Jennifer Fawcet has just exploded on the scene with her chilling horror/suspense thriller debut, Beneath the Stairs. I am not one to read horror/suspense novels, however, this novel sank it’s claws in me and urged me forward to read it! This novel stayed with me long after I put it down. I kept on picking up again to re-read parts so I could dissect its meaning! Fawcet created a world of characters that are broken and flawed, and as the novel progresses, the reader grows to care for them, and are invested in what happens to them. We feel every heartbreak and setback they experience, which adds to the thrill of this novel.
In a small upstate New York town, there is an abandoned house in the shape of an octagon, aptly named “The Octagon House”, hidden deep in the woods. The Octagon House was the scene of a gruesome murder of a man who killed his wife and two daughters. For generations after, kids have been daring each other to walk into this house. When 14-year-old Clare and her best friend Abby venture into the house one summer night, both girls were greatly impacted by the experience, but Abby left a part of herself in that house forever.
Years later, both girls are estranged from each other, but Claire gets word that Abby is in a coma after venturing back to the Octagon House to commit suicide. Claire returns to her home town to attempt to uncover what has held a stranglehold on this house, and everyone who has entered it. As Clare digs deeper, a haunting past attached to the house comes to light. And let me tell you what…it’s a spine tingling reveal after reveal!
Beneath the Stairs is a superb debut by Jennifer Fawcet. I am not one to read horror/suspense, but something convinced me to pick it up and read it. I was not disappointed. I was terrified most of the time, and I found myself speed reading so I could find out what happened! I will be reading this again so I can savor the stellar reveals! Regardless if you love horror/suspense or not, I highly recommend picking up Beneath the Stairs.
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Purchase Beneath The Stairs
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Barrington Books
Chapter 2 Books
Murder By The Book
Once Upon A Crime
The Book Dragon
The Poisoned Pen
