Help for the Haunted
by John Searles
reviewed by Alyssa Valdivia
Help for the Haunted by John Searles takes a different approach on the thriller portion of the mystery book. Help for the Haunted follows the story of Sylvie and Rose. Sylvie and Rose had an unusual childhood compared to other children. Their parents had the unusual job of helping people and “haunted souls”. Sylvie and Rose’s parents are very religious which support their beliefs of evil spirits in their line of work. Sylvie is the youngest of the two sisters. She is seen as the “perfect child” in her parent’s eyes. Sylvie always tries to please her parents and do what is right. Rose is the oldest daughter. Rose is always trying to go against her parent’s wishes. She rebels against her parent’s religious beliefs as well. Help for the Haunted is a thriller and a mystery. It leaves you wondering why something happened or what will happen next. The two sisters are faced with the harsh reality when their parents have been murdered. Rose becomes distant and begins to ignore Sylvie, leaving her to fend for herself. They learn that their parents job was a factor in their death. As the story continues we learn more of the truth behind their parent’s death. John Searles does an excellent job of wanting to know what will happen next. The suspense in the story allows the reader to ask questions and make predictions. The author moves back and forth between the past and the present, letting the reader now more about their situation.
Help for the Haunted
by John Searles
reviewed by Skylar Bowyer
Help for the Haunted by John Searles follows the life of Sylvie Mason and her somewhat “average” family. Sylvie has one sister named rose and two parents with an unordinary occupation, helping the haunted find peace in the afterlife, also known as demonologists. Both Sylvie and Rose grow up having a somewhat normal life apart from their parents. In the beginning of the book Sylvie’s life turns upside down when her parents are lured to an old church in search of a “haunted soul” to help. Her parents are later shot and killed in the church with no evidence of who the killer is.
Throughout the rest of the book Searles skips back and forth to events that happen before her parents murder and then fast forwards back to the present. The search for the Mason parents killer continues and Sylvie begins to uncover new clues about the murderer. Along the way, Sylvie meets new people and discovers new things about her family’s history, eventually uncovering the secrets to the night of the killing.
The book was filled with clues and intimations to keep the readers guessing and interested. However, I felt that the book dragged on way too long and contained information and chapters that were useless to the ending of the story. Another reason why I don’t think I liked this book very much was because of the cliché ghost stories that I have already read many times. This book does not go on my favorite list, but perhaps someone with more interest in this genre would find this book appealing and spellbinding.
