Nightmare House by Douglas Clegg

Whilst the subject matter is well crafted and there are some genuine chills it was the writing style that spoilt this book for me.  It is written in what I call "late Victorian" style whereby it switches between first and third person and becomes almost impenetrable as a result.  The plot and characterisations are clouded in language and nothing does more than sit on the surface of the page to be read rather than inhabited.  Sadly, this means that you never really get chilled by the revelations in the book.

Nobody here is what they seem with everyone, even our narrator, having either major secrets or at least two names.  The idea of a house within a house is a strong one and the descriptions of the mysterious Madame Isis and her rituals taking place in a subterranean Egyptian tomb could have been so evocative and enthralling.  Unfortunately, because I could not connect with the writing style at all I just didn't feel like I was wandering those dusty paths full of awe and terror at what I would find.  The themes of possession and cursed places was strong but I do not feel they were explored adequately - merely touched upon for the reader to make their own leaps to connect the dots

Normally when I have an issue with writing style it all settles down after 3 or 4 chapters and I get used to the timbre of the author's "voice".  For me this just didn't happen here and I can do no more than disagree with numerous 4 and 5 star reviews praising this very thing.  As a result I am sure I missed some nuances of plot as I will admit I started to almost scan read the book just to get it finished.