"The House of a Hundred Whispers" is an interesting take on the haunted house theme. It has a spoof-like feel to it, though. The story isn't quite as solid as I would have liked (the same can be said for the characters), but there are plenty of gruesome moments and it was a good read over-all.

My thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for an advance copy to review. This review is entirely my own, unbiased, opinion.

This is a very atmospheric story set in an old house on the edge of Dartmoor.  All Hallows Hall has been owned by Herbert Russell, a former Warden of Dartmoor Prison for decades and one full moon night the old rotter is murdered there.  Following his death Herbert's family all attend the property to meet with his Lawyer.  The Will reading brings up the odd surprise, to say the least, and while the family are discussing what will happen they lose track of five year old Timmy.  Once they realise he is actually, properly, missing the family search the house and grounds for the boy and eventually have to call in the Police and local search and rescue specialists, who look for the boy out on Dartmoor.  Although the family all expected to be home the same day, with Timmy still missing they bed down for the night in damp and drafty old All Hallows until he is found.  Naturally no one sleeps too well, particularly when they start to hear strange whisperings in the hallways, though when they look there is no one there.  At least not anyone they can see...
I really enjoyed this book and its neat twist on the haunted house story, with some very disturbing scenes.  Very atmospheric with the damp, creepy old house, and the desolate misty moor, and some very interesting characters.  

I don't think I have read a Graham Masterton book before but I will probably now seek out his earlier work.

I have been a fan of Mr Masterton's books for more years than I care to remember but I have to admit though that I do find his books can be hit or miss with me but this one was definitely a hit.

This is a creepy, atmospheric story that starts off quite slowly but soon develops into a fast paced spine-tingling read with ghosts, demons, witches, wizards and a secret priest hole that isn't all as it seems. The characters are well developed and the setting is absolutely perfect and this adds to the mystery and tension that runs throughout.

This is a horror book but not an all out blood-and-guts horror book - there are a couple of gruesome scenes but they are definitely in the minority and I would recommend to those who like a bit of a scare but who are not into gratuitous violence or a lot of gore unless of course you live in a creepy, old house in which case I would leave it!

Thank you to Head of Zeus and NetGalley for my copy in return for an honest and unbiased review.

Being a massive fan of this author and his horror stories. A haunted house but not in the way you think. A slow burner but this book does not disappoint. Atmospheric, scary and at times both nail biting and gut wrenching. This author certainly knows how to tell a story. I read this book in one sitting, full of tension and suspense. Who is whispering and why?. An exorcism which blew the Exorcist out of the water. Halloween is on its way. Welcome to All Hallows Hall the house that is literally from he'll!!!!! Loved it.
Thanks to Head of Zeus and Netgalley for the ARC in return for giving an honest review.

Could have been better. The way the mystery was solved didn't feel believable to me and the ending was what??? The best I could say is that I couldn't put it down and you cannot while reading a mystery book. This mystery also involved a little child which might be triggering to some. I wasn't terrified though, I did not feel a slice of fear.

Thank you, Head of Zeus, and NetGalley for a copy of Graham Masterton’s The House of a Hundred whispers. It’s a long time since I have read a book from this author, (6 years in fact) and that one was a police procedural. So, when I read the blurb, I was interested to know how it would pan out.
On the misty moors of Dartmoor lies an old run-down Tudor mansion called All Hallows Hall. Not everyone’s choice for a place to live but, it is owned by the ex-governor of Dartmoor prison until he is found bludgeoned to death with a hammer. His children now grown up with their own families come to stay to hear his will. When one of the sons five-year-old son Timmy goes missing whilst in the house so they all don’t want to leave until he is found. While the search is on to find him, sinister things go on in the mansion. they keep hearing whispers in the night but there is no one there and foundations on the house move in the night.
This is a spooky story that I couldn’t put down. It was full of suspense and chills. As I am not an avid reader of horror, so I was holding my breath a few times and I was a bit scared as I read this in bed lol. The only thing I could not keep up with. There is a lot of characters in this book and sometimes thought is this necessary to have so many. If you like stories with witches and demons and supernatural beings, this is for you. 4 stars from me.

