Book Cover
Synopsis: (Taken from Amazon.com)
There are places that hold evil, houses so vile, so tainted, that people refuse to live in them. Farnham House is one of those places. Once an inn, this majestic old New England manor house is back on the market, and the price is very reasonable. Sam Cabot is a man tired of moving. Now he wants nothing more than to live a quiet life in the country with his wife and young son. Little does he know that he will soon begin a long, slow descent into madness and that he will spend his summer living with dead things.
Review:
The Haunting of Sam Cabot was a chilling story with an even spookier (and completely surprising ending). I really felt as if I would guess what was happening by the end, but Mark Edward Hall makes sure to keep his readers guessing. Sam Cabot, an author with a bit of writer’s block, moves back up to Maine with his wife and young son, Sean. Drawn to this dilapidated house, they fall in love with it regardless of all the money and time it would take to bring this house up to living conditions. Laying dormant for too many years, it’s a house that has remained unoccupied for many years (and for good reasons, as per the neighbors believe). But – has it been truly empty this whole time? If it’s not a matter of who has lived there – then what has lived there?
It almost seems immediately that Cabot (which is wife affectionately calls him) seems to notice strange things about this house – things that he can’t explain. Although the idea of a haunted house seems like a rather trite concept, I believe Hall does a marvelous job of renewing a spooky story concept with a bit of more modern realism.
I wish The Haunting of Sam Cabot had been much longer. I believe with Halls story telling abilities, and the storyline – this would have made a wonderful psychological thriller/horror full length novel. I believe increasing it in length would allow for more background story and character development allowing for it to be even more goosebumps. As a stand alone, the way it is, I would prefer to see it in an anthology/collection of short horror stories. (I think Hall would make a fabulous anthology!) But – that is just my opinion. For a short story, if that is what you prefer in length – this is a great little story to read, perfect for the month of October. The Haunting of Sam Cabot is an enjoyable thrill and this story will pull you in from the beginning and leave you speechless with wonder at the very end.
That’s a great review. I like the sound of the book.