Thank you to St. Martin's Press for the copy of THE HOUSE OF LAST RESORT. This one is out now.

I had a really hard time with this book. It's connection to religion and the boring middle of it made reading it a chore. I don't recommend this one.

3.5 stars rounded down for this one. This was definitely not what I expected! Maybe that’s a good thing? I’m not sure.

Kate and Tommy must have some kind of high-profile remote careers, because they decide to move to Sicily on whim. Sure the houses are marketed at 1 euro a piece to encourage growth and the restoring of prosperity to a town on the brink of disappearing from the map, but still. That’s wild. Once they move into this big 15 room house, they realize something creepy is going on when they discover a locked portion containing mysterious rooms. And Tommy’s grandmother really does not approve of this house in particular. She knows what’s up.

There was just so much going on. Things started hitting the fan at about half way, and it just kept getting crazier from there. I also found that the ending wasn’t very surprising after I found out what was going down.

I haven’t read Golden before (apparently I’m just reading a bunch of new-to-me authors right now), but I enjoyed his writing style. I thought the novel was pretty fast-paced and entertaining. However, the characters were honesty quite annoying at times and not very consistent. I know a story like this isn’t supposed to necessarily be believable (based on the nature of the content), but this book was layered with one utterly unbelievable thing after another making it almost ridiculous. So, I’m not sure how I feel about this.

I’m planning on reading All Hallows around Halloween, maybe that one will redeem this author a bit for me!

A great thank you goes out to Christopher Golden, St. Martin’s Press, and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book has all the elements to be a great read: amazing setting, ambiance and character development. The only think I didn't enjoy was the storytelling. The begining is slow, but it gets better around 20-40%, and then, it drags. It was so slow i felt like nothing was going to happen. The high points of tension were minimum, just like three in the whole story.

I enjoyed the character development, but I think there's a lot of build up that doesnt pay off at the end. The story has a great basis and folklore, but these aren't enough to keep you hooked. Maybe it will work better if it gets adapted into a mini series or a movie.

This haunted house horror follows Tommy and Kate as they move into their new home in Becchina, Italy. Becchina, like many towns, is experiencing a decline in population so they started a program where you can purchase a home there for a single Euro as long as they promise to live there for 5 years. It is an easy decision as both Tommy and Kate work remotely and Becchina is the hometown of Tommy's grandparents. However, as they move in and begin to renovate the home, they start to feel an odd presence in the home. And once they find out the true history of the house they bought, Tommy and Kate must delve deeper into the darkness than they ever expected.

This was the slowest of slow burns for me and I almost put it down when I got to the middle and there still wasn't a whole lot of spooky stuff going on. However, I'm so glad I continued reading because the last 30% of the book was absolutely fantastic and the slow burn paid off. There are so many seemingly mundane details we get in the first half of the read that I was frustrated with because it just felt like a general fiction read about these people and their house. But when those details came into play in the finale, I completely understood why Golden included them early on.

I was so excited when I saw the premise for this read because I've looked into similar programs in different countries where they are selling abandoned homes for very little. What a great jumping off point for a horror read because, with abandoned homes, you really don't know what happened there before. I also loved how we get to see other couples who took advantage of the program as well and see how their lives and homes differ from Tommy and Kate's. Also, the abandoned home program details come into play throughout the read, not just as a premise to get Tommy and Kate into this house.

The horror elements were fantastic, although I do wish there was more of a consistent and gradual pressure of them throughout the first 50%. We get a few creepy moments, but then we would go for stretches with no real horror scenes. It went on long enough that I was starting to think that maybe this would be more of a general fiction with a slight horror elements. However, I was pleasantly surprised that we really go from 0 to 100 quickly at about the 70% mark. I also loved that we do get a specific sub-genre of horror (that I can't specify because I think it would be a spoiler) that I always forget I love as much as I do until I stumble across it and now I want to just read this sub-genre for the next month or so.

The ending was absolutely 12/10 chef's kiss fantastic. It was one of those endings where I went to turn the page on my eReader, expecting there to be a new chapter, but it was just the end of the book. And normally, I don't prefer those sorts of hard stop endings. I do like my reads to have a bit of a calm down after the climax of the read. However, in this case, I think the ending perfectly matches the plot and overall vibe of the read. I loved that Golden leaves it a little open ended so the reader can imagine the long-term implications of what we're left with at the end.

