There are haunted houses, and then there is the kind of haunted house that Grady Hendrix imagines. The latter is full of creepy dolls and a violent puppet fueled by family secrets, loss, loneliness and fear. HOW TO SELL A HAUNTED HOUSE finds Hendrix at the top of his game with a bloody, and often laugh-out-loud funny, new tale of horror.

Louise has built a life for herself in San Francisco, far away from her hometown of Charleston. She loves her parents and extended family. But her childhood home was claustrophobic, and she and her brother, Mark, grew farther and farther apart as they got older. Mark stuck close to home and, in Louise’s view, took advantage of their kind-hearted parents, who seemed to think he could do no wrong. So when he calls out of the blue, she assumes he needs money or has landed himself in jail. Instead he tells her that their parents died in a car accident, and she needs to come home right away.

"HOW TO SELL A HAUNTED HOUSE is wacky yet scary, infused with southern charm and striking a balance that is Grady Hendrix’s signature style. This is a wonderfully weird and harrowing story of pain and healing."

This is devastating for Louise, and she doesn’t do a great job of explaining the situation to her five-year-old daughter, Poppy. But returning home to deal with the funeral and estate arrangements with Mark is an additional frustration. However, when strange things start happening to Louise in the house, they soon realize that they are in real danger. From a puppet.

Louise and Mark’s mother, Nancy, had a Christian puppet ministry. The star of her show, and the puppet she adored the most, was Pupkin. Louise and Mark never loved Pupkin the way that she did, and now that she’s gone, he seems even scarier than he was when they were children. Could it be that Pupkin is alive? Perhaps possessed by a demon or brought to life by some loss or trauma? Somehow he is able to move and inflict harm, and Louise and Mark are his targets --- that is, until he comes for Louise’s daughter. The siblings have to work together, maybe for the first time in their lives, to save themselves and Poppy. To do this, they must confront their mother’s puppeteering legacy, along with a dark family secret, and battle Pupkin before it’s too late.

Horrific dolls are prevalent in movies, but less so in horror novels. Pupkin is a welcome addition to the genre, bringing slasher-film vibes to the book’s tongue-in-cheek frights. There are plenty of cinematic scenes here, as well as jump scares. But this is a haunting story with heart. Louise and Mark have to a take a close look at themselves, their parents and each other in order to successfully battle Pupkin. Luckily they are supported by a fantastic cast of aunts and cousins who are willing to accept the fact that a devilish puppet is wreaking havoc. Louise and Mark learn it is true that your past can haunt you, and readers may come away with a well-earned fear of seemingly innocent puppets.

HOW TO SELL A HAUNTED HOUSE is wacky yet scary, infused with southern charm and striking a balance that is Grady Hendrix’s signature style. This is a wonderfully weird and harrowing story of pain and healing.