Cherie Priest has been producing top-notch mysteries and thrillers for quite a while. Her latest novel, THE DROWNING HOUSE, is a stand-alone and contains all the elements of horror and dark fantasy that I have come to expect from her work.

The action is set on Marrowstone, an island off the coast of Washington State that is not far from Seattle. This is where the summer friendship between Simon, Melissa and Leo began as children and continues to the present day as they’re approaching middle age. Simon lives on Marrowstone year-round with his elderly aunt, Charlotte Culpepper, and they are about to experience something that startles them and will change their lives forever. Tidebury is a fully intact two-story house that washes up on shore one day and becomes ensconced on the beach. Simon and Charlotte run to check out this eerie anomaly, but it will be the last time anyone sees either of them alive again.

"THE DROWNING HOUSE will be difficult to shake and provides some ideas and imagery that only a master of horror and dark fantasy could conjure."

Simon discovers Charlotte’s body, and she is clearly deceased. He calls 911 and phones Melissa and Leo to let them know that Aunt Charlotte is gone. Melissa leaves Seattle, where she now lives and works, and Leo steps away from his realtor job that is not far away, to be with Simon and pay their respects to Charlotte, who was like an aunt to them while they were all growing up together. However, when Melissa and Leo arrive at Simon and Charlotte’s place, no one is there. In fact, Simon disappeared completely after the EMTs took Charlotte’s body.

Melissa and Leo, who have grown apart in recent years, must gather their wits to try to figure out what happened to Simon and what's going on with Tidebury. This is one of the most original storylines I have ever come across, and I read a LOT of horror. To tie everything together, the novel continuously revisits the past because it was during their youth that Simon, Melissa and Leo began to experience some bizarre events that obviously are still impacting the land to this day. After a near-drowning incident in which he was saved by Aunt Charlotte, a young Leo had his sixth sense awakened and believed he saw watery figures in the corners of her home. He also claimed they were always screaming.

Once Melissa and Leo investigate the house that appears out of nowhere, they each get strange feelings about the place. This is only amplified by the creepy pair of eyes looking down on them from the upper level as they make their way around the ground floor. They want to believe that Simon is still out there somewhere, but the local P.D. doesn’t seem terribly interested in a grieving adult suddenly disappearing. They search all his usual haunts, including the lighthouse and a now burned-down spot where they always hung out at as kids. Leo begins to get his feelings again while in Simon’s house, where they're staying, and in Tidebury. He fears that he may be trapped in the same place as the “corner boys” of his youth.

Melissa and Leo are troubled by haunted dreams, and Leo swears he can hear Simon’s voice screaming from somewhere. There are more than a few supernatural elements to please horror fans, and the investigation they conduct becomes a bit of spooky historical mystery tracking that leads to some unexpected results.

I will leave these surprises for the reader to discover. It is indeed chilling and helps Cherie Priest build this story to a stunning conclusion. THE DROWNING HOUSE will be difficult to shake and provides some ideas and imagery that only a master of horror and dark fantasy could conjure.