London 1971:
Harry Undine is psychic and its tearing him apart.
When his so-called gift kicks in, the pain can be deep and soul-wrenching - a pain nobody would understand, even if Undine revealed the truth. Which he won't. That sort of sensitivity might be considered 'cool' by hippies and New Age freaks, but its a million miles away from the tough Rat Pack image Undine aspired to when he was growing up.
So Undine keeps his mouth shut as he hunts for a cure- a personal quest more important than the research he is supposed to be carrying out as a paranormal investigator for the Corsi Institute.
Out in the suburbs, WPC Jo Cross is determined to do right by the terrified old lady she promised to help.
Jo approaches the Institute for assistance, and soon Undine's sixth sense is screaming a premonition of danger. But the location Jo describes is notorious, and the Institute team leaps at the opportunity to investigate Mitcham's most infamous haunted house. Undine cannot back out of the investigation, not without admitting his shameful secret.
Meanwhile, on the edge of South London, something more ancient and more horrifying than any of them could imagine has already begun to stir...
This is one of those books that has been in my TBR pile for a shamefully long time but I'm so glad I got round to reading it!
What really grabbed me other than the classic haunted house trope which gets me everything time, was that it was set in the 1970's London. involves a team of ghost hunters and draws from real events!
This tale has all the grittiness of life in 1970's London where men were expected to be tough as nails. I got a lot of vibes of Life on Mars, a British tv show based in the same era. I also think fans of the Rivers of London by Ben Aaronovitch would also really enjoy this.
Henderson does an amazing job of bringing his characters to life, they came across really realistic which amps up the tension as from page one there's a palpable sense of foreboding.
The story kicks off with a bang when Undine and his team are sent out one night to investigate strange goings on in a Soho theatre off Compton Street. The next day is when the real problems start when WPC Jo Cross enters their lives. She's got a case that goes beyond the powers of the Metropolitan Police.
Undine and his team aren't sure if they can take on the haunted house in Mitcham, South London, but this is the big one. It's their only chance at proving once and for all that ghosts do exist. But is a ghost they're dealing with or something much more powerful?
This book was great fun to read. Perfect for fans of really creepy haunted houses!
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