Floating Staircase

By: Ronald Malfi

Narrated by: M. Sauerwein

Following the success of his latest novel, Travis Glasgow and his wife Jodie buy their first house in the seemingly idyllic western Maryland town of Westlake. At first, everything is picture-perfect - from the beautiful lake behind the house to the rebirth of the friendship between Travis and his brother, Adam, who lives nearby. Travis also begins to overcome the darkness of his childhood and the guilt he's harbored since his younger brother's death - a tragic drowning veiled in mystery that has plagued Travis since he was 13. Soon, though, the new house begins to lose its allure. Strange noises wake Travis at night, and his dreams are plagued by ghosts. Barely glimpsed shapes flit through the darkened hallways, but strangest of all is the bizarre set of wooden stairs that rises cryptically out of the lake behind the house. Travis becomes drawn to the structure, but the more he investigates, the more he uncovers the house's violent and tragic past, and the more he learns that some secrets cannot be buried forever.

©2011 Ronald Malfi (P)2017 Journalstone Publishing

Great story

This book was well written with an intense plot. Often times I felt myself full of anticipation with what was going to happen next.
Just scary enough to give me the creeps.
It was like being on a horror-mystery, roller coaster.
I couldn’t wait to get back to the listen of it.
Also, the narrator was very good with the reading and change in voice.

This was my first time ever reading Ronald Malfi, and surely not my last.

Ok

Cool story, narration was kinda rough. But that is a very subjective thing. Still a decent listen.

Horror with Heart

Audiobook Review
Title: The Floating Staircase
Author: Ronald Malfi
Narrator: M. Sauerwein
Book Rating: 4 Stars
Audio Rating: 4 Stars
Genre: Horror

Is there a better “current” horror writer than Ronald Malfi? Every book I read by him confirms he is at the top of traditionally published horror. In The Floating Staircase, Malfi shows how well he can blend a creepy haunted-house story with a police “whodunit” and end it with the perfect ending.

Travis Glasgow is a successful horror novelist. He and his wife just bought their first house right across the street from his brother, Adam, a small-town cop. Both Travis and Adam have a hard past, with the death of their brother as kids still haunting them. Strange noises wake Travis one night, sending him into a spiral as he tries to figure out the house's history and the people who lived there before him.

This book started off a little slow, but boy did it pick up around the 50% mark. The last half of the book flew by, and I finished it in one sitting. Malfi delivers a masterclass in character work with Travis Glasgow. This character was deeply flawed with a dark past, but Malfi still makes him lovable and, as the reader, I wanted to see him succeed.

This story was filled with dread, and while there were no jump scares and nothing too bad, it still sent icy chills running down my body, fearing what was coming next. And don’t get me started on the epilogue. I was close to tears as Travis got the ending that he deserved.

The narrator, M. Sauerwein, did a good job of bringing the characters to life. My only complaint is that sometimes the characters' emotions weren’t really portrayed in the narration. This didn’t happen a lot, so it is easy to overlook.

If you like creepy and atmospheric horror with not a whole lot of scares but a lot of heart and dread, you will want to read Floating Staircase by Ronald Malfi.

Decent story. BAD narrator.

When the narrator was reading the main character's POV, it was fine, but any time he voiced another character, it was torture. Particularly the wife. His female voices sound like when you're making fun of someone for whining. Awful.

The story was okay. Not Malfi's best, but worth a read.

Sound effects

It is really not necessary to use sound effects (different sounds for phone calls or faint music) in the background) in audiobooks. It takes a bit away from the story. Otherwise this was a good novel.