| Title | : | Murder House |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | - |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Kindle Edition |
| Number of Pages | : | 101 |
| Publication | : | First published May 29, 2020 |
Murder House Reviews
-
What a weird, wonderful story this is.
Author C. V. Hunt writes horror of a different color. While most horror falls somewhere on a familiar spectrum of styles, tropes, and sub-genres- Hunt's horror is wildly unpredictable. I've come to expect the unexpected when I pick up one of her books and that's the only thing her books have in common with each other.
MURDER HOUSE is about this couple who move into a house well known in the neighborhood for being the house where some seriously bad stuff has happened. Brent is a broke-ass writer trying to resurrect his career by writing a true crime novel about the grisly events. He's on a deadline, stressed, and he's a major douchebag to his girlfriend, Laura.
Laura is a strange bird. She's the reader's narrator and it's tricky to navigate through all the unusual circumstances that happen to her because she's a bit atypical.
This book is freakin' creepy and the tension is layered on thick. My nerves were so rattled the entire time I read this--I basically only put it down to eat and sleep and finished in just a few hours, all minutes totaled.
I love novellas. I love fictional people who make off-the-wall choices. I love C. V. Hunt and I loved MURDER HOUSE. This book is just the kind of fresh horror that makes a lasting impression on people like me who read it every day. I'm always looking for those authors who can consistently throw down something off-beat.
I recommend this novella to horror fans looking to change things up and experience something unique. Not your traditional, "on-brand" genre fiction at all. -
Cockblock by C.V. Hunt is one of my favorite books. It’s a madcap adventurous tale about a very strange apocalypse with a brutally perfect ending and I highly recommend it. Murder House, the author’s latest book, is filled with rage and despair, and frustration but it didn’t quite come together for me in the end and some of that frustration ended up being mine.
And before someone comes over here to yell at me for my cruddy 3-star opinion, here's my disclaimer: "Three means I basically liked it per the Goodreads scale. Three is a good solid read. Three means I didn’t love and adore and want to marry it but I also didn’t want to murder it and bury it in the backyard either and that’s saying something. So I’m going to be brave and write another dreaded three-star review. "
Laura and her boyfriend of forever move into a murder house so he can write a true-crime novel. The rent is free for a few months and they appear to have nothing much else going on, so why not, right?
But it’s a bad idea (oh, really now?!) A truly terrible idea, actually. But not for the reasons most might think. Brent and Laura have some major relationship issues, Laura can’t afford her mental health medication and is struggling and they absolutely should not live together in any house never mind one where the floors still seem to be stained in blood.
What follows is a slow unraveling of reality. It’s painful to witness. I screamed at the book for both of these people to get the hell away from each other. Did they listen? OF COURSE NOT! They never do.
Some of the imagery here is bone-chilling, the descriptions of the decaying murder house were nightmare-inducing and beautifully written. I needed to know exactly what the heck was going on and this kept me going even when I was a bit exhausted by Brent and Laura’s hate-filled relationship dynamic and their toxic behavior.
There were some threads here that didn’t completely come together for me in the end but there were enough well-written unpredictable scenes filled with despair and desperation and wtf-ery to keep my attention until the final page.
Content Warning: -
I HATE the unreliable narrator trope so much. It’s a lazy and pointless device.
“Here’s a bunch of weird, unexplained, undeveloped, unrelated stuff that I wrote. Oh, it doesn’t make sense? That’s because THE NARRATOR IS UNRELIABLE. I don’t have to write a cogent plot or have a conclusion because THE NARRATOR IS UNRELIABLE.” -
CV Hunt delivers up a decidedly different take on the haunted house trope in her latest, Murder House.
Laura's boyfriend, Brent, has been hired to write a book about Detroit's infamous Murder House, a residence that was the scene of some incredibly ghastly murders with only one survivor. On their last legs financially, they pack up what little they have and move in so Brent can experience the house first-hand. Always a good idea, yeah?
