Award-winning author Andrew Pyper hit the ground running with The Demonologist (2012). Not his first novel—it was his sixth—that story grabbed readers around the world because it focused on a popular theme in supernatural fiction: rescuing a innocent from the jaws of darkness. The motif, with a twist, is the melody of his new work The Residence: the harmonizing element, the presidency of the United States.

Historically, Franklin Pierce—the 14th POTUS—was initially known as a moderate. His climb to one term in the White House (1853-1857) was easy. Viewed as a fence-sitting non-boat-rocker, this handsome man was seemingly a bridge between political parties and helpful as a calming influence on both sides of the growing extremism in the U.S., particularly the pro- vs. anti-slavery issue. This staunch Democrat married Jane Appleton, a strong-willed, uber-moral religious woman who came from a long line of Republicans. Pierce’s closest friend was the writer Nathanial Hawthorne. No one could have imagined that Franklin Pierce would become the most vilified president the country had ever seen. Here was the man whose policies led to the American Civil War!

Pyper blends the real and the fictional Franklin and Jane into a haunting tale that draws on the fascination with Spiritualism that began in the mid-1800s, capturing the attention of the FLOTUS. Most devotees of Spiritualism were drawn to it by a longing to contact via séance their beloved dead: spouses, parents, siblings, friends, but especially children who had passed over. Of their three children, all boys, all lost in infancy or early childhood, the Pierces are obsessed with their most recently deceased son, Bernie, almost a divine child in their eyes. His shockingly fatal accident coincides with Franklin’s ascension to the White House. Jane, traumatized on all fronts, desperately wants to bring her son back from the dead.

This story is a clever setup: a mourning couple who cannot come to grips with the loss of their special child, while at the same time struggling to adapt as they are catapulted to the top of the most powerful institution in the world. The White House, which Jane hates living in as much as she hates Washington, DC, is the third main character in the story. It is not only a residence for the First Couple, but also houses the entities that Jane packed in her trunks for the move. These new demons blend well with the souls of the dead already inhabiting the haunted mansion.

The tone of this riveting tale is both melancholic and macabre. Franklin and Jane as grieving parents evoke sympathy. Yet neither Jane, plagued by ESP since childhood, nor Franklin, overwhelmed by a position for which he is eminently unsuited, possess the fortitude to stand up to the preternatural—until they do. But demons feed on fear.

Fact and fiction blend seamlessly in The Residence, and it would take a scholar specializing in the Franklin Pierce presidency to identify which is which. Pyper excels at characterization, and that’s what gives his work power and depth. These characters feel like real human beings, and that only exacerbates the horror with which they must contend. The novel is personal: parents locked in grief; trapped in a house that they cannot retreat from; unable to put a halt to the abomination called slavery; under the thrall of the increasingly menacing supernaturals that the two, in their naivety and pain, called up. It’s a spooky tale, written to imitate the style of the day, set within the accouterment of elitism that opens a door to the world, and at the same time slams it closed. Pyper is always worth reading and this novel, released in the fall of a U.S. election year, could not be more timely.

Thank you to Netgalley, Simon & Schuster Canada and Andrew Pyper for the advanced e-copy of his newest release The Residence. I started this book without really looking into it which is how I dive into most books. I knew it was a horror and by a great author and that's it. As a disclaimer, I'm not up to date on US history at all! This book started about a man Franklin Pierce who was on his way to his presidential inauguration with his wife, Jeannie, and his son, Bennie, on a train that had an accident, I got a couple of chapters in and googled it and realized it was based on some true events and I was hooked! Bennie dies in the accident and when they get to the Whitehouse, there seems to be some unexplainable events that not only the new President witnesses but also the staff. The chapters were pretty short and flowed quickly. Pyper's writing easily engaged me and kept me reading. The book's final notes include what events the book included and how some unexplainable things have been seen since Pierce's time. Highly recommend this if you're into historical fiction or horror or both!

