This was a new author to me and I have had this book on my tbr for a long time, so I decided to read it after seeing so many good reviews of it.

This was a very poignant haunting love story of a man that loses his wife to cancer and how he has to cope with life without her. Paul Russo and his children are trying to get their lives back on track after the death of his wife. Paul tries to get back into work as well as he owns a real estate business. An opportunity becomes available to sell a house a/k/a Stillwell Manor that is believed to be haunted.

The journey from this point on becomes haunting for Paul as he finds out that the house is somehow connected not only his wife but to himself. The book moves at a fast pace and it is surrounded by mystery along with the haunting of the manor. Lots of twists and turns throughout the book along with the heartfelt sadness of Paul losing his wife. Giving this book four stars.
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Just not very good. I mean, it could have been a lot better. Its more of a heart-breaking love story and story of acceptance and reconciliation as opposed to a "Haunting on Long Island."

The characters are fairly well written, not cardboard, rather nuanced, realistic. The setting is all right - and the historical tidbits are nice. But the plot is frustrating and the actual supernatural element are awful. ( )

Author Cash was a new name to me, but after reading so many of the passionate reviews Stillwell has accrued I decided to give it a go. What a treat this really was. Cash’s writing is very descriptive and it easily conjured up images in my mind as I read. Especially the nightmare and trepidation scenes, very visual. Paul was a very sympathetic character, and I found myself drawn to him early on and also felt real empathy for his struggles.

All in all a really enjoyable book, and I look forward to checking out more book’s from Cash pretty soon. ( )

I read Stillwell: A Haunting on Long Island with my Shelfari horror group.

It started off as a promising story. Paul Russo lost his wife to cancer. Feeling very sorry for himself and for his three children, Paul struggles to keep his head above water with daily life.

Then the nightmares begin. And he isn't the only one having them-his son Jesse is too. These were the best parts of the book, in my mind, and I enjoyed the dream sequences a lot. However, they were not enough to elevate this story above the level of just okay.

I will leave off the plot at this point and just share my thoughts. This book was very fast paced and I did enjoy that. Approaching this story as a fan of horror, I did feel let down. There were no true scares and the ending wrapped up way too nicely for me to thoroughly enjoy it. There were a good amount of grammar and editing errors, too. For instance, when someone shuttered in fear, that made me laugh and took me right out of the story.

To sum up, I thought this was just an okay read. I would recommend it to those readers who like their horror light. I think a true, experienced horror fan will find this book a little bit boring and short on scares. I do think the author has potential though, and I am not ruling out reading more of his work at some time in the future. Just not the near future. ( )

I’m a big fan of Michael Phillip Cash’s. He’s one of those wonderful writers no one knows in the paranormal/fantasy genre. I first read Stillwell back in 2013, but never got around to writing my review. I recently picked it up again so I could write the promised review.

I am glad I re-read this little gem. I like a good ghost story, and Cash never fails to deliver. I especially like his paranormal stories.

Paul Russo is trying to get his life---and his kids’ lives---back to normal following the death of his wife, Allison. It was a quick. Relatively. Six months ago Allison was diagnosed with cancer, and now she’s gone. Thank God he has sister, his parents, and his in-laws to help.

His career as a real estate agent is in shambles. Leads that came in while Allison was sick eventually went to someone else. There is one bright spot. His old friend Craig Andrews needs to sell his parents’ Long Island mansion, Stillwell Manor. The commission on a $20 million dollar sale could put his finance back in order.

Stillwell won’t be an easy sell, though. It’s the site of a murder-suicide. The cleaners did a remarkable job, but the stigma attached is hard to overcome. There’s also something else happening.

There are rumors that the house is haunted. Local police believe it’s kids, but soon Paul discovers that no humans are involved in what is happening at Stillwell.

Can’t giveaway anymore ‘cause that would give away a great read. Very realistic. I couldn’t read fast enough. Be prepared to sleep with the lights on. Thankfully it’s a short read that can be completed in a couple of evenings.

I give Stillwell: A Haunting on Long Island 5 out of 5 stars. ( )