You'd be right in guessing that Murder House is a pretty bleak book, but goddamn, there's hardly any rays of light at all in this novella's slim 100 pages, and Hunt keeps digging up ways to go from bad to worse. Whatever spark of romance once existed between Laura and Brent died ages ago, so when we meet them they're already on rocky turf, stuck together largely out of mutual dependency and little else. I kept rooting for Laura to find some level ground she could stake a claim on and ditch Brent because, good lord, is that guy ever a freaking asshole! I hated him, so thumbs up to Hunt to making him completely unsympathetic. Laura on the other hand...
Laura was somebody I could root for, relate to, and empathize with. She wants out from under Brent's thumb, but is also cognizant that she's the primary reason Brent is able to function at all. Her complacency, though, is part of the reason Brent is able to stay stuck in full man-child mode, and she's become more of a mother than a lover to him. Living in the Murder House doesn't make things any easier.
Hunt puts her characters first, far ahead of the potentially-supernatural shenanigans they possibly encounter, but the creep factor is kept at nicely high levels. Murder House is at its strongest, though, is in its easy defiance of meeting our expectations. There's more going on here than a mere haunting, and Hunt maintains an air of ambiguity to the hows and whys of what's happening here. Depending on your reading, you might surmise that Laura is an unreliable narrator, or perhaps she's being gaslit by Brent, or maybe, just maybe, there's something living beneath the house, in the sewers below. Or maybe there isn't. It's hard to pin down what exactly is happening here, but Hunt's writing ensures it's all very compelling and Laura's discoveries are sufficient to keep you on your toes. -
Laura's boyfriend Brent is writing a true crime book on an incident known as the Hallows' Eve Massacre. To add to the atmosphere, Brent's publisher rents the murder house for him to stay in and he moves in with Laura. Unsurprisingly, the house is incredibly unsettling, covered in sinister bloodstains and containing a mysterious basement. Already suffering from numerous mental health issues, Laura begins experiencing an increasing number of breakdowns. To make matters worse, the house also seems to be having some unexpected influences on Brent as well. After being stuck in a loveless relationship for ten years, the murder house pushes the couple's crumbling bond to its absolute limits.
This started out really well. The pacing was a bit too fast given the slow build of the initial setup, but the stilted relationship between Laura and Brent had me on edge. Every time they were in a scene together I felt really uncomfortable. The constantly heightening condescension, subtle anger and dismissive attitudes toward each other was leading up to something horrific. But in the final few chapters, everything falls apart and every major question is left unanswered.
Laura meets a strange man in black named Dan and their relationship ends up going nowhere. Laura begins working at a spiritual temple where people meditate only for the true purpose behind the place to never be explored. The main mystery behind the house and the initial murder is never solved. What was influencing Laura and Brent to act so extremely is never explained. Then the ending barely makes a lick of sense. Laura is an unreliable and unstable narrator which adds to the tension of the plot, but by the end there's too many unresolved subplots to reach a satisfying conclusion.
I enjoyed this a little more than the Halloween Fiend. The tension between Laura and Brent was really well done throughout the whole story, but unfortunately everything else about it ends up being wasted potential. It needed more chapters to flesh things out.
***
If you're looking for some dark ambient music for reading horror, dark fantasy and other books like this one, then be sure to check out my YouTube Channel called Nightmarish Compositions:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPPs... -
Book Blog |
Bookstagram
While I was reading this, my husband came into the room, changed his clothes and packed a bowl and I didn’t realize he was there. I was totally enraptured by this fucking weird little story. I mean, it could have also been because I was a baked potato myself, but whatever. This story sucked me right in and nothing else existed, so that’s basically all that matters.
A broke writer, Brent, and his unemployed girlfriend, Laura, move into a murder house, the rent paid by his publisher, with the hopes of writing the next great true crime book based on the murders that happened within the four walls they’re surrounded by. Then shit gets weird with a maybe-cult and possession, which create a handful of very creepy and disturbing scenes.
The relationship between Brent and Laura was disgustingly toxic and exceptionally written. There are a few very sexy scenes that come across as a sharp counterpoint to the rest of the fucked-up-ness. My nerves were on end from start to finish, whether it was because of the awfulness between Laura and Brent, the weirdness from the meditation temple or what was happening inside the house.
The only thing I would have liked would have been a more in-depth look at the original murders in the house to better explain why shit was happening and how much exactly it mirrored what happened before.
Otherwise, this was shocking, bloody, sexy and weird.
