Episode 13 is the written version of a found footage horror flick and I am here for it. We follow around a group of paranormal hunters as they delve into the mysterious Foundation House and the experiments that occurred there, documenting the experience along the way.
I went in thinking that what I was reading had a typical haunted house trope and was firmly corrected, it became so much more. The found footage style writing is amazingly clever and worked out extremely well. “Sound” played a large part of the occurrences, with disembodied voices over the walkie-talkies and suitably creepy songs, all of which creeped me the hell out.
All in all, I had a great time reading this book, rarely putting it down. I highly recommend for anyone who loves a spooky time with a twist!

Happy Pub Day!
I liked it, I didn't love it.
I found myself a little bored throughout the entire novel even though it was written in multi-media type writing (which tbh was a lot of fun).
This almost-500 page novel didn't need to be almost 500 pages. It definitely needed to be longer for the storyline, but not 500 pages. HOWEVER, I do think most will enjoy this as it talks about the science behind the hauntings and the ins and outs of ghost hunting shows. Because it was longer, we do get to see the slow descent into madness for most characters.
If you enjoyed the writing style of Illuminae and genuine haunted houses with a past, this one is for you!

Thank you Redhooks Books, Craig DiLouie and Netgalley for allowing me to read this ARC e book. This was my first book I have read by DiLouie. The scare factor for this book was real. I love a good horror book and this one did not disappoint. Although I felt the beginning began with a bit of overload on info once the story got started the scare factor was real. This was no monster you would normal think of but almost more a psychological demon that even after reading (which I absolutely left the lights on to read) I was questioning, like could this happen. It was an overall great book that while meant to terrify it also tapped into your thoughts as if it could be real. I gave this book 3.5 stars I felt the ending tried to explain a bit too much after delivering such a great performance but overall I really enjoyed this book.

This was such a fun ride that kept me on my toes. It truly read like a ghost hunter show, I loved all the interviews and journals throughout. Such a unique and compelling ghost story.

Episode Thirteen is a behind the curtain view of a ghost hunting reality television show. A team of ghost hunters, led by a husband and wife, get access to a house in which psychological experiments were done in the seventies and paranormal activities have been reported. The team plans to spend several days there to either prove or debunk the notoriety of this mansion.

This was my first epistolary style novel. While I didn’t initially care for this style, as I got further into the story, I came to appreciate seeing the events from each team member’s perspective via individual journal entries, text messages and transcripts. This style provided surprisingly exceptional character development. It allowed the reader to experience the unsettling terror from the perspective of each team member.

I love haunted house stories. While some fall flat, I found Episode Thirteen to be a perfect mix of hair raising creep factor and plausibility. I found myself on the edge of my seat as a witness to things going horribly wrong.

Thank you to NetGalley and Redhook for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a free e-arc, in exchange for an honest review.

Episode Thirteen follows a group of paranormal investigators with their own tv show, as they go to a famous haunted building where experiments were done on people during the 70’s, to try and determine if it is actually haunted. The leaders of the tv show are a husband and wife couple, and the husband is under big pressure to deliver good tv to the producers, or the fate of the show is in jeopardy. However, he’s not the only one struggling or keeping secrets. When they begin their investigation, it becomes clear they have gotten a lot more than they bargained for.

I have mixed feelings about this book. I loved how this was written in an epistolary format, it made the story feel like a found footage movie, and I really enjoyed it. I also thought the characters were great, every character felt like a real, fleshed out person, and I had a lot of opinions about them. When I care enough to dislike a character, that’s a sign of good writing. The ending was also excellent, so creepy and eerie to imagine.

However, I did feel like there were a few issues with the book. I feel like this is marketed as a haunted house/building book, and it’s more of an existential, science gone wrong book. It was very heavy on the science aspects, and as someone with zero interest in that, it made the story drag for me. I also found the pacing very slow; nothing really happens until the 50% mark of the book.

I wanted to love this book more than I did, but unfortunately a lot of aspects didn’t work for me. I don’t think this is a bad book, just one that is not for me. I’ve seen many other people loving it, so I think most people will really enjoy it.

Somewhat disappointing effort from DiLouie about a team of paranormal investigators taking on Foundation House, where a prior team of hippie scientists vanished in 1972 while trying to summon spirits. The investigation is designed to be Episode Thirteen of their show, Fade to Black, whose rating have peaked and needs a boost to keep viewers. The story is told through found video footage and journals after the events depicted in the book. The biggest problem is that it's way too ponderous, over-analyzing and explaining everything to a fault while forgetting that you need things to actually...happen. When it does, it's good, but it's too few and far between. I have no problem with the philosophical aspect and the exploration of what "ghost hunting" should be, as well as the nature of some of these spirits. However, there is such a thing as overkill, and it's present here in spades. I liked the book generally, and the last forty or so pages kick into gear and end the book nicely, but it should have been better considering the premise. Less talk, more action. 2.5 stars bumped to 3 for the quality of writing and style. Thanks to Netgalley for the free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Scary, fascinating, shocking -- a wild journey into a reality TV episode that turns into a case study of obsession. Dark and full of twists, an altogether terrific read.

