Not my usual type of read but kept me hooked throughout and I finished it in one afternoon. Interesting and spooky tale.

Unfortunately this book was not for me, it was a bit slower than I would like and it just didn't hold my attention. I am sure other people will love it!

Such a great book. Makes for a wonderful read. I can not wait to read more from this author. I love books like this.

What I love most about Cavendish's books is her skillful blend of historical facts with spooky yet realistic fiction. And this book is another example of that. A young woman Hannah is a tour guide for an area in Edinborogh where hundreds of years earlier a woman was brutally murdered. It's said her spirit still haunts this place, and Hannah is about to find out for herself if that is true. There is an evil entity that haunts this place, as she's about to learn. For an edge of your seat chilling suspense story, check this book out, and after you read it, you'll want to read the other books by Catherine Cavendish!

*thank you to Netgalley, Catherine Cavendish and Flame Tree Press for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*


2 stars.

Ohh man am I the odd one out. I have been saving this for when I felt like a horror story. I think I must have missed something because I don't get where the actual horror was. It wasn't creepy and felt really flat to me. I can see that most people enjoyed this so there is obviously something great about it. Unfortunately I missed the boat. But I'd be happy to suggest others give this a go since it seems to be more so just not for me than being poorly written. 2 stars because it was, "just ok."

This novel, set in modern times in Edinburgh, takes the reader into Henderson Close, which lies beneath the city and has been opened up as a tourist attraction. Tour guides dress and act like people who actually lived in the Close in the 1800s. Hannah, the main character, is recently divorced and has secured a position as one of these guides. Other characters that play a strong role in this work are Aisla (the manager of the attraction), and fellow guides, George and Mairead.

This is a ghost story and the ghostly main character, Miss Carmichael (a do-gooder), was murdered by ruffians while visiting the Close. However, her spirit is uneasy as not all of her assassins were punished.

This was an interesting and eerie read. It is very well-written and transports the reader into a strange and frightening world underground. I enjoyed it thoroughly until, unfortunately, the end. The author failed to tie up all the threads, leaving me, the reader, feeling very unsatisfied. What was with Mairead’s memory loss? And, what was that scene with her in the hospital all about? These and other threads were left untied. If this were a series, I would expect this; however, there is no indication that I can see that this is other than a stand-alone novel. However, if you like ghost stories and tales that jump back and forth in time, you will enjoy this novel.

The Haunting of Henderson Close
by Catherine Cavendish

Horror That Chills to the Bone

Sometimes it feels like reading a book in British English is like reading a different language. An advantage to reading a digital book is the ease of looking up definitions and pronunciations that I'm hazy on. The most difficult term in this book was 'Close.' I still can't pictures like neighborhood in a close would look like, but it sounds like it was a really horrible place to live during the London of Victorian times.

It's similarly striking to consider that London has such a long history compared to American cities. I think that that's one of the things that gives British ghost stories an advantage. This is one of those stories, where human evil has festered in an area for centuries, leading to a horrifying haunting in the present.

The author is very skillful in the construction of the story, which slowly builds the suspense to a fever pitch with flashbacks to the past. Even with those revelations to suggest the likely resolution to the mystery, parts were still shocking. The book has many layers and twists. It kept me on the edge of my seat until the end.

Thankyou to NetGalley, Flame Tree Press and the author, Catherine Cavendish, for the opportunity to read a digital copy of The Haunting of Henderson Close in exchange for an honest and unbiased opinion.
Thankyou for the chills!!! I loved this book and will definitely be reading more from this author.
The storyline was well thought out and written with intriguing characters. The imagery was highly descriptive and captivating. There are definitely plenty of chills to keep you frantically turning the pages to see how the story ends.
Well worth a read.

After Hannah gets divorced she decides to leave the bad memories behind and move to Edinburgh to become a tour guide at Henderson Close. Spooky and derelict it is underneath the streets of Edinburgh, built over years ago and becoming a time capsule.

As the tour guides take visitors around and regale them with stories of a bygone age, creepy and unexplained things start to happen, Hannah notices a woman seemingly following her and has weird experiences in the print shop.

