The House of Last Resort
Christopher Golden
St. Martin’s Press (January 30, 2024)
Reviewed by Carson Buckingham
A young couple moves to a virtual ghost town in Sicily to be near relatives and to start over. A pretty run of the mill trope when it comes to ghost stories, right?
In this case, WRONG!
Tommy and Kate Puglisi have decided to chuck it all and have an adventure. The mayor, seeking to revitalize the town of Becchina, is selling abandoned properties at a single Euro, provided that the occupants agree to live there for at least five years and agree to restore the properties.
It is no surprise that this young couple is impulsive enough to take the bait. They try to talk their friends into joining them but meet with refusal. This doesn’t stop them, and they go it alone.
But we know what it means when something seems too good to be true, don’t we?
Tommy’s grandparents have lived in Becchina forever, and Tommy used to visit with his parents, but due to a falling out between his father and grandfather, he hadn’t been back in decades.
There was a good reason for this.
One would think that Tommy’s grandmother would be delighted that they’ve taken the plunge, but for some reason, she’s furious—not that they moved to Sicily but that they bought that particular house, referred to by the locals as ‘The House of Last Resort.’ It seems it had a reputation dating back nearly a century as the final option for a cure for those unfortunates possessed by demons.
But nobody thought to mention this at the time of the sale.
And Tommy has a larger stake in this house than anyone knows.
Filled with catacombs, tunnels, rats, odd old rooms, and warring good and evil spirits, and weird townspeople, you’ll be on the edge of your chair until the end.
5 out of 5 stars—Highly recommended. Fasten your seatbelts!
