This novel is definitely an original one, leaving the reader perpetually unsettled about a) what's happening now and b) what will happen next?! The mystery starts from the get-go, when we meet Eric Ross and his two daughters, Odessa "Dessa" who's 18, and Stacy, who is several years younger, in a run-down motel. They've been on the run for several months now- but from what is not clear. Eric's been taking shady, cash-only jobs as they migrate across the country, keeping as far under the radar as possible. When he finds an advertisement for a high-paying caretaker job for a place called "The Spite House" in Degener, Texas, it looks like the answer to their prayers...but the reality is far beyond what any of them could imagine.

A disturbing novel, exploring the lengths people will go to for those they love. Definitely not for YA or sensitive readers, but an engrossing mystery for adults who enjoy gothic or horror.

Johnny Compton crafts a solid haunted house story for his debut novel, but doesn't flesh out the more unique elements he brings to the table here as much as I would have hoped for.

Eric and his daughters, Dess and Stacy, are on the run. He's taking whatever work he can get, including agreeing to stay inside a haunted house for a billionaire hoping to discover the secrets of the afterlife. Offered an impossibly nice sum of money, Eric has no choice but to agree to move his family into the spite house, an architectural monstrosity built atop a hill overlooking Degener, TX. Deliberately crafted to be an eyesore by a distant relative of ultra-wealthy Eunice whose heart was filled with pure hate, the Masson House was built solely to spite those who live in the town beneath it. Over generations, it's built up quite a legacy -- dead children roam its halls, and those who go inside disappear entirely or leave permanently changed by the experience. But, the money Eunice is offering is just too good to pass up, and it's the sort of life-changing opportunity that could really turn things around for Eric and his girls. He'd be a fool to say no... Right?

The Spite House offers up some tantalizing promises that I wish Compton had more fully explored. Eric has an obsession with ghosts and during a phone interview with Eunice in the book's opening chapter describes his theory that "sometimes the past has sort of an echo that catches up to the present." It's an intriguing concept and once that I wish Compton had developed more fully beyond the typical haunts and scares of this particular horror sub-genre. Maybe I just had my expectations set too high, but once Eric's theory was laid out I was tantalized with promises of temporal anomalies and multi-dimensional gateways. We do get some of that via the dreams cum flashbacks Eric experiences once in the spite house, but it's never quite as intriguing or next-level as I had hoped for.

I was also disappointed that we didn't get a more direct through-line into Eric's experiences within the spite house. Instead, Compton gives us a shorthand look at what Eric is going through by couching it all under the experiences others have had within the spite house. Eunice had previously hired a husband-and-wife ghost-hunting team, but they largely feel extraneous to much of the larger happenings here, despite charging us into the book's climax when one of Eric's daughters is abducted. We get told a lot about what Eric should be experiencing, but we never really see it directly until very late in the book and through some subtle bits of self-reflection.

For as much as the spite house itself is built up to be this grand and frightening monolith of horrors, we never get to see enough of it to really buy into its fabled multi-generational legacy. Compton tells us a lot about its past, and while the Masson house is certainly rich in history, I really wanted to see more of its manipulations and damage wrought in the present. I wanted to see Eric and his daughters dealing with the confounding and inexplicable nature of the spite house, but we never get quite enough to truly satisfy.

The Spite House does have some intriguing angles to it, particularly the mystery of why Eric and his children are on the run. Compton serves up a truly wicked explanation that took me completely by surprise. Unfortunately, it's another element that is never really given a satisfactory explanation. It offers up some neat background but, given that we're ultimately expected to just go along with it, it also comes as a pretty big ask without more information to ground it.

Therein lies my biggest issues with The Spite House. Compton has some really terrific ideas, but they never really come together as fully as they should, nor are they mined deeply enough to exploit their fullest potential. If Compton had explored some of these ideas more attentively, the book would have been stronger for it. That said, I'm certainly curious to see what Compton does for his next book based solely on the promise he shows in this debut and the tantalizing ideas he brought forth here.

