Holy cow! This book is NOT for the faint hearted. Extremely dark and gory. There are going to be some scenes that’ll pisses or turn you off. For some reason it felt like it was written for a movie instead of a reader. I wanted to put the book down but I needed the answers which unfortunately were at the end. It will keep you in your toes. His writing is MUCH darker than Stephan King and Dean Koontz. Warning: There are explicit scenes in the book. There some graphic sexual nature and child abuse in it. I have never read a thriller that is so dark as this one. I’m going to give it 3 3/4 stars. I received this ARC from Net Galley and Flame Thrower in exchange for an honest review.

This was only the second book by the author I've read so far, but I can already recognize the author's unique voice. Again, Janz delivers a complex story packed with gory action and glimpses into the abyss of depravity, but also interludes of more subtle horror and an exceptional character depth. The broad variety found in this book makes it not just another haunted house/ghost story, but a unique sample of the finer art of horror.

At first, I felt slightly overwhelmed by the different plot lines thrown in, but at the end everything fit perfectly together. I was eager to explore the history of the house and the peninsula, and to understand step by step how it came to be haunted. What got to me most though were the children, and seeing how their innocence was already crushed by human monsters long before any supernatural evil reached out for them.

Regarding characters, it was fascinating to observe the transformation of the main character David. He fought so hard to maintain his belief in the non-existence of anything supernatural, but at some point he could no longer deny it, as it was staring him right in the eye. Oh, and at the beginning I was really amused by his jumpiness, which contradicted his matter-of-fact appearance.

A very rewarding reading experience which more than fulfilled my expectations.

I read THE CHILDREN OF DARK earlier this year, so I know what Jonathan Janz is capable of. THE SIREN AND THE SPECTER is a good haunted house story. I read it in two sittings. I enjoyed the experience, but there are some things in this book that I didn't like.

David Caine is a renowned skeptic of the supernatural who is invited to stay at the Alexander House (the most haunted house in Virginia) to debunk the urban legends and to write a book about his experience. What will become of David Caine? Will he accomplish his task?

THE SIREN AND THE SPECTER has several layers to it. This ghastly tale of depravity delivers the occasional scares. The scenes were good, but I didn't care for the dialogue. It didn't feel natural. I didn't like the way the characters talked to David. I didn't know why the characters didn't like David. After a while, the dialogue did get better.

There are several layers to THE SIREN AND THE SPECTER. There's almost too much happening in this book, and it's a lot to digest in a short amount of time. I loved the atmosphere and I was rooting for David to succeed. The past comes crashing into the present. There are a few surprises in the reveals, which I delighted in. The gore is on full display. THE SIREN AND THE SPECTER is a mystery shrouded in the supernatural and doused with blood and guts.

Even though I enjoyed THE SIREN AND THE SPECTER, I feel like it would make for a better read if it was broken down into two separate books, that way Janz could fully flesh out the big picture. I loved the ending of the story. That ending is everything. I would love to read more about David Caine.

While reading this book, I realized that I love Janz's writing style. He drops a few words here and there that I'm not familiar with, which makes the reading experience fun. If you haven't read Janz yet, then remedy that quick like.

Recommend!

I was lucky to receive this wonderful book on request from NetGalley for an honest review.
Around a month ago I read Children Of The Dark by Jonathan Janz, and it blew me away.
I discovered his work by sheer accident looking for writers influenced by Richard Laymon.
After some digging around, Jonathan's name kept cropping up, praise from so many respected authors.
Now, I'm not saying he is exactly like Laymon, far from it, although I do believe his earlier work has shown an influence, from what I've heard anyway. What I am saying is he can grip you with a story like Laymon could, and that's all we horror lovers are really after. isn't it?
The Siren and the Specter is a terrifyingly beautiful tale about a sceptic called David Caine, invited to spend a month in the Alexander House by an old friend.
As the story progresses we meet up with some of the most twisted, well-thought-out characters I've ever read in a novel. The children, for example, are the way they are for a reason. Jeez... what a life.
The house isn't the only thing with a past either. David Caine has one too.
I can't tell you too much more because I don't want to spoil the journey.
What I will say though is each character has a journey of their own. And for each one of them, you'll be emotionally invested.
When I was about a third of the way through I commented on Twitter that the book was a bloody nightmare... in the most awesome way. For the rest of the book, I never lost that feeling.
Go buy this one.. And then go buy another one of his. And then tell all your friends too, because Jonathan won't ever let you down.
And that's as honest as I can be.

