The Haunted

By: Bentley Little

Narrated by: Dan Butler

Length: 11 hrs and 49 mins

Publisher's summary

The Perry family's new house is perfect - except for the weird behavior of the neighbors, and that odd smell coming from a dark corner in the basement. Pity no one warned the family about the house. Now it's too late. Because the darkness at the bottom of the basement stairs is rising.

©2012 Bentley Little (P)2012 AudioGO

You had me until...ugh

I'm still giving this book three stars because most of the story was good. It was entertaining, I was buying the plot, it worked. Then things changed towards the ending, it's like Little's editor quit, or like someone else wrote the ending. It was bad. It yanked me out of my suspension of disbelief and made me say "really, that's the best you've got?" It wasn't that I didn't like "the end" of the book, the whole story just fell apart with about 20% left to go.

A Ghost Story That Delivers The Chills

I love a good, scary ghost story. The problem is that so few of them are downright scary. I've been burned time and time again by stories that hint at the creepy or take you right up to the edge of something scary, but can't pull the trigger. "The Haunted" remained in my Wish List for some time because of this.

You can imagine my delight, then, that when I finally took the plunge and downloaded the book, I found "The Haunted" fulfilled its scary promise. In addition to being scary, Bentley Little gives us characters we can relate to and root for. A haunted house story (and believe me, that's not a spoiler) means very little if we can't be bothered to care for its victims. We care a great deal for these victims, as Little has made them real people, with real pain and real joy.

Although I found the conclusion a little unsatisfying, this was largely offset by the powerful emotional reaction the author is able to elicit. "The Haunted" is not perfect, but it is very, very good. A must-read for those who, like me, are always on the hunt for a good, scary ghost story.

Such a waste of time

Bentley Little's books always try to shock you, but it's really just the same one-trick pony every time.
This book is no different. Starts off strong, but becomes cliche and boring less than mid-way. He fills this space with violent sex and gore to try to keep you interested, but after a while, you become sort of desensitized to it and you realize none of it is moving the plot forward. The end of this book was as sappy as the rest of the novel was sexual and bloody, and this about-face made you feel a little like you flicked the TV channel from a horror movie to a Lifetime Christmas special. The ending was incredibly anti-climactic. It felt like he didn't really care how this story ended, so long as it ended. Honestly, that's how I felt too.

Very dark, Very Good!

What did you love best about The Haunted?

Almost everything, from the writing, the characters, the plot, and the narration was all great. But what I really liked was how personal this book felt. One of Little's best, that's for sure.

Have you listened to any of Dan Butler’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No I have not, but I will now.

Any additional comments?

This book was a lot of fun to read, despite it's bleakness. Bentley Little is, however, known for his sense of humor. Do not look for that here. This is a book that is dark, bleak, and full of despair as the Perry family loses control of their average, every day lives.

The story is about an innocent family haunted by their new house, but it reminded me of self-abuse spinning out of control, the unknown anger and angst of adolescence, the fear and desperation of a child stuck in a family haunted by its past and current abuses. This book is about what's not in your control, and how what's good and average can turn to bad and abnormal at any time.

Fell very short of initial expectations

What disappointed you about The Haunted?

(Spoiler alert:) The reactions of the family to these disturbing scenarios seemed extremely unrealistic. The reluctance to communicate between family members and the refusal to wake others when things went bump in the night seemed less than plausible. I get that the presence in the house drew them in... made them do things they weren't quite aware of but all were in possession of their mental faculties most of the time. The sudden bursts of rough sexual acts caught me off guard and left a sleazy aftertaste. The ultimate climax of the book just didn't seem to follow the flow of the story.

The almost constant repetition of certain bits of dialogue became obnoxious. "I'll kill you both..." and "take off your pants" were repeated so often I found myself rolling my eyes each time, thinking that the author must consider the reader/listener awfully inept at recalling plot points. Also... the writer's expressions could use a bit of diversity. Another expression that grew old entirely too fast was "persue/follow this line of questioning."

Has The Haunted turned you off from other books in this genre?

No. I will always be an occasional listener of horror fiction.

