The Haunting of Cambria

The Haunting of Cambria
By Richard Taylor (304 pages)
Published by Tor
Bookish rating: 3

Meh. This spooky(ish) ghost story has good elements: distinctive place (the California coastal town of Cambria), haunted house, tension and build up. I also like that the main characters didn't waste half the book arguing about whether or not an old house was haunted. Yes, the effing thing is haunted, they agree in the beginning. It was kind of nice and unusual. Ghost story disbelief is something I've tired of.

Theo is our main character, and he's a douche canoe. Totally unlikable. I've never advocated characters being LIKABLE, but what Taylor was attempting to get across as wit and humorous was just trite, sexist bull. I don't think we met a single female character whose cup size wasn't part of her description. Theo's character, beyond being generally douche-y, just never clicked or became believable. I certainly didn't care what happened to him. In fact, I found myself wishing he'd get swallowed up by that which haunted the dang house.

Overall, not really recommended. For spooky October thrillers to get you in the mood for Halloween, you can do much better. Like Dracula in Love, which I just finished and will review next!