I Bought a Haunted Church by Sam Whittaker

Ben has a dream and a plan. He’s just bought an old, disused church and will turn it into a thriving coffee bar. There’s just one problem: these grounds aren’t so holy. Strange and sinister whispers drift from dark corners. Accidents befall the work crew. There’s the hideous, massive spider lurking in the dark bell tower. And what’s up with that locked door in the basement that no one, not even the former pastor, knows anything about?

As the mystery surrounding the tragedy of what happened at the church over twenty years ago unfolds, Ben and those around him are thrown into peril. For evil entities hide in the shadows, watching and waiting for their moment to strike. Can Ben uncover the truth of what stalks him in his new home, or will he and his friends be swallowed up by the wicked presence haunting the halls of the abandoned church?

Frankly, this was a massively enjoyable and entertaining story. The strong story, focusing on the early stages of the purchase and getting everything ready for the conversion of the church into a coffee shop, makes for a great starting point that focuses on the relationship that transpires as the couple starts bringing the supplies over and begins renovations. Featuring the type of overlong build-up involving the initial walk-through of the house, the early attempts at redesigning the layout of the location, and the conversations that take place within their relationship about how to deal with the various spaces within the building, there’s a generally fun setup in play to let the horror slowly start creeping in.

That comes into play with a fantastic second half that throws in plenty of over-the-top material to enhance this feature. The slow build-up involving the way the cat keeps intruding on their lives sets this up incredibly well, to the point that the introduction of the supernatural ghost is a fun step that carries the book along nicely. The use of traumatic content featuring the backstory of her family coming into play as an extra threat, which is immensely chilling and engaging, as it leads to the discovery of the cult at work at the location. The series of action-packed encounters in the basement and surrounding parts of the church grounds is a lot of fun, keeping things frenetic enough that it doesn’t overwhelm the rest of the content here.

4.5/5