The House of Lost Souls
Starred Review. British author Cottam (Dark Echo) makes his U.S. debut with a riveting supernatural thriller. A decade earlier, while on a research trip to London's notoriously haunted Fischer House on the Isle of Wight, psychically sensitive journalist Paul Seaton barely escaped a demonic entity that occultist Aleister Crowley had summoned in the 1920s. Now, Paul investigates a new tragedy: four unfortunate philosophy students encountered something so foul at Fischer House that it killed one and threatens the sanity of the three survivors. The only way for Paul to help the students and redress the shambles that his life has become since his nightmare experience is to return to Fischer House and lay the evil that still stalks the grounds. Cottam evokes influences that range from Dennis Wheatley (who has a minor role) to Shirley Jackson, and conjures a mood of paranoia perfect for Paul's unsettling adventure. Rich in atmosphere, the book builds to a shattering finale.(July)Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.