Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for gifting me an early copy of The House of Last Resort. Below you'll find my honest review.

I'm actually really disappointed at this one. The first 90% of the book was amazing: slow burn, perfect pace of reveals, lingering questions, horror elements building up over the course of the book. The last 10% though? I just wasn't satisfied. I can't really say much because I want to avoid spoilers, but the ending fell flat for me. All that build-up, all that emotional carnage, and the payoff just wasn't there for me.

Like I said, I did love most of the book, so I'll only take away a star for not nailing the ending (in my opinion - others might really like it). And I'm definitely interested in reading more of Christopher Golden's works.

Four stars, recommended for fans of horror.

When options op up in the town where his aging grandparents live, Tommy and Kate jumped at the chance to buy a gorgeous Italian villa for one Euro. Becchina is a beautiful change of pace from hectic Boston, and the couple are thrilled to start this European chapter of their lives. That is, until they discover that their new house has a dark past. And maybe ghosts? They find some disturbing decor in the hidden annex of the house, including a secret entrance into the ancient catacombs of the city, and things will pretty much only get worse from there.

Read this if you:
🧛 love classic horror movies
🍝 ever considered that 1 Euro Italian house deal
🐀 are freaked out by rats (not TOO freaked out though)

Full disclosure, I didn't read the synopsis of this book so I had NO idea where it was headed, and boy was it a great ride! It's a pretty dark book despite the light, happy beginning, and this is done so gradually that you hardly notice. There were a handful of times where I wanted to speed things up, but they were brief and I sort of understand why Christopher Golden made us linger in these specific places now that I'm done with the book.

I definitely recommend this read if you're into suspenseful horror, and the ending was literal perfection. My favorite moment of the book. Thank you to Christopher Golden, St. Martin's Press, and NetGalley for my advance digital copy!

To me this felt very young adult in nature and I had a really hard time getting into it. The pacing was a bit off as well and I don't think it really needed to be as long as it ended up being.

Remember those news stories, "fabulous locale seeking fresh blood, offering properties for $1"? Of course they need renovations, but the usual requirements involve taking residence and staying for a while? Tommy and Kate did that, in a 1-euro property in a tiny town in Italy. Tommy's dad left, but most of his relatives are still there, in Becchina, and the couple wonders if they can convince some of their friends to move abroad, too.

However. Their initial experiences, so full of promise, aren't panning out. There are stories about the house. There are secrets Tommy never learned about why his dad left. The realtor is a little shady, and why is there a whole section of the house they weren't told about? Perhaps the largest question, one to ponder while touring the town's extensive catacombs--why was their house called the House of Last Resort?

This is a great exploration of a Bad Real Estate "What-If?" prompt, and is a wild ride (earthquakes!) made better by the strong central relationship between the couple. They have so much riding on this new start, and even though Tommy's family is here, they're relying on each other. Golden's always a solid bet, but this is probably his best so far.

Kinda conflicted on this one! I enjoyed the beginning and was drawn in quickly but it got a little boring in the middle and then the end was a bit out there for me. Overall I did enjoy it but not as much as I hoped.

Tommy and Kate decide to leave their lives in the US behind. Tommy’s grandparents live in Becchina, Sicily and the mayor is offering an amazing deal. For one euro, and investing money in fixing up the house, it will be their home. All they also have to agree to do is live there for at least five years. They have a chance at a much different life, and they decide to take the plunge. Tommy’s grandparents are not getting any younger and he would love to spend more time with them before they die.
But from the moment his grandmother sees the house they bought, her reaction is not what they expected. Turns out this house has a long history, and the things that happened there were, shall we say not good.
Soon they learn what happened in their dream home, and it might turn into the biggest mistake of their lives. Evil lurks within these walls, and Tommy and Kate might not make it out the same as when they arrived (or maybe not at all). I had some issues rooting for both Kate and Tommy, but I was a definite fan of the oh so creepy House of Last Resort.

When Tommy and Kate take a deal to move to Tommy’s family’s ancestral hometown in Sicily, buying an abandoned home for 1 euro in exchange for investing in the home and the town, they think they’ve hit the lottery. But shortly after moving in, they both feel like things are slightly “off” in their beautiful new home. And then the townspeople begin whispering about the house behind their backs, never quite revealing what they know about a strange group of rooms the couple finds at the back of the house. As Tommy and Kate try to unravel the mystery, they turn to Tommy’s family, who may hold the key to the mystery which could affect their entire lives.