This story did get my heart-racing and palms sweating a couple times throughout the novel! I think the beginning scene was quite creepy - a spooky old mansion during a thunderstorm (could it be any more nerve-wracking)?! I enjoyed the history bits that were sprinkled in - like the information about priest hiding holes - so interesting. I found the mystery exciting and it had me turning the pages quickly - I just wasn't ever brave enough to read it at night!

I received a free copy of this book from Netgalley, below is the blurb

"On a windswept moor, an old house guards its secrets... The new standalone horror novel from 'a true master of horror.'
All Hallows Hall is a rambling Tudor mansion on the edge of the bleak and misty Dartmoor. It is not a place many would choose to live. Yet the former Governer of Dartmoor Prison did just that. Now he's dead, and his children – long estranged – are set to inherit his estate.
But when the dead man's family come to stay, the atmosphere of the moors seems to drift into every room. Floorboards creak, secret passageways echo, and wind whistles in the house's famous priest hole. And then, on the same morning the family decide to leave All Hallows Hall and never come back, their young son Timmy disappears – from inside the house.
Does evil linger in the walls? Or is evil only ever found inside the minds of men?"

As a massive fan of Graham Masterton's horror stories, I ditched the book I was reading and started reading this one straight away. To start with I was feeling a little disappointed as the story got off to a slow start.but when it eventually got going it was everything I was expecting. I can't give it anything other than 5 stars as I am such a big fan, having said that, it did not disappoint and would recommend it to anyone else who loves his books.

If there's one thing that I enjoy in a book it's a what's behind the blocked up cellar mystery! It's never anything good in my experience. This is actually a really good story full of creepy whispers, vengeful entities and a good sprinkling of exorcisms! I started this late at night and it was the early hours before I could put it back down. Yes it's not overly clever or chilling but sometimes simple stories are the most effective! This is a really good read than wasn't rushed or with a damp ending. The author clearly enjoyed writing it and it really shines through. I found this a really enjoyable read.

I have given this book 5 stars.

Graham Masterton is the master of horror and I am so grateful to have been given the chance to read his newest release.

It was absolutely terrifying but at the same time, I couldn't put it down. The House of a hundred whispers has the feel of a good old fashioned horror, it was full of suspense and mystery and kept me on the edge of my seat the entire time.

I loved every single word.

These days the title ‘master of horror’ is banded around all to easily and social media elevates authors who have written a few decent books to a status they have yet to earn. This is not the case with Graham Masterton whose contribution to the horror genre is staggering and is more than worthy of the ‘master of horror’ moniker which was rubber stamped in 2019 when he was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award by the HWA at StokerCon 2019. This was both well-deserved and long overdue as there are many life-long horror fanatics who would put Masterton in the same boat as the giants of King, McCammon and Barker. Since the 1970s Masterton has been incredibly prolific, and is equally good writing crime fiction, but sadly, the high quality of his recent fiction is often overlooked and the stuff he wrote years ago still picks up more press coverage.

This is a great shame, as his previous horror novel Ghost Virus (which I gave the maximum 5/5 gingernuts) was utterly bonkers and streets ahead of the ‘cool kids’ of the genre forty/fifty years his junior who inhabit the horror social media world. His latest outing The House of a Hundred Whispers continues this fine recent form and if you have read about Masterton before, but never knew where to start, this is as good a place to begin your journey as any. These days haunted house stories are a dime-a-dozen, but in the hands of Graham Masterton you always expect something slightly different with an added dimension. I loved this book, starting it on a Friday evening and finishing it on Sunday morning. Page-turners do not come much better.

In many ways the setting is a classic location for a haunted house novel; All Hallows Hall is a rundown Tudor mansion set on a rural part of windswept Dartmoor and its owner, the former Governor of Dartmoor Prison is murdered in the opening chapter. The story then jumps forward to the reading of the will which throws a few unexpected curveballs at the three siblings who are expecting to split the near two million the house will generate when sold. The three were on very poor terms with their father at the time of his death and we find out more about him as the story develops.

