Stop me if you've heard this before

So, Lisa W. Cantrell's Torments is less a sequel to her The Manse than it is the second half of the original book. Or more to the point, like Stephen King's It or Douglas Clegg's You Come When I Call You, it's the big bad calling everyone home again to finish what was started two years previously.

In this case though, most of the survivors have stayed in Merrilville, except Vince Colletti and Samantha Evers, both of whom come back early on in the novel; the former is dealing drugs out of Miami, the latter having been hiding in California.

We do get a few new characters, most of whom are in town to deal with the Beaufort House Condominiums being built on the site of the old Manse. The condos have been having issues since construction started, bringing in Sonny, who's both troubleshooting and looking to possibly buy the property. This sets him at odds with Mike, the foreman on the project, who can't quite figure out what's causing all the problems. The Interior Designer of the project, Jennifer, is happy to see Sonny, since he stays in one of the other models, meaning she's not alone at night in the complex, dreaming of a homeless man who keeps trying to warn her away.

We also revisit Pearl Rollins, who keeps getting reminded by Dood's ghost that things ain't finished, and Ted, who's taken Pearl's watch at watching the property through the night, waiting for a sign.

And then we have the missing Jaycee's, who's graves keep coming up empty.

It's a lot of fun to watch as the house rises again and we see what happens when demons get to run normal Haunted House attractions. It's not so fun to watch Sam go running back to her (dead) abusive ex boyfriend. This has always been one of the sticking points for me. Doesn't really help the pathos generated by Ted watching her do it, trapped in molasses fog, really doesn't fit the haunted house setting of the finale.

While this one is better written than the original, and remains a fun read, the multiple plot lines that get resolved a bit too quickly and one or two not so logical actions keep it from being a perfect Halloween read. Still fun.

It's not Halloween until we find out what the ol lady's been doing

So, a bit late in the season, but I finally got to reread Lisa W. Cantrell's awesome Halloween novel, The Manse. 

Set over roughly two years in the small North Carolina town of Merrilville, we meet the Junior Chamber of Commerce and their annual haunted house. Their venue is the old house atop a hill on the outskirts of town, owned by the elderly Beaufort Twins, Miss Bessie and Miss Flossie. Miss Flossie doesn't talk very much, but Miss Bessie is all about trying to get restoration funding for her childhood home, which is filled with tragedies, like the girl who was locked in the basement for 3 days before dying, the gardener who went nuts and killed people, Miss Bessie's Aunt and Uncle who fell and died on the grand staircase...

All of which get used as scenarios in the house as time goes on. See, the Jaycees pay the sisters a stipend and do caretaking in the off season.

Of the Jaycees, we mostly follow around Dood, Tank, Zack, Samantha, and Ted. Zack and Samantha used to be a thing, and it appears that despite the abusive nature at the heart of that relationship, there's always a chance of a rekindling. Ted, lawyer for both the Jaycees and the Beaufort twins, starts dating Samantha about halfway through.

Our first encounter starts in 1997, as the house is closing up on the final night. Tank is hustling some local juvenile delinquents out, when he overhears them discussing a haunt that wasn't part of the house.

We skip to the next Halloween, when the younger brother of one of the JDs goes through the haunt alone. Davey's all of about 8, and too young for what has become a very R rated house. Indeed, we get the house from his perspective, with glowing skeletons guiding people through, and thinking everything is real, vs Dood, who's off duty as a guide and showing us how the tricks work. This also introduces us to everyone else, as Dood walks in on one of Zack and Sam's fights, this time concerning Zack scaring kids in the line. We also get in the head of a trucker driving south through North Carolina from Virginia Eventually Dood and Davey collide, as Dood finds Davey in the Panther room scared out of his mind. Dood gets Davey out of the house and tells him how to get to the exit, so he can save face by making it look like he exited the house like a regular patron. However, he doesn't walk Davey over, so Davey braves the dark alone, and encounters a haunt that's not part of the house as the mermaid fountain tries to eat him. This sends Davey running as fast as he can, which is when his story quite literally collides with that of our lonely trucker.

Over the course of the following year, we follow our principles around, as Dood consults with the local Magical Negro/"I can't believe these stupid crackers" character, Pearl Rollins, who used to work at the Manse when the Twins were in residence. She tells Samantha, Dood, and Ted about how something evil is gestating inside, waiting to be born.

As the year progresses, the twins get declared non compos mentis and their nephew Peter gets control of the estate as of November 1st, after the 13th annual haunted house ends.

Which is what occupies the last part of the book, as the house wakes up and everyone's secrets are laid bare. Including exactly what Miss Bessie's been hiding all these years, as her narrative takes a decidedly Old Hag of the Manor turn.

It's quite a bit of fun, even if the premise isn't exactly original.