J.H Moncrieff -The Restoration

‘The Restoration’ by J.H Moncrieff is a Flame Tree Press publication which was one of the factors for me taking up on the invitation to join the tour. I have yet to be disappointed in any book from Flame Tree and this book did not let me down either.

‘The Restoration’ is a new take on the haunted house angle, combining it with a murder mystery to make this a little bit darker than it may have been. It is also based on events that occurred when the author, with other authors too, stayed a night in a haunted house!

This story follows a mother and her daughter moving into a house for the Summer. The mother, Terri, has been hired to restore the house as she has a good reputation for restoration. Terri is also hoping that this will also help her to rebond with her daughter, as she seems to be becoming emotionally distant.
It doesn’t waste any time in setting the scene. Right from the start, the uneasy feeling is there as we meet  Henrietta. She is the elderly woman who owns the house. Just the fact that she leaves it until Terri is actually at the house to inform her other contractors have abandoned their work on the house is weird enough. Henrietta gives you a feeling that she isn’t telling the full story and seems rather untrustworthy and a liar if nothing else.

The pace never slows giving the reader no option to feel settled for one minute. It doesn’t take long for the ghostly ‘action’ to begin and for Terri to start struggling with her beliefs of what was happening and what she was seeing. I loved the backstories of people who had been in the house and what had happened to them too. These characters themselves add to the feeling of dread as the twists J.H Moncrieff has perfectly placed play out.

The House itself feels like a character that increases the sense of creepiness as you wonder what will happen next. This is a book in which you never get the chance to relax. I was always wondering what the next room would bring.

The most positive outcome is how Terri and her daughter pull together when they are faced with malevolent spirits who don’t like the fact that these two have moved into the house. This was lovely to see them both back each other up even when things ramped up.

Another fantastically creepy released from Flame Tree Press and yet another new author for me. This is a book to read for this time of year.

Thank you to Anne Cater of Random Things Tours and Flame Tree Press for the copy of this book.