Mx3 Review: The House that Jack Built by Graham Masterton

• Publisher: Carroll & Graf Pub (October 1996)
• ISBN-10: 0786703539
• Source: Personal Copy

Craig is a high-strung, international lawyer. Running late to an important meeting, he’s grabbed by a young woman claiming her friend was being attacked. Craig reluctantly goes to her aid and falls into a trap, discovering far too late that he’s been deceived. He’s attacked by a group of men and severely wounded, the sort of wound that destroys his self-confidence, his manhood shattered.  His wife, Effie, takes him on a trip to upstate New York in an attempt to restore his confidence and save their floundering marriage.

It is on this trip that they come across Valhalla, a run-down mansion built and owned by notorious gambler named Jack Belias in the late 1920s.  The mansion is in shambles: the roof has caved in in several locations, the marble floor requiring significant repair. The cost to repair the mansion alone go into the six figures. Effie is startled to learn that Craig is actually contemplating the purchase of the mansion, but he becomes obsessed with it, claiming he was meant to live there. Happy to see Craig’s spirits raised but obviously worried about the financial aspect of the purchase, Effie doesn’t hide her feelings about Valhalla from Craig. Yet just days after visiting the mansion, Craig has begun to change. For the positive at first, but soon his entire demeanor changes. The couple hasn’t made love since Craig’s accident, but when they finally do, Craig demeans Effie, calling her all sorts of disrespectful names.

Effie’s feelings intensify when she believes she hears a woman crying in the upper levels of the mansion. Additionally, on a few occasions she sees a man with strange, clouded eyes running about the house.  Effie consults Pepper Moriarty, a local psychic, to get to the root of what has been happening at Valhalla. The mansion is more than haunted; it’s pulling Craig, Effie, and Pepper into the past, their lives running parallel to those of Jack Belias and his young mistress. The house is so evil that the individuals who resided with it still remain within its walls, ready to take control of the new inhabitants.

The House That Jack Built is just one example of Masterton’s talent at writing an atypical horror novel. It goes beyond the supernatural, more than just your average haunted house story. A truly imaginative concept that grabs the reader from the start, forcing them to become invested in the story early on. The setting itself is truly haunting, quite reminiscent of some of Poe’s writing.

There are aspects of the novel that are a bit gory and some scenes of a graphic sexual nature. That said, none of it is gratuitous or unnecessary, but all building to the plot and overall mood of the novel.

Therefore, if you are looking for something beyond the typical haunted house story, this is the novel for you. Highly recommended.