The Spite House, Johnny Compton
The Spite House, Johnny Compton
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The Spite House
A Novel

Author: Johnny Compton

Narrator: Adam Lazarre-White

Unabridged: 11 hr 30 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 02/07/2023

Categories: Fiction, Ghost, Gothic, Horror


Synopsis

"The plotting is intricate, following the points of view of many characters from the past and present, all of whom are expertly performed by Adam Lazarre-White." - Library Journal

"Adam Lazarre-White narrates this terrifying debut novel with a Southern drawl that puts the gothic into this gothic thriller."- AudioFile

A terrifying Gothic thriller about grief and death and the depths of a father's love, Johnny Compton's The Spite House is a stunning debut by a horror master in the making—The Babadook meets A Head Full of Ghosts in Texas Hill Country.

Eric Ross is on the run from a mysterious past with his two daughters in tow. Having left his wife, his house, his whole life behind in Maryland, he's desperate for money—it's not easy to find steady, safe work when you can't provide references, you can't stay in one place for long, and you're paranoid that your past is creeping back up on you.

When he comes across the strange ad for the Masson House in Degener, Texas, Eric thinks they may have finally caught a lucky break. The Masson property, notorious for being one of the most haunted places in Texas, needs a caretaker of sorts. The owner is looking for proof of paranormal activity. All they need to do is stay in the house and keep a detailed record of everything that happens there. Provided the house’s horrors don’t drive them all mad, like the caretakers before them.

The job calls to Eric, not just because there's a huge payout if they can make it through, but because he wants to explore the secrets of the spite house. If it is indeed haunted, maybe it'll help him understand the uncanny power that clings to his family, driving them from town to town, making them afraid to stop running.

A Macmillan Audio production from Tor Nightfire.

About Johnny Compton

JOHNNY COMPTON is the author of the Bram Stoker Award–nominated The Spite House. His short stories have appeared in PseudoPod, Strange Horizons, The NoSleep Podcast, and many other outlets. He is a Horror Writers Association member and creator and host of the podcast Healthy Fears.


Reviews

Goodreads review by John on May 30, 2024

My complete review is published at Grimdark Magazine. Ghosts of the past haunt a family on the run in Johnny Compton’s extraordinary debut novel, The Spite House, a Black Southern Gothic horror set in modern-day Texas. Spite houses are buildings constructed for the sole purpose of aggravating neighbor......more

Goodreads review by Debra on November 03, 2022

3.5 stars Now I know what a Spite House is. I had never heard of one before. You learn something new every day. Eric Ross is on the run with his two daughters, Dess and Stacy. Readers are left wondering what they were running from and why. Don't worry, eventually you will find out. Looking for money......more

Goodreads review by Vicki on August 28, 2024

Can I Get a Reality Check on Aisle 9 Please?... THE SPITE HOUSE by Johnny Compton No spoilers. 2 1/2 stars. Whew!! DNF. I stopped reading at 93% because I was bored out of my skull and after sticking with it until almost the end... I could see that the payoff was going to be somewhat lame with many lo......more

Goodreads review by Rachel (TheShadesofOrange) on March 12, 2023

4.0 Stars Haunted house stories are not normally my preferred subgenre so it takes a special one to become a new favourite. I really loved the family centric setup to this one, with the compelling question of why they left in the first place. Southern Gothic is also not normally my thing but I found t......more

Goodreads review by Luvtoread (Trying to catch up) on February 26, 2023

Eric Ross and his two daughters Dess and Stacey are on the run from people who could cause irreparable harm to their family and now they are quickly running out of money. When Eric happens upon a strange employment advertisement that sounds too good to be true but he calls and sets up an immediate i......more


Quotes

"Compton’s chilling debut is horror with heart that puts a refreshingly modern spin on the haunted house story... This tense work of gothic horror provides a complex and multidimensional look at how anger, grief, and trauma can strengthen bonds of familial love...Even the most jaded horror fans will be wowed."
Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"One part road trip, one part family relationships, and one part haunted house, serve this update on genre staples to showcase the voice of a rising new writer to an audience that adores the classics."
—Aaron Heil, Library Journal

The Spite House is an aching, heartbroken meditation on what haunts us and the sins we inherit from those who came before us.”
—Cassandra Khaw, author of Nothing But Blackened Teeth

“Ever since I devoured Shirley Jackson’s The Haunting of Hill House as a boy, I’ve loved a good ghost story, and The Spite House gave me those same chills. Johnny Compton has built a haunted house that is creepy as hell, the bricks and mortar oozing not just spite, but evil. Here’s a supernatural thriller that will have you watching the windows and doors as you read.”
—Chris Bohjalian, New York Times bestselling author of The Flight Attendant and The Lioness

“Johnny Compton's The Spite House is the modern Gothic story full of dread we’ve all been waiting for. This strange house, perched on a hill and full of terrifying sounds and shadows that come out at night, will steal a part of you and never give it back.”
Cynthia Pelayo, Bram Stoker Award–nominated author of Children of Chicago

“In The Spite House, Johnny Compton introduces us to a family with secrets and a house as mean and hungry as any in horror. The book is a work of great imagination and humanity, showing both love and terror in a world as real as the dust in the attic of a terrible old house.”
—Richard Kadrey, author of King Bullet

The Spite House commences with an enigma that quickly morphs into a mystery, which ultimately leaves us with a riddle that’s perplexed humanity since the dawn of time—all the while rubbing our nerves raw with dread. Johnny Compton propels us through this creepy maze with the assurance of one who has likely stared into the abyss himself.”
—John Harrison, author of Passing Through Veils and writer/director of Tales from the Darkside, The Movie; Frank Herbert’s Dune miniseries; and Clive Barker’s Book of Blood

"If a house could knit a soul out of history and hatred, what many battles of wills might there be in that place? With chills as well as heart, The Spite House delivers much to think about and lingers as a good scary story should."
—Jamie Mason, author of The Hidden Things

"Johnny Compton is the new architect of terror. His novel The Spite House joins Anne Rivers Siddons' The House Next Door, Robert Maracso's Burnt Offerings, and Michael McDowell's The Elementals, reconfiguring the blueprints of a haunted house story in order to fashion something fresh and frightening."
—Clay McLeod Chapman, author of Whisper Down the Lane

"The Spite House is a haunting, multilayered gothic novel with a refreshing twist on ghosts that gives you chills on every page, and just as much family heart. [It] sets a new, and a very high bar, for haunted-house horror."
—Diana Rodriguez Wallach, author of Small Town Monsters


Awards

  • Barnes and Noble Best New Books of the Year