House of Small Shadows

 

By Adam Nevill
Horror

My Review

⭐A 2022 Top Rated Read⭐

Catherine Howard is asked to value the contents of The Red House and can hardly believe her luck. Once home to eminent taxidermist and puppeteer, the late M. H. Mason, the sprawling property is filled with his creepy creations. When Catherine begins to experience disturbing noises in the night and glimpses of shadowy figures on the stairs, she soon realises her worst nightmare is just beginning. . .

I loved this incredibly bizarre, dark and unsettling novel. Having previously read The Ritual by the same author, my expectations were set high. The descriptions of horrific taxidermy, dolls and marionette puppetry left me chilled to the bone. I was so invested in the weird goings-on that I couldn't stop reading. In fact the more I read, the more terrified and anxious I became. It really was an excellent, extremely disturbing horror story.                

Book Source: Purchased copy

My Rating ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Paperback: 384 pages

Publisher: Pan (10th Oct 2013)

ISBN-13: 978-0330544245

The Blurb

The Red House: home to the damaged genius of the late M. H. Mason, master taxidermist and puppeteer, where he lived and created some of his most disturbing works. The building and its treasure trove of antiques is long forgotten, but the time has come for his creations to rise from the darkness.

Catherine Howard can't believe her luck when she's invited to value the contents of the house. When she first sees the elaborate displays of posed, costumed and preserved animals and macabre puppets, she's both thrilled and terrified. It's an opportunity to die for.

But the Red House has secrets, secrets as dreadful and dark as those from Catherine's own past. At night the building comes alive with noises and movements: footsteps, and the fleeting glimpses of small shadows on the stairs. And soon the barriers between reality, sanity and nightmare begin to collapse . . .