3.5 stars

The Residence by Andrew Pyper is a psychological thriller.

First, let me thank NetGalley, the publisher Simon & Schuster Canada, and of course the author, for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.


My Synopsis:   (No major reveals, but if concerned, skip to My Opinions)

In 1853, Franklin Pierce was headed to Washington with his family, shortly before his inauguration.  On the way, his train crashed, and his son was killed.  This was not the first child the Pierce family lost, and his wife Jane had suffered from depression for most of her life.  Pierce was already a heavy drinker.

After so much loss, the move to The White House did not help their marriage.  Jane retreated further into herself, and into the idea of bringing back her son...through any means possible.  Unknown to her husband, she re-created Bennie's bedroom in the West Wing.  Then she started conversing with some unknown entity, and then she hired mediums to help her.

Now they are all living under a hopeless blanket of despair.


My Opinions:   

First, I don't read or like political books...but thought I would make an exception because of the author.  This book is based (loosely) on the 14th President of the United States, who seemed to just go with the flow politically, and tried not to rock the boat.  Unfortunately, that meant slavery was sort of up in the air.  He and Jane did, indeed lose three children, and the last was Benjamin, and it did indeed happen in a train crash (although a few weeks prior to his inauguration).  

Now we've all heard rumours that The White House is haunted, but the ghost part of the story did not really happen to the Pierce family (to my knowledge).

Although I wasn't really a fan of the premise, both the writing and the pace was good.  I also liked the characters.  I loved the mediums Jane hired, and I wish their storyline was longer.  I also liked Hany.

However, I was a little disappointed in the book, because I loved Pyper's last book so much.  This was good, but it really wasn't that exciting.  I found it more sad than anything.  A woman loses all her children, and will do anything to bring one back, but picks a demon to supply a replica.  I just felt sorry for her, and for her husband.  Their marriage had survived so much.

Although this one didn't hit home for me, I will continue to read this author's books.  He writes really well.

I am never disappointed in Andrew Pyper’s books. I was in a serious book slump when I started this and it pulled me right in and fixed it. He has a way with atmosphere and setting the stage. Everything starts out as a general unease and gradually builds, almost so slowly that you don’t even notice, into outright horror and terror. As it is set in the White House as is based on true facts, it makes it all the scarier. We follow the Pierce’s as they loose their son on the way to the White House after winning the presidency in a gruesome accident. Their devastation causes something sinister to slip into their lives. I devoured this book and sat up way to late to finish it and I am not even sorry in the slightest. The ending was wrapped up nicely but still left just enough to make you wonder and give you a shiver. I highly recommend this book.

The Residence is gothic book about the hauntings in after the untimely death of President Franklin Pierce's son Bennie.

His wife Jane has a past unlike many others, she scared me. There is a fine line between insanity and grief; or is there?

I loved how the author took historical facts and figures , such as The Fox sisters and included them in this eerie creepy story.

The ending, well things pick up quickly and you will just have to read it for yourself. Be prepared.

Thanks to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster Canada for letting me read this book that will haunt me for quite awhile.

Thank you NetGalley, Andrew Pyper and Simon and Schuster Canada for an advanced electronic reader copy of The Residence. If you’re a fan of Pyper this historical fiction/non-fiction ghost story will not disappoint!

It’s a novel about President Franklin Pierce and his wife Jane mourning the loss of their son Bennie in a tragic accident as Franklin tries to lead a country heading to civil war.

The story deals with grief, how it affects people and that they would do anything to have more time with their loved ones. I was not familiar with this piece of history so found it very interesting although at times felt it was full of awful sadness and despair. The action really ramps up towards the end.

