Gethsemane Hall – By David Annandale

“With Gethsemane Hall, Winnipeg writer David Annadale has created that rarest of books: a genuinely chilling horror novel. And a fresh take on the hoary old haunted house novel, no less...Gethsemane Hall is a slowly tightening noose of a novel, the carefully measured tension beginning with the pedestrian stuff of bad dreams and mysterious sounds in the dark, and building steadily until finally exploding in an imaginative Grand Guignol release.”

Quill & Quire
July 1, 2012

“Gethsemane Hall is a cerebral sort of horror, briefly hinting at what’s to come with only visceral moments of violence and blood to punctuate the unsettling tone that hangs over each word. The tension spikes suddenly at appropriate, organic moments that never feel forced or tacked on out of necessity…Even as you read the text, there is no obvious solution to the mystery. This is not a predictable, expository story nor is it a simple mystery to unravel. The questions continue to build as the story goes on in conjunction with the growth, or deconstruction, of the characters and comes to what is simply a disturbingly satisfying conclusion. Like all good horror, Gethsemane Hall plays tricks on the mind as you read before it decides to let you walk away.”

August 13, 2012

“Fans of literary horror have been waiting for a haunted-house story this smart for a long time.”

Winnipeg Free Press
August 18, 2012

"As ghost hunters and debunkers explore the hall, braving cold spots, unearthly screams, and a shared nightmare, it is a hidden staircase that lures readers and characters both into the belly of the beast that is Gethsemane Hall. As they spiral down together, Annandale ascribes reptilian, malevolent presence to mere steps, leading ultimatley to the terror that is the real dark power beneath Gethsemane Hall".

Prairie Books Now

“A creepy thriller with a devastating conclusion. Highly recommended.”

Rue Morgue horror magazine

“Compelling, a little frightening and amazingly inventive, a new and powerful take on the old haunted house story…Annandale has created a house that lives and breathes and constantly shows new and terrifying facets of itself as the tension builds.”

Star Phoenix

“Annandale has taken the cliche and turned it into a high concept, and lived up to his ambition by nailing the execution. His characters are fully formed and carefully assembled into a complex puzzle of disparate convictions. Everyone in the Hall knows how the world works, even as the Hall itself works to unravel their ironclad truths. The story is deliberately paced, an inexorable crawl from ignorance to terrible enlightenment. Under Annandale's pen, nightfall is once again a time to be feared, while the safety of daylight is slowly bled away, until the familiar comfort of the sun is nothing but a cruel joke.”

McNallyRobinson.com