When a mutilated victim is found in a historic brownstone on West 10th Street, detectives will uncover a similar satanic killing that took place in the same spot in the 1950s. Can the murderer possibly have struck again, decades later? Or is something more sinister at work in this house?

This story was well-written, but I didn't find myself overly invested in the characters or the resolution of the mystery. I found the dual-POV timeline to be a nice touch, but the characters were pretty flat and the burgeoning love interest between two of the characters I just do not care about at all. The "reveal" was average, and the suspense was minimal, so this one just gets a 3 out of 5 from me. Nothing wrong with it, but nothing to make it stand out either.

Thank you to Helen Phifer, Storm Publishing, and NetGalley for my advance audio copy.

Thank you to NetGalley, Dreamscape Media & Helen Phifer for an audio arc of The Haunting on West 10th Street.

This was a blind request because the cover and the title both appealed to me.

Synopsis (quoted):

"Roses and vines run delicately across her skin, snaking from her chest to the top of her thigh. On any other day the tattoo would look beautiful. But this was her last…

When Detective Maria Miller walks up creaking stairs into the attic of the old brownstone she senses this isn’t an ordinary crime scene. The brutality of the murder is enough to shock even an experienced detective like Maria. But there’s something else. An unsettling presence seems to lurk in the shadows sending a chill through Maria’s bones, making her desperate to run back down the stairs and never return…

The killing is identical to the murder of an actress sixty years before, a crime that tore a family apart and sent shockwaves through New York City. In both cases, a satanic ritual was performed. Body parts were taken from the victims and never found.

Has the killer returned all these years later? Is there a copycat? Maria won’t let fear stop her from finding answers. Even when her relentless pursuit of the truth brings evil to her own door…"

This was an extremely quick listen for me and was interesting enough to hold my attention, but it wasn't memorable. For example, I finished it yesterday & now, today, I am failing to recall much about it other than the dismemberment of the bodies and the method of preserving the head. It was definitely an oddball.

I won't be recommending it mostly because there was nothing special, different or memorable about.

3/5 Stars

Thank you NetGalley for this audio ARC. There was way too many things going on in this book. Too many POVs characters and genres in one.

Horror, ghosts, and hauntings are a newer genre that I am being drawn to--and The Haunting on West 10th Street is a great example of what I am liking in these types of books. Strong characters, compelling storylines, with a just the right amount of scary to make me enjoy the story and still be able to sleep at night.

This was my first Helen Phifer novel, and I am excited to spend more time in her stories and especially in future installments of The Detective Maria Miller series!

Narration was also done really well on this one, the tone was great and I found myself completely lost in the story--so much so that I had to turn it off while driving on a dark and stormy night!

The cover of this book is amazing! Really catches the reader's eye. So this book was good but a lot was too graphic and satanic for me. I'm glad I listened to is as I'm not sure I would have finished had I read it. The ending makes it sound as though there will be more in the series. I will probably check it out, but I have an uneasy feeling about parts of this book.

The Haunting on West 10th Street by Helen Phifer
(Narrated by Stephanie Canon)

Spooky, supernatural crime fiction which will be a right fit for the readers who love Sci-fi and thriller.

Detective Maria Miller arrived to the crime scene when made her shocked. The body parts were missed which the killing was identical to 60 years ago. It’s about satanic ritual…

Was that the same killer or just copycat?

Dual timeline was perfectly presented by the narrator. It’s clear and not confusing. I took time to get into the supernatural thriller, but once I got into the story, it’s intriguing and it’s one of the books to read around Halloween time!

I really enjoyed this supernatural thriller set in NYC. Set in two timelines it tells the story of a young man sucked into devil worship and the compulsion to kill three women to summon a demon.

Years later Detective Maria Miller and her partner Frankie are brought in to go over a cold case when the chopped up body of a female needs to be identified. Merging the two timelines together it sometimes got a little confusing who was where but the narration was excellent and made it easier to follow.

I would definitely read more from Helen Phifer.

