It Was Her House First by Cherie Priest
Poisoned Pen Press
July 22, 2025
Cherie Priest’s It Was Her House First has all the bones for a great ghost story. An old house with a dark past meets a grieving sister who simply wants to renovate the place. The fate of the last owner, a house flipper who’d died of a heart attack and literally melted through the floor, might be a bad omen; but Ronnie doesn’t believe in ghost stories. She inflates an air mattress and gets to work organizing the major renovations that need to occur before the house is livable.
Ronnie isn’t stupid. She’s a realist, and also a do-it-yourselfer who understands the underlying beauty of the mansion and sees this project as a means of grief therapy. Accompanied by her would-have-been sister-in-law Kate, Ronnie is acutely aware of the possibility of bad blood given that she, not the kind and gentle Kate, was her late brother’s named beneficiary. It is because of Ben that Ronnie could afford the house, which serve as her primary motivation in a successful restoration. It’s a tribute to her brother, who was also a skilled renovator.
But soon Ronnie becomes aware that she’s not in the house alone.
Decades ago, the once-magnificent mansion was the home of silent film star Venita Rost and her small family. At the inception of the book, we know their story in broad strokes. Venita’s husband has been sentenced to hang for her murder, the jury unconvinced that her plummet from a cliff was a suicide. A family friend, lauded investigator Bartholomew Sloan, inherits the house while blaming himself for various sins. He’d failed to prove his friend innocent, and he feels guilt for the earlier death of the couple’s daugther Priscilla. As Bartholomew stares into the parlor mirror, sipping his gin and castigating himself, he finds a note from Venita which admits to her plot to have her husband killed and coyly mentions that only Bartholomew drinks gin from her bar cart. Alas, it is too late–Bartholomew is poisoned, and now two ghosts roam the spacious manion: one malevolent, and one warily watchful.
In present day, Ronnie begins to see things. At first, it’s a subtle figure in a mirror that could be mistaken for a trick of the light. But soon there’s no mistaking that Bartholomew and Venita roam the halls. Are they malevolent? Benevolent? What do they want? Ronnie knows Venita must be dangerous, but she’s also seductive and powerful.
Then there’s the young man who presents himself as a neighbor. Claiming to be Bartholomew Sloan’s ancestor, Coty can’t hide his jealousy of Ronnie’s new purchase. He’s curious and quick friends with Kate, but there’s something off about him. After catching him in several lies, Ronnie realizes he may be as dangerous as the spirits that keep her up at night.
The danger here is somewhat of a slow burn. There’s the allusion to Venita’s rage at anyone attempting to stake a claim to her home; and there’s the sense that not all is right with Coty. Still, it takes some time for the danger to take shape. The payoff for one’s patience comes in the climax.
The ghost story elements are enough in the meantime. Not to ruin anything, but Venita has many fun parlor tricks up her sleeve. And she has an entire creepy mansion with which to work.
Told in alternating viewpoints and timelines–then and now–It Was Her House First is a unique twist on a ghost story, elevated by its bone-chilling atmosphere and interesting backstory. Perhaps it’s the silent film age reference, but this one had me wanting to re-watch old school thriller flicks like Whatever Happened to Baby Jane. Enjoy this one on a rainy night, fireplace optional.
About the reviewer: A writer of dark comedy thrillers, Sarah Reida is currently seeking representation for her sophomore novel, Murder Boat. Her debut, Neighborhood Watch, received a Kirkus Star and was honored as an Amazon editorial pick as one of the Best Books of the Year So Far 2024. Join Sarah’s elite group of Instagram followers here.
