Horror Book Review: A Haunting in Plum Hollow by Ambrose Ibsen

 

A Haunting in Plum Hollow written by Ambrose Ibsen is this week's Horror Book Pick.

The book was published in November 2024 and has achieved a best seller's rank in Witch and Wizard Thrillers, as well as Occult Horror.

The story is about Ellery and Michael Lisbon, who, after going through a series of misfortunes, find a house called Plum Hollow so that they can start anew.

At the beginning of the book, we meet Christopher Parris, who is currently admitted to a mental hospital.

It is when he is lucid that he recalls what happened and how he came to be. This is not fully revealed to us just yet.

He is watching a documentary on Lions when its bloodied face reminds him of a woman's face covered with blood.

When he gets an anxiety attack, the doctor tries to help him, but the memories are too much for Christopher, who then tries to commit suicide.

This sets up the theme of the book suggesting that something horrific had taken place in the house at 1515 Baxter Court.

In the next chapter, we meet our main characters: Ellery and her brother Michael.

Ellery is recently divorced and currently dealing with low self-esteem because she thinks her husband has left her because she's not pretty enough.

Her companion through this rough patch is Michael, her kid brother who was laid-off during the recession. Despite his experience in the IT industry, he has been forced to seek a job as a rookie.

After their mother's death, they receive an inheiritance which they use to buy a house: 1515 Baxter Court.

The realtor does inform them of the deaths in the house, but Ellery has no follow-up questions, nor did Michael.

When the realtor insinuates that the deaths were in the news, both siblings had not heard because they were too busy in their lives at the time.

Desperate for a fresh start, the siblings buy the house within 48 hours.

As they begin to settle, Ellery tries to befriend the postman who goes out of the way to avoid her. A woman chases after Ellery, which shocks her.

There is mystery and intrigue and just a hint of something ominous behind the narrative.

There are indications of something sinister that has occurred in the house as well as a scene where a detective finds a body without a heart.

There is enough going on to pique your interest, but the author quickly moves on to focus on the characters and explains their backstories in a manner that makes you want to sympathize with their situation.

The only flaw appears to be the character's willingness to purchase a house without wanting to learn what murders took place.

While the siblings are desperate to move to a new house, it seems implausible that they are unwilling to learn its history, considering they are going through a rocky phase. The last thing anyone going through such troubling times is to put their feet in more hot water, so to speak. Anyone who has gone through tough times becomes wary of the next choice they have to make.

Yet, the characters are barely concerned about their decision.

The reviews are generally good and allude to frightening and intense scenes.

The negatives are about how the chapters are long and usually laden with repetitive information.

However, the sample gives a taste of interesting and horrifying things to come.

To Read or Not to Read

A Haunting in Plum Hollow is gripping from the first chapter. The characters are interesting, too. The author wastes no time in getting to the horror bits which makes this relatively fast-paced.

Whether or not this pace remains and if there will be enough horror scenes to make this a great read remains to be seen.

For now, the premise seems intriguing enough to make me want to read on.

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