The very compact and skilfully told tale is set over a few brief days after the siblings and their partners arrive for the reading of the will, at the same time they know the murder of their father remains unsolved. None of the three have fond memories of living in the house, with one of the brothers having unpleasant flashbacks to his childhood and an obsession that another boy, very like him, was living under his bed. All Hallows Hall is set close to the real-life village of Sampford Spiney, which helps give the novel an excellent sense of time and place, using local dialect and integrating very clever examples of local folklore and witchcraft. The whole pictured painted by Graham Masterton was incredibly convincing and skillfully crafted.

Near the start of the novel, during the reading of the will, the five-year-old child Timmy disappears whilst out playing. His parents, Rob and Vicky, are besides themselves with worry but the search parties are unable to locate the boy. Strangely, even the search dogs will not go near the house and the tracking experts are unable to pick up any trace of him. Where did Timmy go? Is he dead? Or is he lost somewhere within the house? What follows appears to be a deceptively simply mystery story, which slowly turns supernatural, and ultimately morphs into a fiendishly well plotted page-turner.

For the sake of spoilers, I do not want to dwell on the plot any longer but will give you an indication of what types of delights and scares lie ahead. First up, The House of a Hundred Whispers has a sly sense of humour, there is a superb exorcism scene where the priest in question claims that he has been involved in the famous Exorcist film he would have “exorcised that petty demon in minutes”. That is mighty big talk and things do not exactly go to plan! There is also a ghost which is repeatedly described as a Charles Bronson lookalike. That also made me chuckle, as I don’t think old ‘Stone Face’ appeared in many horror films!

In the early stages of the novel I felt the characters might have been one of the weak links; they shouted a lot, were not particularly likeable, and were very sluggish in appreciating the seriousness of the situation in the disappearance of the boy. However, Rob grew on me considerably as the story gets darker, as did his brother Martin, who finds himself in an even stickier situation.

The novel also has an outstanding and very convincing connection with history which might have you checking Wikipedia to see what is based on fact and what is not. You will be quickly sucked into the world of architect Nicholas Owen, hidden priest holes and witching rooms which are crucial to the plot. The supernatural connects to the folklore of the Dartmoor area was also fascinating, with ‘Gleaners’, ‘Charmers’ and ‘Old Dewar’ all added to the entertaining spin.

I’m not going to say too much about the ghosts, other than the fact that they are outstanding and play an increasingly significant part in proceedings as the novel develops with the story also being told from their point of view. Also, have you ever given a thought to whether ghosts breathe? A fascinating thought, which this book considers, breathing your last breathe over and over again for eternity.

The House of a Hundred Whispers is a suspenseful ghost story rather than a violent one and compared to the previous Ghost Virus it is rather tame on the gore stakes. This is no criticism though, as there are a couple of standout scenes of violence, including a kill scene I do not think I have ever seen before. A guy’s bones are pulled through a wall, but his flesh and entrails are left behind as a puddle of mush on the carpet. Not something you read every day!

This was an outstanding horror novel which I thoroughly enjoyed. Masterton takes the skeleton of what you might expect to find in a genre based haunted house novel but adds several extra dimensions and quirks. This was an expertly plotted horror and on the outset the reader would never imagine how the murder of the prison governor ties into the wider plot. Great stuff.

Enthralling, as I expect from Master of Horror Graham Masterton, terrifying, with implacable, unavoidable, horror, whose roots reach back centuries, perhaps to prehistory, and which gives no sign of ever stopping. In an antique (17th century) mansion on lonely Dartmoor, an evil old man dies during the Full Moon. His will specifies an unexpected heir, which only riles the offspring, who are commanded to maintain the property, now in trust.


But the house contains far more than valuable antiques and ugly memories. Black magic has been done here, and for centuries. A charmer, a gleaner, and a Catholic priest will all battle to stop the house's evil, with horrifying consequences.

400 pages

3 stars

Graham, Graham, you have disappointed me with this one. You could and have done so much better.

The old, miserly and imperious owner of All Hallows Hall is murdered when exiting the home. He was the former warden of nearby Dartmoor Prison.