How did the narrator detract from the book?

During dialogue, the narrator's tone never seemed to match the mood of the context. When a character cried out in panic, anger, lust, or fear the narrator sounded bland, bored, or conveying the exact opposite emotion.

What character would you cut from The Haunted?

Rick, the owner of the print shop. He was really only an occasional distraction who served little purpose in the overall plot, other than to convey Claire's distaste for Julian's friends.

Any additional comments?

There were excellently written thrills and incredibly bizarre moments that made my nose pinch with revulsion and disgust. Bentley's capability to write gruesome or thrilling fiction is unquestioned. I was properly scared a number of times... but I was able to predict the ending about an hour and a half before the book's conclusion and found myself so disappointed to be proven right.

Both good and disappointing

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

I would probably not recommend this book as one of the better novels of our time. I am an avid King reader, but I often find that King gets too lost in details and aspects not always relevant to the plot or even the over all feel of the novel. In Bentley's writing, I appreciated that there was never a dull moment. However, like King, he included unnecessary sleaze that at times was somewhat disturbing. My personal preference for horror is actual horror, rather than sexual or violent gore. I also found the novel heart breaking in places. The ending was horrible and made no sense.

Would you ever listen to anything by Bentley Little again?

I would give Bentley one more chance.

Which scene was your favorite?

Didn't have a favorite

Was The Haunted worth the listening time?

yes and no

Scarier Than I Thought it Would Be

The Haunted is a fast paced ghost story with like-able characters. It was much creepier than I expected and just different enough from the run of the mill haunted house stories. Dan Butler's narration was great. He managed different voices for the characters which is something that grates on me with other narrators.

Men don't "slip on pants"....

Why do authors think they must jam a book full of sexual situation that don't even move the story forward? For that matter, why would an editor okay it?
Yeah the house is haunted by sexually deprived ghosts. But it could have been a good stand alone story without involving the neighbors or kids or homeless guy in the sexual situations.
Oh and there's the part where the dad 'slips on his pants'.....really? He was in a hurry, but he had time to 'slip' into them?
It was free so I took a chance.
Bentley Little is a Little Bent...

Entertaining from start to finish!

I love a good haunted house story and this was definitely that. The author did a fantastic job painting a picture of the family dynamic amidst a haunting in the families home. The only thing I didn't like was the effort by the author to inject political correctness into the novel by means of a virtue signaling lead character. The effort made by the author to let everyone know he's a progressive liberal seemed forced and the story could have done without it for the better.

Based upon reviews, I expected scarier fare....

Based upon reviews, I expected some truly scary, King-esque spookiness. Besides a couple of noted scenes, the scariest aspects I found in this novel was the complete lack of communication of the family and, that, despite being a full-time lawyer with a work-from-home husband, the wife still did ALL of the housework and laundry. There was also a bit too much political ranting for my taste (whether the writer leans right or left, I prefer my horror, scifi, etc to be politics free, escapist fare.) Finally, I felt the culmination very slap-dash and unbelievable.

But, there were a few spine-tingling scenes and the narrator did an excellent job bringing the characters to life, so I gave this 3 stars.

Genuinely unsettling, well written horror

If you've listened to or read Bentley Little's The Collection (also on audible), you may well be wary of trying this book - even as a pretty hardcore fan of horror as a genre, I found stories in The Collection difficult to listen to (and often to stomach). Don't worry though - The Haunted is a much easier listen, and well worth the download.

It's a fairly standard haunted house story, but it's very well written and honestly compelling. From the comfortable, engaging trials and troubles of an american middle class family, the narrative turns in a heartbeat to something much more disturbing and other worldly. You find yourself waiting for the next thing to happen, but you're often genuinely surprised when it does. Unlike The Collection, which was very much about short, massive shocks, this is much more subtle. I've been very disappointed with horror releases on audible lately, but this book is a very welcome change from the general trend and well worth a credit.

Gah!

I've never had to stop an audiobook before because I'm so scared. Maybe that makes me a big jessie, or maybe it shows a really great listen!



