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In Cape May on the Jersey Shore is an old Victorian bed and breakfast with a lot of history—and the ghosts to prove it. The Abbadon Inn invites you into its dark grasp from the very first chapters of Twisted Branch, the first of the Abbadon Inn trilogy.
In Twisted Branch, we get the haunting story of a teacher, Sam, who left his previous teaching job under the threat of scandal. Sam settles into the Abbadon Inn to home school the new owner’s somewhat disturbed, definitely different, son. Sam finds his name in the original 19th century register and sets off a chain of events that lead to terrifying results. He begins to understand that the horror that is the Abbadon begins with its founder, Nicholas Abbadon, back in the 1850s, and with Sam’s own ancestor from the days of slavery. Terrifying and twisted, this book is aptly named.
The novels of the Abbadon Inn are actually written by three different authors writing under the collective name of Chris Blaine, and Twisted Branch was the work of Elizabeth Massie (whose work I hadn’t read before but will definitely look into now). This book put me through a variety of emotions. At times it was uncomfortable to read, especially the climax. However, it was always entertaining, tense, scary, and smart. Truthfully, this was one of few novels that actually caused me to have trouble falling asleep.
Fans of darker horror by authors such as Peter Straub will enjoy this book, but beware that there are a few scenes not for the squeamish. If you’re looking for an engrossing book that sends chills up your spine and has you jumping at the shadows dancing around your bedroom, Twisted Branch should be on your must-read list.
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