This book really hooked me from the beginning: we’ve all heard of these incredible deals to help revitalize aging towns, so couple that with a creepy house with history involving the dark side of tge Church and I’m 100% in. Sign. Me. Up. And this book delivers on its promises. It starts out slowly building the tension, almost Hitchcock-like. Because of course, these things aren’t going to just beat in the face. Then things ramp up, culminating in an episode that is very rattling and a no-way-back.

It’s all fascinating and scary and claustrophobic. It makes you feel like “what would I do if I just moved halfway around the world and this happened?!” And….yeah…..it’s also pretty terrifying. It lived up to my expectations going in for a good creepy Old World read.

And the ending. Oh-ho the ending. It was something else that just I did not see coming, but fit so well into the book and the storyline. I can’t say much more. It was so perfect. That last line was perfect. Bravo, Mr. Golden.

So yeah, if you’re looking for a nice creepy read this winter, this is a fantastic option. I highly recommend it. And I’ll be reading more from Christopher Golden in the future.

Christopher Golden is a master at exploring the human relationship placed within a tight, usually horrific, environment. His latest, The House of Last Resort (Jan 2024), is one part familial drama, one part haunted house escapade framed within a falling-into-eternal-sleep Sicilian village. Golden, as a special reward for his fans, even throws in an exorcism or two. The House of Last Resort is a perfect beach read. Until it isn’t. Then it becomes a race to the finish while ensuring every light is on in the house to chase away the shadows.

But those remaining shadows? Golden knows how to hide things in them.

Set in the winding cobblestones of an ancient Sicilian town with Mount Etna looming on the horizon like Mordor, newlyweds Kate and Tommy return to the Old World to seek a new life. The house they found is a fix-me-upper, but so is everything in Becchina. There, they quickly get accustomed to a more relaxed way of life full of espresso, gelato, and vino. And kudos to Golden for his own little Italian tourism pitch; I’m more-than-ready to return. However, the couple soon realizes that the Old World traditions of superstition and folklore are more tangible than those in America. Their house, for instance, has a haunted legacy of its own.

But that’s all the stuff of primeval legends and old housewives and elderly priests. Right?

Golden hints and teases at what secrets their house holds. A nightmare here. A dusty apparition there. During it all, he comfortably builds up the characters of Tommy and Kate. Yes, they are young, impatient, and occasionally downright rude, but they are also interesting enough to become stars of their own tale. In doing so, they are elevated into becoming much more than mere - and overly cliche - fodder for when the killings start. And that anticipated action? Rest assured, it all kicks in as the earth rumbles. And then it kicks again as hell is unleashed.

Golden’s balancing act between the common ordinary and the grotesque fantastical is not always level throughout his writings. The families of Parmenter Road in All Hallows and the archaeological teams in Ararat, for instance, quickly become grating and the action too tardy. Whereas in both Red Hands and Road of Bones, the human and the monstrous shared a memorable narrative space. Yes, the creepy action in The House of Last Resort does not get all spider-walky until the twilight of the pages. But that ending?

Che bello!

Grazie, Signore Golden. Encore!


And grazie to NetGalley and the fine team at St. Martin's Press. I remain a Christopher Golden fan and am thankful to have received this advance reader’s copy. Ciao.

How true is the phrase that when something sounds too good to be true, then it usually is? That certainly is the case with the house that Tommy and Kate were able to buy in the old town in Italy for just one euro! It makes for a great story though. Because that wonderful looking house certainly has a dark history. Personally I would have left when the locked door opened in the night and definitely when I found out its dark past! So many secrets known to the townsfolks (and even Tommy's family) that should have been shared to these newcomers. That might have made a difference to Kate and Tommy though not nearly as scary a story so I guess I am glad it went the way it did. It had lots of creepy and scary bits and the end was unexpected but I thought it fit well and added to the horror.

A good book to read in this Halloween season! Thank you to NetGalley for an advance copy of this book to read and review.

