Some secrets aren’t kept.
Some secrets keep you.

It’s dark inside Longreave with no electricity. But that doesn’t bother Mark Currier. And the way the faucets keep dripping . . . that doesn’t bother him either. Even if the water has been shut off. He’s got work to do around the hotel. A man has to take care of what’s his, otherwise he doesn’t deserve it. Look at his wife, Alice. He hadn’t taken care of her, and she’d left him. Now she’s living in his house with her off-kilter brother and trying to rebuild her life, and that definitely doesn’t bother him at all. Not a bit. He has his own rebuilding to do, starting with the crumbling wall in Longreave’s cellar.

If only it wasn’t so cold down there.

If only the boiler would just keep quiet.

Mark and Alice’s marriage might be dead, but they’re about to discover some things won’t stay buried forever . . .

As a fan of horror, I jumped at the opportunity to read this book. However, as I begin to delve into its pages, I found I was in awe of the authors ability to make this into a twisted psychological horror book. This, of course, only helped to increase my interest in the story and despite the fact I was having a really busy week, I kept thinking about the book during work.

Life for Mark Currier is over. The day his marriage falls apart, is the same day he discovers that his safe haven, Longreave, has been sold. Thus leaving him with the impending loss of his favorite place, job and family all in the matter of a few hours. However, he’s still drawn to Longreave and despite the fact he’s been informed the place is to be fully closed, he decides to stay there secretly.

There is more than initially meets the eye for these two. Both find themselves haunted by the loss of their child and each are metaphorically drowning in despair. As his wife continues to drown herself in her art, Mark decides to spend his days trying to fix the hotel’s crumbling foundation. Of course, there’s a sense of irony, as his own life has crumbled around him. But as the days go on, the two find themselves experiencing some extremely odd and creepy moments. Since this is a psychological horror, I couldn’t help but wonder if perhaps there wasn’t a supernatural presence, but a psychological one hovering. Especially since it’s clear that both characters are silently crying out for help and in desperate need of help. But then again, I also found myself pondering if perhaps this was some form of physical purgatory for all of those involved. But that just shows exactly how intriguing and well thought out this book is. I found myself constantly questioning and reevaluating what I thought was happening throughout the entire book. There were moments I felt pity for Alice and Mark and times in which I was absolutely bat shit crazy. But at the end of the day, I’m still not entirely sure I understood what was going on and honestly, that’s okay.

This is the kind of book that will make you think and it will have moments that leave you disturbed. But it will keep you intrigued and guessing and I think that makes this a must read. Too often we suffer from books that are overly obvious and it’s refreshing to find one that isn’t. So take a chance and check Longreave out. Who knows, maybe you’ll never want to leave either…

Reviewer’s note: I received this book in exchange for an honest review.

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