Overall, this was a solid read. I would have liked the horror elements to be more consistently built throughout the read but the last 30% was absolutely a 5-star read and I couldn't turn the pages fast enough.

Thanks to NetGalley and St Martin's Press for the ARC. Publication date was January 30, 2024.

I don't usually read this genre, but I loved this book so much. It was filled with supernatural/paranormal spookiness and a spot of horror. The setting adding to the tension with an old Italian village, a tight-knit superstitious community, a haunted house, and catacombs. There were a couple instances I didn't understand the actions of the main characters - the classic "why would you do that and not this" - but overall this was such a good book!

Having been disappointed by a previous work from Christopher Golden, I approached 'The House of Last Resort' with caution. However, I was pleasantly surprised; this book far exceeded my expectations. The premise, centered around an American couple, Tommy and Kate Puglisi, who move to the seemingly idyllic town of Becchina in Italy after buying a house for a single Euro, sets the stage for a gripping tale. However, their romantic adventure turns sinister as they discover unsettling secrets lurking within their new home, including hidden rooms, strange noises, and a dark history tied to the Church.

Golden skillfully crafts a chilling atmosphere, evoking palpable trepidation and fear within the characters. The setting, where cultural and linguistic barriers hinder comprehension, adds an intriguing layer to the narrative, fostering a stronger connection with the characters and amplifying the impact of their decisions. As the story unfolds, Golden expertly revisits earlier moments, unveiling shocking revelations that shed new light on the character's motivations. While the ending felt somewhat rushed and unexpected, it provided a satisfactory conclusion, albeit not entirely aligned with the buildup. Some late-stage plot developments felt unnecessary, injected seemingly for added drama rather than integral to the story's progression.

Overall, 'The House of Last Resort' delivers an engaging and eerie tale, showcasing Golden's talent for weaving suspenseful narratives amidst haunting locales. Despite its minor flaws, this novel captivates with its atmospheric storytelling and compelling characters.

3.5⭐️

Tommaso “Tommy” Puglisi and his wife Kate respond to an advertisement for One-Euro real estate in the fictional town of Becchina in Sicily. Happy to leave the stressful life in the USA behind for what they hope would be a quiet and slower-paced lifestyle among Tommy’s family on his late father’s side, they invest in an old decrepit mansion they hope to restore. Unbeknownst to them their new home has a history and was known to the locals as “La casa dell’ultima risorsa” or “the house of the last resort.” Soon after moving in Kate and Tommy begin to sense something not quite right in the house and their friends and family would rather keep their knowledge of the house’s history to themselves. But after they discover a hidden chapel behind a corridor, the frequency of eerie occurrences in their home begins to increase. As the narrative progresses we follow the young couple as they begin to uncover the secrets buried underneath their new home and it is only a matter of time before they are fighting for their lives against evil forces that have been laying dormant, closer to home that they had ever imagined.

The House of the Last Resort by Christopher Golden is an intriguing, atmospheric read. To be honest, this is not a genre that I dabble in, but the premise sparked my interest. I loved the setting – the decrepit houses and the catacombs, the old village, the descriptions of the food, community and the locale complete with its frequent tremors. The backstory of the house was certainly interesting. However, I thought the pacing of the narrative was a tad too slow and found character development lacking in depth. The author briefly touches upon the mindset of fellow “Imports” like Kate and Tommy and though we get to meet several characters who have recently made Becchina their home, we do not get to explore their motivations beyond a point. Neither Tommy nor Kate are particularly interesting characters and though Tommy’s family history plays a key role in the story, even that aspect is not discussed in detail and I had expected more after the long-drawn but suspenseful buildup. The supernatural/horror elements were quite tame given the genre but I’m not complaining. Overall, though I really liked the premise I wasn’t completely satisfied with the execution. However, other readers have enjoyed this novel more than I did.

Many thanks to St. Martin’s Press for the digital review copy via NetGalley. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Wonderfully spooky mesh of The Nun, Insidious, and Under the Tuscan Sun. A crumbling, ghost town. A desperate mayor that wants to rebuild. A family and a house with unspeakable secrets. Tommy and Kate Puglisi excitedly begin their adventure to help rebuild the town of Becchina, exploring their new home, the catacombs, making new friends, and spending time with Tommy's grandparents that live nearby. So excited that in the beginning they try desperately to ignore the signs that something insidious is happening.

what a great book and i loved reading this author. . loved the romance and how the couple came to be. Loved that they worked through their issues and found love. Loved this mystery

If you were offered an opportunity to move to a different country and buy a house for a dollar on the condition that you'd renovate & live in it for at least 5 years, would you do it? That's the question the main characters of this one have asked themselves right before the book opens, ultimately deciding to go for it. Their new house is a little run down, but bigger and more gorgeous than they expected - but from the first day in their new house, they realize the situation is a little too good to be true.

