Publishers Weekly
06/07/2021
Coates (The Whispering Dead) revisits the haunted house story with this slow-burning horror novel. The odyssey of first-person narrator Leigh Harker occurs entirely within the old house where, she says, “the moment I stepped into it, I felt like I was home.” But while Leigh’s commitment to the house is rock-solid, there’s not much in the way of hints as to why she feels that way—a debilitating gap in a story that spends its first third solely describing Leigh’s encounters with a terrifying presence that chases her around and out of the building. Why doesn’t Leigh, a single professional woman, just leave? What is the house’s history? Who is the presence? Coates is in no hurry to answer or even clearly pose these questions, and the excellence of the descriptions wears thin with repetition. The story finally breaks open when Leigh meets the elderly Sarah, whose memories of the house jolt the plot to life, turning both Leigh’s and the reader’s preconceptions on their head in a solid twist. An offbeat partnership develops between the two women as they work to understand the haunting, bringing long-awaited closure to the nagging, neglected questions of the opening. The only issue left outstanding is whether readers will stick with the prolonged exposition to reach the payoff. (Sept.)
From the Publisher
"The sleuthing, false leads, and tragic reveals that follow make it impossible to put down...For fans of mysteries, Miss Marple, and any spirit with unfinished business." — Library Journal
"Memories of the house jolt the plot to life, turning both Leigh's and the reader's preconceptions on their head in a solid twist." — Publishers Weekly
"The Haunting of Leigh Harker is a chilling horror story that will keep readers turning the pages well into the night. This gothic ghost story, which is also a murder mystery, is both beautifully written and sure to keep readers guessing." — Rebecca Taylor, author of The Secret Next Door
"With The Haunting of Leigh Harker, Darcy Coates scores another victory" — New York Journal of Books
"Atmospheric, powerful fall read." — HorrorBuzz
Library Journal
05/21/2021
Coates (Craven Manor) returns with a ghost story about an unlikely friendship between two strangers living in the same house. Early chapters leave little to the imagination, as every detail—each doorknob and dirty dish—is described at tedious length; the reader will soon find out that this is intentional. Every detail reveals how easily your routine can become your eternity without you even noticing. The momentum quickly picks up with a twist that many readers will see coming, but the sleuthing, false leads, and tragic reveals that follow make it impossible to put down. Leigh Harker has some skeletons in her closet, but that might not be all that's hiding within. Low-key spooky and surprisingly heartfelt, this ghost story is both a thriller and mystery, but at its heart is the story of a lifelong (and beyond) friendship and the unfortunate effects that solitude and routine can have on one's life. VERDICT For fans of mysteries, Miss Marple, and any spirit with unfinished business.—Alana Quarles, Fairfax County P.L., Alexandria, VA
