Cherie Priest has had a prolific career creating much-loved dark fantasy and horror. Her latest effort, IT WAS HER HOUSE FIRST, is straight supernatural horror and a nice take on the haunted house genre.

The book opens with an excerpt from 1932 as Inspector Bartholomew Sloan is sharing the facts as he sees them concerning the execution of his dear friend, Oscar Amundson. Oscar had been given the death penalty for allegedly pushing his wife, silent film star Venita Rost, off a cliff behind their property that resulted in her death. Bartholomew claims that Venita set up Oscar by taking her own life so that he would be punished. These events all took place within the mansion and grounds owned by Venita and Oscar in California --- which is also where their young daughter, Priscilla, tragically passed away in an accident for which Venita always blamed Bartholomew.

"Cherie Priest subtly mixes in just enough supernatural elements to fuel this story of grief, mourning and revenge with a very satisfying ending."

Bartholomew was befriended by Oscar and often stayed at their mansion, which he ended up owning following their deaths. Venita left behind a final message to Bartholomew cursing him and letting him know that the place would always belong to her.

Now, in the present day, this deeply troubled piece of property has been purchased by Veronica “Ronnie” Mitchell, a grieving woman who just wants a change. Ronnie doesn’t care about the mansion’s sordid history; in fact, she welcomes ghosts if they indeed exist. But before this story is over, she may learn to be more careful about what you wish for. She is still dealing with the tragic death of her brother, Ben, who was battling cancer at the time he perished in a house fire. He left behind his fiancée, Kate, who is now Ronnie’s only friend. Kate helps her move to her new haunted mansion and often stays there with her.

Ronnie blames herself for Ben’s death. She believes that had she not been medicated at the time of the fire, she could have saved his life before the cancer claimed him. This guilt makes her numb to the penance that she will now endure via the spirits that still haunt the house and may not want her there. She finds Venita’s diary, and it makes for some remarkably interesting and eye-opening reading.

Ronnie also entertains a one-time neighbor of the mansion, Coty, who claims to be Bartholomew’s great-nephew. She and Kate learn much more about the history of the property from him. Coty slowly integrates himself into the place on a regular basis and may even have designs on Kate. Ronnie listens to the various spirits of the house that come to her both in dreams and during her waking hours. She finds out that Coty may not be telling the entire truth about his intentions.

IT WAS HER HOUSE FIRST may not be nightmare-inducing horror, but it is intricately plotted and a unique take on thrillers that revolve around haunted houses. Cherie Priest subtly mixes in just enough supernatural elements to fuel this story of grief, mourning and revenge with a very satisfying ending.