The vibe for this one:
⭐⭐⭐⭐ | 4 stars -
"There was gore and candy everywhere."
Murder House grabbed my attention at the beginning, but it didn't really last. Sinister is one of my favorite horror movies, so I was looking forward to reading about a true crime author writing a book about the house he was living in.
There was a little too much going on for such a short book. It felt like there were a lot of loose threads, and things would happen that never came up again. There were interesting storylines, but not enough time was spent on anything to make it all come together, and it got kind of messy.
CW - depression, toxic relationship -
Just like C.V. Hunt herself, this book has a unique voice and feel that is all its own. I don't really know what to say about it. I mean, it's just excellent. Maybe it's a story about a haunting or maybe it is something totally unexpected. I read this shortly after reading Home is Where the Horror Is and I loved them both. If you've never read her work before and/or you're looking for an author with a unique and unmistakable voice, please, please give C.V. Hunt a try!
-
On October 31st, 1975, James Dobos went mad and murdered his entire family, stabbing them repeatedly and cutting off their limbs, and was found on the steps of their home by police officers, claiming that they were trying to poison him and would sacrifice him to the devil if he didn't stop them. The house has been abandoned ever since. Years later, struggling true-crime writer, Brent, moves into the Murder House with his unemployed girlfriend, Laura, with the intention of writing the next great true-crime novel based on the murders that occurred in the house, hoping to use it as a source of inspiration. Brent and Laura already have their fair share of issues, their relationship is neglectful, argumentative and dangerously close to ending, but soon things begin to take a turn for the worse as they begin to discover that the house brings out a lot more in them than bad tempers.
Not quite the read I expected or hoped it would be, this was great but unfortunately opened up a lot of sub-plots that never got resolved which bugs me. 3.5 stars rounded up because of the enjoyment factor. Overall this is so brilliantly written, I love Hunt for her ability to really create a dire sense of tension and unease, and Murder House is no exception to that, the constant questioning and the slow realisation that everything we are seeing might not be all there is to see worked beautifully. However, the amount of questions left unanswered has dampened my experience a little and I do feel a little underwhelmed, while I can see such an ambiguous ending working for some people who might care more about the vibe of the story rather than the plot details, it has just left me wanting to know more. What is causing this all to happen?
On a more positive note, one thing I loved about Murder House was the way in which Hunt addressed dysfunctional relationships. The relationship between Brent and Laura was incredibly toxic, the two of them both relatively unlikeable, clearly sick of one another and yet sticking together out of a mutual dependency and lack of money to change their situations than any sort of affection or fondness, but both were compellingly written and felt layered, believable and interesting. In the latter half of the book, Laura's relationship with Dan, the tall, dark stranger who lives in the Meditation Center down the road, takes on a similar dynamic and isn't a great deal better, although a startlingly different kind of man he too brings out extremes in Laura that while present as positive are just as damaging because of the extent to which they are taken. None of them seem to know how to function outside of each other, and their messed up obsessions ultimately become their downfalls. I'm a sucker for unravelling realities in horror and bringing three characters in who were ultimately connected but experiencing the same situations in very different ways made it all very exciting.
Loved how this was written and the overall concept, but I'm somewhat disappointed with the amount of sub-plots and the introductions of interesting characters that were opened up but ultimately went nowhere. A little too much went on for such a short book, but I can't deny that I really enjoy Hunt's work even if I wish that she fleshed it out more in places. -
This started strong and yet didn’t go anywhere
-
I definitely waited too long to write this review and can’t remember most of what I was going to say, so this one’s going to be short:
Murder House is a fast, hard to put down read. I love a creepy house story and this one delivers! It gets a little surreal toward the end, but that’s not a problem in my book. If anything it could have been longer, because I wanted to read more about the house and the characters. I don’t think that’s much of a complaint though, better to leave readers wanting more than bored and impatient for a book to end. I recommend Murder House to horror fans looking for a quick, engrossing read to spend a couple of hours with. -
I absolutely love her books; my only complaints ever, are that they're too short. I never want them to end, and I think they could be great as full-length novels. Super fast, entertaining read.
-
**Review originally posted on High Fever Books **
https://www.highfeverbooks.com/review...
