Echoes of Ballard House (Simone Doucet Series: Book 3) by E. Denise Billups

Publisher: Next Chapter

Date of publication: November 6th, 2023

Genre: Paranormal, Suspense, Mystery, Thriller

Series: Simone Doucet Series

Tainted Harvest—Book 1

Wicked Bleu—Book 2 (review here)

Echoes of Ballard House—Book 3

Purchase Links: Kindle

Goodreads Synopsis:

HIDDEN SECRETS. UNEARTHED TRUTHS.

Simone Doucet returns in this chilling novel to uncover the sinister truth behind a series of murders within an opulent mansion in the heart of New Orleans’ Garden District.

Simone yearns to escape the confines of her New York City brownstone. She jumps at an opportunity to house-sit in a gorgeous Queen Anne Victorian home in her cherished New Orleans Garden District.

Upon her arrival, the walls whisper like ancient voices. The owner’s parrot mimics an eerie nightly tune, and elusive footsteps echo through the floorboards. Simone quickly discovers she is not alone in this majestic house.

Tackling the afterlife alone, Simone becomes entangled in the narratives of three tormented souls caught in a web of greed, hatred, and infidelity. Their deadly secrets converge in a bone-chilling tale of murder.

Yet, within the grandeur of Ballard House, Simone is far from alone. The peril she faces extends beyond the spectral world, and she will soon confront evil from both the living and the dead.

What dark secret lies hidden within the walls of Ballard House?

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First Line:

Strike fear in their filthy, selfish hearts. Make them beg for their lives. Blood pulses through my veins like kerosene, liquid fire propelling me from the Model T, the hatchet firm in my vengeful grip as seething rage, concealed behind a black balaclava, drives me toward Ballard House, burning to fill their night with terror.

Echoes of Ballard House by E. Denise Billups

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Important things you need to know about the book:

Pace: The pacing of Echoes of Ballard House was fast-paced. It started fast and only let up at the end. There was a slight lag when the two storylines (past and present) merged.

POV: The 1st person POVs consist of Jensen in 2018 and 2020, Colin, Joseph, Rebecca, and Corinne in 1919 (before and during the murders), and Simone in 2020. There are brief 3rd person POV that showcase the ghosts and how they are trying to communicate with Simone. The author has those chapters labeled as Whisperings.

Series: Echoes of Ballard House is the 3rd book in the Simone Doucet Series. This book can be read as a standalone. I recommend reading the first two books to understand the relationships and backstories talked about in the book.

Trigger/Content Warning: Echoes of Ballard House has trigger and content warnings. If any of these triggers you, I suggest not reading the book. They are:

• Classism (graphic, on page)
• Racism (moderate, on and off page)
• White Supremacy (moderate, on and off page)
• Incest (moderate, on and off page)
• Cheating (moderate, on and off page)
• Childbirth (moderate, on and off page)
• Amputation (graphic, on page)
• Blood & Gore Depicton (graphic, on page)
• Body Horror (graphic, on page)
• COVID-19 (moderate, on and off page)
• Dead Bodies & Body Parts (graphic, on page)
• Decapitation (graphic, on page)
• Dismemberment (graphic, on page)
• Death of a child (moderate, on page)
• Death of partner & spouse (graphic, on and off page)
• Death of a sibling (graphic, on and off page)
• Grief & Loss Deception (graphic, on and off page)
• Knife, Sword & Axe Violence (graphic, on and off page)
• Murder & Attempted Murder (graphic, on and off page)
• Physical Assault (graphic, on and off page)

Sexual Content: There is sexual content in Eches of Ballard House. It isn’t graphic.

Language: There is mild swearing in Echoes of Ballard House. There is also some language that people might consider offensive.

Setting: Echoes of Ballard House is set in New Orleans, Louisiana.

Age Range: I recommend Echoes of Ballard House to anyone over 21

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Plot Synopsis (as spoiler-free as I can get):

Simone wants to leave the confines of her New York City brownstone, where she is staying while under mandatory quarantine during the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. So, when invited to house-sit a historical mansion in the Garden District, she immediately accepts. But, she soon finds out that there is an alternate reason the owner wants Simone to house-sit. The house is the site of a brutal, unsolved triple murder and is rumored to be haunted. The owner wants Simone, known in certain circles for her ability to communicate and see the dead, to see if she can solve the mystery. Simone doesn’t know that there is more to this story than anyone knows. Can Simone solve this mystery?

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Main Characters

Simone Doucet: I enjoyed following Simone’s character during this book. I one hundred percent understood her jumping at the chance to leave New York City. Quarantine wasn’t easy, and she was going stir-crazy. Her excitement over staying in this house (featured in the previous book) was soon dampened by events that started after the owners left. I did like her commitment to figuring out why the ghosts had stayed on. She was a well-rounded character who kept my attention to the book (along with all of the secondary characters).

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My review:

I like a good paranormal mystery. So, when the author emailed me the request to review Echoes of Ballard House (seeing that I had enjoyed Wicked Bleu), I accepted it. I am glad I did because this was a great mystery, and I loved the paranormal aspects of it.

What made this book so good for me is that the author laid out the murders (who and how) at the beginning of the book. That was a jumping-off point for her to go in-depth into the victim’s lives, what other people thought of them, the circumstances surrounding the murders, and ultimately, why they were killed and who killed them. Interwoven was Simone’s story of housesitting for her cousin in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic and her investigation.

What I liked about this book was how the author presented the POVs and the storylines. Even though there were several POVs, the author clearly labeled the beginning of each chapter with who, where, and the date. I never had any issues following any of the storylines. I did not have to backtrack or get names/dates confused. The author broke up the storyline with the murders into three separate sections, each from the perspective of one of the victims. It made for a compelling, surprising, and sad read.

The mystery angle of the book was well written. I had zero clue who the killer was or what that person’s reason was. I did know for sure who it wasn’t. So, I was surprised and horrified when it was revealed. There was also an addon to that storyline that broke my heart. The present-day mystery was pretty cut and dry. Pretty early in the book, I figured out who was stalking Simone. The why part was vague until Simone talked with the neighbor across the street and Jensen. It was then that I figured out who it was.

The end of Echoes of Ballard House was enjoyable. What was revealed broke my heart, but I was glad to see the closure it gave. While the storylines in this book were wrapped up, I was left feeling that others weren’t. It made me wonder if there was going to be a book 4.

Many thanks to E. Denise Billups for allowing me to read and review Echoes of Ballard House. All opinions stated in this review are mine.

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