Berkley Street 1

Here I am, with another book review, this time the horror genre. To be honest, this is my first read of this genre so it was a new experience for me; this review being the third book review on my blog.

Settled in New England, the author Ron Ripley is designated to be an Amazon bestseller and is also one of the top 40 authors of horror stories. As a kid, he lived in a house situated near a large cemetery, because of which he always slept scared. He had experienced all the creepy incidents staying near that cemetery which explains a lot about his skill in writing horror.
Apart from the horror genre, he is skilled in writing about military history. He grew up riding through the small historic towns of New England and always enjoyed the stories of the old times. He was always up for sharing those historic lectures with his family but unfortunately, he never had the right audience.

His work in the horror genre includes several series. Some of them are Berkley Street Series, Moving In, Ghost Stories, The Boylan House Trilogy, Collecting Death, Haunted Collection, Haunted Village, Tormented Souls, and many more.

Okay, so here’s how it goes. The story walks you back and forth the past and present life of the main character Shane Ryan who’s back in his town and into his haunted house, 125 Berkley Street. He had just won his parents’ house, the case he had been fighting against his Uncle Rick and Aunt Rita, whom he had started to dislike even more since the case began. The case began 20 years ago when Shane’s parents, Hank and Fiona Ryan, had suddenly disappeared and he was accused, by his Uncle and Aunt, to be involved in their disappearance.

Shane had moved into the haunted house with his parents when he was just a kid. They had bought this historic property for its enormous appearance and antiquity. Soon after moving into the house, Shane started experiencing incidents that had no explanation at all; like the smell of rot, death, and blood all over the place. The strange heaviness in the air, feeling of being watched all the time, and those whispers from inside the walls. Shane started observing the difference in his and his parents’ appearance since they moved here to live with the ghosts; their sleep-deprived eyes, sunken cheeks, and the pale skin.

With time he was able to find out that their house was haunted not by one, two, or three, but by an unimaginable number of ghosts who had been captive here in this old house since the time it was first built. Aside the whispers, sudden movement of the objects at night, the unexplained flickering of lights, and the sudden thuds in the walls were some other incidents that made Shane look for answers.

Returning back to the haunted house brought back all those scary and creepy memories he had since his childhood. He learnt about the various stories behind the haunting of the house by talking to the ghosts and eventually making friends with some. He was now focused on finding his parents who, he was sure, had been taken in by the HOUSE.

In the process of finding his parents, he came to know more stories about the house and the ghosts. Discovering new places in the house, taking on deadly risks, and facing his greatest fear, he finally finds his parents.

The story might not give you chills enough for you but will surely keep you hooked to it, taking you on the journey along. The mysteries and his experiences are worth the read. Some portions of the story are interesting as they show a different version from what we would expect of the horror genre. The stories of all characters, living or dead, run separated yet linked to each other.

If I were to rate the book on a scale of 1-10, 1 being the lowest and 10 being the highest, I would rate Berkley Street: Supernatural Horror with Scary Ghosts & Haunted Houses (Berkley Street Series: Book 1) by Ron Ripley, 7 points for keeping the reader hooked till the end, for keeping the various stories in sync, and for maintaining the storyline stuck to the main plot at all times. So, I guess that makes it worth a try for the ones looking for a horror read.

LENNART