This was a harrowing thrill ride! Haunted house and/or ghost stories take quite a bit to win me over, but this did in a supreme way. It was a labor of love, as the book was fairly long, but it was paced and executed so perfectly that I couldn’t stop myself from taking my sweet time with it. And by the time you get to the big finale, you’re just dying to see what ends up happening, and boy is it worth the efforts. Molly goes through such a dramatic shift throughout, and you sit in the passenger seat, as she descends into madness. And her poor daughters are just treated as collateral damage. The psychological aspect was spot on and really compelling, as it’s intermingled with The Squatter and farmhouse in such a unique way. Prendergast was utterly creepy and served his purpose as an emotion-lacking antagonist. It was just all done so well. I would’ve d maybe a bit more on her failed restaurant venture, even as a cherished memory with her family as a whole, but that just may be my preference. But I loved this book and highly recommend it to all horror fans!120 s Leeanne 🥀The Graveyard Reader🥀307 142

Wow, what a story! From beginning to end Jonathan Dunne had me gripped, and living within this book. I usually run away from a book which takes around 9 hours to read, but this was written so beautifully with intelligence, and had me bang, right in the middle of all the action. This was so much more than a haunted house story, and gave me the heebiejeebies, throughout. I’m not one to scare easily but this was HELLA scary!! This was my first outing with JD, but it definitely won’t be the last. A very creepy 5 ?????????? and I thoroughly recommend to any horror fan!!
Also reviewed on Amazon!46 s Debra2,697 35.7k

You know the saying, "if it seems too good to be true..."

Molly Greene is having a rough go of it. She had to close her Michelin star restaurant due to the COVID pandemic. She is a single mother of three daughters, so not having another income has crippled her financially. She is still grieving the loss of her husband and son and is doing the best that she can.

When she is offered a home to live in for free for a year, she jumps at it. She makes plans to move and gets a new job. Living for free...hmmm. What's the catch? Well.... there is a squatter living there as well...…..

This was a creepy and fun book for me. I didn't mind the length and enjoyed watching as things get interesting.

Creepy, tense, and unsettling.

I received a copy of this book from the Author and goodreads in a goodreads giveaway. The thoughts and opinions are my own.goodreads-giveaway55 s1 comment Theresa (mysteries.and.mayhem)152 75

This is one of those books I saw mentioned in a few different places and I just had to read it too. Usually I'm just the opposite. If I see too many people talking about a book, I'll put it on the back burner for a while. I'm always afraid it will be over-hyped.

With that said, I started reading The Squatter braced to be disappointed, but that didn't last for long. I fell instantly in love with the Greene family! A hard working mom to three girls loses her Dublin restaurant because of Covid restrictions. She lost her husband and young son in a car accident a couple of years earlier. With few options and even less money, she decides to take a chance on a new job and a too-good-to-be-true offer to move her family into a free farm house in a rural town. But there's a catch! Isn't there always?
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A squatter has been living in the farm house long before the Greene family rolls in. It's not long before the Greenes realize his presence and really spooky things begin to happen. The man living in the gatehouse on the property is just slightly less spooky than the squatter. The townsfolk are strongly opinionated and don't the Greenes' presence in the small town. Did they make the right decision to make the move?

I got so wrapped up in the story I had a couple of long nights, not wanting to put the book down. It also had me checking dark corners in the bedroom before I fell asleep. It's been a while since a book has left me feeling that spooked!

I debated whether I'd let the lack of proofreading in this book lower my rating. Ultimately I decided my rating is how much I enjoyed my experience reading the book. If there weren't so many glaring errors throughout the book, I honestly would have given it five stars. I enjoyed the story that much! But the errors kept jerking my poor brain right out of the story. That is the only reason I'm giving four stars instead of five.haunted-house23 s Carol2,959 114

I knew when I read the line "The house was free" that our single mom, Molly should remember that there is no such thing as a free lunch, much less an entire free house. Something wasn't right. Of course, she didn't listen to me.... or to anyone else for that matter. I began to feel Molly utter frustration with her financial situation, her new business that wasn't doing so well, and how everyone began telling her that "bad things had happened there", but she wanted to provide for her girls, and she was the grand prize winner of this 200-year-old farmhouse. I wondered if she was the ONLY entry in that contest. She heard the warnings but was reluctant to believe there was any such thing as a real haunted house. Ghosts are just Halloween things...right?? I began to suspect that things were going to go wrong fast when a stipulation was put on her winnings of a probationary period to determine if she is the right person for the house. Exactly what was the qualifications for being the right person? She and the girls and their cockatoo Louis, move in and almost immediately things start to go bump in the night. I've read this author before and he always gives a ghost story an extra set of goosebumps and a truckload of chills. This one is no exception. The "ghost-story junkie" loved it. The ghost wasn't especially malevolent. However, the fact it was a ghost, and it was "in your face there"...was enough. "The Squatter" was eventually identified and Molly wanted to help...but could she? Could anyone? I'm not telling. You'll just have to read the story to find out.23 s Priskah303 174

3,0 ???

(Audiobook)horror n-a15 s Amber115 14

As a fan of both horror and Jonathan Dunne’s previous novels The Squatter ended up being quite the experience. As much as I love Dunne’s almost lyrical style writing the power and strength of his work will always be defined by his characters. He can flesh out a complex, quirky, sometimes distasteful character in just a few chapters.

I loved the atmosphere of the house. I loved the family dynamic. I loved every creepy moment (undulating black masses every time) that sent those little electric chills I find so addicting. favorites horror paranormal-urban-fantasy14 s Jonnie Schnier Pieper28 1 follower

This was my first book to read by this Author. I thought it was well written and a thrilling novel. Kept me on the edge of my seat - I really enjoyed it. I really d the characters! I will definitely be checking to see what else he has written. 13 s Daniel431 83

4.5 stars ...

This was superfun! I went in with low expectations after buying a 5-audiobook 'Old Castle' set for 99 cents ... never heard of the author before. However, I thoroughly enjoyed this (the first book in the set) very much ... quite original and entertaining! Now I'm really lookin' forward to the other four books.
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