Book Summary and Reviews of Coram House by Bailey Seybolt

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jillg

Haunting and Inspired by True Events
CORAM HOUSE
By Bailey Seybolt

You can leave Coram House but you can’t leave it behind.

3.5 stars
In 2016 Alex Kelley, a true crime writer hoping to redeem herself from her last book, takes a job as a ghostwriter for a book revolving around the shadowy inheritance of the Catholic orphanage, Coram House, in Vermont. For generations there have been stories of abuse and the disappearance of a boy named, Tommy, at the orphanage back in 1968. As Alex delves into the mysteries she becomes overly obsessive and a bit of a nuisance with authorities. Did Tommy actually exist? Her investigation takes a chilling turn when Alex discovers a body near the lake and believes it has something to do with Coram House. The past just won’t stay buried.

There is a gothic vibe in the eerie setting of Coram House on Lake Champlain with the cemetery next to it. A debut inspired by true events. I liked the atmosphere and setting of the story. It is a slow-burn suspense/thriller with some twists and turns, and a lot of red herrings. I didn’t connect with the MC; probably because she was so complex and scattered all the time. I thought for a debut it was a pretty good read. I will keep an eye out for what she does next.

Elizabeth

Elizabeth@Silver'sReviews - DO NOT MISS - a good ending twist
I have been asked to ghostwrite a book about an orphanage and what happened there even though my first book was not a success?

Alex always had an interest in history and researching.

Researching Coram House about the abuse and specifically the drowning of Tommy, a child at the orphanage, and Sarah who was pushed out of a window, was difficult with no one wanting to give out much information when interviewed.

Based on a true story, Alex delves into what really happened to Tommy and Sarah, and then a body and another body is found.

What do these two incidents have in common?

Is this death connected to Tommy's all those years ago and Alex’s “digging?”

It looks as if writing a book is turning into everyone who is being investigated turning up murdered.

Will she be able to write this book or will she be the next body to be found?

Is she getting too close to what really happened with all the people she is researching?

Well written, engaging, and heartbreaking, Coram House is an outstanding debut with its detail and storyline.

A good twist at the end. 5/5

Thank you to the publisher for a copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

Trisha

An emotional story - about an orphanage that didn't care for it's children and an author that comes to dig it all up years later.
Alex is in a rough spot in her life. She had a smash hit with her first book but the second one has brought public outrage as she researched a crime and then got it all wrong. So this third book she's been invited to come research, she is hoping this will be the one to get her out of this rut. It's also a distraction since her husband passed and she's still struggling with her grief.

But the story is a very sad one. In 1968, the old orphanage in this town was accused of drowning one of their children. There is also rampant allegations of abuse and a long ago settled lawsuit. So Alex isn't necessarily welcomed with open arms in the town as no one is excited to bring this old subject up again.

This was a very compelling mystery. It was a bit slow burn when I first started so I flipped to an audio and it picked the story right up. I found Alex a bit unreliable - she was quick to finger 'who done it' and was constantly moving her allegations around. It was consistent, though, and went along with the drama that was following her from her book 2. I found the back and forth timeline and the added pieces from the interviews such an enriching part of the story and it really pulled me in. I loved the misaligned accounts because memory is murky and it added to the creepy feel to the past and what all happened. The ending was a nice wrap up. Full staff audio - it was great, I highly recommend!

A huge thank you to the author and publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.