In this terrifying ghost story based on true events, the President’s late son haunts the White House, threatening all who live in it—and the divided America beyond its walls. The residence by Andrew Pyper blends historical fact with fiction to make a chilling read about about the most unknown American President there is. There have always been stories that the White House is haunted and I thought this was a perfect summer read and the perfect time to read it. I have never heard about President Franklin Pierce, his wife Jane, and the events that bring this book about: that in 1853 the newly elected President, his wife Jane and their son Bennie are in a horrific train accident; with the only death being their son. Jane, mourning the loss of her son, sets up a séance with the infamous Fox Sisters, and brings something evil into the White House. Can Jane and Franklin overcome their shared grief and rid themselves—and America—of the entity that seeks to make the White House its permanent home? While I enjoyed this scary book, it had its good and bad points. I wasn"t thrilled with the ending, and I think I would preferred more details from the White House history, but I did enjoy reading the book overall. 31/2 stars rounded up to 4.
Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This gothic tale based on real persons—in this case Franklin Pierce the 14th President of the United States and his wife, Jane—is a disturbing and sometimes chilling story of powerlessness in the face of overwhelming grief and an exploration of the dark forces we may open ourselves up to when we wish to resurrect our deceased loved ones.
On their way to the White House, the couple suffers unimaginable tragedy—a train accident resulting in the death of their only surviving son, Benny. Jane is cast into a deep pall of grief and sorrow, unreachable to Pierce who must push on with the work of his presidency. Soon strange happenings begin—knocking on walls and ceilings, strange apparitions, ghostly voices, hallucinations, eventually forcing the couple to call in one of the famous Fox sisters to try and seek the cause.
Pyper takes us back in time to learn about the true nature of the disturbance and Jane's part in it. While all this sounds terrifying, in the execution it comes across as sad and hopeless instead. The constant flashbacks are long and at times tedious, taking us away from the main action of the story, especially in the middle section which seemed dense and too filled with endless discussion, philosophizing and exposition. An attempt to show parallels between the evil forces haunting the White House and the unrest brewing in the country about Abolition, comes off as a little forced and unconvincing.
The story becomes stagnant and the scary visions lose their power when we encounter them again and again. A more gradual revelation would have built up the suspense much more. It's not until the end when the action starts to move forward that the story becomes a bit more terrifying.
I would, however, read another one of Andrew Pyper's books just based on the strength of his imagery. He proves himself a master of description, especially of scary, unmentionably creepy entities, calling on all the senses to capture the nature of the evil. Maybe with more sympathetic characters the brilliant language would have way more impact.
Thanks to NetGalley and Simon and Scuster for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.

I didn't love this book. The story and characters didn't really hold my interest and I had a hard time finishing it.

A ghost story. Based on a true story. About the White House. Do I really need to say anything else? Andrew Pyper is a master of the creeping thrill and one of the very few horror writers I will drop everything to read.

Who knew there could be something even scarier about the White House? Pyper does a great job of mixing history with a slow-build spooky story. There are historical facts and politics, though a bit politically heavy at times, mixed with things that go bump in the night.

Or in this case, in the nursery called the Grief Room. There is something so infinitely creepy about children in stories like this. Children and their toys. The way Pyper described Bennie, every time it sent chills up my spine. It makes me shudder just thinking about it.

But this wasn't just a scary story, there's a blanket of grief that covers the whole book, and the horror preys on that grief and vulnerability and it’s almost worse than a monster in the closet. That thin line between insanity and reality, never quite sure if it’s a blurred line or not. Then you remember that the root of the story is relatively true, and it makes their suffering even more haunting, and a little sad.

I quite liked the inclusion of the Fox Sisters, historical figures I knew a little bit about, so it was interesting to see them brought to life here. There were a lot of historical facts I didn’t really know, but I especially liked the “true” history rundown at the end, the stories that inspired the book.

Those looking for a gory, edge of your seat suspense may be disappointed with the subtle occurrence of the spiritual here, but this is what Pyper does best and those who have read his other books can rest assured that he's done it again.