I’m a sucker for a good haunted house story, but even more so, I’m a sucker for books that make you question whether the events taking place are actually supernatural. So when I happened across this book, I knew I needed to read it. David is a professor and a well-known skeptic of the supernatural, so when his college friend Chris asks him to settle a bet between him and his wife on whether the most haunted house in America is, indeed, haunted, David jumps at the chance. He agrees to spend a month in the Alexander House and write a book about his experience. But what David doesn’t realize is that, haunted or not, the house is about to bring his own demons out of hiding.
This book was so, so good. From the very first pages, I was absolutely absorbed by the writing. Janz builds a tense and creepy atmosphere right out of the gate, and I was hooked! I found myself constantly doubting what was taking place along with David, unsure of what or who to believe. More than once, I had to put the book down for a bit while reading at night because I was too spooked! One scene in this book even got a literally, out-loud “wtf?!” from me.
One thing I really appreciated about this book was the human element, something that’s often lacking in horror novels. For the most part, the main characters felt fully fleshed-out with believable motives for their actions, which really enhanced the feeling of suspicion I had towards each of them at different points in the novel. Having such real characters went a long way to making me question what was real and what wasn’t while reading. David also makes for an incredibly compelling protagonist; even though he’s kind of a crappy person, he’s sympathetic and interesting, and it’s hard for the reader not to empathize with him.
This novel is an excellent example of what a fantastic haunted house story should be. It’s well-rounded, with lots of horror but without neglecting characters, plot and style. Everything fits perfectly together, even the elements that might have seemed a bit out of place originally all come together by the end of the novel to create a fantastically terrifying and incredibly satisfying read. Anyone looking for a smart, scary read should pick this up, I promise it won’t disappoint!

Thank you to the publishers for letting me read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Siren and The Specter, for me, is not your typical ghost story. I admit that at first I was a bit hesitant to read another cliche' novel but this one surprised me. It had a really good plot and kept me hooked to know how the story would twist, it did not disappoint.

Jonathan Janz, whose fiction I have enjoyed for many years, presents his newest offering, his take on the haunted house tale. Things start off with David Caine, who stays at the Alexander House in Virginia. As a debunker of ghost myths and the supernatural in general, he's not sure what to expect but let's just say he's in for a rude awakening on multiple levels. What I found most interesting as the story unfolded was the growing sense of unease that even though David seems like mostly a "good guy," that there's a lot more to him than it seems at first. He isn't as innocent as he seems at first and still carries the weight of a very troubled past with him.

I definitely felt a strong sense throughout that this novel is one of those that made me question as a reader who is telling the truth and where at many times, it was unclear whom to believe, which only added to the overall suspense and tension that Janz did a great job sustaining throughout.

For those who can't get enough of haunted house novels but want a novel that goes in more interesting directions than the usual fare, definitely check out The Siren and the Specter by Jonathan Janz.

This was my first read from Jonathan Janz, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. The Siren and The Specter is a great haunted house story, pulling me in from the very beginning. The characters are well written; I found myself truly invested in the well-being of several of David, Jessica, and several others. The suspense builds throughout the novel, and I found it hard to put down many times. I loved the setting and thought that the amount of detail in the story was just right. This is a novel that contains the right amount of creepiness and supernatural elements, balanced with lovable characters, a great plot, and deeper themes, such as forgiveness. I can't wait to read more from this author!

I didn't know much going into this beyond that it involved a haunted house and a main character that intended to debunk any supernatural happenings. Through the story we learn more about the house, its inhabitants, and David, our skeptic.

