Fear is a place.When struggling concert pianist Emil inherits a house from his late uncle, he thinks all of his problems are solved. Absconding to the mysterious Weatherby House in the suburbs of Portland where his famous uncle composed many classical masterpieces, Emil finds the place completely empty, save for one thing: His uncle’s grand piano.But Weatherby House is not the ideal getaway it … House is not the ideal getaway it appears at first glance. It has a dark past and is shunned by the locals. As the days pass, strange things occur on the property, leaving Emil to wonder if he isn’t losing his mind.
Unplaceable footsteps resound in the upstairs; dark figures peer into the windows at night despite the empty acreage that surrounds the old house, and that blasted piano can’t seem to keep quiet, loosing music at turns beautiful and terrifying even as no one sits before it.
In time, Emil discovers that there’s something else living in Weatherby House.
And it refuses to let him leave.more
Very, very scary!
Emil loves playing the piano, but after a breakdown at one of his recitals, he doesn’t have much options. He is living with his parents and is broke. Until one day he learns that his Uncle Gustav, a famous musician and composer, left him a house. What’s odd is that Emil hasn’t talked nor seen his Uncle in years. The last time was when Gustav attended one of Emil’s recitals and told Emil he wasn’t any good. So why would his Uncle leave him a house? As Emil settles into the house he learns some disturbing things about it and things aren’t what they seem!!
I have quickly become a fan of Ambrose Ibsen because of how he can transport you into his stories. That isn’t really a good thing though, because his stories are so incredibly creepy!!! I actually had to stop listening to this till the morning because it gave me the chills. Learning about the house and everything that happened just made it worse. It was so so scary and I just wanted Emil to leave! I know I wouldn’t stay in any house where mysterious noises were happening. I’d skedaddle and get someone else to investigate!!
The author is also really good at making you connect with his characters. I felt for Emil. He is down on his luck but determined to make a better life for himself. He just wants to play music again and even starts hearing a certain song in his dreams. I was rooting for him the whole way through. I also liked Kelly, the girl he meets when he gets to the new town.
In all, this was a great little ghost story. Well written and developed and one that had me shivering, it’s a must read. Can’t wait to see what the author gives us next!!
Emil is a concert pianist struggling with an addition to opiates. When his Uncle Gustav dies and leaves him a house across the country, Emil is shocked but decides that he needs a change in his life in order to try to salvage his career.
When he arrives at the Weatherby house, he is shocked to see how huge it is and by the fact that there are no furnishings or light bulbs in it. Everything is covered with a thick layer of dust and Emil wonders if his Uncle ever lived in the house.
When he meets a young woman named Kelly, Emil learns that the house was the setting for some horrific murders at the hands of a cult. Of course, Emil starts to hear things and see things in the house and begins to wonder if he is going crazy.
There is really nothing new or surprising in this book, but if you enjoy a good haunted house/cult/ghost story, you will enjoy this one. There is a bit of a cheesy 1980’s slasher movie to this book and I found myself wanting to scream at the characters several times. But, that is part of the charm of a haunted house story, isn’t it? The ending was pretty predictable, but it didn’t take away from the chills I felt at parts of the book. Ambrose Ibsen is a good writer and you can really feel the terror as Emil narrates.
Joe Hempel continues to be one of my favorite narrators and this book is no exception. He is perfect in his reading and telling of the tale.
I was gifted a copy of this Audible book by the narrator/author/publisher and chose to review it.
Fledgling pianist Emil can’t figure out why the uncle who never had anything kind to say to him in life, would leave him a fabulous old house. But when he moves into it, strange things begin to happen, but Emil has never played so well in his life and cant’ help but be drawn to the piano. Hounded by whispers, he begins to wonder if he’s losing his mind, but he’ll soon find out what those whispers are all about. Riveting story-line, intriguing characters, and a well-laid plot make this an awesome story. The narrator did a great job. Ghost lovers, you’ll want to listen to this one.
Love this book and author!
By Babbi-Dan on May 18, 2018
Verified Purchase
Format: Kindle Edition
I read “The House of Long Shadows” by this author and loved it so much I then read this book! I was not disappointed! I didn’t see the ending coming, and once again this book also held my attention. I recommended this book to my reader friends just as soon as I finished reading it. I hope other readers will enjoy it as much as I did! I gave it five stars for its writing style, believable and memorable story line, and the fact that it held my attention from page one. I really dislike books that take a while to get into. I hope others enjoy this book (and author) as much as I do.