Book Review: THE SECRET HOUSE

by | Aug 8, 2025 | Author News, Book Reviews, Reviews, The Horror Review News | 0 comments

The Secret House
Gregory Frost
JournalStone Publishing (June 13, 2025)
Reviewed by Andrew Byers

Gregory Frost’s The Secret House is a gripping historical fantasy and occult thriller that masterfully fuses gothic horror with an alternate retelling of a pivotal moment in American political history. Set in the shadowy aftermath of President William Henry Harrison’s abrupt death in 1841, the novel imagines what might have transpired inside the White House during Vice President John Tyler’s sudden ascent to power—not just in terms of political chaos, but in the unsettling possibility of malign supernatural forces at work behind the scenes.

At the heart of the story is James Hambleton Christian, a literate, enslaved man of mixed race owned by the Tyler family, who becomes an unexpected witness—and eventual participant—in a strange and possibly otherworldly conspiracy unfolding within the walls of the Executive Mansion. When Tyler assumes the presidency under ambiguous constitutional circumstances, James is brought to Washington as his personal servant. What he finds there is a decaying house of power filled with uneasy spirits, anxious servants, a scheming sorcerer/occultist, the spirit of a dead man that refuses to rest quietly, and doors that open by themselves onto things that should not be.

Frost’s prose is precise and evocative, bringing to life both the crumbling opulence of the early nineteenth-century White House and the intense claustrophobia of being caught between political intrigue and supernatural dread. His eye for period detail never overwhelms the narrative but enriches it, creating a deeply immersive world. The book’s early chapters, with their vivid depictions of foggy streets, half-lit rooms, and anxious whispers, immediately evoke the mood of classic haunted house tales. But The Secret House is more than a ghost story—it’s also a biting commentary on power, servitude, and the erasures of history.

The novel excels in its portrayal of James, whose intelligence, inner life, and growing desperation give the narrative its emotional weight. His knowledge of Shakespeare, music, and literature sets him apart in a world that refuses to see him as fully human, and his perspective allows Frost to explore the contradictions of a nation built on freedom yet riddled with bondage. The other characters—particularly the imperious and self-absorbed John Tyler, the enigmatic Miss Letitia, and the household staff left behind by Harrison—are rendered with subtlety and complexity, adding depth to the unfolding mystery.

What sets The Secret House apart is its slow, measured build of unease. The horror here is atmospheric rather than overt. Rooms open on their own. Shadows move where none should be. Spiders nest in the chandeliers. And at the center of it all lies the body of President Harrison, whose presence continues to cast a long, uncanny shadow. Frost smartly resists cheap jump scares or conventional genre resolutions. Instead, he crafts a narrative that is both intellectually and emotionally resonant, balancing the demands of historical fiction with the conventions of weird horror.

The Secret House is a bold, imaginative novel that invites comparisons to the works of Victor LaValle and Tananarive Due—writers who similarly blend the supernatural with the legacies of American injustice. Frost’s story is rooted in deep research and historical insight, yet it remains eerie, disorienting, and speculative in the best sense. This is a haunted house novel in which the real ghosts are history, power, and the people America has tried to forget.

A haunting, thought-provoking, and elegantly written book, The Secret House is one of the most original recent American Gothic novels.

 

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