Title: How To Sell A Haunted House 
Author: Grady Hendrix
Genre: Thriller, Horror, Paranormal
First published: January 17th 2023
Publisher: Titan Books
Finished reading: January 15th 2023
Pages: 400

“That’s how you know you’re real. Because one day you die.”

*** A copy of this book was kindly provided to me by Netgalley and Titan Books in exchange for an honest review. Thank you! ***

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There was just something about the blurb of How To Sell A Haunted House that had me intrigued immediately. I’ve been meaning to try more of this author ever since I read The Final Girl Support Group back in 2021, and this sounded like the perfect story to do so. It’s true that don’t read all that many horror stories, but I loved the sound of the haunted house with the creepy puppets and dolls and I simply couldn’t resist reading it to see just how far the story would go. And boy, things get without a doubt seriously twisted and spine-chilling long before you reach that final page!

I really like the premise of this story, with the seemingly haunted house stuffed to the brim with creepy dolls and puppets. Talk about the perfect backdrop for a horror story! How To Sell A Haunted House isn’t just your typical horror read though, because it also has that family drama vibe as well as paranormal/supernatural elements. While it’s true that I’m never a big fan of family dramas, I do like that it gave the story more balance and a little break from the truly creepy stuff.

As for the characters… I can’t say I was a fan of any of them, but Mark particularly frustrated me, and I hated having to read about his relationship with Louise. True, things got better in the second half once certain things are explained, but still… I never really warmed up to Louise either, and certain actions by her are particularly stupid. The characters were part of the reason it took me a while to truly appreciate this story for what it was, but that is probably mostly me not being all that into family drama in the first place… The pace was a also bit slow in the beginning especially when compared to the second half.

Things can be said about creepy horror stories involving puppets and/or dolls, and they might or might not be your thing, but there is no doubt that How To Sell A Haunted House chilled me to the bone. I’ve never been a fan of dolls, and now I will never look the same at puppets either! Grady Hendrix does an excellent job slowly building up the suspense and creep factor, and the house itself had the perfect ominous feel about it. True, things get pretty wild and over the top especially in the final part, but there is no denying that the story delivers on an entertainment level while also scaring the pants off you.

In short, if you enjoy a well written horror read with creepy dolls and puppets and I like a story that focuses on family drama as well, How To Sell A Haunted House is an excellent option for you. Make sure to hide any dolls/puppets you have in your house before you read this story though if you want to be able to sleep afterwards… Pupkin is the stuff of which nightmares are made!

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