** I received an advance copy for honest review through Netgalley from Simon & Schuster Canada and thank them for the opportunity to read this and share my thoughts.

i don't even know where to begin.

jane & franklin are absolutely awful, dumb characters & it's a bit infuriating. on one hand you have jane who summoned a demon named sir when she was younger which follows her into adulthood, she then becomes grief stricken by the loss of her & franklin's son bennie & she turns to said demon & someone named kate fox to try to bring bennie back from the dead through unorthodox measures. i just feel jane brought upon a lot of destruction onto her own life by summoning sir as a child because it was said the demon wanted her isolated from everyone & is probably the reason both of her children were sadly met with death. jane's actions & thought processes were just really annoying, mostly her care & attachment for her new demon child version of bennie knowing it wasn't bennie & being okay with that even though it caused a lot of trouble. franklin on the other hand is no better, he favoured his son bennie over his son franky & basically wanted franky to die & bennie to live, & his views on slavery were seriously messed up.

i was pretty much bored & annoyed throughout the entire book, andrew pyper's writing style is very different & it definitely isn't for everyone. i know this was supposed to be like a horror/thriller, but it was just not good.. the format was was too choppy, it's broken down into 3 parts where part 1 is the longest, most boring & annoying part because it's just a lot of unnecessary background information & it's where we get to see how horrible jane & franklin are. part 2 is where more paranormal stuff starts to happen, but it's not scary & actually pretty underwhelming. i feel like the characters brought that mess upon themselves. part 3 is the shortest & just discusses what happens to the characters after franklin's presidency.

in the end, although demon bennie is literally trying to kill franklin & jane's cousin abby the couple can't find it in them to kill the demon because it looks like their son so they decide it's appropriate to lock it up in a room in the white house.
anyway, unfortunately this book was a pretty big let down. i really didn't find anything i truly liked in this work which is disappointing.

I was interested in reading this story by a fellow Canadian and I wasn’t disappointed.
The story takes place in 1853, where weeks before winning the Presidency, Franklin Pierce and his wife Jane lose their third son to a train accident. In her grief, Jane tries to communicate with her dead son through a séance with the famous Fox sisters, but they allow an entity to enter the world. Haunting the White House and driving those within it toward insanity, the evil spirit had devilish plans for the entire world. Franklin and Jane must battle this evil or perish forever.
Not use to the writing style, it took me a bit to get into the story, but once it began to unfold, I was couldn’t put it down. Fast paced and horrifying, you’ll find yourself holding your breath as the evil does it best to drive them mad. There are historical reports that support the idea of a ghost haunting the White House which leave an open window for the imagination.
I was surprised by some of the earlier reviews as some didn’t give the book enough chance to show its true strength. There loss. Thank you to NetGalley, Mr. Pyper and Skybound Books for the opportunity to review this work.

Based on true events, newly elected president Franklin Pierce gets on a train headed to Washington with his wife Jane and his young son Bennie. The train is derailed and Bennie is the only casualty. Poor Jane does not handle this well at all. When they are all settled in at the White House strange events begin to occur. Jane believes she is being haunted and sets up a séance which only makes matters worse.

The idea of ghosts haunting the White House has long been thrown around. I was really interested to read about the author’s take on it. However, I found the story a little drab. There were parts that really drew me in but I often found myself losing interest. That being said, I tend to like horror like Stephen King and Dean Koontz so my expectations are high. This book was like neither of those author’s and it took me awhile to get into the rhythm of this type of story. When I finally did I realized that this story it more about grief than a haunting. With that understanding it does well for what it is.

The characters are well developed and you feel for their suffering and struggles. I feel like a movie version of this story would better satisfy me than the book did. The scares could be bigger and the darkness could use the visual effects to manifest fear.

All in all this wasn’t my favourite story but it wasn’t bad.

This novel is billed as a horror story, but it isn’t really. Instead it is a slow, sad story about broken and unsympathetic people making endless bad choices and suffering the consequences. As such, this book never really worked for me. I was never drawn in by the characters, and found myself not really caring how they came through the conflict they have to deal with in this story. Having read a few other novels by the author I know he is capable of writing horror filled, scary stories. Unfortunately this was not the case with this one.

