When Samantha Payne’s grandfather dies, she figures she won’t even get a mention in the will. After all, she hasn’t seen him in fourteen years, not since her father took his own life after being accused of murdering a child at their lakefront cottage. Her grandfather always insisted her father was innocent, despite Sam having caught him burying the child’s body, his clothing streaked with blood.
But when she does attend the reading of the will at the behest of her aunt, she discovers that her grandfather left her the very valuable lakefront property where the family cottage sits. There’s one catch: Sam needs to stay in the cottage for a month. To finally face the fact she was wrong and her father was innocent, in her grandfather's words.
Traveling to Paynes Hollow, Sam is faced with the realities of her childhood and the secrets kept hidden in the shadows of her memories. When her aunt goes missing a couple days into their stay, Sam begins to question everything again. Plagued by nightmares and paranoia, she begins hearing sounds in the forest and seeing shapes crawling from the water as the rippling waves of the lake promise something unspeakably dark lurking just below their surface.
What I thought about The Haunting of Paynes Hollow
Sam Payne must live in the family cottage for thirty days to qualify for a ten million dollar inheritance payout. She needs the money -- her mother is ill and needs constant care. Bad things happened at that property and Sam is not all that eager to go there, but she needs the money.
Things get complicated right from the start, with the caretaker having some definite grudges against the Payne family and creepy dead stuff appearing. And the story doesn't let up from there either as things happen that are designed to get Sam to leave and forfeit her inheritance. Who can Sam trust? And what is going on? She gets more clues after a discovery on the property.
I loved the mix of reality and paranormal here, especially the origins of the lake's inhabitants. I especially liked the twisted ending that kept me on the edge of my seat. There are also some very light romantic elements with Sam finding a friend through all of this and there was one point where the horseman made my heart a little squishy. It had all the "feels" as they say.
If you are looking for something scary to read for this Halloween season or anytime, I recommend this. I don't read a lot of horror, but this author is my "go-to" when I'm in the mood for something that will keep me on the edge of my seat. Loved it!
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