Review: The Haunting of Maddy Clare by Simone St. James

3.5 stars for The Haunting of Maddy Clare by Simone St. James.

When I started out on Rebecca in the week of 11 Oct, I gave myself three weeks to read the book. I was pretty comfortable with the timeline and rather confident of myself. No stress. Three weeks. Easy does it. In the end, two weeks is all I need. All thanks to three special days when I can concentrate on nothing but read. What bliss! With Rebecca completed, I find myself contemplating another horror story before October runs out. But this time, I am not quite as sure that I will be able to make it in time for a Oct end review. Surprisingly, I made it. This post is proof of it.

Unlike Rebecca, The Haunting of Maddy Clare is obviously a horror story. The word "haunting" in the title broadcast it all.

Written in first person narrative, 25-year old Sarah Piper tells of her strange assignment, one any temporary girl will ever have imagined. And that is being part of a trio of ghost hunters. The assignment which seems simple and easy enough at first, soon spins out of control and turns into a nightmare. Sarah needs to solve the mystery of the haunting fast before the team runs out of time.

The book is easy to read, a welcome change after my last one. The plot is predictable to some extent but not to the point of putting me off. Also, the intensity of horror and mystery is just nice, enough to keep me on the edge of my seat but not so scary as to send me looking after my back constantly.

For a debut novel, this book is not too bad. I usually try to avoid giving half a star in my rating but this is one book where I cannot decide on a 3 or 4-star, so I settle for a in-between. I read The Sun Down Motel by this same author last year and I love it. I think I will likely be reading more of this author's books in time to come, especially around this time of the year.


Publisher: Berkley; Original edition
Publication date: 6 Mar 2012

*** Favourite Quote ***

He was an excellent storyteller; he had a talent for building his tale, giving just enough detail and leaving just enough suspense to keep his audience interested.

~ The Haunting of Maddy Clare
Simone St. James

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Sarah Piper's lonely, threadbare existence changes when her temporary agency sends her to assist a ghost hunter. Alistair Gellis—rich, handsome, scarred by World War I, and obsessed with ghosts—has been summoned to investigate the spirit of nineteen-year-old maid Maddy Clare, who is haunting the barn where she committed suicide.

Since Maddy hated men in life, it is Sarah's task to confront her in death. Soon Sarah is caught up in a deperate struggle. For Maddy's ghost is real, she's angry, and she has powers that defy all reason. Can Sarah and Alistair's assistant, the rough, unsettling Matthew Ryder, discover who Maddy was, where she came from, and what is driving her desire for vengeance—before she destroys them all?

*Blurb from Goodreads*

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