I loved that this book just jumps right into things from the start without too much build up. As the reader, we're given backstory information along the way instead of all at once from the start in a more info-dump-y fashion. I liked the pacing a lot, and like that things are immediately "off" from the very first day. I found myself a little frustrated throughout by the rest of the townsfolk not being very forthcoming about what they know, ESPECIALLY once we realize what the big twist/secret is. How could Tommy's Nonna keep this stuff from him, knowing he'd be moving back and living in that house? Instead, both she and several other people the MC's encounter are super vague, sometimes even blatantly refusing to give any pertinent information that I think really could've helped the MCs out earlier on. But then I guess, we wouldn't have much of a story right? Still, I didn't like that and it felt a little lazy, so I have to give this a 3.

I do love books with creepy stuff happening in the sunny brightness of daytime, and this had that a lot. The rats in this were very Stephen King coded, and there were some very unique parts of the creepier bits in this that stood out and felt very scary to read.


If you like possession stories, haunted houses, creepy Italian towns and houses, and family secrets, you'll like this!

This book was just okay for me. I was very intrigued by the premise, but the execution was a bit lackluster. I usually love a haunted house story and religious horror usually works for me too. However, it has a SLOW start. In fact not much really happens until the 70% mark. The characters were also boring. There's only so much that demons, catacombs, and rats can do to make up for that. I was intrigued enough to keep reading and learn what was going on and the action picks up towards the end, but unfortunately it wasn't quite enough for me.

This was more horror I think then is my cup of tea. I am more of a mystery, thriller girlie and not much of a fan when it comes to haunted houses/demonic possession elements. This was my first book by this author so I'm not sure if this is his typical style so forgive me if it is and I was just naive to it.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I really tried to read this but found it super slow and it just wasn't doing it for me. It was really hard to stay interested in the plot and I DNFed around 25%.

Thank you St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the gifted copy.

This is a paranormal creepy story set in Italy. I loved Italian settings and this particular plot would not have worked in any other country, the eerie vibes I got from just description alone were incredible.
I appreciated how the main characters thought about the reasoning behind their move and what they wanted to leave behind, I think many people can connect to their story on this level.
Obviously, this is a paranormal horror so suspend your disbelief; however, many of the things that were happening were actual real-life events, and that made it more scary. The pace lost me towards the end, the last 20% of my interest and investment in the book were completely gone (that is why I rated it 4 stars and not 5), but I loved the overall wrap-up. The ending would not work for everyone, it is left open for interpretation but makes sense with the overall story.
Bonus points for the title being explained in the book, love it when it happens.
Content warnings that are not obvious: rats! Lots of paragraphs about rats that I could not handle and had to skim through.
Overall, I will recommend this one if you are not a large fan of horror but want something paranormal. It felt similar to Simone St. James style as well.

I'm so sadly disappointed! All Hallows and Road of Bones are two of my favorite horrors from the last few years (and I highly recommend those, especially Road of Bones, which made me feel cold on a warm day because it was so good at building atmosphere).
In this novel, an obnoxious, self-absorbed couple (Tommy and Kate) move to Italy to live in a cheap house. They can't figure out why their friends in America can't give up their lives there to do the same thing. There are earthquakes and rats and other signs that things are at least weird.
In the end, we see more selfish actions and Tommy and Kate don't even seem to trust each other. Not that I cared much about them and their relationship at that point.
The most glaring example to me: a friend is badly injured and Kate leaves him to get help for her husband. She gets the friend's husband to come help but doesn't bother mentioning that the friend is injured.
It was readable and passably interesting, and I'm excited to see what Golden does next.
Thanks to NetGalley for letting me read this

“The darkness breathed down here. It had a heartbeat.”

Christopher Golden’s The House of the Last Resort is the perfect novel for horror fans: creepy, atmospheric, and most important of all, REALLY SCARY.

