Member Reviews
I loved the unpredictable plot developments in this book, you will be changing your mind many times about the possible villains and the surprises keep coming nd the plot twists are definitely not easy to guess. Helen Power succeeded in creating a ghost story, with scary moments too, which revolves around feelings and the human nature, with its weakness and strength.
The only downside (hence 4 stars out of 5) is that some parts are a bit slow and there are many characters the narrator follows (read: the ghost haunts), so it's easy to get somewhat confused about certain details.
The narrator is great, she has a lovely voice and she uses it spectacularly, I think her interpretation even adds value to the story I just found the recording a tad slow so I speeded it up to 1.25x.
a brilliantly original ghost story, where a ghost tries to solve her own murder from the afterlife, while also bearing witness to quite a few other strange happenings involving the fellow residents of the apartment building she died in. though a bit far-fetched at times, the plot is full of twists and surprises and makes for a very entertaining read.
After a call that sends Rachel running from her past, she finds herself the victim of a brutal murder in the elevator of her upmarket apartment building. The story doesn't end there though. She wakes, tethered to the place of her death. Rachel spends her time watching her neighbors, unravelling the secrets of their lives and avoiding other entities that stalk the building too. She knows one thing, nothing is ever as it seems - a lot happens behind closed doors.
I loved The Ghosts of Thorwald Place, it was unique for me to read from the point of view of the actual murder victim. The added past journal entries gave a great backstory and helped explain why our MC was the way she way before she passed. The mass of characters were very easy to follow, each adding their own element to the ever building story. The narrator was wonderful vocalising everyone in a way that I was able to tell people apart and gave everything their own personalities. I read as a mixture of audio and physical copy, and highly recommend the audiobook version purely for the added spook the narrator Rachel Fulginiti has contributed. The only real let down for me was the pacing did slow down in some parts, often almost to a halt, but it wasn't enough to make the read unenjoyable at any time.
This one is for anyone who loves a good suspenseful thriller with touches of light paranormal horror.
This book catches your attention from chapter one. I really enjoyed the fact that it felt like a new spin on ghost stories. Told from the perspective of a ghost, the story is able to go into further detail as ghosts aren’t stopped by walls or closed doors. It was creepy with a solid story line. Throughly enjoyed it!
Thank you to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for a free digital copy in exchange for my honest rating and review.
I really really liked the concept of this book. Dying in an elevator and being tied to it as a ghost can create an exciting yet frustrating afterlife. It was fun to uncover all the secrets of the residents within the building. I especially enjoyed the ouija board conversations.
I really enjoyed this book and the voice actor did a great job..
The premise of the story is that Kay was murdered in the lift of her apartment and is destined to haunt the building.. The book is told through her POV as she spies on all the other inhabitants of the building at the same time as her friend, a police officer, investigates her murder. .
And what a building!
Every flat has a secret, and every inhabitant has an active past and there are lots and twists and turns - not to mention the other ghosts.
Fast paced and great character building, with the right amount of tension!
I'm not sure if it's just me because this book has an average rating of 4 on Goodreads but it's very long-winded. I persevered through the book but the author just seemed to go rambling on and on about things that are ireelevant. This book has more than 40 chapters when it could have been only 20.
Rachel, the main character, roams her apartment building after being killed but instead of investigating her own death, she goes on to spy on her neighbors and makes all sorts of observations. Too many characters that the book lost focus and again too long.
My husband selected this audiobook before me and when travelling in the car I heard the first two chapters and was drawn into the tale which was unfolding. So, hooked was I that I had to request it and listen to it too.
The characters were real and believable and although the story dotted backwards and forwards between the sub plots - this was all linked by the elevator: the place where the central character was murdered.
With everything going on in this residence, I think if I was a resident, I would be tempted to move out, but the reader/listener who perseveres to the end is rewarded with unexpected turns and twists.
I loved this and would totally and whole heartedly recommend it to anyone not spooked by a good ghost story and even if you are - there is a tale of humanity and the lengths a person might go to achieve their own ends and achieve their own, however, warped sense of justice so read it for the human story of morality.
Thank you to Helen Power for bringing this story to life and to Net Galley and CamCat Publishing for allowing me to listen to this story.
I received this as an audio galley to listen to for free in exchange for my honest review. Thank you to NetGalley and CamCat Books for giving me access.
The Ghosts of Thorwald Place was quite a refreshing read. We look through the victim’s eyes, only to find all the secrets and solving more than one crime at hand. Rachel Fulginiti does an amazing job of world building and keeping you on your toes as to who killed her. I didn’t want to stop listening to the audio because I was hooked.
This is a great book for those who love a good whodunnit or ones that just want to dip their toe into the supernatural without going too far into the abyss.
The Ghosts of Thorwold Place was so different from the books I've read recently and I loved it for that.
Thorwold Place is an exclusive apartment block where Rachel has escaped to, feeling safe in the security conscious building. But then one day, she is brutally murdered in the elevator by a hooded stranger. The majority of the book follows Rachel's ghost, who is confined to an area around her death spot, as she watches the other residents of the building and soon learns that one of them is likely to be her murderer.
This story was refreshingly unique and I thoroughly enjoyed the premise of solving a murder from the point of view of a ghost. I loved the idea of getting to spy on Rachel's neighbours and learning all of their secrets.
My thanks to NetGalley and the Publishers for sending me this ARC in return for an honest review.
I have to tell you, I am REALLY starting to enjoy audiobooks.
Reading is not just my hobby, reading is part of my life. I read in the morning before I start my day, I read in the evening to unwind before bed. I even read on my small, inconsistent breaks in between patients. Reading, has become one of my biggest stress relievers.