When his three children and their partners arrive at the old place for the reading of the will, a huge surprise is in store for them. Soon after, the five-year old son of Rob and Vicky goes missing. The remaining family hears whispering in the night. Some are attacked, but no one appears to be there. They call in a witch, a wizard and even a Catholic priest to ascertain and try to eradicate the malevolence that has overtaken the house.

What follows is the search for Timmy, the disappearance of others and the murders of additional people.

This story lags badly in places. Perhaps there was too much detail in places. The story would go into a lull, then the action would pick up. That was the factor that kept me reading. It was an odd story with a good premise, but it just wasn't up to Mr. Masterton's usual lofty heights. I have been a fan of his for several years, so I suppose it's only natural that he would write a clinker now and then.

I want to thank NetGalley and Head of Zeus for forwarding to me a copy of this book for me to read, enjoy and review.

Alright, so. Graham Masterton. Obviously a pretty big name when it comes to horror literature.
He sure made me shiver more than once with his books.

So the story of a little boy disappearing in a creepy, whispers-filled house? Yes, please!

And it does start pretty well. Okay, so maybe the set of characters is a bit cliché, but that’s not too much of a problem. There’s a really big, really creepy house. There are (apparently) really creepy ghosts. And lots of people disappearing.

That is pretty much the point where the book stopped being interesting for me. It started being overly complicated, with exorcists AND witches AND demons AND ghosts AND a bit of time travel too.
That was just too much; and the scare potential got lost in lengthy explanations about exorcism (including ghost slugs), creepy regional demons (who apparently don’t like water), and a bit of witching, too.

There’s no doubt that it’ll find it’s audience, but I was just not this audience, unfortunately.

I was really looking forward to reading this book but sadly it didn't live up to my expectations. It has all the ingredients but unfortunately, it felt like the chef wasn't sure what to do with them all. Creepy house, mysterious death, missing child, priest holes, witching room and exorcism. It's all there yet didn't turn out to be creepy. I'm very happy to suspend disbelief when reading this type of book and usually love a novel that features the supernatural and unexplained.

But I couldn't take to any of the main characters in this book. I found them all to be somewhat unlikable and I didn't really care what happened. The starting point for this is when the child Timmy goes missing. On the first day, he's gone, his mother rings up to arrange to have the chimney swept. Really - that's one of your first priorities! I could probably have understood this if the chimney then featured in some way as being important, but it was not mentioned again.

I'm sure some might enjoy this book, but it didn't do it for me.

The house of a Hundred whispers is the latest novel by the wonderful versatile Graham Masterton, Master of horror, thrillers and sex instructon books. Recently hes been writing the great detective Katie Maguire novels, so his horror writing has taken a bit of a back seat and sadly and I hate to say this but it really shows with this book, don't get me wrong I'm a lifelong fan of his writing and I enjoyed the story of a hundred whispers but the writing and dialogue was really wooden and which I found it quite distracting.

The novel starts off strong, A man is killed at his home in the middle of the desolate moors of Dartmoor, his estranged children and their partners are asked to attend the house for the readng of his will, It has always been a unhappy house and no one really wants to stay there but they all want to see what they will get in his will, but when his grandson Timmy, who has been left to his own devices, goes missing everyone has to stay in the creepy old house until he has been found, and then the whispering starts.........

Great for fans of Graham Masterton but I'm not sure if he will win any new ones with this particular novel.

The House of A Hundred Whispers starts off with a bang. Or, to be more exact, with a hammer blow to the head. Herbert Russell, retired governor of Dartmoor Prison and owner of Allhallows Hall, avoids his mansion on nights when it’s a full moon and he has good reason to. However, this time round, he’s late in filing his tax return, and apparently, Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs are scarier than the horrors lurking within the Hall. And so, Herbert returns to collect his accounts book. It turns out to be a fatal mistake and, before long, his children are called to Allhallows Hall for the opening of his will. There’s financier Martin and his stuck-up wife Katharine. There’s artist Rob – a disappointment to his late father – and his wife Vicky, with their little son Timmy in two. There’s Grace and her partner Portia. The solicitor, once she arrives, announces that – surprisingly – Herbert has left the house in trust to Timmy. But right on cue, Timmy disappears. What at first appears to be a matter of a lost child, turns out to be something far ghostlier and uncannier, as Allhallows Hall unleashes its demonic influence and starts targeting its new residents.