So, the good: I loved reading this. I was hooked, and it got me through a boring red eye flight (and part of my layover). David's narration was entertaining, the writing in the story was great, and I enjoyed getting to know the characters - especially Harkless and Mike Jr. I was completely captivated throughout a majority of this - until the end.

I felt the last quarter of the book, while entertaining, was a bit chaotic. Pieces were fit together that previously seemed to have no connection, and there was a lot of extra stuff that didn't seem to quite fit into the main story. I can't really explain this much without spoiling, but there's some sort of historical thing that happened to a woman a long time ago, and while it was mentioned earlier in the story, by the time this comes into actual play again, I was confused about why it was even happening. It just seemed like a part of a separate story that somehow found its way into this one during editing.

I also found it really difficult to get on board with the main romantic situation, considering... other stuff I won't spoil. Again, another thing that seemed a bit out of place here.

Overall, 4 stars from me! I would definitely recommend this to fans of the haunted house genre, with a brief warning that there is quite a lot of talk of sex and porn - and if you're put off by that sort of thing, you may want to steer clear.

I like to read some good horror fiction and this was really good as I was scared to death. The book is a bit slow at the beginning but when it starts going it's enthralling and you cannot put it down.
It made me discover very good author I didn't know and a very good book I really enjoyed.
Highly recommended!
Many thanks to Flame Tree Press and Netgalley for this ARC

A skeptic takes on "the most haunted house in Virginia". What could be better than that premise. The Siren and the Specter is a bone chilling ghost story with plenty of exciting scares and twists. The haunting scenes are the scariest I have ever read, and I found that I could not put it down. This novel is gory, spooky, and hedonistic to the core.

The setting is a small lake community by a forest in a house built in the 1700s. This setting provides the perfect atmospheric backdrop for a fantastic horror novel.

This small lake town is full of interesting characters including a no-nonsense sheriff and depraved neighbors. The main character David Caine is slow to believe in the supernatural, but is confronted by two spirits that will make him rethink his beliefs and face his past. He is such a great protagonist.

I would recommend The Siren and the Specter by Jonathan Janz to those who love horror and ghost stories. This one is scary, twisted, and addictive.

The Siren and the Specter
Jonathan Janz
Publication Date: September 6th 2018
Flame Tree Press


I received this book courtesy of NetGalley and Flame Tree Press in exchange for an honest review. My thoughts and opinions are my own.

This book has had a lot of love over social media and various book review sites; it has popped up on my news feed time and again with its 4 and 5 star reviews and I’ve seen numerous posts about how scary and terrifying it was, and I admit I was very excited to receive it in exchange for a review. I was a little late to the party with this, but thankfully it was still available to request via NetGalley.

To me, this was a story about a love lost, and the search for forgiveness, not from other people, but the journey to forgiving yourself. This was a story about moving on, finding peace, and closing the door on a dark chapter of your life.

Synopsis: “When David Caine, a celebrated skeptic of the supernatural, is invited by an old friend to spend a month in “the most haunted house in Virginia,” he believes the case will be like any other. But the Alexander House is different. Built by a 1700s land baron to contain the madness and depravity of his eldest son, the house is plagued by shadows of the past and the lingering taint of bloodshed. David is haunted, as well. For twenty-two years ago, he turned away the woman he loved, and she took her life in sorrow. And David suspects she’s followed him to the Alexander House.”

I enjoyed it, I really did, although I personally didn’t find it scary. From reviews I have read and various posts I have seen in relation to it, I had expected to be shaken to my very core by this one. To me it was a great story no doubt, with an eclectic mix of characters, ranging from the sweet, the decent, to the downright seedy. I found the majority of characters interesting; I became very fond of the lead protagonist, David Caine, as well as growing to love Jessica as the story developed.

Two characters I had problems with were Mr Templeton, the caretaker of Alexander House, and his daughter Alicia. To me, they felt to be ‘filler’; they seemed to serve only a gratuitous purpose. The discovery of Alicia’s severed head seemed to be inserted only for shock value and then her father who responds in anguish was a bit of a ‘blink and you miss him’ character, brought in to pad the scene out. One minute he was trying to kill David and Ralph, the next he was helping them escape the house. This was the one part of the book that felt a little messy to me, a tad pointless. Alicia’s character hadn’t been developed enough for me really to be bothered by her grim demise, it felt more like she was just introduced so she could be killed.