How do you pack in more reading time throughout the day without adding a 25th hour? Simple. You LISTEN to your books. Now, I can read in the car to and from work. I can read while cooking, cleaning, or even shopping! This is marvelous!
Picking an audiobook is the hard part. It needs to have the perfect narrator in order to deliver the plot the way the author intended. A narrator can make or break an audiobook and trust me when I tell you I ran into so many duds in the beginning that I almost quit trying.
The Ghosts of Thowald Place, is NOT a dud.
The narration was done with perfection. There were numerous times where my hands hit the pause button so fast just to allow myself a minute to catch my breath! This audio is intense!!!!
Helen Power is a natural born storyteller .
Ready for the best part? The Ghosts of Thorwald Place is a debut!! Not only is the first publication by Helen Power but it was also awarded The Mystery Scene Magazine 2021 Editors Pick!
Well, I dont know about you but that sounds like a pretty big accomplishment, especially on a debut!
Kudos to Helen Power. I can not wait to sese what she will come up with next, all I know is, I am a fan
I chose this book for my first review because the premise sounded so interesting! The idea of stories coming in and out of your range, so you just get little clips really caught my attention. Add to that a murder mystery and I was very excited. And let me tell you, this book did not let me down! Or off of the edge of my seat for very long. Because she is traveling vertically through a ten story building, there are several stories she follows for a few minutes at a time. Each and every one of these stories is full of twists and hooks that grab your attention and refuse to let it go, but you are constantly left wondering as Rachel's elevator whisks her away. Helen Power kept me hanging on her every word until the very last.
Would I recommend this book to everyone? No. If you don't care for suspense, this is not a book for you. And if you don't like a lot of twists, maybe skip this one. It also does require a bit of suspension of disbelief that all of this drama is happening within such a small space.
But I enjoyed it thoroughly and will definitely be watching Helen for her next book!
Wow this was a really fun listen. I loved the narrator Rachel Fulginiti. She kept me entertained and wanting more. This was such an interesting story with twists and turns that you don't see coming. If you want a fun spooky and twisty book then this is a must. I know it said 10 hours for listening but let me tell you it didn't feel like that long. I highly recommend this audiobook.
Thanks NetGalley and CamCat books for allowing me to listen to this ARC.
I did enjoy this book but felt like it was very similar to the film "Ghost" but I did like Rachel the main character and her views on the other residents of Thorwald Place that she didn't know anything about until she was a ghost who could visit her neighbours by walking through the walls of their apartments
There are a number of things going off at Thorwald Place which keep you interested in the plot but also makes you think you are lucky you don't live there
Worth a listen
Feel bad but had to DNF this. I didn’t like the voice narration, it sounded like Siri! The book was also written in first person which isn’t my personal cup of team. I might try to read the book itself and enjoy the actual story. This was my first foray into audiobook and I don’t think I love it sadly.
I really enjoyed this thriller/mystery--4 or 4 1/2 stars. The story unfolds in an episodic manner, via a series of diary entries interspersed through the main narrative, which is told from the perspective of Rachel, the main character. Rachel, who dies at the very start of the book, is a ghost who is anchored to her "death spot". The mechanism underlying this anchoring provides an interesting and effective tool for propelling the story forward. The author does a great job of weaving the stories of multiple tenants of the apartment complex together and keeping the reader engaged. The book includes some truly creepy imagery, and some twisted characters. Fans of American Horror Story will like this book.
This was a super intriguing and inventive novel. Rachel lives in isolation at Thorwald Place, a luxury apartment building in Canada. She has fled there to live in seclusion following the brutal murder of her husband. When her past catches up with her, Rachel is murdered too, in the elevator. What follows is a ghost story: Rachel is stuck in the elevator and its proximity - she has the ability to venture into apartments close to the elevator and thus begins to explore the lives of the people who lived around her. And man, what lives do they lead and what secrets they have!
Like nothing I’ve read before, I was really immersed in this one. The narrator did an amazing job of bringing Rachel to life and I could not stop listening to this one. Would highly recommend!
The Ghosts of Thorwald Place, is an interesting take on a ghost story as it follows the story of Rachel who has been murdered in the building and now finds she is trapped in limbo and can only travel up and down the elevator and visit a few of the apartments before being pulled back to the scene of her death, as the story unfolds Rachels story comes to light and who would think one building was hiding so many mysteries.
The story is a slow burner and predictable in parts and is sewn up pretty neatly but it was still enjoyable and Rachel Fulginiti narrated the book really well
This novel takes you on quite a ride (metaphorically, up and down an elevator!). The unique premise of having a woman solve her own murder with snippets of conversations gleaned from the confines of the elevator she was killed in and the adjoining apartments to which she has access, was quite clever. What I also liked was the way the author brought all the separate story threads to closure (the riveting personal dramas of all the neighbors) -- which was very satisfying. I kept thinking, "How the heck is the author going to tie this all together?" These intertwining storylines kept the suspense going and growing throughout the novel to its final twist.
I thoroughly enjoyed the concept of this book, it was a very unique perspective and not one we normally see. The characters are well written, and we see a quite diverse range of lifestyles throughout the book. The buildup of the plot was great, there were scenes that definitely pulled on the heartstrings, scenes that make you angry and scenes that are quite spooky too.
Unfortunately for me, the ending was a bit of a let down after such a fantastic buildup. I agree with others who said that it kind of just closed off, all the problems sort of got solved within a few chapters and the end felt a bit rushed and not genuine. That’s not to say it was a bad book, it just left it being a 3 star rather than 4!
I will add, please check triggers for this book as there are a few!