I think we can all agree that setting plays a major role in a story. In some ways, it can take on a life of its own and become a character of sorts. This is especially true when the reader is familiar with the place, whether it be from a past visit, or the fact that they’ve spent a portion of their life in that location. Setting often sparks the mood, creating an atmosphere that saturates every other aspect of the story. C.V. Hunt’s MURDER HOUSE is one such story. Propelled by the setting, and carried along by authentic moments of darkness, fear, and despair—this one creeped into my mind and crawled under my skin.
There’s a reason I want to discuss setting first. It’s always a part of my connection to a book, but in some cases it’s more intense than others, and that’s what happened here. This story is set in Detroit, which leads me to this assumption (one I feel safe to make): if you’ve never been there, one of the first thoughts to pop up in your mind when the city’s mentioned is urban decay. Even if you’ve spent a fair amount of time in the city, you’re aware of its overlooked positive qualities, but you can’t deny this reality. As someone who has experienced Detroit firsthand, I always feel the need to point out that there are many wonderful aspects of this city that you won’t learn about from the media. That being said, the urban decay and the accompanying feelings it evokes make for one hell of a setting for dark fiction. As soon as I opened this book and realized it was set in Detroit, I was intrigued.
This story pulled me in from the beginning, with a snippet of the “Murder House” history, and then I was drawn in further by the dysfunctional dynamics of Brent and Laura’s relationship. The tension between these characters coupled with the description of their arrival at the house gave me a sense of unease that continued throughout the story. I developed empathy for Laura’s character early on, and I felt a sense of authenticity in the writing, which means a lot to me when connecting with a story. Some parts of this story contain simple and straightforward descriptions of the unfolding events, but it’s also peppered with deep insight into the main character’s mind, exploring topics such as mental illness and poverty.
The creep factor is high in this story, but it’s not all in-your-face. Sometimes it’s subtle. There are some detailed descriptions of the house’s condition and some scares that stood out. Let’s just say that between the basement, attic, and tunnels, I was left with some serious unease (even more so after finishing the book and thinking it through). While there are moments of gore and intense shock, these are well-balanced with more subtle psychological horror woven into the entire thread of the story. I found some ambiguity in the meat of the story and at the ending. Earlier on this left me wanting more insight into Brent’s experience and his mindset. However, by the end, I felt like the unknown aspects added to the reading experience and made more of an impact on me.
I will tell you this—I think readers will do well by taking their time with this story. Don’t rush it, and take in all the details. At the end I found myself flipping back to review earlier parts of the story, and I had little “Ah ha!” moments where some of the pieces fell into place. I’m still not quite sure exactly what led to the madness, but I’m not sure we’re meant to have all the answers in this one, and it works. This story has been swirling around in my head for a couple of days now, ever since I put it down. To me, that’s one sign of a job well-done by the author.
I’m such a big fan of stories in which setting plays a big role. Subgenres within horror such as southern gothic and Appalachian noir really get under my skin in the best of ways. I think with MURDER HOUSE, we have a tale of what I’ll call “Great Lakes Grit”, and I’m here for it. It’s raw and real in the best way, and an excellent portrayal of madness and decay in both a physical and mental sense. After basking in the book hangover that this one provided, I think it’s safe to say that I give it 5 stars. -
Laura’s boyfriend Brent is a struggling writer with a new project on his hands. He’s writing a true crime novel about the grisly and gruesome murders of the infamous Murder House in Detroit.
However, not only does Brent have a very short time frame to write the book, only 3 months, they also want him to move into the house (good idea, right?).
Laura and Brent’s relationship is also not doing well. Brent is a huge dick to her and basically keeps her around for money and to do things he doesn’t feel like doing.
The house is not only decrepit and in really bad shape, but something just feels off about it.
Laura starts noticing some weird things within the house, but Brent doesn’t know what she’s talking about and just blows her off.
But then, Brent also starts acting a little bit different. Is Laura really seeing things or is it a trick of the mind?
I was very intrigued by this book when I read the synopsis because it reminded me a bit of Amityville Horror.
I read Halloween Fiend last year and was in love with it, so I couldn’t wait to dig into this one.
