The Pariah by Graham Masterton, A Great Classic Horror Masterpiece

British Graham Masterton, known for books like The Prey or The Manitou, is an excellent (yet sadly underrated) horror author, a treasure for fans of scary stories. His atmospheric novel The Pariah can scare the reader out of their wits. Moreover, the suspense-horror book is highly entertaining, beautifully written, the plot is intriguing, characterisation is great and colourful, thus I recommend The Paria even those who are not fond of horror genre. But do remember it IS still scary.



Jane and John Trenton, a newly wed couple move into a peaceful little town in Massachusetts. Soon Jane dies in a tragic car accident. John feels shocked about the sudden loss, he believes he can see strange phenomena in his new home: objects are moving without any explanation, and when he watches photos Jane’s photograph self is moving and changing right front of his eyes (no, this is not Harry Potter). John misses his deceased wife so desperately that he is almost delighted to see that she comes back from the dead. However, soon he realises that the new Jane Trenton is different. John learns that many other persons in town also see dismal apparitions. One of the townsmen soon ends up impaled on a still hanging chandelier (how it was possible was beyond his comprehension until he learned about the nature of the evil that plagues the place…), and many more residents meet a gory and violent death. The little town, Granitehead, is not so tranquil as it initially seemed: something sinister haunts it. Centuries ago a trader David Dark sank near the shores, and aboard was an odd cargo that has to do something with ancient Aztec legends…

Product description and summary of The Pariah:
The quaint little seaside town of Granitehead seemed like a perfect place for John and Jane Trenton to start their life together. But disaster strikes and Jane and their unborn child are killed. John's grief is total, so when he starts to see the ghostly apparition of his wife he almost welcomes this supernatural phenomenon. Yet all is not what it seems, and this sinister spirit is not Jane, but something altogether evil and terrifying. In a bid to rid himself of this horrific spectre he soon finds that many more in the town have been victims of unwanted visitations. And when he discovers the body of a local busybody, impossibly impaled on a still hanging chandelier, he knows something must be done. But how do you kill the undead? As he searches for an explanation he uncovers a link to a mysterious ship, lost around the time of the nearby Salem witch trials. For three centuries the rotting wreck of the David Dark has lain beneath waves, but an awful secret is concealed in the chill waters...