The No-End House By Jeremy Bates, Book Review

The No-End House by Jeremy Bates

The No-End House is a lesson in expectations. From the description, I expected a very different book than the one I received. In particular the lines: “[The No-End House] knows his darkest secrets. It feeds his greatest fears. It makes him do things he would never do. And there is no end to what he will do . . . to make it out alive” made me believe this would be a Saw-esque book where we would follow our main character on a dark and thrilling ride where he did unspeakable things, but that is not what the book delivers. The ride we go on is still exciting and alarming, but definitely not like Saw.

Joe Hadfield recently lost his wife in a truly horrific manner, and his grief over her death has driven him to abandon his home to literally walk around the world. Weeks deep into this journey, he meets Helen, a mysterious stranger with demons of her own. The two of them hit it off, and when they hear about the challenge of the No-End House, they decide to take it on. Irrevocably bound together by the terrors of the house, they work together to confront their pasts and try to escape.

There is a lot of imagination on display in this book. There is no way to guess what is coming next. The No-End House consists of 9 escape-style rooms that the characters need to escape. The rooms are unrelated and do not build on each other in a predictable way, but there is a logic to the selection of each one. I really enjoyed this aspect as it definitely kept me on my toes. Some of the rooms were more interesting than the others, and my particular favourites are the jungle and the final room.

One area, however, that the book fell short for me was in the relationship between the characters. Helen and Joe are attracted to each other, but their romance and chemistry is strained. At first it stalls because Joe isn’t ready to move on after his wife – a totally believable reason, and Helen handles that well. The process of his grief and learning to be open to something new is well done, but as the book progresses, it gets harder and harder to see him with Helen.

All they do is bicker, and not in a sexy enemies-to-lovers Sam and Diane from Cheers way, but in an annoying, constant way. They don’t listen to each other and at times, it’s hard to believe they even like each other at all. That said, it’s not a constant feature and not enough to ruin the story. It was just enough to elicit a few cries of “come on” from me as I kept hurriedly turning pages, wanting to see what’s next.

Overall, this is a fun book to read. The imagination and variety are more than enough to carry the story. Just don’t go in expecting Saw or anything resembling normal escape room puzzles.

The No-End House by Jeremy Bates

In the tradition of Saw and Eli Roth’s Hostel, but with the evil supernatural twists of Stephen King, Alma Katsu, and Christopher Golden, two strangers unwittingly volunteer for the ultimate haunted house challenge in Barcelona’s Gothic Quarter.

Nine rooms. Nine tests. One chance to get out alive. No one makes it to the end of The No-End House.

Bestselling author Jeremy Bates invites you to spend the night in The No-End House. Where the nightmares begin as soon as you enter—and the terror never ends . . .

It’s the ultimate haunted house challenge. A crumbling stone mansion nestled in the Gothic Quarter of Barcelona, it may be the best-kept secret in Europe—a little-known attraction featuring nine escape rooms to explore, nine puzzles to solve, and a large cash prize for anyone who makes it to the end. There’s just one catch: no one makes it to the end of The No-End House. . . .

When Joe Hadfield hears about the house from a pair of backpackers, he’s intrigued but not interested. He’s trying to escape a nightmare of his own: the trauma of witnessing his wife’s grisly death. Traveling the world to ease his pain and grief, he meets a beautiful stranger named Helen who convinces him to try The No-End House challenge together. Joe reluctantly agrees. But as soon as they enter its walls, meet its mysterious host—and sign an ominous contract—Joe begins to understand the seductive power of The No-End House . . .

It knows his darkest secrets. It feeds his greatest fears. It makes him do things he would never do. And there is no end to what he will do . . . to make it out alive.

Purchase a copy here

Author

Melody E. McIntyre
Melody lives in Ontario, Canada and writes short, speculative fiction that has been published by several small presses. She is also an avid reviewer who writes reviews and articles for The Horror Tree, as well as on her blog. Melody is a member of Sisters in Crime and is the secretary for the Ontario chapter of the Horror Writers Association. She earned her Master of Arts studying Ancient Greek and Roman Studies and often infuses her work with elements of Greek mythology. In her day job she works as a legal assistant and in her spare time, she loves reading, embroidery, and martial arts.
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