In pursuit of a healthier life, John retreats to the country with his sister and a small retinue. Ever the sceptic, he refuses to be rattled by rumours of strange happenings in the old house, despite anxious warnings from the staff. After dismissing the servants and inviting a circle of trusted friends to join him as live-in paranormal investigators, he soon discovers that some disturbances are far more unsettling than mere ghosts. The Haunted House was first published as a collection of short stories compiled by Charles Dickens in 1859 for the Christmas edition of All the Year Round. Featuring three chapters by Dickens, it also included contributions from his contemporaries, among them Wilkie Collins and Elizabeth Gaskell. Two of Dickens' chapters were later republished in 1866 as a single story alongside The Trial for Murder and The Signal Man. This two-chapter version forms the basis of this audiobook recording.