Told in present day and following Miss Charmichael in 1881, we are given pieces of the puzzle to try and determine what in the hell is happening at Henderson Close.

With a supernatural/paranormal vein running through it, along with a gothic horror twist, it's story keeps you pulled in and engaged until the very last page.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and am looking forward to reading more by Catherine Cavendish.

*Huge thanks to Catherine Cavendish, Flame Tree Press and NetGalley for this copy which I chose to read and all opinions are my own*

4 stars

My second book by Catherine Cavendish. A great read with historical elements that I loved. Well-developed characters and a very interesting story-line.

The story starts and ends with a bang. A very fast-paced tale full of twist and turns and an unexpected ending!

This is a must read for all paranormal and horror fans.

Novel: The Haunting of Henderson Close
Author: Catherine Cavendish
Genre: Paranormal Horror
Review Rating: 4 Stars
Cover: 8/10
Characters, interaction, and plot layout: 5/5
Publication Date: 10 January 2019
Do I recommend this: Highly!
Would I buy this book for myself or a friend: Yes

Thank you Netgalley & Catherine Cavendish for my advance reader copy in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Hannah finds herself in a new job and new place after being married for years. She finds herself facing the land of the livinng and unliving or is it all a hoax? This book had some unexpected turns along the way. Thank you for allowing me to read this book.

I thought this was a thoroughly enjoyable story - I love Scotland and Edinburgh and was lucky enough to visit The Real Mary King's Close and do one of the many tours that takes you in to the underground vaults so I couldn't wait to get started with this one!

I thought that the writing style was excellent, it had a great flow to the story and I was really in to the story. I thought that the characters were excellent and I loved how the story built up and developed as the book progressed.

The ending was a bit of an unexpected twist for me and I really enjoyed how the book ended. It isn't an overly scary book but there were times when I will admit that I did have a bit of a shudder!

Four stars from me for this one, I really enjoyed the setting and the characters and the alternate time periods too - highly recommended!!

Who doesn’t love a dark, creepy, ghostly story?! Just what I needed when I couldn’t sleep due to coughing and disturbing the hubby night after night.

So there I sat, alone, in the dark, with my kindle, blanket and my weapon of choice (you know, in case the ghosts came!)

This is the first book I have read by Catherine Cavendish and I LOVED IT!! Hooked by the first page and our first ghostly encounter, this story flew by me, page after page. I couldn’t and wouldn’t put it down. I was worried how I would handle the jumps in time, but to my surprise I really enjoyed those parts. I loved Hannah, creeped out but kinda goes with the flow, great character.

Now the ending I did get a little discombobulated with. I felt like everything that could happen, happened all at once. I had to re read a few pages to get my mind back on track, but other than that this is a truly brilliant read and just look at that cover!

I’m looking forward to checking other books out by Catherine Cavendish and I really hope you’ll check out The Haunting of Henderson Close.

A very enjoyable read--so enjoyable that I tried to take my time, reading a chapter every night for several weeks. It took a while to get going, was well paced from about the 20% mark to the 70% mark, slowed considerably for a while, but the denouement was rapid-fire and exciting - so much so that it was almost difficult to keep up with who was who and where was where (not a spoiler, but the book flashes back and forth in time).
All in all, I would recommend this book to anyone. Characters were very believable, well fleshed-out, and interesting. Locales and surroundings were just descriptive enough to entice the reader but not so detailed as to be boring. Plotting was original and all loose-ends were tied up. And the ending was surprising and satisfying.

TW for: Gore, sexual assault, mentions of abuse, suicide

“A final tear tracked its way down Miss Carmichael’s face as the darkness enveloped her for the last time.

In the shadows, a well-dressed young man moved, unnoticed by the crowd gathered over the dead woman. A smile creased his lips as he walked away.”

The Haunting of Henderson Close has a good, solid premise: the site of historical ‘ghost tour’ type walks about turns out to actually be haunted, and the people who work there find out that something terrible had been unleashed. Sounds good, right up my alley (I’m a sucker for a real ghost/found footage/historical tour sort of scenario) but Henderson close and its various Scottish ghosts let me down a bit. Why? Well allow me to explain.

