Beware the Terrors You Can’t See: What Lies Unseen is a chilling ghost story of revenge and redemption

 

 

What Lies Unseen

S.E. Howard

Wicked House Publishing, 2026

Ebook, 180 ppg.

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NOTE: This review is based on an advanced review copy (ARC). This book is scheduled for release on March 10. The buy link is a pre-order link.

 

 

For the people who are able to see and hear ghosts, it can be scary anytime it happens. For Sam Avery, it’s terrifying. Most of the ghosts he encounters are malevolent, some of them even attacking him. In this novel of paranormal suspense and horror, What Lies Unseen by S.E. Howard explores the world of parapsychic abilities. Sam’s gift of being able to see and hear ghosts is more of a nightmare for him, but when he gets involved with a group of people with similar abilities, he feels that he may finally be able to understand his ability better and learn how to control it. What Sam doesn’t realize is that this particular group has other plans, ones which could cost him his life.

 

Some people believe in ghosts and some people don’t. For this reason, Sam doesn’t talk much about his ability to see ghosts. He’s had this gift his whole life, but as a kid, it terrified him. The only person he ever told about it was his older brother, Michael. Michael seemed to understand Sam’s ability, and handled his younger brother’s terror-stricken episodes of seeing and hearing scary ghosts really well. At 24, Sam meets someone who can hear ghosts, and it opens up a whole new world to him. Suddenly, he doesn’t feel so alone. Suddenly, he learns that there are other people like him – that they can hear and see ghosts like he does, only hear ghosts, only sense their presence, etc. There are others who can do things like remote viewing, an ability which is put to use in a horrifying way in this story.

 

The characters in this book are so well-rounded. I loved how the characters at the “paranormal meeting” shared their knowledge. I could tell the author did her homework and took the time to do research for the characters. They really know their stuff!

 

This is a story of many twists and surprises. It is told from Sam’s POV, giving the reader first-hand experience about what happens when he has encounters with the paranormal. It is written so well and I was hooked on this story. It was hard to stop reading it! The scares were very real, keeping me on the edge of my seat, and I was constantly reading chapters wanting to know what happens next.

 

I also loved how the author describes the ghosts so well. The ghosts in this story are definitely frightening! One ghost is described in this way: “I felt hands pulling against me, and when I looked down, I saw the emaciated corpse of a girl, arms around my waist. She wore a tattered white dress, and the skirt ballooned up around her like a spent tulip blossom. Her eyes were gone, her sockets sunken and dark, her nose caved in, her lips receding. Her skin looked desiccated, with only the stark outline of bones beneath, yet there was terrifying, impossible strength in her grip as she clung to me.” (Page 106)

 

In addition to the ghost story that takes place in this novel, we see Sam experiencing a relationship with an older woman – a fellow employee at his job (though she is in a senior position). Everything happens so fast in this relationship, and while she tells Sam that she loves him, he feels more like a “fuck buddy” than a partner in a committed relationship. His insecurities are strengthened when she is going through a difficult situation, and when he tries to offer her comfort, she screams at him, “You’re just a kid!” Still, Sam tries to believe that his relationship with her is the real deal – until he discovers that she has lied to him about certain things. The HUGE thing he learns about her having lied to him about drives him to the breaking point, but it also opens up a new level of horrors for Sam that he must try to face.

 

I loved how this novel shares the dark side of the paranormal. It doesn’t just show the negative things that can happen, but also the negative people who not only abuse their abilities but put them to use in horrifying ways. This novel also explores topics of grief, protection of Indigenous land, and friendship. It was certainly an unforgettable and unique story that lingered in my mind long after I finished reading the last page.

 

What Lies Unseen is a chilling tale of communication with the dead as well as the secrets of a centuries-old power hidden within a most unlikely location. Filled with terrifying paranormal encounters, surprises, and unexpected twists, this novel is a must-read for fans of horror and for anyone who enjoys reading scary ghost stories.

