Tommaso “Tommy” Puglisi and his wife Kate respond to an advertisement for One-Euro real estate in the fictional town of Becchina in Sicily. Happy to leave the stressful life in the USA behind for what they hope would be a quiet and slower-paced lifestyle among Tommy’s family on his late father’s side, they invest in an old decrepit mansion they hope to restore. Unbeknownst to them, their new home has a history and was known to the locals as “La casa dell’ultima risorsa” or “the house of the last resort.” Soon after moving in, Kate and Tommy begin to sense something not quite right in the house and their friends and family would rather keep their knowledge of the house’s history to themselves. But after they discover a hidden chapel behind a corridor, the frequency of eerie occurrences in their home begins to increase. As the narrative progresses we follow the young couple as they begin to uncover the secrets buried underneath their new home and it is only a matter of time before they are fighting for their lives against evil forces that have been laying dormant, closer to home that they had ever imagined.

The House of the Last Resort by Christopher Golden is an intriguing, atmospheric read. To be honest, this is not a genre that I dabble in, but the premise sparked my interest. I loved the setting – the decrepit houses and the catacombs, the old village, the descriptions of the food, community and the locale complete with its frequent tremors. The backstory of the house was certainly interesting. However, I thought the pacing of the narrative was a tad too slow and found character development lacking in depth. The author briefly touches upon the mindset of fellow “Imports” like Kate and Tommy and though we get to meet several characters who have recently made Becchina their home, we do not get to explore their motivations beyond a point. Neither Tommy nor Kate are particularly interesting characters and though Tommy’s family history plays a key role in the story, even that aspect is not discussed in detail and I had expected more after the long-drawn but suspenseful buildup. The supernatural/horror elements were quite tame given the genre, but I’m not complaining. Overall, though I really liked the premise, I wasn’t completely satisfied with the execution. However, other readers have enjoyed this novel more than I did.

Many thanks to St. Martin’s Press for the digital review copy via NetGalley. All opinions expressed in this review are my own. ( )

Tommy’s grandparents live in a small town in Italy. This town is basically dying. The mayor has offered a great deal to people willing to move to this small town and put down roots. Tommy and his wife, Kate jump on this offer. Little do they know this house has a terrible past!

Tommy and Kate definitely have their hands full with this house. Oh boy! The exorcisms and the catacombs…GEEZ! I could just picture this in my mind. And yes, Kate is right. There are quite a few things about this town that would make a great tourist attraction…the history and the spookiness just add to the mystique! This is definitely an attraction I would want to see!

The only reason this is not a 5 star read, there is something that just doesn’t sit well with me on the writing. And I am not sure what it is. I think it is the conversations. They just don’t seem to fit the characters well. BUT, The intensity is definitely there! I swear, there are places where I gasped and could not stop reading because I just had to know what was about to happen!

I have read another book by this author, Road of Bones. And I can’t decide which one I liked better. I loved the paranormal suspense and the settings in both. So, you read them both and let me know.

Need a good suspense with a wicked house and a few exorcisms…THIS IS IT! Grab your copy today.

I received this novel from the publisher for a honest review. ( )