I saw this on Netgalley and even though I don't read a ton of horror anymore (I get the spookies at night), I was immediately drawn in by the concept: mid-19th century ghost story, in the White House, with a President I hadn't really heard of (in my defense: I'm not American). I requested right away, and Netgalley and the publisher were kind enough to provide a copy in exchange for a fair review.

This is cool book, with lovely language, a pervasive sadness, and a creeping sort of dread. It's not what I was expecting in some ways - that sadness rather than overt thriller-y vibes - but in some ways I prefer this one to what I visualized. It certainly did have spookiness that had me slightly scared of the dark spaces in my room at night. Particularly since this is such a residential sort of terror.

I had some issues with diving deep and connecting with the characters, but in a book like this maybe that's fine. It's not really about them, it's about what they experience. In that sense I felt this book had some serious cosmic horror vibes (the genre previously known as Lovecraftian). You've got the creeping dread, the humanity-hating entity, and the realization of the sheer scope of the potential evil or otherworldliness. It was like domestic Lovecraft, but the domestic in this case was one of the most famous houses in the world, the White House. One of the pieces I liked best was that the fact that it was the White House wasn't just incidental set dressing, being in that place and in that position as President and First Lady was entirely intertwined with the horror elements.

Such a huge fan of Andrew Pyper. His slick style keeps those pages turning and readers scared deep into the night. The Residence is no exception. An intriguing premise, based on the presidency of Franklin Pierce and the documented ghost sightings and strange noises heard in the White House stemming from his time there onwards. Pierce was a reluctant president at best and Pyper paints a sympathetic picture of him and his wife Jane, having suffered the losses of all their sons, including young Bennie who was killed tragically in a train accident just before the inauguration. His one term presidency was over shadowed by these family tragedies and his wife’s inability to cope. She hires the infamous Fox sisters to conduct a seance in hopes of reaching out to Bennie but things go wrong and take a dramatic turn for the worse. A whole new perspective of the inside goings on at the White House and guaranteed to keep you up with all the lights on...or off, depending on how you enjoy reading horror deep into the night.

Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free, electronic ARC of this novel received in exchange for an honest review.
Expected publication date: Sept. 1, 2020
Franklin Pierce, his wife, Jane and their son, Bennie are on a train bound for the White House, where Pierce is set to become the new President. A tragic accident derails the train, leaving their eleven year old son dead, leaving Franklin and Jane to set out to Washington, D.C under the huge shadow of grief. Franklin attempts to fulfil his duties while Jane struggles to set up a home without her son. Soon, both Franklin and Jane begin to hear strange knocking sounds coming from the walls and Jane is overheard speaking to a man she refers to only as “Sir”. White House guests and staff alike also report seeing the ghost of a young boy, about 11 years old, appearing and disappearing throughout the residence. Although torn apart by tragic grief, Franklin and Jane must uncover the mystery of what is haunting their new home, before the entire country pays the price.
Pyper delivers another one of his freaky, terror-fueled greats, and this time he throws in a little historical “fiction” to boot. Pierce was actually a U.S President (the 14th actually, I looked it up), and he and his wife Jane lost a young boy in a train accident before he took office. Pyper also uses the haunted history of the White House throughout this novel, which makes it all the spookier. Not only do you learn something, but you get to be entertained with Pyper’s expert level of creepiness.
This novel started off horribly sad (yet page-turning) than delved into the political and historical (information and setting building but beyond that, just mediocre as far as entertainment goes) , than ran right into the downright spine-chilling (GIVE ME MORE). If you’ve read Pyper’s “The Homecoming”, than you know he can definitely tell a haunted house story with the best of them.
Although I wanted more “Sir”, more “ghost” Bennie, more high-level scares and less politics, I definitely enjoy Pyper’s descriptive writing style. Like something right out of “The Conjuring” universe, I was able to envision the moving objects, hear the banging and tapping sounds, and feel the cold hands of Sir on my neck. And really, is that not what we all read horror novels for? Well done, Pyper!

