The latest tale from Heather Graham, an author with an admirable backlist, is set in a haunted historic house in Philadelphia. THE UNINVITED focuses on the Tarleton- Dandridge House, owned by a not-for-profit organization and supervised by docents who lead groups and introduce them to the features and past owners.

Allison Leigh, one of the docents, is leading a group which includes a boy who claims he gets scary feelings from a portrait of 'The Beast' Bradley. He also appears to know far too much about past deaths on the property, such as a student playing a prank and a staff member's heart attack. A young man is unexpectedly found dead in a macabre fashion and Allison dwells on the situation. A ghost-hunter called Agent Montague comes along to try to communicate with the spirits present, including a ghost horse and ghost hound. Allison however has her own pet ghost who communicates with her. When other strange and potentially deadly accidents occur, it is easy to see that there is a sinister hand behind the whole business.

Fans of Heather Graham, or inhabitants of Philadelphia, will probably get much out of this story. The touching care that Allison's spectral friend has for her brings a cheerful flavor. I found the story a little heavy on details about the house and did not find the haunting situations particularly frightening.