Skeptical NYPD Homicide Detective Maria Miller only believes in cold hard facts. But a gruesome murder at a Greenwich Village brownstone seems to point straight to a paranormal source. Determined to unearth a rational explanation, she vows to find the culprit before he strikes again…
But Maria is about to learn that this atrocious crime is far from unique. An identical slaughter rocked the same house decades ago, and Miller must determine if it’s the same culprit, a copycat, or something much darker…
When Miller becomes the killer’s next target, will her stubborn cynicism save her or send her to the other side?
The Haunting On West 10th Street is the first book in the chilling Ghosts of New York horror series. If you like terrifying tales, supernatural crime stories, and eerie mysteries that span decades, then you’ll love Helen Phifer’s nail-biting novel.
I always enjoyed Helen Phifer’s creepy supernatural thrillers, and although I’ve also loved her recent “straight” crime books, it was good to see her return to her roots with The House on West 10th Street.
No one knows how to scare me like Helen, and this story proved it. Something evil is lurking in the attic of the New York brownstone on West 10th, and it’s up to Detective Maria Miller to find out what it is and, more importantly, how to stop it before it’s too late.
Whatever it is has killed before, in the most gruesome way, and the author deftly switches between the events of its original possession, and the threat that hangs over the present day.
Detective Miller is a worthy successor to Helen Phifer’s previous lead characters, and the setting is perfectly drawn, giving the reader a real sense of New York. I was going to say I could almost smell the city, but truthfully, I wouldn’t want to. Read the book and you’ll know what I mean!
I really hope there is a follow-up to this book. I love Helen’s north-of-England novels, but she really does seem just as at home on the streets of New York, and this setting and these characters are ripe for a sequel – or a whole series of them.