Title: The Horror of the Crowford Empire (The Ghosts of Crowford Book #6)
Author: Amy Cross
Genre: Horror, Ghosts
Rating: 3 stars
Purchase: Amazon

The year is 1965, and Susan Jones is desperate to get out of Crowford. First, though, she needs to make enough money to finance a fresh start. She takes a series of dead-end jobs, until finally she gets hired to work at the town’s faded old cinema.

The Crowford Empire is a building with history. Before it was a cinema, the Empire was the site of a terrible tragedy. While the building has been thoroughly renovated, some elements of the past remain. Some locals even whisper the name of a woman who still walks the halls and corridors of the cinema.

Susan soon discovers that the cinema’s past is determined to bubble back to the surface. What does Winifred Thorpe’s ghost really want? How is her eternal suffering connected to the local golf club? And what happens to any poor soul who accidentally meets her face to face?

The Horror of the Crowford Empire is the sixth book in the Ghosts of Crowford series. Each book is a standalone story, and there’s no need to read them in any particular order.

• The Haunting of Nelson Street (The Ghosts of Crowford Book #1)
• The Revenge of the Mercy Belle (The Ghosts of Crowford Book #2)
• The Ghost of Crowford School (The Ghosts of Crowford Book #3)
• The Portrait of Sister Elsa (The Ghosts of Crowford Book #4)
• The Haunting of the Crowford Hoy (The Ghosts of Crowford Book #5)

In The Horror of the Crowford Empire, the sixth book in the Ghosts of Crowford series, in which each book can be read as a stand-alone, it’s the year 1965. Susan Jones finds herself working at the faded old cinema in town – the Crowford Empire.

Before the building was a cinema, it was the site of a horrible tragedy and it is said that the ghost of Winifred Thorpe still roams the halls. When Susan finds signs of hauntings and a connection to the building’s past, she’s in more danger than she realizes.

This book unfortunately wasn’t my favorite in the Crowford series. I simply disliked most of the characters. There’s no other way to put it: most characters were either bland, or off-putting, or just simply annoying. Except for Harry. Him I liked. Anyway, the story is also not that original, it’s just a rehearsal of the stereotypical classical ghost story: vengeful ghost trapped due to the horrific ending they suffered, and now out for revenge. There weren’t many twists or parts that kept me guessing, and all in all, it was rather straightforward.

If you’re interested in giving this series a shot, don’t start with this one, but if you plan to read the entire series, you shouldn’t skip it either. It’s not as great as some of the other Crowford books, but it’s definitely worth a read.

Title: The Haunting of the Crowford Hoy (The Ghosts of Crowford Book #5)
Author: Amy Cross
Genre: Horror, Ghosts
Rating: 4,5 stars
Purchase: Amazon

The year is 1984, and Sally Cooper arrives in Crowford with her desperately ill son Tommy. Having secured a job in one of the local pubs, Sally hopes to start a new life, but tragedy soon strikes and she’s left clinging to the hope that her son’s ghost will appear.

As the months roll past, Sally begins to give up hope, until one day a friend makes a shocking suggestion. If the spirits of the Crowford Hoy refuse to show themselves, is it time to do something that might catch their attention? Although she’s reluctant at first, Sally soon comes around to the idea, but she has no idea of the dangers that are waiting to be unleashed in the pub’s darkest shadows.

What happened to Annie Ashton, the girl who disappeared from the pub many years ago? Why is the spirit of Mildred Weaver out for revenge? And once a connection to the undead has been opened, can Sally ever hope to force it shut again?

The Haunting of the Crowford Hoy is the fifth book in the Ghosts of Crowford series. Each book is a standalone story, and there’s no need to read them in any particular order.

• The Haunting of Nelson Street (The Ghosts of Crowford Book #1)
• The Revenge of the Mercy Belle (The Ghosts of Crowford Book #2)
• The Ghost of Crowford School (The Ghosts of Crowford Book #3)
• The Portrait of Sister Elsa (The Ghosts of Crowford Book #4)

Like the other books in the series, The Haunting of the Crowford Hoy can be read as a stand-alone. It features different characters than the other books, and the only common denominator is that all these books are set in the fictional town of Crowford, where there are more ghosts than people (it seems) and where its inhabitants have already been subjected to every possible terror known to mankind.

Sally moved to Crowford in 1984 along with her son Tommy, who unfortunately is very ill. When Tommy passes away, Sally is desperate to communicate with his spirit, but she seems to be the only person in Crowford who has trouble running into any ghosts whatsoever – even the famous ghosts of the Crowford Hoy refuse to appear. But when Sally makes a foolhardy decision to see the ghosts of the Crowford Hoy, she has no idea what she signed up for.

It’s a good story, with some unexpected twists, and it definitely shows that you shouldn’t interfere with powers you don’t understand. The only downside, like with some of the other books by this author, is that there are sometimes continuity errors. For example, names being mixed-up. I understand it happens and Amy Cross is an indie author who writes a lot of new books each year – and I’m thankful for that, as I insta-buy and read most of them – but it can be a bit confusing when reading. A proofreading session for each book would be a good idea, I think.

Either way, like the other books in this series, it has a solid plot, the characters are flawed, and the pacing is so fast I flew through the pages. On to the next Crowford adventure.