Jonathan Janz

When David Caine, a celebrated skeptic of the supernatural, is invited by an old friend to spend a month in "the most haunted house in Virginia," he believes the case will be like any other. But the Alexander House is different. Built by a 1700s land baron to contain the madness and depravity of his eldest son, the house is plagued by shadows of the past and the lingering taint of bloodshed. David is haunted, as well. For twenty-two years ago, he turned away the woman he loved, and she took her life in sorrow. And David suspects she's followed him to the Alexander House.FLAME TREE PRESS is the new fiction imprint of Flame Tree Publishing. Launching in 2018 the list brings together brilliant new authors and the more established; the award winners, and exciting, original voices.

The Siren and the Specter

Michelle S

David Caine is a paranormal investigator -more of a debunker, really- who has been invited by an old friend to spend a month in the Alexander House and write a book about it. As a die-hard skeptic, David is convinced that disproving the haunting will be a walk in the park. However, as strange occurrences pile up, David’s conviction begins to shake. And when he comes across a strangely familiar island, he starts to believe that he himself might be haunted… by a ghost from his past. David must navigate resurfacing feelings of grief and guilt, while trying to disentangle the mystery of the Alexander House. But in a town full of unusual characters, can he trust anyone at all?

The good:
- I just love the “skeptic paranormal investigator starts having doubts” trope. 
- Good cast of clearly defined characters. A decent variety of personalities, ages and backgrounds made the story quite interesting.
- Very good tension building, things escalate slowly but steadily. Throughout the book I kept imagining multiple possible twists and turns, and only got a few right!
- I enjoyed getting little glimpses of David’s inner monologue. The most interesting aspects of his character were contained in this quick involuntarily thoughts, rather than in his voluntary actions. 

The bad:
- Near the end of the story some supernatural scenes are so over the top that they are no longer scary and become borderline ridiculous. It was like when a horror movie shows the monster for a bit too long and the charm is lost. 
- There were too many storylines and themes happening at the same time and ultimately, I felt like some of them didn’t really contribute anything substantial to the story.
- Yes, I know I said I love the “skeptic” trope, but 1. there was barely any paranormal investigation in the story and 2. I was still hoping for a less predictable ending…

The Siren and the Specter

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