Olivia Becente was never supposed to have the gift. The ability to commune with the dead was the specialty of her sister, Naiche. But when Naiche dies unexpectedly and under strange circumstances, somehow Olivia suddenly can't stop seeing and hearing from spirits. A few years later, she's the most in-demand paranormal investigator in Denver. She's good at her job, but the loss of Naiche haunts her. That's when she hears from the Brown Palace, a landmark Denver hotel. The owner can't explain it, but every few years, a girl is found dead in room 904, no matter what room she checked into the night before. As Olivia tries to understand these disturbing deaths, the past and the present collide as Olivia's investigation forces her to confront a mysterious and possibly dangerous cult, a vindictive journalist, betrayal by her friends, and revelations about her sister's secret life.
A real strength of the book is the diverse ensemble cast comprised of Olivia’s friends and lovers, which makes this world intimate and appealing ... There’s also a satisfying series of threats here, including from a stalker ex, an untrustworthy love interest, and a racist reporter. Wurth does a good job sustaining an eerie, suspenseful atmosphere, although I—something of a weenie when it comes to spooky stuff—wouldn’t call it scary. It’s hard for metaphysical scenes to have the same impact on the page that they would on the screen; battling through a smoky spirit world can land a little flat on paper ... Nonetheless, the author keeps us guessing, offering multiple plausible theories that could implicate those closest to Olivia in the mysterious deaths and other strange happenings. I particularly enjoyed the early-chapter intros describing the Craigslist items Olivia would soon be called to investigate ... The story bounces around a bit in tone, sometimes giving us a chill Ghostbusters vibe, with a decidedly modern group of wiseacres tackling spirits in a workmanlike manner, and other times broaching serious topics like suicide, intimate-partner violence, and, of course, the historical massacre that looms over everything. As readers, we can’t always tell how much fun we’re supposed to be having ... When I started the book, I had a vague sense that I’d seen a movie with the same premise (it was Constantine, but there are plenty of other examples). But Wurth brings fresh energy to the horror genre, making The Haunting of Room 904 a satisfying escape for anyone whose real life feels a little bland.
What horror exists in these pages is blunted by the novel’s persistent tendency toward moralizing ... This novel abounds in plot holes. Characters hide and reveal information not because it was what they would actually do but because the story needs tension or because the characters are heading in the wrong direction and the course of their investigation must be righted ... Stock figures proliferate: the gay best friend, the mysterious, mustache-stroking cult leader, the deceased sibling who serves as fount for the protagonist’s unresolved guilt, a cartoonishly evil ex-boyfriend who happens to be one of the richest men in town. Characters act inexplicably either to aid or to impede our hero, and high-stakes situations act like sticks of dynamite brought to you by the Acme Corporation, never detonating when they’re supposed to ... Appearing throughout, at irregular intervals, are scenes from 'the Massacre,' as it is called in the narration. The gravity of those scenes jars strongly with the lightness of the rest of the novel, but rather than have the contrast render each aspect of the book more poignant, that contrast only muddles the tone. It’s like two family members trying to tell a story together but one is giggling and the other is on the verge of tears ...
Reconstructing a horrific episode of American history in dollhouse miniature can make it easier to take in, but more difficult to take seriously. Every time a character seems to signal their virtue or learn the error of their or their ancestors’ ways, I feel I’m watching someone whip out an Amex card, as though the debt could be paid so easily. The ghosts deserve better.
As the explanation for the haunting is revealed, readers will be quickly drawn into the story, driven forward to find out more. The book explores guilt as a kind of haunting and is a contemporary ghost story with great crossover potential. Wurth takes the idea of a haunted house and makes it something entirely new. The book leaves readers wanting more stories about Olivia and her friends ... A ghost story cleverly blended with a mystery, ideal for those who appreciate genre-blended horror and fans of books such as Shutter by Ramona Emerson.
