House of Bones by Graham Masterton

Released: November 2008

If you've read the reviews on this website before, you'll know we're die-hard fans (no pun intended) of Graham Masterton. Masterton is grossly overlooked and definitely deserves the title "King of Horror" more than Stephen King. Don't believe me? Just give his novels a try. Start out with Feast (review here: Dreamworld Book Reviews - Feast), THEN think about challenging this statement. Graham Masterton is also extremely prolific, so you'll find a horror novel that covers just about every nightmare you've ever had.

House of Bones originally came out in 1998 but was re-packaged in 2008 with Severn House. The novel is about a young realtor named John who discovers that the office manager, Mr. Vane, is in charge of several spooky houses with walls that seem to "eat" people. Bones -- both new and old -- are found mysteriously behind the walls of these houses and people who view the properties are disappearing. When John witnesses a colleague undergo a horrifying, freakish death, he heroically begins to investigate with intentions of putting these nasty "house demons" to rest.


Graham Masterton is such a master storyteller. No matter how ridiculous the premise of his novels may seem at first, you'll enjoy yourself regardless. With a people-eating house and a murderous, marble statue that comes to life in House of Bones, you'll truly shiver with disgust and horror while devouring this book. Masterton also weaves in some ley-line history which really adds to the overall creepy effect of House of Bones.

The novel is engrossing, but really short. I love Masterton's dark humor, classic style and of course the doomed, unhappy endings. What more could you want from a true horror novel? Fans of this genre will really enjoy it -- although if you're a true horror fan, I'm sure you're already enjoying works by Graham Masterton.

In addition to Feast (AKA Ritual 1988), my other favorite novels by Masterton include Prey (1992), Master of Lies (AKA Black Angel 1991), and Death Mask (2009).