House of Last Resort by Christopher Golden

The next high concept horror novel from NYT bestselling author Christopher Golden.

Across Italy, there are many half-empty towns, nearly abandoned by those who migrate to the coast or to cities. The beautiful, crumbling hilltop town of Becchina is among them, but its mayor has taken drastic measures to rebuild—selling abandoned homes to anyone in the world for a single Euro, as long as the buyer promises to live there for at least five years. It’s a no-brainer for American couple Tommy and Kate Puglisi. Both work remotely, and Becchina is the home of Tommy’s grandparents, his closest living relatives.

It feels like a romantic adventure, an opportunity the young couple would be crazy not to seize. But from the moment they move in, they both feel a shadow has fallen on them. Tommy’s grandmother is furious, even a little frightened, when she realizes which house they’ve bought.

There are rooms in an annex at the back of the house that they didn’t know were there. The place makes strange noises at night, locked doors are suddenly open, and when they go to a family gathering, they’re certain people are whispering about them, and about their house, which one neighbor refers to as The House of Last Resort. Soon, they learn that the home was owned for generations by the Church, but the real secret, and the true dread, is unlocked when they finally learn what the priests were doing in this house for all those long years…and how many people died in the strange chapel inside.

While down in the catacombs beneath Becchina…something stirs.

Published by St. Martin's Press
on January 30, 2024

Review:

You’ve likely seen articles about various countries granting citizenship and/or extremely low housing prices in exchange for you moving there to help boost their economy. The offers usually come with stipulations, though many are tempting (especially with our political climate these days).

In this book, our protagonists – Tommy and Kate Puglisi – jump at an offer to buy a home in the sleepy town of Becchina, Italy, for a single Euro. The couple settle on a modest home, but at the last minute, their realtor shows them another home that is much larger. The Puglisi’s decide to take the larger home, and it’s not long before they are leaving Boston for their new home in Italy. The two have grand plans of convincing their friends to also purchase homes in the area, and Kate has several ideas for businesses to help boost the economy. But what starts as a romantic and exciting adventure quickly turns dark. Tommy’s grandparents were born and raised in Becchina, and they can’t believe that Kate and Tommy bought the house that they did. The locals tell them that the house has a sordid history and have given it the nickname “The House of Last Resort.”

Tommy and Kate toss it off as mere superstition, but soon, the couple begins to hear strange noises in the night, and locked doors mysteriously open on their own. And can we talk about the rats and the catacombs beneath the house? As they delve deeper into the history of the house, they uncover a dark secret that has been hidden for generations. The Puglisis soon realize that there is something sinister lurking within the walls of their home, and it wants something from them.

I read “All Hallows” by Golden last year and enjoyed it well enough, and I will admit that I liked this book much more than that one. I felt that “All Hallows” dragged a bit in parts, but in this book, I felt that the pacing was perfect. The characters are also well-developed and relatable. I felt Kate and Tommy’s excitement and then their fear as they slowly realized that it wasn’t mere superstition and there really was something in the house that wanted them.

The book carries a sense of unease and foreboding that gradually builds as the story progresses. The atmosphere Golden creates is palpable and, at times, unnerving, elevating the dark history of the house and the overall sense of dread.

This is a quick read, and when I read the last page, I felt that something was missing. It was a cliffhanger of sorts, which I’m usually okay with, but for some reason, I felt disappointed. What’s funny is I woke up the morning after finishing the book, and the first thing that popped into my mind was the ending, and it was then that I felt that it actually ended quite perfectly. Could the author have milked a few more pages out of the story? Sure. But was the ending more effective without tidying everything up? Absolutely!

When all was said and done, and I thought about it for a while, I ended up really liking this one. It will definitely appeal to fans of horror and suspense. If you’re anything like me, this one will haunt you long after you turn the final page and likely make you think twice before agreeing to buy an old house in another country.