I wish more had been done with Ralph’s character. After the revelation of what he had done, or more accurately, what he had allowed to be done, I really wished that his story had been allowed to develop a little more. I would have loved to see a bit more before his confession, and a lot more after. I think he was a decent guy overall, he had just made a bad decision to get through life – don’t we all sometimes? We all have regrets, dark secrets that we want to stay hidden, sins we wish we could undo. A part of me wished that he hadn’t have been killed the way he was, but again, it developed the story somewhat with regards to David and the undoing of his perpetual scepticism,so I can see why it was played out in such a way.

I really enjoyed the seedy Shelby family, Honey... oh dear lord, what a nightmare of a woman. Her bullish husband and her two innocent children, it was heartbreaking at times. Especially Ivy - the poor girl endured a lot. I really liked David’s interaction with them, the inner monologue of deciding what to do, should he go to the police or not. It really fitted well with the sad times we live in, with this kind of family unit being everywhere. The sad truth nowadays is you find yourself torn, you might want to help, take a child in and feed them, make them feel safe for a little bit, but you can’t. We now live in a world where if you so much as smile at a child you can be accused of all kinds. I have even read ridiculous news stories where a father was arrested for taking a picture of his own child in a park. We have created this madness, this world where we are all too scared of accusation and repercussion, to help people now. I appreciated that it was alluded to within the book, intentionally or otherwise.

The Siren aspect of the story is another part that I feel wasn’t touched enough on. We only receive a brief synopsis of this during the book, and it felt a little like a Marvel post credit scene at the end.

Overall I very much enjoyed The Siren and the Specter. I have several issues with it, but with that, it’s a great story. It is about love and loss, as well as the sad truths of some families and the twisted way friendships can end up. It didn’t feel like a great ghost story, and I was definitely more interested and involved with the characters and the developing plot, rather than with the haunting, which just felt more like a secondary side story.

It’s a fantastic read despite what I found to be flaws. It’s interesting and thought provoking and does have a few horrifying moments near the end.

3/5 – not terribly scary but a great story nonetheless.

Lesley-Ann (Housewife of Horror)

The Siren and the Spector is a book that I am finding difficult to review. I want to say 5/5 because it’s Janz, and I love his writing, and I love his characters. I also want to give you an honest opinion, because without that there is no point in even reviewing books. I did love it, and I did have issues with it, and I’ll try to break that down some.

This book has all of the right elements that I want in a haunted-house-themed horror novel. The atmosphere is there, the characters are complicated, and the ghosts are scary. That, by the way, doesn’t even begin to give you the story itself, which the entire premise is thought-provoking and well-written. My biggest issue was with the amount of characters/story lines that are packed into this book. Most of them work as a whole, but to me it feels like there is a lot that is sacrificed from the story when you are trying to lead in so many different directions. I want to know more about almost every character in here, including the main character, even though I personally couldn’t stand David. I feel like this could easily have been a mind-blowing book series. The bones of the story are solid, I would just liked to have seen more depth and history behind it.

This is the 8thbook that I have read from Jonathan Janz, who is without a doubt, one of my favorite authors. Do I recommend that you read this? Absolutely. I will continue to read any Janz books that I can get my hands on, because even when it’s not my favorite book of his, it’s still ten times better than most books that I read on a regular basis. Most people who read this have given it a 5/5, so perhaps I’m just biased to his previous work, but that’s for you to decide and I absolutely think you should.

I received an e-ARC of this from Flame Tree Press and NetGalley in exchange for an honest opinion.