As soon as I started this book, I hated Brent. He is the worst character so mean and nasty to Laura. Every time he spoke I just felt my face squish up in a scowl.
Laura is an interesting character, I immediately felt for her because of Brent and how he treated her.
Since she’s the narrator you also get a peak at her mental state and her dealings with depression, which made her super relatable and I could connect with her.
I don’t always love the whole “is the main character actually experiencing something or is it in their head” trope, it can kind of frustrate me. However, I felt like this did it a little bit differently so it didn’t feel as annoying or frustrating. It didn’t feel like it was being shoved into my face that she might be “hallucinating or imagining” things.
The creepiness was really an undertone of everything else. It was almost like I finished reading a part and thought to myself “oh wow, that was eery.” I almost didn’t notice as it was happening until I had time to process it.
It was also a tiny bit gory which I was not expecting, but I liked it!
The only thing that I didn’t love was that I felt like there could have been more information provided. She leaves the ending very open ended and ambiguous. I wanted a little bit more on the house itself and the murders and just the overall history, I felt myself wanting more after I had finished it.
The ending was surprising, I didn’t expect it, but I liked it. It shocked me and took me by complete surprise.
Overall, I enjoyed it and liked it a lot, but would’ve liked just a little bit more info on the history. -
What a disappointing read! I had high expectations going in but nothing much happens for about 60% of the book (the book is just 100 pages!) which really bored me. I don't really like ambiguous endings and unreliable characters but if you like such things then maybe the experience will be better for you.
Now coming to the characters. Laura is unbelievable not just unreliable I mean who stays with an awful person like Brent for 10 years when you're not even married to him or have any children to take care of. She just met Dan for the first time and had sex with him repeatedly on the first night that she met him and later moves in with him (I mean come on! You even don't know the guy)
That ending infuriated me so much because it ended abruptly and I hate those kind of endings! -
Not horror
After burning through Halloween fiend, I immediately jumped into murder house. I recently discovered C.V Hunt and quickly jumped from one loved horror story to what I though was another. Turns out, its not a horror story. I hate leaving negative reviews for something I know someone worked very hard on, but this was pretty lackluster. It had loads of potential, but it seemed every time something clever, or scary was about to happen, it just didn't.
This was a novella about a woman living with a deadbeat, that is looking for an excuse to leave. Nothing more to know about it really. -
Gave me the creeps
A very well done story about a woman, Laura, and her husband, Brent, that move into a decrepit house. The house was the scene of gruesome murders and Brent is writing a true crime book and using the house for inspiration. Soon, strange things begin to happen.
I enjoyed this one quite a bit and I read it in one sitting. I find myself wanting more from this. More about the characters and events but mostly more about the house and it's history. Still, it was highly enjoyable. -
3.75 rounded up. Well written, solid, atmospheric novella with an ending that caught me off guard. I thought the story was going in one direction & it turns out I was super wrong - it took a hard turn into a level of dementedness (is that a word?) that was gross, but pretty satisfying.
-
Please read the kittens review on instagram.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CBQ4iMGAd... -
This book was near perfection for me. I’m embarrassed by how long it has taken me to read a CV Hunt book and now I want to read them all.
-
C.V. Hunt’s “Murder House” is a jagged thorn of a novella that was unsettling and fun. I think it was well-written. It acted as a nice change of pace and I’m glad I read it. I subtracted one star for a bit of wobbliness at the end. She almost stuck the landing but something was off. It does deal with someone struggling with depression, so if that’s not your thing, then skip it. Otherwise I’d give it a go! It’s short and fun. Enjoy!
-
C.V. Hunt writes a kind of horror I don’t typically go for. I tend to prefer scary stories that focus on atmosphere and carry more of a mischievous sense of playfulness. Hunt’s tales lean decidedly into the dark and gritty end of the spooky spectrum, featuring troubled, wretched characters who have been already put through the wringer of life before the horror that is to befall them even knocks on their door, as it were. Bleak stories about bleak people that, more often than not, end in a bleak manner. There’s a certain mindset I have to be in in order to properly appreciate this kind of fiction.