The members of a reality TV show called Fade to Black goes to a "haunted" house to file their "Episode Thirteen".

If you are looking for a scary haunted house story, you've come to the right place! The story is told from five different point of views and using different formats. I really enjoyed how the author uses different ways to convey the story to the reader. If you don't like a story being told you using emails, journal entries, and scripts, you may not like reading this book.

You will need to read the book to find out what happens because any type of hint will spoil the book.

Thank you Netgalley for this Advance Reader Copy.

Actual rating 3.5 stars
I think this was written so well, but the actual plot just lost me about halfway and never recovered itself. I loved the characters, especially Jessica/Rashida, and the style of journals, film records and research notes was a great way to tell the story. The problem was that for a haunted house story, there was absolutely nothing scary about it. While I appreciate the research that went into this, I think DiLouie forgot to also make the story more entertaining.
I would definitely read another book by him, but I don’t think horror is his genre.

I am a big fan of paranormal TV shows. I can kill an entire day watching Ghost Adventures. Ghost Hunters, or Ghost Brothers. So when I read the premise of Episode Thirteen, it was a no-brainer for me.
A paranormal TV show goes to explore a supposedly haunted mansion where a team of scientists and investigators disappeared in the 70s.
The writing was spot on, capturing the real feel of these reality ghost shows and I did turn every page with the hope the spooks would come out to play.
My only issue, and the reason for 4 stars, is the last third of the book. Here the story seemed to get off track. I wasn't sure they were chasing ghosts anymore. I found the final phase slightly confusing and very different from what had proceeded it. I am still not sure about the ending or know if the mansion was haunted, if they were haunted, or if aliens had landed.
But that takes nothing away from this book. I still recommend it as a fun and quick read.
Thanks to @netgalley for allowing me to read this eArc in exchange for my honest and unbiased opinion.
Episode Thirteen will be released on January 24, 2023

Absolutely perfect, I love the way it's written like an actual documentary happened. Pacing was brilliant doesn't go all out too quickly and knows how to keep you interested and continue reading. When I started this I thought it was going to be the book version of Grave Encounters and nothing else, I was very surprised.

I loved this! A paranormal husband-and-wife duo are filming their thirteenth episode (they said the name of the book in the book!) at the Paranormal Research Foundation. Prior to this present day investigation, an entire team (:o) disappeared there in the 70s. They go there to try and figure out what in the world happened and get some good evidence of spirits, but everything absolutely hits the fan. I had such a fun time reading this I loved the setting and the characters, and this was a really fast read! I highly, highly recommend this one! :)

4 of 5 stars
My Five Word TL:DR Review: Winning format, creepy house, atmosphere

Episode Thirteen is perhaps not quite what I expected in some ways and I think that’s a good thing in this instance. I think I had in mind a regular traditional style ghost story with things going bump in the night. Instead this as a refreshingly unique feel, a style that I am an absolute pushover for in more ways than one and a group of characters that are expertly developed, plus things going bump in the night.

I’m not going to go into the plot (which is one of my constant refrains at the moment or at least it seems to be) but let readers discover things for themselves. What I can tell you is this is a story put together using found footage (whoops, that doesn’t really bode well in the first instance does it). The setting is a derelict and dilapidated mansion where a team of scientists undertook some dodgy experiments before seemingly disappearing into the ether – this also doesn’t bode well does it! On top of this the characters are producing a reality tv show that has proved a great success but is flagging a little, they’re determined to make this a winning episode – guess what, it’s episode 13 (unlucky for some) – what could possibly go wrong?

So, for me, the first thing that immediately drew me in was the format of story telling. I’m a sucker for epistolary style and this includes journals, blogs, camera footage, texts, etc. I just love this approach because you get a rounded feel for the characters and the action rather than simply following one pov. And that leads me to the characters themselves. I’m so overawed at how the author manages to develop all the characters in such a convincing way using this format.

