Some doors should never be opened... and some secrets refuse to stay buried.

After the sudden death of her estranged father, Cassidy Blake inherits the Stafford Mansion—a crumbling fortress of shadows perched just outside Columbus, Texas. She vows to renovate, sell, and escape the painful memories that drove her away years ago. But the moment she steps across the threshold, the house begins to awaken.

Whispers crawl through the walls. Doors creak open when no one is there. Strange spirals appear overnight—burned into wood, etched into mirrors, and carved into flesh. And Micah, a haunted young boy Cassidy takes in, begins holding conversations with people long dead.

With the help of Cade Mercer, a stubborn rancher with secrets of his own, and Esmé Santiago, a folklore professor who knows far more than she reveals, Cassidy unravels a truth the town has spent over a century trying to erase. The Stafford Mansion is not just haunted—it is cursed by silence, built on bones, and fueled by generations of injustice.

Each generation, the cycle repeats. Each generation, the spiral claims another victim. And now, with Cassidy trapped in its grasp, she must decide: will she finally break the curse, or will she become the next to vanish within its walls?

Set against the brooding backdrop of rural Texas, The Open Door is a chilling, emotionally charged supernatural thriller about legacy, trauma, and the cost of uncovering the past. Perfect for fans of The Haunting of Hill House, Sharp Objects, and Midnight Mass, this ghost story will keep readers turning the pages late into the night, breath held, heart racing—because sometimes the dead aren't the ones you should fear most.