How to Sell a Haunted House

Grady Hendrix has the enviable knack of writing some really nasty unsettling horror that also has strong and believable emotional underpinnings, and this one is perhaps the most fully realised version of that he's produced so far. The sister and brother at the core of the story have, like all the best families, a complicated relationship, and Hendrix nails it, expertly swinging your sympathy between one or the other. It's moving and very satisfying. However, for all the excellent character work, it's also important to point out that this is one creepy book. The antagonist is horribly malevolent, and plenty of bad and nasty stuff goes down, including one graphic scene that left me wincing. Hendrix does a great job of balancing outright horror and suggestion. I have to say it took me a little while to get into, but when it clicks, around the 15% mark, it really clicks. Very possibly Hendrix' best book yet.