Eric Ross and his daughters Dess and Stacy are running from a troubled past. The details about their situation are murky, but their fear is palpable. As much as they need money to survive, they need answers to help them confront the secrets they carry with them; both of these needs lead them to the spite house. To receive generous compensation, they only need to live in the house and report on their paranormal experiences. But the home's eccentric owner, Eunice, is keeping secrets of her own--secrets that endanger everyone connected with the house and its unearthly residents.

I've seen this classified as horror, which feels misleading. Yes, it is creepy, but at no point did it cross into the realm of terrifying. I mostly struggled with the explanation of why the mother is excluded from the story (without spoiling it, it just wasn't believable or justifiable). There were also a few leaps the author asked me to make to connect events I couldn't 100% believe in. Finally, it was difficult for me to understand how Eric suddenly switched to knowingly putting his kids in harm's way on multiple occasions after going to such lengths to keep them safe.

Overall though, an enjoyable mystery/thriller with enough twists and character development to keep me reading. I would recommend this to readers who like ghost stories with a modern bent.

This is a fantastic ghost story by Johnny Compton.

Eric Ross is on the run with his two daughters, Des and Stacy. They have left everything behind, Eric's high paying job, their nice house, and his ex-wife. They live hand to mouth, Eric taking any job that will make a few bucks.
He sees an ad in a local paper asking for someone to stay in a notorious haunted house for a six-plus figure salary.
Thinking it all has to be BS, he applies and gets the job. It barely takes a night for the spirits to make themselves known.

There are some seriously spooking going-ons in this tale.
Compton does an excellent job of not only keeping me interested. but makes me care deeply for Eric Ross and his children.
I want them safe. I want a happy ending. I want it all to be just a crazy old woman's imagination. Well, you know what they say about wishes...

Highly recommended if you are looking for a convincing ghost story with some real spine-chilling moments.
Thanks to @netgalley for the opportunity to read this in exchange for my honest and unbiased opinion.

I have a weakness for haunted house stories – especially atmospheric Gothic ones. When I was sent the NetGalley widget for this novel, I immediately downloaded it.

Unemployed Eric Ross and his daughters, eighteen-year-old Dess and seven-year-old Stacy, are on the run. For the past year, they’ve lived in cheap hotels and moved around every few days. Eric picks up odd jobs here and there where no one asks any questions. Looking over their shoulder and being paranoid are now habits. Even young Stacy has been trained on an escape plan. When Eric receives an offer to stay in the Masson House, supposedly one of the most haunted places in the state, and keep a record of paranormal activity, he accepts the job. The money is almost too good to be true and will relieve their financial stress. Now he and his family just have to survive.

I didn’t get a strong Gothic vibe from this story, but it sure provides unnerving, atmospheric scenes. Shadows in corners, disembodied voices, possible spirit possessions, creepy ghost children, doors opening and closing on their own – all good things for horror/paranormal fans. Even though Eric is frightened, he puts his family first and is determined to stick it out and earn the small fortune promised if he completes the job. He’s a pretty stubborn guy and very protective of his daughters. Stacy’s ability to see and communicate with some of the spirits will send tingles down your spine.

While reading, I kept wondering what happened to send this family on the run, and when the reason is casually mentioned in a sentence, I immediately halted and said “Wait – what?????” It’s a shocker, folks. I’d also never heard of a spite house, but it’s a building constructed or modified solely to annoy the neighbors. I did a Google search, and there are several across the country.

This is an impressive debut, and an author to watch for horror/paranormal fans. I’m excited to see what Compton does next.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

THE SPITE HOUSE by Johnny Compton

Release Date: February 7th, 2023
General Genre: Adult Horror, Paranormal
Subgenre/Themes: Gothic, Historical Fiction, Haunted House, Human Monsters, Mind-Bender, Mystery, Strong Women
Writing Style: Brisk & Slow pacing, Multiple POVs

What You Need to Know: Early expectations, the comps from the publisher are: The Babadook meets A Head Full of Ghosts and I think those both miss the mark. This is more in step with Shirley Jackson's, The Haunting of Hill House.
This story has a lot going on in 272 pages. Multiple POVs with character names as chapter titles and the reader is asked to keep tabs on several storylines almost like the show LOST in the way that there is a *huge* cast of characters, they all have backstories and a connection to the main, present-day narrative and there are a lot of meandering threads that introduce new topics of interest but don't really get answered until much, much later. That's all I think readers need to know going into this one: a slow-burn setup typical of the Gothic style that eases into a classic trope: MC accepts the invitation to stay in a haunted house and report back to the owner.