I really, really wanted to like this book. The plot was promising, but it was such a slow burn that by the time the story escalated, my enthusiasm was long gone. I also did not particularly like either protagonist, which was disappointing. I found them both pretty irritating. The conclusion, however, was utterly wild. So, if you relish slow-building narratives, this book might be right up your alley. Unfortunately, I found it too slow and none of the horror elements managed to scare me.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an ARC of this novel received in exchange for an honest review.

When I finished this one, my first thought was WTH did I just read!?!

This book goes a little bonkers in the end, but what a scary wild ride it was to get there.

A couple relocates to a small town in Italy and quickly discovers something isn't right about their house. The way the author uses rats totally creeped me out and made my skin.

Although the ending wasn't my favorite, this was still a great horror read.

** spoiler alert ** I really enjoyed this! I got a nice atmospheric feel of Sicily from the descriptions of the town and being Italian myself, I loved the creepy old Italian church sh*t plot. I liked the main characters and their dynamic (they’re a couple), and i was a little surprised by the ending and happy there was no like, demonic pregnancy/offspring thing. (I read another Christoper Golden where that did happen, so I was glad it wasn’t used again in this one!) I wish it had gotten into the background of the real estate agent more (people protecting the demons but not demons?), and it got moving a little slowly in the beginning for me, but those are my only real criticisms, such as they are. I’ve enjoyed everything I’ve read by Christopher Golden so far! Thank you to St Martin’s Press for the galley.

Kate and Tommy decide to move to a rundown town in Sicily, named Becchina. Becchina is home to Tommy's last remaining family members, his father's parents. It is a rundown town, offering houses at a small price with the caveat that the buyer would live there for five years and help turn the town into the thriving town it once was. It was a deal of a lifetime. Tommy would be able to get to know his grandparents and they both could live a less stressful life.What they did not know was that they had purchased the House of Last Resort, a house with an ominous background.
The House of Last Resort has a very interesting plotline. However, it builds incredibly slowly. Once it reaches the crest of excitement, it ends without any satisfaction. At times, I was bored and I'd stop reading for awhile. When I picked it back up, it was still not exciting enough for me to get invested. I could see the potential of a great horror story but it fell flat on the delivery. If you like horror similar to the movies, The Invitation, The Lighthouse, Hereditary, or It Comes At Night, then this is the book for you. It just wasn't the book for me.
Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the advanced copy of the book. The opinions are my own.

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: Jan. 30, 2024
“All Hallows” by author Christopher Golden was a five-star, heart-pounding, goosebump-inducing read for me so I immediately jumped at the chance to read his newest novel, “The House of Last Resort”.
The mayor of Becchina, a small, half-abandoned town in Italy, has offered an incentive to those outside of Italy who are willing to come to the town and try and jumpstart the tourist industry. Most homes for sale are selling for only a single Euro, as long as the owners agree to renovate and to stay put. Newlyweds Katie and Tommy see an offer they can’t refuse and find themselves purchasing a large estate in the town, close to Tommy’s aging grandparents who he hasn’t seen in years, since his father refused to ever return to the country after a fight with Tommy’s grandfather. Tommy is hoping to rekindle his relationship with his grandparents, find out what caused the rift in the first place and start a life with his new bride. But all is not what it seems as the house Tommy and Katie bought has been labeled “The House of Last Resort” by locals, and its spooky history has the couple regretting their decision but when Tommy is personally drawn into the dark past, neither he nor his wife will be able to leave.
Golden’s “Resort” has all the makings of a spooky read- a haunted house in a nearly-abandoned town with a past of demons and exorcisms gone terribly wrong. The premise intrigued me right off the bat, and the house’s history with failed exorcisms was supremely clever and unique.
Both Tommy and Katie tell the story, although it is obvious that Tommy is the protagonist, with his family connections to the town and its dark history. Although there is nothing specific I can pinpoint that brought me to this conclusion, I wasn’t a huge fan of the couple. They were young millennial newlyweds, which isn’t offensive on its own, but I did not connect with them in any way. Golden’s plot and spooky setting had me turning the pages, but I didn’t really care about the character’s outcomes.
I loved the house and the history that came with it! Demons, ghosts, possessions? Don’t mind if I do. This novel had a moderately satisfying ending, but it wasn’t one hundred percent conclusive, so Golden did leave some room for readers to imagine the outcome. That being said, if Golden returns to this plot, I want to see more of a prequel, with the history and the past residents of the house being explored. “The House of Last Resort” is a super spooky read for the fall and I hope it hits the same with readers when it’s released in January!

