The Haunting of Maddy Clare

by Simone St. James

Publisher: New American Library, a division of Penguin Group
Ginasbookreport Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
Genre: Mystery / Psychological Thriller 
Read This If You Love: The Sun Down Motel / Lori Rader-Day’s Little Pretty Things

“I could not scream. I tried and tried, my mouth open, as I gasped for air; tried and tried to scream, in a terrible pantomime I would relive in my nightmares for months to come. I was frozen, unable to move or run, and an icy grip took my upper arms, and lifted me from the floor.”

The Haunting of Maddy Clare is a ghost story centered around the unsettled soul of Maddy Clare. Alistair Gellis, Matthew Ryder, and Sarah Piper are brought in to help clear Maddy’s ghost from the Clare farm. In doing so, they set out to unravel the mystery of what happened to Maddy in life. Set after World War I, Gellis and Ryder are former soldiers who carry the scars of the war physically and emotionally. Sarah is alone in the world and looking to find stability and purpose. This gang of three reminded me so much of the dynamic in The Alienist. I found them to be an interesting group and found the way the layers were pulled back on their lives as they did the same for Maddy to be a great storytelling approach. 

Simone St. James is one of my favorite authors to read during spooky season. While this particular book wasn’t my favorite of her novels, it still held my attention and was a fast and easy ghost story for a dark and rainy day. Reading St. James books has made me realize, I’m much more of a ghost story reader than a vampire story reader. A horror trope of birds was also used in this novel in a clever way. Just a good spooky little book.