“You’re getting used to the atmosphere down there. It can be really daunting at first. We had one young chap who lasted one tour. I heard screaming, not far from Miss Carmichael’s corner. When I got down there, all hell had let loose. He was shaking, white as a corpse and pointing at something it seemed he could see but no one else could. He was babbling incoherently and his eyes.… Well, I’ve never seen anything like it. Needless to say the visitors were well and truly spooked. One lady fainted in my arms and had to be carried out. As for him, he took to his heels and we never saw him again.”“What had he seen? Or thought he’d seen?” Ailsa shrugged. “No idea. He never told us. Wouldn’t answer our phone calls and sent his elder brother to collect his P45.”

At first this book was doing a good job. Henderson Close was suitably creepy, and the idea that there might actually be ghosts in the old streets of Edinburgh wasn’t so far-fetched that you had to suspend your disbelief in order to read about it. Hannah, following a recent divorce, has decided to move away and find a new job as an actress and tour guide in the close, it seems like her ideal job, and her co-workers seem lovely, it’s all looking up - until she sees a woman who shouldn’t be there wandering about in Henderson Close and calls out to her in front of a group of people. Dismissed as a trick of the light, or the outcome of a creepy place and an active imagination, Hannah is ready to let it go until she sees her again. As the mysteries of the Close start piling up, and one of her new friends goes missing, Hannah is more and more convinced that there’s something down there beyond shadows and old newspapers - something evil, and it's coming for them all.

“More ghost stories?” she asked. Mairead shuddered. “More ghoulish really. George was referring to the old legend that Farquhars Close was some sort of gateway to hell. It was one of the first Closes to go and was sealed very quickly. The story goes that a devil was walled up there and if he should ever be let loose, Edinburgh would burn.”

Now when it comes to horror, I am of the mind that too much exposure to the ‘scary thing’ - monster, ghost, curse - can ruin the atmosphere. I find it creepier to have an unseen thing slowly but surely become more and more undeniably real than have furniture floating around a room and ghosts in clanking chains predicting the end of days on every page. When done well, that direct exposure can be fantastic - but I felt that the moment certain elements of the hauntings reared their head, Henderson Close lost a little of its psychological spookiness. Certain bits of it were very well done, the early events - apparitions and disappearances, Hannah’s realisation that she might be seeing things - were great, and then the author introduced time slips and my attention began to flag. At one point, a paranormal investigative team pops in for a visit, and as opposed to doing the clever thing and laying low, the ghosts of Henderson Close ramp up the spook factor and put on a show.

“Bloody hell, I’ve really got something.”
At the entrance to the shop, a mist swirled and weaved around itself, as if it were trying to form into something solid. A shape. Human, maybe.
“What are you seeing with the camera?”Dave asked. “Are you getting any more detail?”
Rory peered hard, looked away, blinked and peered again.
“It’s a child. A young girl. There’s something…not right. Oh fuck.”He lowered the camera.
“Don’t do that,”Kate yelled. “You’ll lose the footage. This is the first time—”
“She has no face, Kate.”
“What?”
“The little girl in the mist. She has no face.”

Correct me if I’m wrong, but this sort of activity might convince people that Hannah isn’t mad/lying/looking for better ticket sales? Nope. Still, nobody believes her. Except her two work friends, one of whom keeps spontaneously disappearing. All this being said, pulling out every haunting trick in the book isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Have you ever read The Haunting of Hill House? The haunting in that book is hardly subtle, it’s definitely there, but it’s fab. So I was willing to stick with it and see where it was going - after all, who the ghostly killer of the Close actually was did take me by surprise and made a lot of sense in hindsight. Then there was a graphic scene of sexual assault and murder that felt entirely out of place in the book as a whole - and that was the point at which I just wanted to finish. Up until that point, the book had been fairly young-reader-friendly in most respects. That scene was hard to read, and there was nothing of the same tone before or after. I like horror, I can read some upsetting things, there is a proper way to deal with them to make them relevant and readable - to me, this was neither. Even reading the quotes I highlighted to remind myself of the plot later on (on kindle, fear not dear readers) made me deeply uncomfortable to revisit. (Don’t worry, I’m not including any of those!)

