The September House - Carissa Orlando

If it's got a spooky house on the cover, it's a book I'm going to pick up! The September House is Carissa Orlando's debut novel - and the there is indeed a spooky house involved.

"Maybe if the two of us had paid more attention to any of the horror movies we'd seen over the years we would have been aware..."

Margaret loves her beautiful old home, as did her husband Hal. But after three years of ......... Hal has left, and Margaret is left alone in the house with ....... The September House is one of those books where it's better to go in cold and be surprised with Orlando's take on haunted houses. I was caught off guard in the beginning, but started coming to terms with what I thought was going on. But dropped hints, references and details changed the direction I had thought that the plot would take. Nicely done! There's lots of action in The September House and the last few chapters are nail biters.

Margaret is an interesting protagonist - how much of her narrative is the truth? Or is it all in her head? Her daughter is well drawn as well, but she's the other side of the coin. She was obnoxious, pushy and rude. But she plays her part of the tale well.

A fresh take on a haunted house tale. Bravo Carissa Orlando! See for yourself - read an excerpt of The September House. 

"Carissa Orlando has a doctorate in clinical-community psychology and specializes in work with children and adolescents. In her “day job,” Carissa works to improve the quality of and access to mental health care for children  and  their families. Prior to her career in psychology, Carissa studied creative   writing in college and has written creatively in some form since she was a child. It was only a matter of time before Carissa, an avid horror fan for much of her life, merged her understanding of the human psyche and deep love for storytelling into a piece of fiction." 

Photo credit: Cameron Massey.