A haunted house on the misty moors of Devon, ghostly manifestations, arcane rituals, nightly escapades, botched exorcisms… what’s not to like? While, quite a lot, unfortunately. Let’s start with the dialogue, which often feels wooden and unconvincing. Here’s a typical example - Rob, Timmy’s father, answering police officers’ questions right after Timmy’s disappearance:

“Has he ever gone missing before? Did you have an argument with him, or tell him off for something?”

Rob shook his head. “Never, and no. We don’t have to read him the riot act very often, but when we do, usually he sulks and shuts himself in his bedroom and plays video games. But that never lasts for long. He’s not the kind of kid who bears grudges, especially when it’s teatime and there’s beans on toast”.

For a distraught father whose son has disappeared into thin air, Rob sounds pretty cool.

Then there are the unnecessary details which are so irrelevant to the narrative that they sound out of place and unintentionally funny. Such as when on the night of Timmy’s disappearance, when one would have thought that everybody would be at their wits’ end, all the family order a takeaway.

“…Their steaks and pies are terrific. When they’re ready I can whizz over and collect them”. He looked up The Rock’s menu online, and they all chose what they wanted to eat. Grace asked for a chicken salad bowl but Portia was vegan, and so she opted for the butternut squash risotto. Rob went for the fisherman’s pie. Vicky insisted that she didn’t feel like anything to eat, but he knew she might be tempted to share it with him. Martin ordered the Devonshire rump steak, cooked rare. Katharine wanted nothing more than crushed avocado on toast with a hen’s egg”.

If that wasn’t enough, there are the attempts at high-flying metaphors, such as the search dog taking “a deep and enthusiastic sniff at Timmy’s jacket, a connoisseur of what tragedy smelled like”, or Rob about to face a diabolical foe – “Vicky had always said that he looked like Lord Byron, but this morning he thought he looked like Lord Byron when the poet was suffering from the fever which eventually killed him”.

Every supernatural novel expects us to suspend our disbelief. But Masterson throws in so many elements into the mix that it becomes – depending on your tastes, either an over-the-top horror extravaganza, or a self-parodic mess. In their desperation to rid the house of its presences, the family call an ill-assorted bunch of unlikely paranormal investigators: a modern-day “witch”, a sceptical scientific minded “wizard” who does not believe in ghosts but is not averse to using Druidic magic, and a Catholic priest “trained at the Vatican” whose methods and beliefs are, to say the least, unorthodox. They can’t seem to agree on what’s wrong with All Hallows Hall except that, whatever it is, it’s really bad. And that’s a great excuse for Masterson to combine elements of witchcraft, folk-horror, pagan deities, Catholic exorcism rituals and straight out splatter horror.

To be honest, there were times when I thought of abandoning this novel. That was until a decided to enjoy it for what it is, a supernatural romp which is by turns scary and silly.

I really enjoyed this book and wanted to finish it desperately to find out what happened. I would only give it 3/5 stars because although it was good, it wasn't what I was expecting at all. The blurb led me to believe it was going to be a ghost story which I was looking forward to, and therefore really loved the first half, but the second half turned a bit too horror/sci fi for my liking. Overall, I would know what sort of customer to pitch this to and I think it has a nice cross over between the two but wasn't quite up my street!

Thankyou to NetGalley, Head of Zeus and the author, Graham Masterton, for the opportunity to read an advanced readers copy of The House of A Hundred Whispers in exchange for an honest and unbiased opinion.
I have been a fan of this author since I was 12, and had just read Charnel House for the first of many, many times. Having said that, I jumped at the chance to review this book.
I was hooked from the start. The narrative and the settings were rich in detail and thoroughly gripping. As the story builds, your level of unease and the desire to check over your shoulder grows. I also thought the characters were well drawn and relatable.
Well worth a read.