My Reading Experience: I tell people all the time that I am the kind of reader that does not see the plot twists or big reveals coming. It's not that I'm not clever or intuitive, I am, it's just that my brain is busy trusting the author's storytelling as it is being told to me and I don't concern myself with what might be happening between the lines.
This one *really* stumped me. I had no idea what was going on for the duration of this novel. There is a very large cast of characters and they are not just stand-in people you don't need to concern yourself with, they have their own POV chapters! I struggled to keep track of everyone and remember who they were in relation to the present-day situation and their connection to the MCs. The MCs are Eric (father) and his two daughters (Stacy & Dess). I wish the story was contained to those three POVs. I felt like widening the circle to include POVs from literally everyone was too much, splintering the tone and atmosphere.
Here's what I did like: Johnny Compton has a strong storytelling voice that instantly feels unique to him. It's authoritative in sections of exposition and infused with emotions during scenes of dialogue. I liked that the chapters were short, these helped me stay invested and kept the pace moving along *after* the 30% mark. Prior to that, the pace was slow, and difficult for me to stay interested.
I liked the two young daughters, Dess and Stacy. Later, I enjoyed chapters with Eunice and Lafonda. So, I found Compton's understanding of how to write women of all ages pretty satisfying. I just didn't like the MC, Eric that much. As a dad with very clear and often communicated goals of protecting his daughters at all costs, he made some pretty counterintuitive decisions, but maybe I was missing something that factors in later.
Overall, the things I enjoyed evenly balanced out with the things I didn't enjoy landing The Spite House smack dab in the middle of the road for me.

Final Recommendation: I recommend this to competent readers who are quick to absorb details and find it easy to navigate through a complex, multi-layered story with a lot of POVs. Fans of alternative, unexpected twists on classic tropes, haunted house tales, father/daughter relationships, and historical elements will eat this right up.

Comps: The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson, film: The Conjuring, and the structure/format of the TV show, LOST.

Well, this was a disappointment. What could have been a GREAT haunted house/ghost story turned out to be more of a YA puzzle/mystery that wanted to be a horror novel, the bad part was: what started out good had no horror what so ever.

Author Johnny Compton's creation of that creepy, skinny and scary house on the edge of the hill could have become such a huge part of the story, instead he made it all about the youngest daughter of Eric, Stacy. When you first read of Des's night time 'runs' you think what is this girl doing? Why are the townspeople so afraid for Eric and his two girls after they accept a 'ghost hunters' offer and move into the 'Spite House'? I could not get into the ebook, so when this came available this week on Scribd Audio I listened to it. Still was not impressed. The 'Reveal' I had already figured out. Cannot recommend this unless you are new to 'wannabe' spooky books.
Skip it.
2.5 ehs

The Spite House follows a man and his 2 daughters as they are on the run from something. Eric (the father) takes a high paying job that involves living in the Spite House and documenting any paranormal experiences that may occur.
While this synopsis drew me in, I found I was really bored throughout this book. It became evident at the start that this book was going to fixate on race but in this case it was just too much. Eric and his daughters don’t even arrive at the Spite House until almost 30% into the book. By this time I had already lost interest and had to force myself to continue. This book just wasn’t for me in the end.

Received e-arc courtesy of netgalley for honest review

The Spite House Review!!

Thank you so much Tor Publishing Group and Netgalley for this gift e-read, in exchange for an honest review! The Spite House is out now!

I’m a sucker for a good haunted house story, so I requested this one immediately! The Spite House was a 3/5 ⭐️ for me! I wouldn’t necessarily say that this one was scary, but it definitely had an eerie feel to it! This one was a slow burn for sure. To me, this one read more like a YA horror and it felt a bit choppy at times. The paranormal twist left me somewhat confused and the ending left me wanting more as well. Overall , eerie, with some very unique and likeable characters, just very slow and more on the YA side!