I’ll just come out and say it; I didn’t love this book. With all the glowing praise that’s been saturating social media, I expected to be blown away, or at least highly impressed, but I just wasn’t in the long run. Of course, as with anything and everything I read I’m going to try and express my thoughts as best I can, and understandably, there will be spoilers. First of all, the beginning struck me as intriguing – there were all these elements that seemed unrelated yet no less interesting in their own individual ways, but the strength of the start waned as something in particular became apparent the further I progressed. It was the bizarre interactions between characters that just seemed off and left me scratching my head. I just didn’t understand the confrontational approach of nearly every single new person in David’s life; for no reason that I could discern they treated him poorly and judged him considerably. The dialogue seemed almost forced and contrived, as if the sole intention was to leave him a sputtering mess, and rather than finding humour in the derision, I instead felt a monumental amount of confusion. I often wondered if it was merely the fact that he was a successful man, or even just because he was a skeptic, but whatever the case, I believe Janz didn’t at all clarify or explain why David was supposed to be so unlikeable in the first place.

As any other human being, he had his flaws, but I certainly didn’t think he deserved to be condemned for them. More often than not, he did the right thing in the situation, yet was chastised for it. By now I think I’ve made it crystal clear that this bothered me, as did the general consensus surrounding Anna’s death, however thankfully that changed. I prefer verbal exchanges that flow naturally, but here they felt unrealistic and needlessly dramatic. I however did take pleasure in some of the banter, primarily with Mike Shelby Jr. and Ralph.

The supernatural aspects were entertaining, but I can’t say they instilled fear or dread within me. Whilst the history surrounding the peninsula proved compelling, by the end I regarded everything as a bit too much. Considering how rife the paranormal activity was, I was surprised David had never before experienced anything like it in his entire career; he activity hunted for such encounters, and they weren’t subtle here, but full-on in your face with outright corporal madness. There were multiple entities at once, and they were the opposite of shy and insubstantial, so it was hard to swallow the premise overall.

I know I have a lot of complaints, and I’m clearly in the minority when it comes to this beloved book. Janz is a good writer, otherwise he wouldn’t be as successful as he is right now. He was able to include some suspenseful scenes laced with the depravity of a town’s gruesome past, which I welcomed, but ultimately, it comes down to The Siren and the Specter just not being my sort of story.

In conclusion: I changed my rating to better reflect my thoughts, but even though it was largely a miss, I still wish to seek out more from Janz. What became problematic for me was the aggressive tone that dominated the dialogue, as well as the overload of supernatural phenomenon.

Notable Quote:

Though the notion of a house having a personality was antithetical to his beliefs, he did like to think of a house as possessing character. A home’s character, he’d decided long ago, was best discernible in natural light, not a harsh electrical glow.

© Red Lace 2018

3.5/5*

Alexander House is the most haunted house in the state of Virginia. David Caine is perhaps the most well known debunk-er in the United States and as such, he is called in to stay at the house and write a book about it. The current owners are hoping that David will be persuaded into believing that the haunting is real, and that the resulting book about the matter will draw visitors/tourism to the home. Is David finally persuaded that ghosts and hauntings do exist? You'll have to read this to find out!

My brief synopsis above doesn't do this story justice. Unfortunately, that's part of the problem I had with this book. There's a LOT going on-and to be honest? I thought it was too much. I loved the portions about the history of the house, the area where it's situated, and its former inhabitants-specifically Judson Alexander. I would have been happy with a book about him alone.

I understand that this story has several layers and I respect what Jonathan Janz tried to do. However, I think the focus of this tale became too wide, what with tons of information about David's old girlfriend, his old friend Chris and Chris' new wife Katherine, the CRAZY neighbors down the way, the local sheriff, and I haven't even mentioned the siren yet! I was fine with all of it through about 2/3 of the novel, but by the last third it just got too busy for me. Yes, there were thrills aplenty and lots of surprises, but I felt like the denouement went on a bit too long, and tried to cover too much material.

The writing itself though, was excellent, as I've come to expect from Mr. Janz. He created a tense and dense atmosphere-at times I felt I would surely suffocate from it. I also felt the characters were mostly realistic and while David Caine wasn't perfect by any means, I did come to care for him and I wanted him to pull through. This tale was imaginative and to restate, my only problem was that I wished it had been more focused.

