Tenebris by Tim Curran

Jim, Rita and Dinah driving down route 50 “The Loneliest Road in America” when out of nowhere they are attacked by a giant bird! Fatalities happen but our hero Jim with the help of Shiner and Pettis proprietors of “Cryptodesert.com” search out our prehistoric Thunderbird...and the scene is set for a final showdown...”Find out exactly what did happen on Route 50 that night. It became not only a passion but an obsession. One way or another, he was planning on getting answers.”

This is a short novella with a story that is mildly interesting but is able to hold the readers attention with the introduction of some interesting characters. Pettis and Skinner seek out unknown animals..... “At Cryptodesert.com our focus is the Nevada/Utah area, particularly the deserts of the Great Basin and Mojave. We collect regional tales and ephemera concerning things like killer bee swarms, giant beavers, cattle mutilators, the Bear Lake Monster, and, of course, Sasquatch.” Tim Curran provides a lovely description of Skinner “He was tall, jittery, and thin with hair so red it looked like it had rusted. He had bad teeth and a crooked smile, a gangly textbook nerd that even wore Coke-bottle glasses as if to accentuate the fact. He looked like he wanted to explode right out of his skin. He had a Bigfoot T-shirt on that read, Bigfoot Doesn’t Believe in You Either.”

There is one enjoyable scene when Pettis and Skinner insist that Jim meet Reese, a young lady who has had a similar experience with a “thunderbird”....her introduction adds a little colour and fun to a somewhat one dimensional story....”Then a young woman that he’d seen loitering over near the counter made a straight beeline to his table and sat down. Her hair was black as Dracula’s cape set with neon red streaks, black eyeliner laid thick as road tar around her dark eyes. She wore a red plaid skirt, blue nylons with fashionable holes, leather nut-busting boots, and a tight Punisher skull T-shirt with no bra beneath, her breasts jutting like warm, ripe grapefruits and her nipples standing out like pushpins. The lights gleamed off the multiple piercings in her nose, lips and eyebrows.”

It disappoints so much to find yet another kindle edition with grammatical errors when a simple proof reading could have corrected these mistakes:

“It still seemed impossible. Was that was his flirting with Nurse Koreshi was about? should read...It still seemed impossible. Was that what his flirting with Nurse Koreshi was about?

“If it hadn’t have been for Rita’s garden, he and vegetables would have been complete strangers” This sentence would be more grammatically correct if written “If it had not been for Rita’s garden, he and vegetables would have been complete strangers”

“He help up a hand as if used to silencing scepticism...should read “He held up a hand as if used to silencing scepticism”

“If they hadn’t been hanging onto one another, anchored by their combined weight, they would have went right over”...should read “If they hadn’t been hanging onto one another, anchored by their combined weight, they would have gone right over.”

I was given a free copy of Tenebris for an honest review and that is what I have written. The story was an easy read and quite enjoyable, I would have awarded 3 stars if more time, thought and care had been directed towards the kindle presentation.

The Incurables by Jon Bassoff

Reading The Incurables is akin to being on the set of a wild west frontier town production movie possibly under the direction of one of the greatest directors of all times, John Ford and starring two of his favourite protagonists John Wayne and Victory McLaglen....”She Wore a Yellow Ribbon” comes to mind. Now if we add to this the language and character interplay in a Quentin Tarantino production such as Samuel L Jackson and John Travolta discussing the finer parts of a quarter pounder...”Do you know what they call a quarter pounder with cheese in Paris? They call it Royale with cheese”....then perhaps you have some idea just how just how colourful and direct this character driven novel by Jon Bassoff is.

Doctor Walter Freeman offers hope to the ill and insane with his transorbitol lobotomy and he should know as he has performed over 3000 successful operations. When however he is sacked from his job at the hospital and he travels to the town of Burnwood “a debauchery-filled meatpacking town with plenty of history but not much future.” with his faithful companion Edgar (himself a recipient of transorbitol lobotomy) his patience and his faith in his ability will be sorely tested.

