Horror Book Spotlight: What Lies Unseen by S.E.Howard

 

Seeing the dead, is it a curse or a blessing? 

This week’s horror book pick is WHAT LIES UNSEEN by S.E. Howard. The book was released in March 2026 and is on the best-seller’s list of Occult and Supernatural Horror eBooks. 

The book was published by AETHON: Wicked House and has amassed 5-star reviews from customers who have already read it. 

But will this end up in your Finished Reading list or DNF pile?

Let’s find out.

WHAT LIES UNSEEN Plot Summary

Sam Avery thinks he is the only one with the ability to see ghosts. He has been seeing them since his childhood after all. But then he meets Amanda Foster, who claims she can hear the dead. 

Amanda convinces Sam to join the Spirit Circle, which she says has more members like them who have the ability to seek out and commune with the dead. 

But soon Sam becomes suspicious of the Spirit Circle and Amanda’s true purpose. Do they really want to help spirits who are trapped in this world, or do they have a more sinister purpose?

WHAT LIES UNSEEN My Take on the Sample

The prologue begins with Sam, who is on a fourth-grade field trip when he sees a woman on top of the staircase, her clothes and hair charred and burned. He knows she is a spirit and also knows no one else can see her. He remembers how his brother Michael told him that he didn’t need to be afraid of what was out there and that the spirits can’t hurt him. 

Sam’s classmate Luz is a protective friend and stands up for him when he gets pushed around by others. As the prologue comes to an end, Sam realizes his brother never truly believed him about seeing spirits, and contrary to what he said, they could hurt him. 

As the first chapter begins, we see Sam head out for his first day at his new job. His mother is excited to see him in uniform, and we learn that Sam has taken up a job as a security guard. 

He was also recommended for this job by Andres, Sam’s father’s former police partner, who has now opened his own security agency. Sam is on the night shift but needs to train during the day, which is why Mr Gil suggests he wear a tie. 

In a flashback, we learn that Sam had actually wanted to be a police officer, but his mother had thrown a fit, reminding him of what happened to his father and brother Michael. 

Sam is introduced to the history of the site where he is working, which he had previously visited on a school trip in the prologue. Apparently, J.P. Montgomery owned the estate and lived there with his wife, Anne, who died of tuberculosis, and his daughter Rosemary, who died eight years after that in a fire. 

Sam believes he may have seen Rosemary’s ghost when he was a kid. 

Rosemary got interested in seances after her mother passed away, and one night, it is suspected that a candle fell over, resulting in a fire that claimed the lives of Rosemary, her fiancé, and a famous psychic. 

Clearly, there seems to be more to this story. Could Rosemary have died just because a candle tipped over? Why would she show herself to Sam, then?

Sam is also told that Dr. Amanda, the director of this site, doesn’t believe in curses or that the house is built over a ceremonial mound. 

As he is shown around, he spots a woman going under velvet ropes and immediately stops her. When he realizes it is Dr Amanda, he is embarrassed, but she is friendly with him instead. 

In the next chapter, we learn that Sam had seen his first ghost in kindergarten, and it was of a man who appeared to be homeless. He had spoken in broken words to Sam, saying he had been kicked really hard. 

Later, Sam had seen his mugshot on TV, which confirmed that it was the homeless man who had died. But years later, Sam discovers that a group of police officers, his father included, was behind his death. 

Sam later calls up Luz, Andres’ daughter, and she offers him encouragement and pizza, but he declines, stating that he is too tired. 

The next day, Sam sees a shadow again and calls out, suspecting it’s Rosemary’s ghost. But we don’t get any confirmation. He gets closer to Dr Amanda, whom he helps with boxes, and who is friendly with him and even offers to take him out for drinks. 

By the time the sample earns, we wonder…is Dr Amanda really as nice as she appears to be? Is this going to turn into a love triangle with Luz, Amanda, and Sam?

READ OR SKIP?

What Lies Unseen seems predictable at parts and Sam isn’t the most interesting protagonist to read. The characters around him offer more substance, though, which means you are likely to enjoy the story and see what happens next. 

Properties built on old ceremonial grounds, ghosts, and a secret group that can interact with spirits? 

The book has it all, and so of course, this is a READ for me. 

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