Synopsis: On the run and short on cash, Eric and his two daughters are desperate for an income. Eric finds an ad online for a caretaker and paranormal investigator of sorts for a famous Spite House. All he needs to do is stay in the house and record any odd things that happen. Eric is shocked at the sum of money they are offering, so he gladly takes the job. Soon he realizes though, that the past caretakers have had a nightmare of a time in the house and he is about to find out why.

A very high 3 stars!! This was a fast paced haunted house story with several twists and turns. I was engaged the entire time, however, the ending left me a little unsatisfied. While I thought the split of Eric’s body and soul was a unique ending, I wanted to see the closure with his wife (and her reaction!!). This was the first time I had ever heard of a Spite House and I thought it was a great concept, I would pick up the next book this author releases.

So good! Loved the twist on the traditional haunted house story. Felt so much deeper! It’s spooky, characters were unique and it covered some heavy hitting topics!

Dread is a hard emotion to spark within a book. But The Spite House does it intensely throughout.

Eric Ross is a father to two girls: 18-year-old Dess and 7-year-old Stacy. They are on the run from an unnamed tragedy when he sees an intriguing help wanted ad in rural Texas. A rich old woman wants someone to stay in her family’s house and prove unequivocally that it is haunted. She is willing to pay in the high six figures for what may be a short-term job with free room and board. Eric agrees. He knows his family has a “curse” but feels it won’t bother his ability to complete the job. However, he doesn’t know that young Stacy has psychic abilities.

The Spite House is old fashioned horror at its best. It reminded me of old Stephen King and, of course, Shirley Jackson’s The Haunting of Hill House. However, it has a modern day setting in addition to its many flashbacks to the characters’, and the house’s, past. There are only two reasons why the book didn’t quite rate a 5 star review. In the middle, there are a whole lot of point of views that didn’t seem to be relevant (though some eventually were later in the book). And the ending…well the ending was unexpected.

Overall, the book is a solid 4 star that promises a bright future for its author.

Thanks to Tor Nightfire and NetGalley for a digital review copy of the book.

This was an effective and surprising horror - once it got started. The beginning is not just slow, but a little hamfisted - I almost put it down before reaching the halfway point, and I'd have been sad to miss a really effective second half.

In a small town in Texas, a weirdly shaped house stands. It’s called a Spite House because it was built originally to spite someone with it’s location. A wandering family is looking for a job and believe they might have found one that is up their alley. An eccentric woman is looking for someone to live in the spite house and and record the happenings in the haunted house, to see if it’s really haunted but what is the hidden reason for finding more and more caretakers for this house?

The original premise made this story sound so creepy. And to be honest it’s a multilayered story, with connections through different characters. And while the story itself was very spine tingling with gothic vibes, the ending, while wrapping it up, also gave me more questions than before. Come for the haunted house story, but be warned if you don’t like loose ends.

This was surprisingly refreshing!
Overall, this novel was giving Haunting of Hill House x The Shining vibes throughout and I was all ears!
Eric Ross and his two daughters Dess and Stacy are on the run from something they refuse to speak about when Eric comes across a job ad for a 'caretaker' needed at a residence in Degener, TX. But this isn't any ordinary house and the job description is far from that of a simple caretaker. Spite House is a narrow structure with a dark history and is home to more than one haunted resident and the Ross family aren't meant to care for the house but rather ignite its haunted source to prove the paranormal events are true. They're torn between protecting their secret and surviving the aftermath of waking the evil that is Spite House.

Gothic fiction is one of my favourite genres - I love the creepiness of an old house and all its haunts (though I'm not sure I could survive living in one personally)! I especially loved that the 'supernatural' aspects in this book were actually supernatural and not man made gimmicks (tired of this trope!) I did feel there were some open ended plot lines that were never really explained/ resolved, but I would still be very interested in reading more from this author or this world/ series.

Thank you Net Galley and Macmillan-Tor/Forge and Tor Nightfire for providing me with this advanced reader’s e-copy in exchange for an honest review.

The Spite House was an engaging story that kept me reading because I just had to have all my questions answered- how clever and fun, seeing as how getting answers for impossible questions was also a huge motivation for our main characters.

