Publisher: Ballantine Books
Released: April 14, 2015
Source: Review copy from publisher
Rating: ★★★★

In this enthralling and atmospheric thriller, one young family’s dream of a better life is about to become a nightmare.

Ben and Caroline Tierney and their two young boys are hoping to start over. Ben has hit a dead end with his new novel, Caroline has lost her banking job, and eight-year-old Charlie is being bullied at his Manhattan school.

When Ben inherits land in the village of Swannhaven, in a remote corner of upstate New York, the Tierneys believe it’s just the break they need, and they leave behind all they know to restore a sprawling estate. But as Ben uncovers Swannhaven’s chilling secrets and Charlie ventures deeper into the surrounding forest, strange things begin to happen. The Tierneys realize that their new home isn’t the fresh start they needed . . . and that the village’s haunting saga is far from over.

House of Echoes is a novel that shows how sometimes the ties that bind us are the only things that can keep us whole.

HOUSE OF ECHOES was a creepy tale about a troubled young family who moves to a remote town in upstate New York hoping to start a new life. Instead, they unknowingly get caught up in the dark and twisted history of their new home. The Tierneys become the victims of disturbing and downright terrifying things in Swannhaven, but who or what is behind them?

I enjoyed this book very much. I could definitely see some Stephen King and Shirley Jackson influences. The book wasn’t overly scary, but the eerie undertone the author created throughout kept me turning the pages. Ben and Caroline were realistic characters written so that I could easily empathize with them. The story had a moderate pace, though really built momentum at the end. Overall, HOUSE OF ECHOES is a fantastic debut novel by Brendan Duffy, and I’ll definitely be on the lookout for more of his novels in the future.

Disclosure: I received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.