Julian and Clare move their two kids into a new house; all of them start seeing visions of some sort that scare them silly, but they don't share their fears and stay where they are. The sense of evil escalates until a finale you don't expect slaps you in the face!

What if...

...a modern day family moved into The Marsten House from 'Salem's Lot?'

That's the vibe I get from this novel and that's no bad thing either. In fact it's meant as high praise as 'Salem's Lot is one of my all time favourites,

I thoroughly enjoyed The Haunted and listened to it in two sittings (like the Father in the book I'm an artist who works from home) and it kept me hooked the whole time. The characters were all likable and believable, reacting in realistic and natural ways to the horrors that unfold and there a times when it's really quite unsettling. This is also due in no small part to Dan Butler's excellent narration.

The only downside is I now want more Bentley Little on Audio but there's none to be had. Hopefully the success of this will lead to more very soon.

Highly recommended.

AWFUL!!!

Pointless sex scenes, no questions answered. Absolute pony! Can’t believe I stuck with it but it points to a good ending which doesn’t materialise

haunted house

Original story about a family living in a haunted house. The author has done a good job on characterisation,. The haunted house themes are all here and updated. The narrative has been updated but there are a few cliches. This didnt knock my socks off but it was entertaining. The narration is really well done.

very pleased

wanting to break the hold of king barker and koontz i thought i would start with bentley little's the haunted and i am very pleased i did this is an excellent listen well wrote and well read with some genuine moments of terror.Not many books can cause me to hold my breath but at points in this book i had to remind myself to start taking in breath before i passed out.would highly recommend this to all lovers of said authors above i promiss you will not be dissapointed

THE HAUNTED

This a fantastic book with a great story,its so creepy too you can so get into the book and the perry family
A must if you like the ghost stories,its interesting from start to finish,and a little sad too.

The Haunted, AKA I Hate My Teenage Daughter

The ultimate middle class suburban horror. Move into a haunted house that seems great, but it's built on the corpses of dozens of murdered natives. So what happens? No one liked my dinner party! My precious son is eating dirt! Someone keeps leaving the laundry basket in the wrong place! People are moving away so my property value is falling!

This story is so slow and the characterisation is so poor. Everything is written from each character's pov, but there is no discernible difference in how they are written. I really can't understand how old James, the son, is supposed to be, because he's given some very mature worldviews and his internal understanding is roughly the same as an adult's. I'm guessing 10 but maybe as old as 12?

James is also a perfect angel from heaven. We are told early on that his sister Meg (13? 15? 12? Who knows) is a terrible person who never misses an opportunity to treat James like crap. Julian, the father, is constantly lamenting that Meg used to be such a sweet, nice kid. But now we're told she's the worst. I say "we're told" because it's one of those instances where we're never really shown it. Meg teases James maybe twice in the entire book, and the rest of the time is either neutral or friendly to him.

What does Claire, the mom, think of her daughter? You tell me. I defy anyone to go through this book and find Claire's opinion of her children. She doesn't have one. Claire and Meg only exist to receive rape threats, and they're also very good at showing that James and Julian are the real moral heroes.

When they finally realise the house is haunted and leave, Julian stays behind because he's one of those types where if his family insist they need to do something that wasn't his idea, he needs to make sure they know he's the BOSS by doing some dangerous nonsense for no reason.

I really expected him to get some sort of humbling comeuppance for his arrogance, but no, it turns out he WAS the hero after all, with zero character development because, I guess, he was always just the most amazing goodest guy.

The epilogue is from James' pov. We're told that thank god, Meg did not grow up to "become promiscuous" and I surely breathed a sigh of relief at that, which was naturally my biggest concern. James reflects on some of Meg's worst teenage moments but despite that, they're still close. Aw.

The only saving grace was the narrator's performance, which kept me listening long after I lost interest in the plot.

rather tedious to listen to

I didn't finish this as it never captured my imagination. There's probably too many books written with this sort of story

Pretty good

I liked this for most of the story. The narrator was excellent. The sex bits were unnecessary though. The end was just ok. Didn’t explain a lot really.