Review – Sick House by Jeff Strand

Posted July 4, 2018 by Carole in Audiobook, Book Reviews / 24 Comments

Sick House by Jeff Strand
Narrated by Joe Hempel
Publisher: Jeff Strand
Publication Date: June 11, 2018
Date Read: June 28, 2018
Length: 6 hours 43 minutes
Source: Author/Narrator via Audiobook Boom
★★★★☆

It’s a home invasion from beyond the grave in this novel of unrelenting terror from the Bram Stoker Award-nominated author of Pressure, Dweller, and Wolf Hunt.


It doesn’t seem like the perfect house, but screw it, it’s good enough to rent for a year. Unfortunately for Boyd, Adeline, and their two young daughters, it’s immediately clear they chose the wrong place.

The nightmare begins with violent coughs and headaches. Food starts to rot almost as soon as they take it inside. A pet tarantula goes missing. Some family members begin to exhibit creepy behavior.

Then the ghosts arrive, and all hell breaks loose….

My Review

I had a good time with this book.  This was a really nice change of pace which was exactly what I was looking for.  I don’t read horror all that often but I almost always enjoy it when I do decide to pick one up.  This was a really quick read that hooked me right from the start.  I am so glad that I decided to pick up something a little different than my usual reading fare.

Boyd and his family are excited to get a fresh start when he gets a promotion.  They find what they believe to be a perfect house for their family in their new town and are thrilled to move in.  Then some strange things start happening.  Food goes bad almost as soon as it comes into the house.  There is an incident with the family’s pet tarantula.  Then things really start to get crazy.

I really liked Boyd and his family right from the start.  They really seemed to be excited about the move and they kept a pretty positive attitude about things until events became out of control.  I loved the way that Boyd and his wife, Adeline, always put the kids first and did everything in their power to protect them.  The kids seemed to handle things better than could be expected and some pretty important scenes in the book revolve around them so they were important players in the story.

I did enjoy the first half of the book a bit more than the second half.  I was almost holding my breath trying to figure out what was going on in this house.  I knew that something big would happen and I think the anticipation really added to the overall enjoyment for me.  After some of the big events started, the excitement level stayed at a very high level until the book came to a conclusion.  I did enjoy the action and liked that there were some pretty creepy and gory scenes but the mystery of the story seemed to fade a bit.  I did appreciate the epilogue and liked that there were a few surprises saved until the very end of the novel.

This was my first experience listening to Joe Hempel’s narration and I kind of feel like I might have been missing out.  I thought he did a fantastic job with this book and I am pretty sure that I liked the story even more because I made the decision to listen to the book.  He did a great job with all of the voices and was able to add a lot of excitement to the story.  I definitely hope to listen to more books by this narrator in the future.

I would recommend this book to horror fans.  This was a really interesting take on a haunted house story with plenty of gruesome and scary moments to keep things entertaining.  This was my first time reading any of Jeff Strand’s work and I look forward to reading more in the future.

I received a review copy of this audiobook from the narrator or author via Audiobook Boom.

About the Author

Jeff Strand is the four-time Bram Stoker Award-nominated author of 40+ books, including Blister, A Bad Day For Voodoo, and Wolf Hunt. Cemetery Dance magazine said “No author working today comes close to Jeff Strand’s perfect mixture of comedy and terror.” He lives in Atlanta, Georgia.

Author Links: Website | Goodreads | Facebook | Twitter

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24 responses to “Review – Sick House by Jeff Strand”

  1. Laura

    Got this one on my wish list and thrilled that you enjoyed it. I'm thinking I should go with the audible too.

  2. Sophia Rose

    Ah, that is fun to grab one from a genre you don't read much just to mix things up a bit. Glad you liked it, Carole!

  4. Literary Feline

    I do not read much horror either, but sometimes it really hits the spot doesn't it? This sounds like such fun. I am glad you enjoyed it.

  10. Katherine P

    Oh this looks fun! I don't read very much in this genre but every once in awhile I'm in the mood for something creepy and this sounds really fun! Adding to my TBR!

  11. Bev Bouwer

    It does look creepy. I've never listened to horror before, it's enough for me to read it. But maybe I should try?