I seem to be almost the only one who isn't all-out raving about this story, so it's definitely possible that I read it wrong. Even with my complaint, I still enjoyed the heck out of THE SIREN AND THE SPECTER. You probably will too. Jonathan Janz is always worthy of your consideration and if you decide to give this one a go, feel free to come and share your thoughts with me when you're done. You can tell me how wrong I am!

Recommended!

*I received an e-ARC of this book from FLAME TREE PRESS via NetGalley, in exchange for my honest feedback. This is it.*

After famed writer and noted skeptic David Caine is brought on by an old friend to debunk the paranormal in one of the world's most haunted places, The Alexander House, he soon finds out that everything he thought he knew about the world and beyond is wrong.

First I want to say thank you to Flame Tree Press and Netgalley for allowing me to read this in exchange for an honest review.

This was my first ever Jonathan Janz book. I'd seen loads of people reading his books in the community, and when I saw the opportunity to read his newest work, I just had to jump on it. Within the first maybe quarter so of The Siren and the Specter, I absolutely did NOT like the main character at all. I realize now that it was probably intentional on the authors part and it ended up actually making the book even better due to some phenomenal character development. I found this book to not only be incredibly chilling at times (The Shelbys, The long bedroom, etc.) But also to be extremely touching at times as well. I feel it was just as much a story of redemption and atonement as it was the paranormal.

Janz has quite a beautiful style of writing that I really enjoyed. He created some very likeable characters, as well as some of the most depraved I've ever encountered in all the books I've read. There were a few twists that left my mouth agape which I very much appreciated. I had no idea what to expect going into this and it's an understatement to say that I was not let down.

If you've not yet read anything by this author, you're truly missing out. I'm going to absolutely be looking into his other works, because if they're anything like The Siren and the Specter, then I need them on my bookshelf like... yesterday.

THE SIREN AND THE SPECTER, by Jonathan Janz, is one of his most complex and "layered" novels to date. In any book, your focus is on either the supernatural OR the human element during certain points. However, in this one, Janz has blended these two components together so well that they are nearly inseparable from each other.

"You can't reason away the unreasonable . . ."

We begin with David Caine, a man known for his books ultimately debunking believed supernatural phenomenon. His old college friend, Chris Gardiner, along with his overly intrusive wife, Katherine Mayr, have purchased The Alexander House: possibly "the oldest haunted house in America" . Katherine is quite adamant that David will write a book that goes against his natural predisposition and admit that this house is haunted; thereby, giving her idea of hosting a 'haunted attraction' quite a large boost in credence.

Chris' motives are not quite as clear.

". . . I don't presume to know the truth about the Alexander House. The fact of the matter is that no one knows the truth."

David's character is as detailed as they get. Mentally haunted by an incident in his past where he pushed away a woman he loved, he is literally full of contradictions and conflicts in both his mental thoughts and physical actions. Janz could not have created a better, more "perfect" character for this role if he tried. This is a man you can't help but feel for, whether you like or dislike his motions. He is simply too real, too human, to look at as mere words on a page. He quickly becomes an actual person to the readers, flaws and all.

". . . there comes a point when disbelief turns into stupidity . . ."

The legends state that a huge, sadistic man--Judson Alexander--was given that out of the way house to indulge in his acts of depravity away from the town.

". . . They gave him this territory to limit what he could do . . . "

Even though the man himself has been dead for centuries, this doesn't stop Janz from creating an atmosphere--both in the Alexander house, itself, and the surrounding area--even more menacing and fear-provoking than before. Every small detail, from the layout of the rooms to the lifestyles and emotions of the two homes closest in proximity, add to this distinctive unease. A sense of almost palpable dread transfers itself from off the pages directly into the reader's mind. I can honestly say that I caught myself either shivering or gaping open-mouthed at many points during the course of this novel, so real were the feelings it evoked within me.

". . . Homes have personalities . . . some are sullen, some are cheerful. This one-- . . . --is less predictable . . . "

"It's like it was . . . hiding from me . . . even walked the property in all directions . . . And I never saw the Alexander House."

