362 Belisle St.

Set in modern suburban America, this story relates the progress of three successive occupants of the recently renovated 362 Belisle Street. All appears to be normal when Dan and Rebecca Mason move in, but before long unexplained noises are heard, apparitions appear and tensions between them are wound up to breaking point. They leave the house as soon as they can and a single mother with a son moves in, again to vacate the premises swiftly in favour of an ageing novelist, who is determined to stay - until something dreadful happens. The linking thread throughout the narrative is Glenn Darnley, a recently widowed estate agent who comes into contact with the house each time it comes back on the market. She is the most sympathetic and interesting character in the book, and her growing unease about the house mirrors the reader's reaction. Susie Moloney is a skilled storyteller and in her hands the ghost story becomes an atmospheric thriller that relies less on cheap effects than on an absorbing plot, with imaginative twists and an unexpectedly satisfying ending. Her characters are convincing; they are real people, with human contradictions and weaknesses. This is a book for grown-up readers who wish to be engaged as well as thoroughly entertained. (Kirkus UK)