Book Review: Grimalkin Manor – Author S. Roit

GRIMALKIN MANOR
by S. Roit
Snowbooks

Known chiefly around the world for her acclaimed Paris Immortal series of vampire novels (and if I may add, vampire novels with a difference – not the run-of-the-mill stuff), it is refreshing to enjoy a novel by her which doesn’t feature bloodsuckers. As great as vampires can be, the world of genre fiction is at present awash with clones of clones of clones when it comes to vamp-themed literature.

This latest novel from Roit is a very different creature to her previous output, but maintains the extremely high standard of writing that garnered her vampire novels so much attention.

With echoes of James Herbert and Dennis Wheatley, Roit has crafted a compelling and addictive paranormal chiller with atmosphere to spare and characters that matter. Five ghost hunters and one psychic converge on the titular mansion to investigate various claims of disturbances, and amidst their own fractured interpersonal relationships, a darker drama is unfolding around them.

Grimalkin Manor is, above all else, wildly entertaining genre fiction, but it is also supremely well-written. It would have been so easy to make Grimalkin Manor just another paranormal novel with characters as thin as the pages they are printed on, but Roit’s ear for dialogue and her mastery of pace ensure that the story moves along at a nice pace while still managing to build the terror further and further as the book goes on.

The plot is the key to the book’s strength, but the characters that are woven throughout it are likeable and enticing, making for an enjoyable experience and a lot more impact to what happens, how and to whom.

Grimalkin Manor takes a much-loved horror trope – the spooky old house – and brings it up to date with sharp dialogue and a twisted talent for bringing on the scares whilst losing none of the atmosphere she is known for. A spectacular return from an author who continues to develop and impress with each successive work.

Book Review: Grimalkin Manor – Author S. Roit