Mort's Reviews > How to Sell a Haunted House

HOW TO SELL A HAUNTED HOUSE – GRADY HENDRIX

Full review available at The Mort Report:
https://www.uncomfortablydark.com/bla...

When it comes to characterization, a good author can make his characters believable in their actions and dialogue. A great author can make you wonder if he actually lived their lives. Guess where Hendrix falls…

Look, I am going to get this out of the way at the start: This is a 400 page novel with a lot of character development. For those who are looking for a fast, back-to-back action story, this one is going to annoy you. You become part of these characters’ lives before the horror starts.

Also, while there is still some humor here, it might be little less than the usual Grady Hendrix story.
There might be more of an ‘adult’ feel for those who have judged his previous work as not serious enough for their taste.

And that’s where I am going to draw my line in the sand:
While this is the longest (and probably slowest) story I have read this year, I thought it was fucking brilliant. The second half of this novel picks up the pace and action, and it makes the journey with the characters worthwhile.

So…in this one we have puppets. While some might say it is a lost art form, most people don’t get the appeal in the digital age anymore. Which might make it hard for some people to relate – the relationship between puppet and human, that is – and the magic it can create.

And I have to admit, I am not one who can get swept up in puppet magic. But, for everything you don’t get about art, there are always the exceptions to the rules.
What’s the point I’m trying to make, you ask? Somewhere, out there, beneath the…oops, getting carried away.

Okay, let’s take something that is generally considered…well, shit?
Mimes.
Now, you only get three kinds of people in the world.
The first hates mimes.
The seconds don’t hate them, but if their car lost control and they were about to plunge into a crowd of people, they will be aiming for the mime.
The third are mimes themselves, who would fall into the first category because they hate the competition but they have an intense love of themselves.

However, have you heard of David Armand?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rPlSW...
(For those of you who couldn’t see the link, Google “David Armand Torn”)
What this guy has done with famous songs is beyond hilarious. I have watched this about a thousand times and it never stopped being funny. Do yourself a favor, watch his other stuff on YouTube too – he is brilliant! In fact, I am willing to bet that most people who have seen him will swerve away from him if they are the second person and aim for James Blunt…okay, bad example, most people will aim for him to start with, but let’s not offend any fans of other celebrities…

So, whether you like mimes (secretly, of course) or not, this guy is entertaining enough to become famous for miming and I think he is brilliant.

And the secret is this; write a story about a mime getting killed and most readers would not care. But write a character like David Armand getting killed and the fans will riot.

Which brings me back to my point (finally) – I don’t care for puppets or puppeteers, really, but I cared about every single one of these characters in this book.
And that’s what Grady Hendrix does so well, especially in this story.

I’m not going to say much more – read the blurb, heed my warning and don’t bitch about this one taking a while to get going. For the story that was told, I can’t think of anyone being able to do it better.

5 and a half STARS!!