Over 100 years ago a brutal murder took the life of Miss Carmichael as she made her way through Henderson Close in an attempt to do a good deed for one of the many residents living in squalor and poverty. Now it's a tourist attraction where people pay to walk through the eerie abandoned neighborhood and hear the dark history and morbid tales of a bygone time.
When Hannah arrives, recently divorced from her cheating husband and looking for a fresh start she is excited to begin her job as a tour guide. That excitement soon turns to anxiety and fear when ghostly figures from the past and evil creatures make themselves known.
I would recommend it not just to those who enjoy ghost stories but gothic hauntings and historical fiction as well.
I received an advance copy for review.
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This was great suspense ghostly mystery!

A small backstory:

Hannah finally has found a job that suits her as she becomes a tour guide in the small town of Edinburgh. One of the suburbs, Henderson Close has lots of history but it is also known to be surrounded in ghostly mystery as there is even an area where a woman was murdered back in the 1800's and some people have witnessed the woman's ghost.

Hannah along with a couple of other tour guides have a feeling though that something is not quite right in Henderson Close as they are always feeling watched and they feel cold drafts throughout the area. As time goes on, Hannah starts not only feeling that there is something different she is transported to the 1800's almost as if she sees it in a dream, but she is awake when it happens. That not only spooks her but it makes her wonder why she is having the experience.

Hannah finally finds out that there is an evil presence that has invaded Henderson Close as it has been unleashed upon the town and she will have to figure out how to contain the presence before it consumes everyone within the town.

What is the evil presence that has been unleashed? Why is Hannah being transported back into time? What is the mystery that surrounds Henderson Close? No spoilers here as you will just have to read the book!

Thoughts:

This was a great ghost story that was just weaved with lots of mystery and suspense along with the gothic feeling of the haunting. The more I became wrapped up in the mystery the more I wanted to find out what was causing the haunting. There are chapters that go back to the 1800's that tells the story of why the area is surrounded by mystery. Normally I am not fond of time jumps but it was not every other chapter - the story in present time would be about three or four chapters and the story in the past would be maybe one chapter, so I was able to keep up with what was going on in both time periods.

The story starts out a little slow, but that is because of the world building, but once I reached the 35% mark the story just took off as more things started happening with the character Hannah. Then the story became a little more fast paced at the 50% mark and I was flipping through my kindle pages quick as I wanted to see what was going to happen next. Giving this one five "haunting" stars! ( )

Many tourists come to see Henderson Close in Edinburgh, Scotland. The tales of crime, murder and intrigue, plague victims trapped inside their homes to die, and other haunting aspects of the Close's history bring the curious in droves. Hannah comes to Edinburgh to start her life over. She's divorced and her daughter is grown and at college. She sees the tour guide position at the Close as a dream job. But ghostly specters, disappearances and menacing encounters with evil soon make Hannah realize the stories about the Close are more than folklore.

This story sucked me in quickly....and I found myself reading until the wee hours of the morning. I couldn't put the book down! From a ghostly little girl with no face to the Auld De'il, the specters in this story are delightfully creepy and scary. I loved the setting. I have heard of Mary King's Close in Edinburgh, but didn't realize there were several similar sites in the city, all with their own scary tales. The story moves along quickly, with suspense from start to finish. I definitely would not want to be wandering around Henderson Close in the evening by myself! No thank you!

Great spooky story! I love ghost stories. Any spooky tale that keeps me up until 3 am because I can't put it down deserves full stars from me! I loved this story!

This is the first book by Catherine Cavendish that I've read. I'm definitely going to be reading more!

**I voluntarily read an advanced readers copy of this book from Flame Tree Press. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.** ( )

The synopsis of this book caught my attention right away. I absolutely love a good ghost story, though with that being said a good ghost story can be a hard thing to find. Fortunately for me, this book was everything I hoped it would be and more. This is my first Catherine Cavendish read and if The Haunting of Henderson Close is any indicator, she may well be one of my new favorite authors. I will definitely be on the lookout for more of her work.

The story itself flowed and kept me engaged the entire time that I was reading to the point of me hating to put it down. The more the story went on and evolved, the more drawn in I became. There are times where the book will shift from the current narrative and take you back in time, which I know some people don't care for, but for me it only added to the story. It helped everything else make sense and gave you insight into the characters and happenings in the current time.

Cavendish also did a marvelous job with setting the scene. I felt myself transported across the ocean to a country I've never been to but could imagine as if I were there. I was fully able to immerse and lose myself in the story and become invested in the outcome of its characters, as well as maybe get a little creeped out (enough to imagine shadows in my own room after putting my book down at night).

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed The Haunting of Henderson Close and wouldn't hesitate to recommend it to a friend or anyone looking for a ghost story to sink their teeth into.

* Thank you to Netgalley, the author, and publisher for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review *
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This book - wow! I couldn't put it down. There were so many creepy, chill moments and Hannah could not have been a better protagonist. Several times I found my heart racing wondering what the next page would bring. The ending tugged at my heart strings a bit. It was bittersweet really.

The descriptions Catherine uses, so detailed that for every time slip I felt like I was in the Close with Hannah.

While towards the end, things did seem a bit jumbled, like too much was going on, I still thought this was a great read and I'm looking forward to more works by Catherine Cavendish.

I sincerely appreciate the opportunity from Flame Tree Press for providing me with an ARC so I could give my true, honest opinion. ( )