The characters. They’re an eclectic bunch. We have the married couple, Matt and Claire Kirklin. They are almost like polar opposites. Matt believes in ghosts whereas Claire is all about debunking the stories using science. Fade to Black is in fact Matt’s creation, as a child he believed he was visited by a ghost and has pursued his fascination with the supernatural ever since. The element of Claire taking part as the ‘disbeliever’ waiting to be convinced is the winning element that originally boosted the show up the ranks. The rest of the team consists of a cameraman, an actress who brings the glamour to the series and a technician responsible for setting up all the paraphernalia needed. What I really liked about the characters is that they all have their own concerns and these play heavily into the story. On top of that I would say I struggled to find a favourite here and I think that’s because there are underlying resentments and jealousies not to mention egos that don’t always paint the characters in the best light. I mean, I love this because they come across as flawed and real. They have doubts and insecurities and these really come to the fore and send some of them over the edge.

The setting. The house is a great setting. The team are all so excited to be given access and can’t wait for the creepy goings on to begin. In fact the house itself is almost like a character. It takes it’s time to show it’s hand and revealing what it’s really capable of. In fact the team are super excited when they manage to capture ground breaking footage on camera. All I will say about this is what they’ve witnessed to this point is the tip of the iceberg, the main bulk of the monster remains hidden and the team teeter on the brink of a huge rabbit warren. I won’t say more.

To bring this to a conclusion, whilst I wouldn’t say I found this scary in particular I did find it easy to read and totally compelling. There’s plenty of atmosphere and the conclusion is not only downright creepy but I would say ripe for adaptation. The writing and pacing are perfect and I galloped to the end like a maniac. If you enjoy psychological hauntings this could be just the thing for you.

I received a copy through Netgalley, courtesy of the publisher, for which my thanks, the above is my own opinion.

A husband and wife team of paranormal researchers/ghost hunters are filming their thirteenth episode at the Paranormal Research Foundation. Active in the 70’s it’s infamous due to the entire research team disappearing. With their show hitting a wall, they try to solve the mystery of the missing researchers and prove that spirits are real… but they’ve gotten more than they bargained for.
What a good book. It can’t be stated better than that. Easily the best one I’ve read so far. I devoured it. Everything in it is just phenomenal. The characters are dimensional and engaging, the story is well paced and gripping, and the format is unique and fun. I really have no notes. Go read it.

There were parts that were intriguing but I felt that this book was overly long and could have used tighter editing. I also didn't like how so much detailed exposition was awkwardly dumped by the characters.

Its definitely a "oh God what have I gotten myself into", it's a story which is disturbing and weird and unsettling, but also incredibly well-written and completely captivating. Wonderful read.

I enjoyed this book more than I expected. I really like the whole "found footage"/ documentary style. The characters were different and interesting with different personalities that worked to make the story seem more authentic. I also thought the little splashes of cosmic horror elements added to the vibe and eeriness of the story. The author's writing style flows well and I thought the journal entries for each separate character was a nice touch. I'd definitely recommend this book for readers that love movies like Blair Witch.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Craig DiLouie for providing me with a complimentary digital ARC for Episode Thirteen coming out January 24, 2023. The honest opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Ghost hunting reality shows are all the rage. And Fade to Black is the newest TV sensation. Matt and Claire Kirklin are a husband and wife ghost hunting couple with a small group of dedicated experts. Each week they explore and investigate America’s hauntings. 

Episode Thirteen takes them to every ghost hunter's holy grail: the Paranormal Research Foundation. This dark, derelict mansion is full of secrets and clues about strange experiments that took place there in the 1970s. It's also infamously haunted. The ghost hunting team hopes their scientific techniques and state of the art gear will prove it. But the longer they stay, the more the house reveals itself to them. Proof of an afterlife might not be everything Matt thought it would would be. Episode Thirteen is pieced together and told through tape recordings, journal entries and correspondence through letters and texts. This is the story of how everything went completely and utterly wrong.

I’ve listened to a couple books by Craig DiLouie and he’s becoming one of my favorite writers. I love spooky books. I loved everything about this book! I loved the format of the story told as a TV episode, journals, found footage, etc. I thought the husband and wife ghost hunting team was unique. The other characters added to the story. I would love to see this as a movie or TV show.

I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys spooky ghost hunters stories!

Rating: 2.5/5⭐️

"An invitation to explore it yourself while experiencing everything its trail blazers felt and witnessed. And then make up your own mind whether to believe. Welcome to Foundation House."

Ever since I was young, I have been a huge Ghost Adventures and Scariest Places on Earth fan, so I was absolutely stoked for this book. Sadly, it did not work out for me.

The first half of the book was really exciting, interesting and I raced through it. Once I got to the middle part of the book it started to fall very flat for me and the ending took a very weird turn (and not a good weird.)

I do not recommend this one but you may find it interesting if you're into watching Ghost Adventures or any similar shows.