 

 

 

Five stars

 

 

 

Disclaimer: I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Ghosts, Murder and Scandal!: Secrets of Lakeluster House is a chilling YA ghost story full of mystery and suspense

Secrets of Lakeluster House

Diane Scott Lewis with Jorja Parkinson

BWL Publishing, 2025

Ebook, 160 ppg.

ISBN: 9780228635598 (PDF)

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“Lakeluster was always said to be haunted.” And until 13-year-old Sage actually goes into the house to see it for herself, she hadn’t been so sure. Up until then, there were just rumors about the house being haunted. A house which her great-great grandmother once worked in so long ago and where there were stories filled with mystery and scandal surrounding it. So when Sage and her 14-year-old cousin, Patrick, and her 11-year-old brother, Nate, go inside the house to meet with the new owner, Miss Dora, she is the only one who does, in fact, see a ghost. A REAL ghost!

 

Secrets of Lakeluster House by Diane Scott Lewis is a young adult paranormal mystery novel of one young girl’s mission to uncover the secrets of a mysterious house and try to find out what really happened when her ancestor worked there.

 

If it hadn’t been for the ghost, Sage probably would not have had much of an interest in the house beyond wanting to know about what happened when her two-time great grandmother. But seeing the ghosts keeps tugging at Sage’s curiosity about the house, especially since there is a young ghostly girl living there who is intent on revealing to Sage all of the horrible things that happened there.

 

There is also the fact that she had a teacher who was investigating the house’s history and ended up dead under mysterious circumstances. Sage just has this burning desire to know the house’s secrets, no matter what kind of danger it might get her into.

 

Fortunately, she has her cousin and her brother along for protection. She seems to feel safer being in that house if one or both of them are with her, even though their occasional rudeness and daring annoys her. Still, she is a good sister/cousin to them both, often adopting a take-charge attitude to keep them out of trouble.

 

I was surprised that the butler, Huntley, tolerated her many visits to the house so well. She is smart enough to pretend she’s doing research, so she has at least this to go by when she starts suspecting something about Huntley.

 

Along with her fascination with Lakeluster House and finding out the truth about what really happened there when her great-great-grandmother worked there, Sage is also still trying to cope with the recent death of her history teacher, Mr. Saunders. The man was found hanging from a tree near the house, his body skinned. It’s a terrible tragedy for everyone and nobody knows why or how it happened. While she investigates Lakeluster, she also tries to get to the bottom of what really happened to her former teacher. She and her best friend sometimes talk about him, and both of them want to know why it happened, which is natural considering they were his students. After Sage learns that he was likely murdered, she wonders if his murder happened because he was investigating Lakeluster House.

 

I liked seeing the character, Sage, grow and develop in this story. Apparently, she hadn’t seen any ghosts her whole life and now she was seeing them. It frightens and mystifies her at the same time. Plus, at some point, she accepts that it is just a part of her life now: “All this craziness had become her normal.” (Page 85) She does feel some hesitation about revealing her new gift to others, and she understands that she has to be careful about who she tells it to, especially after she is indeed in danger the further she investigates the murders in and around Lakeluster House. But she learns to be brave and to persevere, admirable traits in a young character.

 

I also appreciated how the grown-ups in Sage’s life made sure she wasn’t getting too obsessed with ghosts and haunted houses and murders and such. Sage is 13 and should enjoy a happy summer like most 13-year-olds. Plus, the topic of death and murder, along with the horrifying ways such things happened, are mature topics that can frighten and traumatize a teenager. So her parents make sure that Sage takes time away from her visits to the house and a break from her investigations to hang out with her BFF, visit historical sites and have fun at the beach. All good summertime activities that kids, and teenagers, need to have in their lives. So many authors of young adult books say to keep adults and parents out of the stories but sometimes kids need to have that kind of guidance when going through a scary experience. But it’s not like the grown-ups are all over the story – aside from the GHOSTLY grown-ups! There’s a good balance of Sage or Sage and company (the “motley crew,” like Huntley calls them – LOL) and Sage with grown-ups.

