. Great idea, right? Yeah...no. All kinds of things go wrong as you may have guessed and lots of gory shenanigans ensue. Will the haunted house business be a success? You'll have to read this to find out!

I requested this ARC from Flame Tree Press because I loved the cover and also because I've been wanting to read more of John Everson's work. Ever since I read his book SIREN several years back, I've been meaning to get back to him, and with this book I finally got that opportunity. While I respect his writing, in general, I think he really shines when it comes to the bloody action-plenty of which is too be found towards the end of this story. I just thought it took a bit too long to get there.

We are introduced to many characters, maybe too many, and while I did like or care for some of them, I don't think they required the amount of attention they received. Also, it took a long time for us to get to where the story really lived. I would have preferred less of the extraneous characters and more about the main characters and perhaps more about the history of the house. It's hard to add anything else without spoilers, however I will reinforce the fact that the denouement was bloody brilliant and I had a ball reading that portion.

Overall, THE HOUSE BY THE CEMETERY was fun in that bloody B-movie way many of us horror lovers enjoy- and if anyone ever does make a film based upon this tale, I would love to see their rendition of the basement at the end of Halloween night!

Recommended!

*Thank you to Flame Tree Press for the paperback ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review. This is it.*

[over.the.edge · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The House By The Cemetary By John Everson 2018 due 10-8-2018Flame Tree Press In the small town of Bachelors Grove, Illinois, Perry has purchased the old Bremen home, rumored to be haunted by the spirit of a witch. Perry decides to renovate the house into a Haunted House for Halloween, hiring his friend Mike for the job. There are more than secrets in the walls, more than noises in the walls. Something spookier than bloody floors.There is a ritual to continue and fulfill and this house will do anything to make sure it opens by Halloween. The witches spirit does not intend to remain at rest.Dark, fast paced horror that will keep you on the edge of your seat. I loved the horror movie references.Perfect for Halloween!!Thank you to #NetGalley for the advance copy for review.#TheHouseByTheCemetaryJohneversonFlametreepress #NetGalley

[angelajmaher · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

If you're a fan of classic horror movies, you'll love this. Suspense and creepiness builds to a satisfying crescendo, with the ultimate ending uncertain until you get there. Familiar elements combine into a fresh-feeling tale. This is a fun read for horror fans, not so fun if you're not!I'm also enjoying the author Q&A sections at the end of these books.Many thanks to Flame Tree Press for the ARC.