REVIEWED: FLOATING STAIRCASE BY RONALD MALFI
FLOATING STAIRCASE by Ronald Malfi / Signed Limited Edition from Thunderstorm Books (August 11, 2011), Paperback (shipping now) and Ebook from Medallion Press / 464 pp.
There is something truly and profoundly unnerving about the disappearance of a child: one moment he’s there next to you, playing, being a kid and the next he’s nowhere to be found. FLOATING STAIRCASE is a captivating story about a moderately successful author, Travis Glasgow, thrown into an unsolved mystery haunting the small town of Westlake, Maryland. Secrets run deep here and as Travis will soon find out, the lake that his property sits on is not quite what it seems and his house is not quite empty.
Prompted by his brother Adam (and the desire to patch their tumultuous relationship), Travis and his wife Jodie relocate from their flat in London to a modest house just down the street from his brother’s place. And although in need of some fixing up, the house itself is perfect and picturesque in a simple, quiet town. But the room in the basement… there’s something deeply unsettling about this room that Travis can’t put his finger on. It’s clearly made for a little boy but why so far removed from the rest of the house? As the first few nights go by, Travis’ sanity begins to unravel. His own personal demons, which were for the most part suppressed in London, have taken over and the fine line between reality and insanity has become blurred.
FLOATING STAIRCASE is an outstanding achievement in the supernatural horror genre. Ronald Malfi’s writing style is smart and intelligent yet exciting and fast paced enough to get you fired up for the next chapter. The excellent use of description lends a very “real” feel to this story and at times I found myself looking around the room as I was reading just to make sure I was in fact alone. Suspenseful? Yes. Creepy? Definitely. Enjoy this awesome book but please take my advice… read it in the daytime.
- Jordan Norton