As the book progresses we begin to glimpse the depths at which this superstitious legacy has touched all in its vicinity. Without giving away any spoilers, I can safely say that few--if any--readers would be able to even guess as to the lengths Janz goes with these individuals and locations. You'll not find any two the same--ALL original and some . . . damaged . . . in various ways. Despite the number of divergent threads, I never once felt "lost" or confused. I merely couldn't stop turning page after page to read the next episode about to unfold.

". . . Saying words that end up being true . . . is not the same as being honest."

From the centuries old Alexander House, the mysterious Rappahannock River, small Oxrun Park, and neighboring homes, there is a distinctive feel to this novel that if ever there was a place for the "impossible" to become the "everyday", this was it.

". . . You believe certain things your whole life. Those beliefs, they dig grooves into your brain, like a record player, and the needle doesn't leave the grooves. For many years you don't see anything . . . to knock the needle out of place . . . "

Overall, one of the best novels I've ever read that infuses the supernatural so seamlessly with human nature--and I don't necessarily mean the "best" of what humans have to give. Janz didn't just rely on either one element or the other in THE SIREN AND THE SPECTER (which would have been fairly predictable to some), but rather brought the combination to an entirely new level. Throughout "most" novels, I am able to predict some parts long before the ending. However, due to the powerful blending of details here, the few "suspicions" I had missed the mark completely. Despite the literary complexity of this story, Janz' skill made it easy to follow along for the entire duration. The only real complaint I had was when it ended.

I still wanted more.

"That place is deceased . . . "

Highest recommendation!

Description
When David Caine, a celebrated skeptic of the supernatural, is invited by an old friend to spend a month in “the most haunted house in Virginia,” he believes the case will be like any other. But the Alexander House is different. Built by a 1700s land baron to contain the madness and depravity of his eldest son, the house is plagued by shadows of the past and the lingering taint of bloodshed. David is haunted, as well. For twenty-two years ago, he turned away the woman he loved, and she took her life in sorrow. And David suspects she’s followed him to the Alexander House.

Jonathan Janz is a great author and this is a great ghost story. It gives you quite a bit to think about and I loved all of the different characters, except one. I really could have done without the siren. To me that was just a distraction that impeded the story of an otherwise great book.

I was given the chance to read this book for free by Netgalley and Flame Tree Press. My review is my own

The Siren and the Specter is a good romp of a haunted house story. The main character, David Caine's role in life is to debunk reports of supernatural activities. His career brings him to the most haunted house in the country, Alexander House. This house has a disturbing history going back to the 1700s when the eldest son of its owner began a life of depravity and abuse, the ramifications of which have stuck around and infected not only the house but the surroundings and the people living in those surroundings. While David begins his investigation, his own personal hauntings from his past begin coming up out of the woodwork. Both these varieties of hauntings are used to build the story in parallel, unlocking secrets from the past with unimaginable implications. This is a gory horror story. The author did a great job of visualizing not only the house itself and the setting, but the depraved and violent scenes as the story evolved to its climax. Readers should be warned that this doesn't just mean your typical horror scenes of things going bump in the night and visits by malevolent spirits, but also scenes of physical, emotional, and sexual abuse, some of which involve children. Some readers may find these scenes disturbing. Some aspects of the book were a bit slow to build, especially during the first 25% of the book. Regardless, I enjoyed the story and definitely recommend for those horror fans who love a good, solid story featuring a haunted house with a depraved, violent past.

When David Caine accepts an offer to stay in a supposedly haunted house for a month, to prove or disprove whether it has earned it's title of most haunted house in Virginia, he is unaware of many details about the area. He is not expecting sexual deviants for neighbors. He is not expecting the house to hold ties to his own past, and he is not aware that the Alexander house holds horrors of epic proportions.
This is more than a haunted house tale. The horror is not only in the supernatural aspects but in the evil that mere mortals commit. It got under my skin, not just with delicious spine tingling fear that all horror lovers crave, but with sadness, and disgust, and sometimes rage. The test of any good book (for me) is whether it can make me feel something. The Siren And The Specter is a masterpiece of horror.
5 out of 5 stars.