Compton maximises even the tiniest details to give readers a sense of his characters; and he’s good at feeding information slowly enough to keep the tension high and interest piqued, but not so slow as to frustrate readers.

Trying my best not to spoil important plot points, I still want to point out how certain aspects of the hauntings in this story gave me good old fashioned folklore and Jeff Myrtlebank from the Twilight Zone vibes. I loved that, and it would’ve been fantastic to get to explore that just a little bit more.

In the end, the biggest takeaway I got from The Spite House is the fearsome amount of power we give our most negative emotions, and how widespread the effects of said emotions can be. Compton expertly used a paranormal framework to present a very real kind of ugliness.

I really loved the character development in this book. It was well done and their was a lot of interesting insight into the youngest daughter as well.

Throughout the book you could really see and feel the way that this house was getting to Eric and Dessa and Stacy. They changed throughout the book, but also learned things about each other they might not have learned had Eric not brought them there.

I felt like this book had a great build up of suspense throughout the book. It started with wondering what was going to happen in this house, and the first night with just one thing happening to being this great story with so many turns and excitement through the story.

A father and his two daughters are on the run from something in Maryland. The father gets a job of investigating a haunted house in Texas.
Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC and to the publish Tor Nightfire.

Haunted house books are hit or miss for me. I love when they delve more into the history and secrets of the place, and love it less when they are about like, anthropomorphization of the house. Luckily, this one falls very heavily into the first category, and I am pleased to report that it was wonderful! Let me tell you about the stuff I liked!

►First, I love a challenge. It is even better because Eric and his daughters desperately need the house and income, but I do enjoy that it was a whole "who can outlast the house?" situation. Because that is just plain entertaining, frankly. And then, I like to wonder if I could "win". (I would win.)

►Speaking of Eric and his daughter, there's a huge focus on family. I mean really, family is the crux of this novel. Eric is clearly a devoted father who would move heaven and earth for his girls. The problem is, he has some huge secrets he's burdened with, as well as very limited resources. They're kind of in hiding, though we don't know why, and as such, he can't exactly have a legitimate job with a steady income, or other things you need a real identity for. But one thing is clear: this family loves each other deeply.

►So. Many. Secrets! I think everyone in this book is harboring at least a few secrets. The secrets in this case span literal centuries in some cases, while some are happening right as the story is told. There is just so much to unfurl here, and it made the book very exciting to read.

►I actually liked the paranormal aspect! I am so bad at this, in general, but this one... well, it made sense to my mind, and I did not have to really suspend my disbelief or anything, so I was good with it! Trust me, this is high praise.

Bottom Line: It's a haunted house story, sure, but it's also a familial love story, with some history and paranormal sprinkled in, and it simply all works.

A father on the run from a dark past with his two daughters in tow comes across an ad for a house looking for a caretaker who can provide proof of its paranormal happenings for its enigmatic owner in Johnny Compton's The Spite House. When Eric Ross finds the ad looking for a caretaker for the Masson House, reputed to be one of the most haunted spots in Texas, he thinks he may have finally found his break: not only will the large payout for finding proof of its haunting help him get his daughters a more normal life, he hopes to find answers to the problem causing them to be on the run within its dark walls. What Eric isn't aware of is the history of the caretakers before him, and what secrets the owner is keeping on her search for the paranormal...

Pros:
- Various perspectives are used to tell the story, and each one is given time to be fleshed out and grow. In particular, Eric and his daughter Dess are strong POV characters with empathetic stories.
- The haunting, when it comes, is well done and adds some nuance to the very crowded haunted house genre.

Cons:
- Various plot points are introduced and then not fully explored by the time the story ends. Some readers may feel a bit wanting with some of the mysteries.
- Connected to this, the ending feels a bit rushed. The main mystery leaves more questions than get answered, which can be frustrating for a book this length.

Three stars. It's definitely scary in parts, but I left wanting a bit more at the end.

FFO: Civil War stories, spite houses, horror heavy on the mystery.

**I was given a copy of this book by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. My thanks to MacMillan Tor/Forge and Netgalley*