"House of Last Resort" is a gripping and atmospheric novel that masterfully blends the allure of a picturesque Italian town with an ever-escalating sense of dread. The portrayal of Becchina is nothing short of enchanting, capturing the essence of a half-abandoned, beautifully crumbling hilltop town that beckons readers with its haunting charm.

The novel's strength lies in its ability to immerse readers in the unfolding mystery while gradually building a sense of foreboding. The slow melt into atmospheric dread is executed with precision, leaving readers both intrigued and unnerved as they follow the American couple, Tommy and Kate Puglisi, on their adventure to this seemingly idyllic destination.

Tommy and Kate are compelling protagonists, and their evolving relationship adds depth to the story. As they navigate the eerie occurrences within their new home, their emotions and bond are palpable, making them relatable and endearing to readers.

The climax and resolution of the story are particularly satisfying. The revelation of the house's dark history, intertwined with the secrets of the Church, adds a layer of depth and complexity to the narrative. The final revelation and the lurking presence in the catacombs beneath Becchina culminate in a chilling and unforgettable ending that lingers in the reader's mind long after the last page is turned.

"House of Last Resort" is a haunting and captivating tale that seamlessly weaves together elements of mystery, family ties, and supernatural horror. It's a must-read for anyone who enjoys atmospheric storytelling and a slow descent into an unsettling world of secrets and shadows.

Thank you, NetGalley! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ I thoroughly enjoyed "House of Last Resort" and would highly recommend it to fellow readers.

I requested this one because it might be an upcoming title I would like to review on my Youtube Channel. However, after reading the first several chapters I have determined that this book does not suit my tastes. So I decided to DNF this one.

The House of Last Resort is a well written, slow burn thriller with paranormal aspects/vibes, set in a half empty town in Italy. First off, the location and nearly abandoned towns were brilliant and upped the eeriness. I also loved the vivid descriptions of the town and how quiet it is.

It took me a while to write this review because I’m still a bit iffy on the book as a whole. I wasn’t a fan of either main character, I felt rather annoyed with both of them throughout the story. I also found it a bit too slow paced for my liking. Overall, it was an interesting story with several twists which kept my interest.



Thank you St. Martin’s Press and Netgalley for this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you toNetgalley, St. Martin’s Press, and ghe author for gge ARC of this book.

This author was new to me. I must say that this was a creepy delight to read!

I've been to Italy on a recent trip and was easily able to visualize the story in my mind, in that setting.
Thr author did a great job building the haunting, eerie storyline.

An absolute thrill of a read!

If you only pick this up for the atmosphere that would be enough.

Thank you to netgalley for the digital ARC.

The House of Last Resort by Christopher Golden is a captivating and chilling novel that immerses readers in an atmosphere of foreboding. From the very first page, the book exudes an unsettling sense of dread that keeps readers hooked until the very end. Personally, I found it impossible to put down.

This gripping tale takes place within the confines of a mysterious house, where the characters are confronted with their deepest fears and darkest secrets. Golden's masterful storytelling skillfully weaves together a narrative that is both haunting and suspenseful, leaving readers on the edge of their seats.

The House of Last Resort is a testament to Golden's ability to create an atmosphere that is both eerie and captivating. Each page is filled with a palpable sense of menace, making it an enthralling read for fans of the horror genre. The author's attention to detail and vivid descriptions bring the setting to life, allowing readers to feel as though they are right there, experiencing the chilling events alongside the characters.

In addition to its gripping plot, the novel also delves into the complex psychology of its characters. As they navigate the treacherous corridors of the house, their fears and vulnerabilities are laid bare, adding depth and complexity to the story. Golden's exploration of the human psyche adds an extra layer of intrigue to the narrative, making it a thought-provoking read.

Overall, The House of Last Resort is a must-read for anyone seeking a thrilling and atmospheric novel. Christopher Golden's ability to create a sense of unease and his skillful storytelling make this book a standout in the genre. Prepare to be captivated from beginning to end as you delve into the dark and mysterious world within the pages of this exceptional novel.