⠀
A mindset I must have been in when I read this slim novella recently because, while certainly dark and despondent, I found myself thoroughly compelled by it.⠀
⠀
𝑴𝒖𝒓𝒅𝒆𝒓 𝑯𝒐𝒖𝒔𝒆 follows Laura and her partner Brent as they move into a run-down house in a run-down part of Detroit. The building was the infamous scene of a particularly grisly set of murders about which Brent, a down-on-his-luck writer, is doing a book. Struggling financially, Brent convinced his publisher to let them live rent-free in the dilapidated digs during the writing process. Laura’s not too thrilled about the arrangement: for one thing their relationship is not at its healthiest point (to put it mildly) and she’s not certain it can survive the stress of maintaining a wreck; for another, the place itself just fills her with dread. She tries to be a supportive partner, regardless, but the inherent creepiness of the house soon begins to get to her. It eventually gets to Brent as well, and their already turbulent life threatens to veer entirely off the rails.⠀
⠀
I really admire how Hunt works with the haunted house aspect of the story. One of the primary plot points has to do with Laura having to stop buying her psychiatric medication in order to save money, (one of a handful of details that help make this story feel so grounded and real). She feels the effects of their absence at various points throughout the novella, which vary from mood swings to downright hallucinations. Hunt allows enough ambiguity here to make the reader question whether all the strange sights and sounds our protagonist keeps experiencing are the product of a haunted house or a haunted mind instead. Not a novel conceit by any means, but I appreciated Hunt’s empathetic approach to it: at no point does it feel exploitative; at no point does it feel as if mental health issues are being used for cheap thrills.⠀
⠀
The characterization here is notably strong, too. Brent and Laura both feel like real people — painfully so at times, with all their flaws and vulnerabilities. Laura in particular I found very well-realized, and the battles she’s fighting (both inner and outer) make her immediately endearing. You 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵 her to get out of this horror story — out of this toxic relationship, out of this cursed house — relatively safe and unscathed. 𝑴𝒖𝒓𝒅𝒆𝒓 𝑯𝒐𝒖𝒔𝒆 has other plans for our heroine, however, and it demands we bear witness. -
3.5 rounded up to 4 for Goodreads.
C.V. Hunt is an author that I have heard a lot about but had yet to experience any of her work until now. In this novella Murder House, Hunt devours all of the famliar haunted house tropes that you’ve grown accustomed to and vomits them out across the page in this strange and highly unpredictable tale. After the opening, presented as a news clip from the Detroit Free Press, that describes the aftermath of a massacre having occurred in the aptly named murder house I thought I knew the type of story I was in for, but I couldn’t have been more wrong.
We follow Laura and her writer boyfriend Brent. They are barely scraping by and have moved into the infamous murder house so that Brent can write a true crime novel based on the house's lurid past. Oh, and did I mention that Brent is a first class d-bag? A lazy, mentally abusive d-bag at that. He was a character that I ended up loathing. Laura and Brent’s relationship is toxic to say the least and crumbles even further as this tale progresses. This is a bleak, methodically paced psychological horror story dealing with themes of depression, mental illness, and poverty. Laura is our narrator, and possibly an unreliable one. Off of her medication her mind cannot be trusted, or can it? Are her experiences real or are they hallucinations? C.V. Hunt doesn’t give us all the answers and leaves a lot open to the reader's interpretation.
I love when a setting becomes a character within the story. Here, we are in Detroit. We have all seen pictures of the rundown derelict buildings long since abandoned. This is where our characters find themselves. This urban decay adds to the creepy unsettled feeling that lingers throughout. The isolation, the ghosts and skeletons of these gutted homes left to rot in a world that seems to have moved on.
As I said earlier I thought I knew maybe where the story was headed but the ending takes a sharp and sudden left turn that had me saying, “what the hell just happened?” A bit abrupt and ambiguous I was left wanting a little more explanation to everything that had occurred to Laura and Brent. That aside C.V. Hunt is a great writer. Not sure if it is her style or just the way this particular story was written but her writing felt grimey and grungy. Her words have a punk rock sort vibe to them. I felt like I needed a hot shower to rinse away the unclean feeling I had after turning the last page.
Haunting, bleak and unrelentingly original. Murder House by C.V. Hunt isn’t afraid to turn the haunted house genre on its head and allows the reader to come to their own conclusions about what really happened within those blood stained walls.