Tommy and Kate want to escape the rat race that is the American way of living. When they get the opportunity to buy a home in the village in Italy where Tommy’s family is originally from, they jump at the chance to start a new page of their lives together. Their move is made possible by a new tourism campaign to drive people back to the town of Becchina. But as the red flags begin (from looks of fear from those in their community to the bumps in the night), Tommy and Kate begin to unravel the truth about their home, their place in the community, and what lies beneath the facade of Becchina. I won’t give anything away past that :)

As a horror fan, this one checked all the boxes for me. This book transports you across the world and into a world of tension, unease, and chills.

Golden creates a couple in Tommy and Kate that we want to root for. Their honeymoon phase is evident by the way Golden showcases their interactions and this creates a level of connection between the reader and the characters, and makes their perspectives believable as they navigate some wild events. They bring this tale back to earth.

I appreciated Golden’s direct, precise writing. His way of storytelling really engages you as a reader and keeps the action briskly moving along, while also managing to create a tension that grips you and does not let go. He is selective with his words, never over-embellishing but always providing just enough to create that sense of unease. It’s clear that Golden knows horror and for me, it brought to mind the feeling and tension of some of my favourite horror films, so it was nostalgic in a sense and successful overall.

With horror books, I’m always inclined to compare them to movies when they give a similar feeling. Read this one if you’re a fan of movies like The Conjuring, As Above So Below, and The Nun.

I don't want to say too much about the plot of The House of Last Resort, because I found the reveals to be the most rewarding part of the reading experience. So, briefly, this novel is about a young American couple who seize once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to move to Sicily, but their new home has a dark past that begins to threaten their present.

Christopher Golden is one of my go-to horror writers, but his latest offering left me feeling somewhat ambivalent. Although the plot has a lot of promise, some pacing and characterization issues made The House of Last Resort a less compelling read than it could have been.

I loved the setting: the sun-drenched island of Sicily, where the constant threat of earthquakes is at odds with the peaceful Mediterranean lifestyle. Golden imbues the town of Becchina with rich atmosphere; I almost felt like I was strolling down its narrow cobbled streets myself, inhaling the smell of bread from a sidewalk bakery and flowers from the window boxes on every row house. (It should be noted that Italy is number one on my vacation destinations list, so it doesn't take much to get me there mentally, but Golden still does a great job of setting the scene.) He contrasts the brighter parts of Becchina with its more sinister aspects: an aging population and dying tourist trade, a malevolent home with an ominous moniker, and crumbling, closed-off catacombs underneath a Catholic church. In short, it's the perfect setting for a horror novel and I was here for it.

Unfortunately, while the horror elements are unsettling, it takes a while to get to them. Golden spends the first half of the book developing the characters and their relationships, and while I do think the relationship dynamics were interesting and thoughtful (particularly the relationship between Tommy and his grandfather), I didn't necessarily love the characters themselves; I found them to be bland and one-dimensional. The third act is stellar, with some surprising reveals and bold narrative choices, but even when bad things started happening to the characters, the effect was lessened because I didn't connect with them. I also think Golden could've gone a bit farther with certain horror aspects to make this a truly frightening read. Without being too specific, the horror trope at the center of this book is the only one in the genre that ever truly scares me -- but here it didn't frighten me at all, much to my disappointment.

The House of Last Resort had lots of potential, and while overall it was entertaining enough, I finished it feeling like there was a better book lurking somewhere inside its pages. Thanks to the publisher for the complimentary reading opportunity.

The House of Last Resort
By Christopher Golden
BOOK REVIEW📚📚📚
Do you enjoy creepy books with rats and demons and exorcisms and ghosts? Well look no further!!! This book had it all and I enjoyed every minute of it.
Now let me be clear…..I am of Sicilian descent, my father was born there so any book that takes place within that region I will be enthralled. This book covers some of the superstition’s that Sicilians take pretty seriously. In my family all the men wear the “Italian horn” to protect them from the Malocchio aka the “evil eye”. So this was a fun book for me to read!
I don’t want to give too much away. So just go read it and see!

Thank you @netgalley @stmartinspress @christopher_golden for the advanced copy.
Available Now!!

This book had such an interesting premise, but it was very long and drawn out and took a long time to get to the action. By the time things actually started happening I no longer really cared that much and found myself skimming to get the gist of the story and get to the end.

I wish I would have loved this book. I had high expectations, especially because the premise sounded so promising. However, it fell flat for me. I couldn’t get into the book and unfortunately skimmed through most of it.