“Who’s there?” she called, her voice echoing all around her.
Silence. It came again. Closer now. Indistinct. Chatter.
“Who is that? Who’s down here?”
Silence. Giggling. More angry than scared , Hannah’s anger rose from the pit of her stomach . “This isn’t funny. No one is supposed to be down here. Show yourself. This instant.”
“I don’t think you’d like that.”

Overall, this was for me a book with a very promising set up and a thoroughly disappointing end result. I really enjoyed some parts of it, but the parts I didn’t enjoy managed to overshadow and swallow them by the end of the book. Haunted house horror - or haunted street in this instance - is hard to pull off, and perhaps I’m just outside the target readership. I enjoy more psychological forms of horror, and this book very much hinged on the fact that this was all real, visible and almost undeniable (unless you are Hannah’s boss), and it lost its mystery along the way.

Overall Rating 2 out of 5 stars

After she's laid off, goes through a divorce, and her daughter moves to Australia, Hannah decides to move to Edinburgh for a fresh start with a new job as a tour guide in Henderson Close, a supposedly haunted tourist attraction. She soon discovers the stories about Henderson Close aren't just rumours when she sees a spirit for herself.

I've read and enjoyed pretty much all of Catherine Cavendish's books and The Haunting of Henderson Close is no exception. She always writes such relatable and interesting characters, like the main character in this book, Hannah.

I loved the setting of this novel—a haunted tourist attraction—and thought it was very spooky. I read this book late at night and was creeped out, jumping at every noise, thinking there was a ghost in my apartment.

If you're looking for a spooky ghost story I highly recommend The Haunting of Henderson Close!

After the breakdown of her marriage and her daughter moving abroad, Hannah lands her dream job, leading tourist round the legendary Henderson Close buried under modern Edinburgh. It quick becomes a nightmare when unexplained things start happening to Hannah and her friends George and Mairead. The ghostly going on get worse, it’s clear something evil has been released. Can Hannah stop things before it gets any worse?

The Haunting of Henderson Close is fascinating ghostly read, that combines mystery with myths and legends.

There are two narratives, switching between modern day Edinburgh and the 19th century which I really enjoyed. The author does really well trying to get the atmosphere across of olden day Henderson Close, the ending stink, brutally and poverty of those less fortunate.

There is so much in this story, time slips, disappearing people, demons, intriguing characters and spooky goings on but I want to maintain that element of mystery for you so I’m not going to say too much more.

If you like a bit of a scare but not a fan of blood and guts, I would suggest you should pick this up as it’s not overly gory (*whispers* there are a couple scenes quite late on in the book, you could always skim those bits but you didn’t hear that from me).

Honestly though, this is another book that I’ve read recently that I don’t quite know what to make of the ending, did I like it, did I not? The jury is out on that.

Overall The Haunting of Henderson Close is atmospheric and creepy read with an air of mystery that will keep you hooked from beginning to end.

3.5 stars!

THE HAUNTING OF HENDERSON CLOSE, by Catherine Cavendish, is a novel that takes you--literally--on a tour of what Edinburgh's Henderson Close would have been like in the late 1800's. Three of the main characters dress the part of an actual person that lived and worked there, and take groups of tourists down to see what it looked like before renovations were made above it. From a historical perspective, I imagine entering a modern day shop, and then descending into an area that was left behind--underground--generations ago would have been quite the adventure.

". . . the moment she stepped over the threshold of the tourist attraction that was Henderson Close, she felt a strange sense of belonging . . . "

The beginning of this story quickly drew me in. The sights and smells that are depicted coming from this "underprivileged" town in the past was nearly enough to get my own stomach rolling in nausea. Have you ever read a book with descriptions so good that you felt you could smell the surroundings? That's what happened when I began reading about Henderson Close.

". . . I think I see things out of the corner of my eye . . . ."

Hannah is moving away from all she knew to try and start a new life. When she finds the job of being an authentically dressed up "guide" at this location, she quickly realizes that getting into another "character" comes easily to her.

". . . Just relax into your role and let Mary Stratton take over."
"Sounds like a case of demonic possession."

