Gillian Flynn is the author of the bestsellers Gone Girl and Sharp Objects, This title, The Grownup, is an odd little novella which originally appeared in a George RR Martin anthology. Printed here in a small hardcover edition, it's a quick 64 page read - a homage to the classic ghost story I read in one night before bed.
A canny young woman works behind the front of a tarot reading shop giving hand jobs. She soon sees the real money is in psychic readings and becomes adept at stringing people along. When Susan tells her about the problems in her house, she offers a custom service to cleanse her home for a nice fee. With a name like Carterhook Manor the Victorian house has a history, and Susan lives with her two sons amidst blood leaking walls and lights that work themselves. She soon realizes her negligible spiritual mumbo-jumbo won't make a dent in the negative aura of the house, and there is more - perhaps the house has inhabited the soul of Susan's teenage stepson - perhaps they all need to get out before they die - or perhaps it's a revengeful ruse concocted by an insane Susan.
This is a slim read, speeds along well. Published in 2015, it won the Mystery Writers of America Edgar Award for best short story. It's all there - an enjoyable romp.
2015 / Hardcover / 64 pages
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