This is a sad story about grieving the loss of a child(ren) and the dark depths someone might go to in their grief. The story involves the paranormal but I did not find it particularly scary. I wish I had read the Author's Note before reading the book as I was not aware of the real world historical connections to the characters and the White House. It all would have felt a bit creepier and scarier had I been aware of the happenings reported there. I also 'liked' the book better having learned about how closely the events in the book were knitted with historical records.

The book has a period feel to it in character mannerisms and dialogue and the storyline keeps you moving through the book to see how the issues are resolved. This was different that previous books by Pyper but suits the timeline.

'Bennie wished to be like his father so much it shamed Franklin that hew as not a better man.'

'It allowed him to believe a second longer in the power of pretending.'

"Didn't you see? I'm going to be tall." And he did see it. The height waiting inside the child.


Thank you to Simon & Schuster Canada for allowing me to read an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I have always loved a good old-fashioned spooky ghost story, so it takes a lot to get under my skin, but The Residence did just that. It’s the story of Franklin Pierce who became the President of the United States in 1853, but the start of his term was overshadowed by the tragic death of his son, Bennie, who was then said to haunt the White House, putting everyone within in danger. Right from the beginning the atmosphere was such that I felt continually creeped out and unsettled, which is exactly how a good horror story is supposed to make me react. What I love about Andrew Pyper’s writing is that there are always underlying themes and messages as well that keep my mind working throughout the story. The Residence is so much more than just a ghost story! I’m never sure whether I’m “getting it” exactly the way I’m supposed to when I read one of Pyper’s books, but I guess everyone takes away something different, and I always find his books very powerful. One of the interesting aspects of The Residence is that it is based on true stories from the history of the White House, so I even found myself Googling Pierce’s presidency to further my knowledge about that point in history.

For me, reading one of Pyper’s books is like sitting around a campfire, on the edge of my seat, listening to a friend tell a story. I can’t really say that I became attached to any of the characters honestly, but I could truly feel Franklin and Jane’s pain over the loss of their son and how adrift they felt in the aftermath. So, it wasn’t really the characters themselves that kept me entranced, but rather the mood and the setting, as well as the complex psychological trauma they both went through. Pyper is so skilled at putting words together in such a magical way, and his descriptions are done so well, that I felt like I was right there in the White House and often found myself looking around to see if there was anything in the shadows around me. It has been a long time since I have been this delightfully creeped out by a book.

What really made this book hit the mark for me were all the underlying themes. Obviously, the story clearly deals with grief and what it does to people, and how they would do pretty much anything to have one more moment with their lost loved ones, but I found that Pyper was also making a statement about the state of our world in the past and now. He made me think about how self-centred our society can be and how we need to look outside of ourselves at the horrors that are going on around us. That the power that comes from division is wrong, and that we need to come together and support everyone in the world no matter what race, religion, or sexual orientation they are. Maybe I’m totally off the mark and this is not what Pyper had in mind at all by writing this book, but it’s what I took away from it. Our world and the people in it have not improved much over the years. We are still faced with horrible prejudice and severe mistreatment of certain groups, and we still have leaders who are not necessarily fit for their positions and for having such power. The Residence looks at bravery vs. fear and the boundaries between good and evil, and it points out that like a ghost, the longer we pretend that the issues that are plaguing the world today don’t exist, the more they will demand to be seen. We seem to be forever struggling to be united as a family, a people, a nation, and a world. Basically, the ghosts of our past will keep haunting us until the necessary changes come to pass.

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster Canada for this early review copy. I highly recommend it!

An interesting historical fiction based on true events regarding the haunted Whitehouse. I didn’t find it a horror so much as a very odd and a somewhat disturbing read. Several emotions are experienced while reading The Residence - sorrow, angst, empathy, curiosity to name a few. I was curious enough to read it and am glad that I did however, it did not have me sitting on the edge of my seat or hiding under the covers.