Recent Reads - The Poisoned House

The Poisoned House, by Michael Ford

 4 of 5 Stars

Genre: Young Adult, Horror

Pages: 328

Publication: 08/01/2011, Albert Whitman & Company

Why I Chose It:  I received an advanced reader's copy from NetGalley in exchange for a thoughtful and honest review.

Synopsis (from Goodreads):   The year is 1856, and orphan Abigail Tamper lives below stairs in Greave Hall, a crumbling manor house in London. Lord Greave is plagued by madness, and with his son Samuel away fighting in the Crimea, the running of Greave Hall is left to Mrs Cotton, the tyrannical housekeeper. The only solace for the beleaguered staff is to frighten Mrs Cotton by pretending the house is haunted.

So when a real ghost makes an appearance - that of her beloved mother - no one is more surprised than Abi. But the spirit has a revelation that threatens to destroy Abi’s already fragile existence: she was murdered, and by someone under their very own roof.

With Samuel returned to England badly wounded, it’s up to Abi to nurse him back to health, while trying to discover the identity of the killer in their midst. As the chilling truth dawns, Abi’s world is turned upside down.

My Review:  This one gets 4 stars for the simple fact that I began reading it right before bedtime and stayed up until after 2am to finish. I really should start rating books based upon how many hours of my precious sleep time I'm willing to sacrifice.

The Poisoned House, had me turning pages into the wee hours of the morning because even though there were enough clues for me to figure out who was responsible, I couldn't for the life of me figure out why. And to be honest, I didn't want it to be true so I kept hoping I was wrong.

Still, I have to admit that this one is hard to review because it's not like there was anything about it that was over-the-top ah-Maaaz-ing. It's a simple ghost story. But I loved the fact that I wasn't overburdened with a complex plot, a large cast of characters, or an author trying to change my view of the world. It was just pure, fun, entertainment.

It's fast-paced with a very likeable main character. Abi was endearing-if a little naive-and I couldn't help but find myself invested in her story. The setting is creepy with a few chilling moments where Abi encounters the ghost. Nothing too overtly scary, although there is a particularly disturbing incident involving kittens.

The ending felt a little rushed, but it wrapped everything up nicely. Overall, it was a very enjoyable read that I would recommend to anyone in the mood for a good ghost story.

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