Sunday, September 30, 2018

Craven Manor

Abandoned and practically in ruins, Craven Manor looks and feels haunted. When he's offered the job of groundskeeper, Daniel Kane wants nothing to do with the manor. Especially after he reads the owner's list of unsettling rules for staying there:

  • No strangers are allowed onto the property.
  • Do not enter the tower.
  • Do not leave the groundskeeper's cottage between midnight and dawn. Draw your curtains. Keep the doors locked. If you hear knocking, do not answer it.

But Daniel is desperate. So he reluctantly accepts the job and moves into the groundskeeper's cottage. His first task? To clear the crypt of thorny vegetation. And it's going well. Except for the strange tapping on his door at night. And the mysterious figure he glimpses in the tower window. Then there's the feeling he has of constantly being watched. And the ghost-like black cat haunting the manor's halls. But that's not all. There's a terrible evil inside Craven Manor's tower itching to get out.

This is another good haunted house adventure from Darcy Coates. It's entertaining, fast-paced, and full of ghostly suspense. The strange history of Craven Manor had me questioning everything Daniel was told. And just when I thought I had it figured out, Coates threw in another twist. Daniel makes a few very stupid mistakes along the way, but I still liked him. Overall, this book is a fun mix of supernatural and mystery. It's not super scary, although it does have it's moments. And I liked the ending a lot.

Happy Reading!

31 comments:

  1. I'm not generally a fan of this style of horror but it does sound quite interesting!

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    1. Do you like your books to be scarier than this?

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  2. "Supernatural and mystery" -- a combination I love. :)

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  3. Yes, count me in as someone who likes 'supernatural and mystery'. I'll watch for this one. Sounds good!

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    1. Supernatural and mystery together is one of my favorite kinds of books to read. :D

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  4. Sounds like a good choice for October reading!

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    1. It is that time of year for a good ghost story! :D

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  5. I adore this cover and it looks spooky. I’ll have to check it out this month.

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    1. Isn't it great? That's a house I'd love to explore! :)

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  6. Drat, neither of our libraries has any books by this author!

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    1. Shoot. I hate that! I had to ask my library to purchase some of her books because they didn't have any either, and then I found a couple of her others used online for not a lot, so I bought those myself.

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  7. I read a bit of Darcy Coates' new book and enjoyed what I checked out. I will need to read more by her.

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    1. I want to read more of her books, too. She's been a fun author. :)

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  8. I love love love the sound of this, thanks, going to check this one out xxx

    Lainy http://www.alwaysreading.net

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  9. I need to read something by this author. I've been seeing her around quite a bit. Great thoughts on this one and now I'm super excited!

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    1. She has written a lot of ghost stories, mostly set in a haunted house. I've only read three, but I've liked them all. :)

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  10. This sounds like a perfect spooky story for this time of year! And yay that you liked the ending. A good ending isn't always a given with a creepy mystery, but I enjoy them so much more when it happens. Fab review, Lark! :)

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    1. Thanks, Rachel! I agree. Some ghost story endings are kind of disappointing and/or unsatisfying. But I like the way Coates wraps up her stories. The ending of this one made me smile.

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  11. Oooo! This looks like a fun October read!

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  12. I love that cover; and it sounds like a good read, too! :)

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  13. This sounds like a great spooky read for October! Awesome review! :)

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  14. This sounds totally creepy! A great read for this time of the year!

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  15. Ooh this looks scary and fun! I think with those conditions I'd skip the job though if I was him lol.

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    1. Right? I wouldn't have taken that job either. :D

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  16. I really like the sound of this! I don't think I would want that job myself, but desperation makes us do things we might not do otherwise.

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    1. Yeah, I would have to be really desperate to take that job.

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