Have you ever sat down to read a book without checking out the summary on the back of the book first? How about starting a book without ever hearing of the author before and not even knowing what their gender is? I came at Under The House with this approach and I was happy with the idea of not knowing what to be prepared for.

This first novel from a yet unknown writer, R. S. Hill, is published by 1^s' Books. Yes, one of those Print-on-Demand book publish­ers that many frown at and state that 99% of their titles are garbage. Under The House would fall under the 1% of POD books that is anything but garbage.

The story opens with Miranda Lee Mitchell, an eccentric widowed housewife who is not only haunted by her past, but also of the ghosts that inhabit her house. We are then introduced to Miranda's next door neighbor and partner in crime, Gerty, who, when paired with Miranda, make a hilari­ous team who fight, bicker, complain, and reek havoc wherever they go. One scene in particular of the two in a restaurant had me laughing out loud.

Shortly after getting to know Miranda and Gerty, we learn of another character, Stacie Morgan, a criminal psychology/inves­tigation student who has ghosts from her own past haunting her.

The two plot lines are joined together by the Hitchcock Hacker, a serial killer whose young victims return from the dead through a magical vine that runs under Miranda's house and whose famous crimes inspire a copycat killer Stacie investigates through the agency she has accepted an internship from.

Miranda is the only one who can seek revenge for the victims that haunt her house. Her mission is to visit the victims' families and end their suffering in exchange for reconciling her own sins, spreading precious memories by planting seeds that she collected from the organic afterlife paradise under her house.

Stacie on the other hand is on a totally different mission. Controlled telepathically by the Hacker, she is in search for the mother who rejected him while at the same time seeking out the mother who abandoned her.

Secrets, lies, and surprises surface in handfuls while Miranda and Stacie are on their separate quests to stop the copycat killer from striking again and from finding the truth and the ugly lies that lay buried in the Hitchcock Hackers past.

Once starting this page-turner, it is impossible to put down as it is a mix of a haunting ghost story, a thrilling mystery and a roller coaster ride with unexpected plunges. With a cast of characters you fall in love with, a plot that moves and will entertain you for hours, a writing style comparable to the greats of the genre and humor as sharp as a nail, R. S. Hill has proven he is a writer to watch out for. This fine volume will forever hold a special place on my bookshelf.

Reitan's review appeared in Cemetery Dance Magazine Issue #48