This book was a lot more of everything than I thought it would be. Not just a haunting, but something much, much scarier. There was a tiny bit of a love story amid the demon-conjuring, gory murders, and dual timelines of lurking darkness. This should be an interesting series, kind of the X-Files for NYC cops.

Detective Maria Miller is used to crime scenes, but the one that she’s walked into today is enough to make her ill. It’s also strangely reminiscent of another murder that occurred 60 years earlier, with both scenes showing signs of Satan worship. Even the most experienced police officers were sickened, both then and now by the removal of body parts from the victims. There’s no way the same killer could be walking around all these years later, so is this a copycat or something from beyond this realm? An entertaining if unimaginative story that I enjoyed more as an audiobook than I did as a print book

I think this thriller will appeal to fans of more paranormal/sci fi vibes with a dash of svu, Olivia Benson and Elliott stabler dynamics. For me, this wasn't my perfect book and I found myself checking out at times. I think the pacing was done well and the plot line was interesting. I just personally didn't connect with the characters or the more "paranormal" aspects. Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for providing me with the audio arc.

I have not read a book by Helen Phifer, and I was thoroughly entertained, spooked, and delighted with this captivating and creepy read. It is less than 300 pages, but Phifer manages to deliver the chills, the thrills, and the bumps in the night in a gripping fashion.

Detective Maria Miller arrives at a crime scene and as she walks up the stairs of the brownstone, she feels like there is more to the gruesome crime scene than meets the eye. She feels a presence that sends shivers down her spine. Along with her partner, Frankie Conroy, she begins to investigate and finds that this murder is identical to one that took place sixty years before.

If you are looking for a read during the fall/Halloween season, look no further! I listened to the audiobook version and enjoyed the narration. I also enjoyed the mounting sense of danger, tension and dread that flowed throughout the book. Plus, the creepy brownstone is the perfect setting for his atmospheric book. Another plus is that this is the first book in an impressive new series. I am already looking forward to the next book in the series!

Creepy, atmospheric, tense and well thought out.

Based on the synopsis for this book I thought it would be right up my alley, but unfortunately it was just ok for me. I thought the book had good writing and good ideas but they just didn't hit for me. The romance was definitely not needed (in my opinion) and I don't think it added much to the story. This definitely gives off spooky/haunted house vibes so if you are picking this book up for those reasons I think you will enjoy it.

Thank you NetGalley, Dreamscape Select, Storm Publishing and Helen Phifer for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I did not finish this one. It was not what I expected. I expected the mystery to supernatural ratio to be less on the supernatural- based only on my thoughts as I read the blurb. That is on me.
I wanted to finish, as I made a commitment. But at the same time, I didn't want to further waste my time when my review likely would not have been all the great anyway. I am not the target audience. Not all books are made for everyone.

I did not post a public review, as I did not finish this.

I do thank you for the opportunity.

The Haunting on West 10th Street combines several genres: crime, supernatural, and romance. There were many things that are positive about this book. I liked the pace and the dual timelines. Unfortunately, the romance aspects did not work for me. I wish that the focus would have been more on the supernatural crimes, without forcing romantic relationships into the story. If you like crime novels that focus more on the romantic relationships of the detectives, then you will probably really enjoy this book. However, if you prefer your crime novels to be light on the romance, then I would skip this one.

Thank you @stormbooks_co and @netgalley for allowing me to listen to this audiobook ahead of publication in exchange for my honest review.

'The Haunting on West 10th Street' is a supernatural mystery. It's a split narrative, between when the haunting began a long time ago and the modern day.

From the blurb and the emphasis on Maria Miller being a detective (also its labeling as a crime thriller) I thought this would be more of a realistic story. I didn't realize how heavy supernatural/occult/demon stuff is in this book and that's just not my taste. Some of the descriptions felt a little over-the-top body horror, too. For those reasons, this book wasn't for me.

It still gets 3 stars because it isn't a badly written book and the pacing is great, but I was just expecting a very different story (where there would be creepy stuff happening, but some real-world explanation at the end of the day). I think fans of the supernatural will enjoy this, even if I didn't.

Thanks, NetGalley and Storm Publishing, for the free ARC in exchange for an honest review.