While Henderson Close has been known to affect a portion of tourists . . . differently . . . at times, the other guides and their no-nonsense boss notice an undeniable increase in the number of these haunting episodes immediately following Hannah's employment.

The story begins to alternate and show us pieces of what happened in this area in the past. A wealthy and generous person, Miss Carmichael, was murdered in a filthy alley while on a charity mission. Now Hannah and two other guides are seeing things, and being told to "find her murderer".

". . . Everything had been leading up to this encounter . . . "

I had a difficult time in connecting with any of the characters, for some reason. The information we learned of their lives outside of work didn't seem to have any connection to the current situation. It was obvious that certain characters were meant to be linked to ghosts from the past; however, the connections shown were flimsy and tenuous at best. In regards to one of them, I honestly couldn't figure out how or why they were involved at all. A lot of "mysteries" were brought up regarding the present day characters, and unfortunately I felt that most of them remained unresolved, leaving me with a lot of questions and no answers in the end.

"Whatever was after her here had been after her probably all her life . . . "

Overall, I felt the atmosphere in this novel was outstanding, particularly in the scenes that showcased how Henderson Close had been when people lived there in the past. Unfortunately, I never got emotionally invested in any of the characters. I didn't see any strong connections which would have tied them, in particular, to the century-old murder. Additionally, there were a lot of "extra mysteries" added into the main idea. While some of them genuinely intrigued me, most were simply abandoned, and left open-ended. The ending frustrated me in part because of this, and also because many of the pieces didn't seem to fit. There were some really good ideas presented, but it seems that there were too many ultimately, and the end suffered as a result. This story included some great historical fiction. If the novel had been shorter, with less offshoots diverting attention from the main idea, perhaps it would have worked better for myself.

I might be in the minority here, but lately I’ve become a bit jaded towards “the haunting of’s” horror stories. Maybe I’ve read too many lately? Or watched far too many horror movies of that trope? Either way, I’ve started to pull away from haunted house tales to a degree.
Saying that, Catherine Cavendish came highly recommended. Everyone was talking about how much creep factor she can create and the dread her atmospheres have.

I found that within this book in spades.

The tale jumps back and forth between time periods, and Catherine does that really well. I found it easy to follow and wasn’t struggling to keep track of what was happening.

Her writing flows fantastically and it keeps you wanting more and more.

I did find the ending to be a bit jumbled and the more I’ve thought about it over the last few days, the more I’ve been able to think back and try and find some clues that led me to the finale.

Overall, I think this one was a really well done offering. I’ll still be limiting my haunted house reading, but surely won’t be limiting what I read from Cavendish!

Goodreads link;
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2669072178?book_show_action=false&from_review_page=1

I love a good ghost story - and this is one good ghost story.

It’s got an ideal setting to make you feel suitably creeped out: the old city of Ediborough, now underground and with plenty of history and legends to go along with it. And the action starts right from the beginning, pulling you in and not letting go until the very end.

The main character is Hannah, who is a new tour guide leading tourists through Henderson Close, an old neighborhood that was pretty rough back in the day. Almost as soon as she starts the job, she begins having weird experiences: seeing figures, being transported briefly back in time, etc. And she’s not alone: at least two coworkers have also been having weird experiences that have intensified since she started. The trio try to figure out what’s going on and how it’s tied to the events of the old neighborhood.

I really liked how unapologetically creepy the book is. It’s a ghost story and it doesn’t bother with subtlety - it’s clear from the beginning that something paranormal and otherworldly is happening. I really like that. And some of the events are really interesting in that it draws you into the story behind the haunting - it’s not just ghosts and creeps, it’s an actual story with depth and characters.

I also liked the ending a lot. It felt fitting for the book. I can’t say too much more to avoid giving spoilers, but if it had ended any other way it wouldn’t have felt true to the book.

I also now want to go to Edinburgh and do an underground tour! It sounds so fun and spooky!

Basically, if you’re a fan of creepy ghost stories that will make you check the locks when you’re done reading, this book is for you. It’s a book that will send shivers down your spine and keep you turning pages late into the night.