 

Sage has trouble adjusting to her new gift of being able to communicate with and see ghosts, and she learns some hard truths about her experiences too. Along with this investigation, she struggles with uncertainty about her parents’ future together and the details of her teacher’s murder, and all of these elements in the story cause her to grow up and be more mature. A fitting situation for a girl about to go into high school and encounter all of the dramas and angst about her teen years. In some way, everything she goes through sort of prepares her for it all.

 

The Secrets of Lakeluster House is a chilling ghost story about a teen girl trying to come to terms with the mysteries of her past relative and put a stop to the enduring evil inside of a creepy manor. Filled with tension, mystery and frightening haunted moments, this novel is sure to be enjoyed by readers of any age who like to read ghost stories, as well as stories of a haunted house!

 

 

Five stars

 

 

Disclaimer: I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

 

A Detective for the Dead: Lady, Will You Hear Me? is a true ghost story of putting a ghost's earthly remains to rest

 

Lady, Will You Hear Me?: A True Ghost Story

Susan E. Rogers

Independently Published, 2024

ISBN-13: 979-8227059932

Ebook, 126 ppg.

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For some people who can communicate with ghosts, their abilities may lead them onto a mission for information that would bring closure for the spirit. That is exactly what happened for the author Susan E. Rogers, who writes about one such experience in her book, Lady, Will You Hear Me? The title is a question a ghost asked her one day during a Reiki session, and Susan was able to receive the entire story which this ghost had to tell her. She learned that the ghost’s name is Joe Tripp, a Civil War veteran who died by an accidental gunshot wound. Tripp shared with Susan his life experiences leading up to his death, and how his remains were never found. This sets the rest of the story up for Susan, who makes it her mission to not only find Joe’s remains but to bring his spirit the closure it needs. Ghosts aren’t able to rest in peace until their remains have literally been put to rest, so until that can happen, Joe’s spirit was doomed to wander the earth.

 

This is such an interesting read! I admired Susan’s tenacity and dedication to her task. In trying to find Joe’s remains, she comes across others, and feels a connection to all three. It is certainly a lot for her to keep track of. I appreciated how she shared her process of finding information about three deceased people and where she was able to look for that information.

 

Reading this book introduced me to something I had not known about before. I was positively floored to learn about the Akashic Records. I was aware of something in existence that kept a record of a person’s life, but to learn about it with more detailed information was just mind-blowing, The author writes on page 42, “The Akashic Records could be thought of as the Great Library of the Universe containing the virtual Book of Life for every soul that ever lived, and a spiritual record of the entire history of all the past lives and future lives for each and every soul since Creation.”

 

She further noted on the same page that, “An Akashic Records Practitioner could enter the etheric plane where the records were stored and access the story of any soul at any given time and in any given life.”

 

Wow! This is very interesting!

 

I have also heard that at the end of our lives, we review the life we lived before moving on to the next one. I wonder if this is the record which the soul will review following physical death in this world.

 

It is a good thing the author has this ability to help her find what she needs to find in this world, whether it be locations or bodies never discovered. But she also has another tool available for her to use: Her sensitivity to the energy of a certain location. In this case, she is able to pick up the energy surrounding an area where a body was located, long-since undiscovered. I wonder if this was her first time in trying to find the remains of someone long dead or if there are other areas she has happened upon which made her feel the same kind of energy.

 

She is very thorough in here work in finding the location of where the spirit’s remains could be. She uses various kinds of records, books, maps, old newspapers and she also talks to a lot of people. It is as though she is in the role of a detective as she works on trying to find the remains of the spirit who spoke with her those long days ago. And I appreciated how she also worked on discovering the identities of the two others, one identified as “Unknown” in a grave and the other being someone’s remains located in the woods which she dubbed “Skeleton.” She is very thorough with these as well. It was very interesting to read all about the military and civilian history of so many people in her quest to find answers!

 

Lady, Will You Hear Me? is a spectacular, one-of-a-kind story of a ghost reaching out to a sensitive for closure. Fans of the paranormal, military history, genealogy research and history would find this book a fascinating read and a must-have for their library. I really enjoyed reading this book and I look forward to reading similar books by the author.

 

 

 

Five stars

 

 

 

Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.