The House That Horror Built - by Christina Henry (Paperback)

About the Book

"A single mother working in the gothic mansion of a reclusive horror director stumbles upon terrifying secrets in the captivating new horror novel from the national bestselling author of Good Girls Don't Die and Horseman. Harry Adams has always loved horror movies, so it's not totally a coincidence that she took the job cleaning house for movie director Javier Castillo. His forbidding graystone Chigago mansion, Bright Horses, is filled from top to bottom with terrifying props and costumes, as well as glittering awards from his career making horror films that thrilled audiences-until family tragedy and scandal forced him to vanish from the industry. Javier values discretion, and Harry has always tried to clean the house immaculately, keep her head down, and keep her job safe-she needs the money to support her son. But then she starts hearing noises from behind a locked door. Noises that sound remarkably like a human voice calling for help, even though Javier lives alone and never has visitors. Harry knows that not asking questions is a vital part of keeping her job, but she soon finds that the forbidding house may be home to secrets she can't ignore"--

Book Synopsis

A single mother working in the gothic mansion of a reclusive horror director stumbles upon terrifying secrets in the captivating new novel from the national bestselling author of Good Girls Don't Die and Horseman.

Harry Adams has always loved horror movies, so it's not a total coincidence that she took the job cleaning house for movie director Javier Castillo. His forbidding graystone Chicago mansion, Bright Horses, is filled from top to bottom with terrifying props and costumes, as well as glittering awards from his career making films that thrilled audiences--until family tragedy and scandal forced him to vanish from the industry.

Javier values discretion, and Harry has always tried to clean the house immaculately, keep her head down, and keep her job safe--she needs the money to support her son. But then she starts hearing noises from behind a locked door. Noises that sound remarkably like a human voice calling for help, even though Javier lives alone and never has visitors. Harry knows that not asking questions is a vital part of working for Javier, but she soon finds that the sinister house may be home to secrets she can't ignore.

Review Quotes

"This book is a celebration of horror films, but what will stick with readers is the relationship between Harry and her son, Daniel. A lumbering costume is fun to read about, but Harry's past and her precarious finances are the real monsters here. Henry's spooky tale has a scary face, but it has a heart of gold." - New York Times

"After reading The House That Horror Built, I brought the terror into my own home and now it won't leave. Christina Henry has me questioning every creak, every warping floorboard, every stray sound around my house and now I can't sleep at night. There's something in the walls of this novel and it watches you while you read." - Clay McLeod Chapman, author of What Kind of Mother and Ghost Eaters

"An eerie haunted house tale set in the home of a famous horror director... Henry captures the epic scale of the best horror movies and her passion for monstrosity comes through clearly." - Publishers Weekly

"A delicious exploration into the monsters we idolize and the monsters we create. The House That Horror Built will leave readers wondering what lies behind the mask of their beloved horror auteurs..." - Carissa Orlando, author of The September House

"Perfect for horror fans who prefer playful eeriness over gore." - Library Journal

"Henry's latest is a spine-chilling postpandemic thriller with plenty of pop-culture references that will appeal to horror fans." - Booklist

"The House That Horror Built is a true slow-burn of a horror story with the suspense building in complex and unconventional fashion." - Book Reporter

About the Author

Christina Henry is a horror and dark fantasy author whose works include Horseman, Near the Bone, The Ghost Tree, Looking Glass, The Girl in Red, The Mermaid, Lost Boy, Alice, Red Queen, and the seven-book urban fantasy Black Wings series.

She enjoys running long distances, reading anything she can get her hands on, and watching movies with samurai, zombies, and/or subtitles in her spare time. She lives in Chicago with her husband and son.