I received a digital ARC of this book from the publisher for review consideration.
Video review:
https://youtu.be/QLWdT0fdw-E -
Creepy
I'm starting to become a big fan of C. V. Hunt's horror novels. She always writes characters that feel genuine whether they're a lesbian running from crazed sex zombies or a 40-year old housewife that's fallen out of love with their longtime boyfriend. Murder House is about the latter. Said 40-year old moves into an old rickety house with her boyfriend who is writing a true crime book about the murders that took place there. The whole place sucks and her boyfriend is indifferent and constantly annoyed with her. Oh and she's starting to see weird stuff around the place like a mysterious projector in the attic ala the movie Sinister. Hunt does a good job of making you despise the boyfriend that's for sure. Eventually things go from bad to worse and things get bloody. Hunt usually does a weird and transgressive style of horror but here she goes more for the straight creep factor of a standard horror novel. The ending is violent and suspenseful but I feel like it could have been elaborated on a little more. Still it's a good creepy story that will satisfy her fans and maybe bring in some new ones too. -
My introduction to
C.V. Hunt’s work was the short story,
Last Woman On Earth. She impressed me immediately with her ability to pack such character development in only about nine pages. I really felt for the protagonist. The next piece I read from Hunt was
Baby Hater; an absolutely delightful tale of a woman who goes around punching babies. That one is a lot of fun, and even sneaks in a statement on the pressure women who don’t have or don’t want kids get placed on them by society. So, naturally, I was eager to take a looksee at her latest offering, Murder House. It’s been a few weeks since I finished it, and I’m still thinking about it.
You can read Steve's full review at Horror DNA by
clicking here. -
My introduction to
C.V. Hunt’s work was the short story,
Last Woman On Earth. She impressed me immediately with her ability to pack such character development in only about nine pages. I really felt for the protagonist. The next piece I read from Hunt was
Baby Hater; an absolutely delightful tale of a woman who goes around punching babies. That one is a lot of fun, and even sneaks in a statement on the pressure women who don’t have or don’t want kids get placed on them by society. So, naturally, I was eager to take a looksee at her latest offering, Murder House. It’s been a few weeks since I finished it, and I’m still thinking about it.
You can read my full review at Horror DNA by
clicking here. -
For those who've been waiting patiently for CV Hunt to drop her next book, you absolutely won't be disappointed. Murder House centers around three characters who are masterfully well-crafted just as you'd find in Hunt's other novels. The boyfriend, Brent, had me so heated within only a chapter or two I found myself wanting to jump in the book and punch his face. I love when books like this have characters who evoke such a strong feeling that you can't help but be attached to them even when they're clearly so vile. If you're a fan of haunted house stories this one is a doozy, and off the beaten path, which I appreciate greatly. Questions would come to mind that made me rip through page after page for the answers. I won't spoil anything, but the ending of this book is right up my alley and I loved it! If you're a fan of CV Hunt's other work then Murder House is a must read.
-
This would have made a great Lifetime movie. The fact that this couple is disentigrating while the girlfriend is obsessing over a mysterious man had nothing to do with them being in a house famous for some murders committed in it. The drama could have happened anywhere and it pretty much would have been the same story. The spooky stuff, the murdery stuff could so easily be cut without affecting the crux of the plot that it probably should have been. Sure, there's some scary bits at the end and through out, but when it's explained why this is all happening, it feels so tacked on. The drama stuff is good, and maybe could have been expanded some to make it full drama relationship Lifetime troubles.
-
MURDER HOUSE by C. V. Hunt for as a quick read that I enjoyed. I thought the premise of a true crime writer living in the house that the crime took place while writing the book was fantastic. It reminded me a little of KILL CREEK by Scott Thomas.
The story is told from the point of view of Laura who is the girlfriend of the author. I think this worked well for me. It felt like I was inside her head and that amped up the tension with all the goings on in the house. I love atmospheric buildup to make a book scary and this one had it going on.
The ending was a little abrupt and a little open. I am not opposed to those types of endings at all but I wanted just a little more from this one. This is my first book by C. V. Hunt and I enjoyed the experience.
