The Corruption of Alston House by John Quick

Katherine's life has been on a downhill turn, filled with tragedy and heartbreak. When she bought Alston House in the small Tennessee town of Poplar Bend, she hoped it would be the chance to turn things around, center herself again, and get serious about her art. True, it was a risk buying a house virtually sight unseen through the internet, but she knew it needed some extensive renovations, so what could go wrong?

What the real estate agent never told her was that Alston House had a history that was among the darkest secrets in the small town. As Katherine begins to put her life back together, she discovers there is more here than meets the eye. One of the home's former residents never left, even after death, and now he seems to have set his sights on her. Can she uncover the darkness at the heart of the town and overcome her personal ghosts, or will she become one more victim to the town's hidden hearts?

I've often said I love a good haunted house story, and that was all I expected from The Corruption Of Alston House. Once it gets going, it's so much more than that. The build up was a little slow, as we learn about what caused Katherine to buy this house sight unseen. At first we know only that her marriage didn't work out and she needs a fresh start, but divorce is not the horrendous loss that was the true catalyst for the events that follow. There are rumors that the house is haunted but as the title suggests, corrupted would be a better word. The house was the site of unspeakable evil and abuse perpetrated against the helpless and the innocent. That kind of evil doesn't die easily especially when others in the town continue to feed it. By around the halfway point I was both terrified and outraged, and may have had a tear in my eye at the end.

5 out of 5 stars

I received an advance copy for review.

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About the author

If you ask his wife, John Quick is compelled to tell stories because he’s full of baloney. He prefers to think he simply has an affinity for things that are strange, disturbing, and terrifying. As proof, he will explain how he suffered Consequences transcribed The Journal of Jeremy Todd, and regaled the tale of Mudcat. He lives in Middle Tennessee with his aforementioned long-suffering wife, two exceptionally patient kids, four dogs that could care less so long as he keeps scratching that perfect spot on their noses, and a cat who barely acknowledges his existence