In this Oklahoma backwater he meets an assortment of odd, demented and violent cast of characters; Durango the next Messiah driven by his god fearing father Stanton...”Stanton had made prophecies before and none of them had come true. But Durango couldn’t help but believe, just a little bit. Not because he thought him to be a prophet, but because he was his father.” Scent the local working girl “Scent and the fat man drove in his badly rusted, badly dented Ford truck toward the Lullaby Motel over on Front Street. His calloused hands rode up and down her leg and she didn’t try to stop him. The radio played static-filled doo-wop. And out on the streets a heaping of destitution and debauchery.”.....Grady, Vlad and Kaz murdering psychopathic brothers out for revenge, and all this set against a town captivated by the charismatic salesmanship of Dr Freeman.

Jon Bassoff creates characters that “crackle” with electricity they can almost be viewed in 3d as their bawdy and colourful temperaments consume the reader from the opening paragraph. His directness and style in many respects reminds me of the writing of Donald Ray Pollock (The Devil All The Time) I shall look forward to reading future publications by Mr Bassoff as I know his best work is still to be written.

Snowblind 2 The Killing Grounds by Michael Mcbride

I think it important to have read Snowblind before the sequel Snowblind 2 “The Killing Grounds” where the fate of William Coburn is granted respectful closure by Sheriff Wayne Dayton “He thought about William Coburn, the man who’d walked into the Alferd Packer Grill with his friend’s head under his jacket.”

At the start and conclusion of Snowblind 2 we meet Len Badgett who is cheating on his wife with the somewhat despicable and career minded Ashley Gale driving through the dangerous and snowbound Rockies in their SUV. I like the way that Michael McBride has used this illicit affair to bind this exciting and frightening horror story together and I am very pleased to note that Ashley is justly dealt with in the final pages by a very fair hand of fate :)

The “star” or the giver of pain in The Killing Grounds is a creature that is similar or has evolved from Bigfoot a large hairy bipedal humanoid! Sheriff Wayne Dayton has sent out a search party to discover the whereabouts of Michelle Jenkins the long lost girlfriend of John Avery who disappeared some 7 years ago on an outing with friends. It soon becomes clear that Dayton is dealing with a very intelligent foe...”The way they hunted. As a pack. Like it was a sport. Using the corpses as decoys, to lure them closer, to flush them into the open. They were as cunning as man and as fearsome as primates”.... and the hunters are in reality the hunted as fate draws them towards the pine wooden ranch where so many in the past have encountered a grisly and bloody conclusion.....”The building materialized from the storm and he recognized it immediately. He’d seen that abandoned ranch house before. In fact, he had a picture of it folded up in his pocket...”

The claustrophobic writing of Michael Mcbride in some ways reminds me of Warrant Officer Ellen Ripley and her battles with an extraterrestrial lifeform, commonly referred to as the Alien or indeed Predator where a group of mercenary soldiers discover they are being hunted by creature with superhuman strength and the ability to disappear into its surroundings. The creatures in The Killing Grounds retain such characteristics and more both the ability to kill and the skill to blend silently and expertly into their surroundings.

As is only natural in a good horror story there is no happy conclusion and yet why should there be? We have a creature who has enjoyed relative survival, seclusion and contentment for many years only to have it suddenly interrupted by the unwanted incursion of man. A nice intelligent touch by the author perhaps portraying the creatures as protecting rather than destroying….for you the reader to decide! “How they survived. This was their killing grounds, and the reason no one lived long enough to betray the secret of their existence.”

A fantastic sequel to Snowblind and a worthy 5 star recommendation!!

Snowblind by Michael McBride

I love the way Michael McBride has left the door of this brilliant short novel open (even though that door is cold and there is snow coming in!!) for a sequel. I also found his notes informative and very useful for the enjoyment and progression of the story, in particular the subtleties in the naming of the “Alferd Packer Grill”

The use of landscape blended with unexpected and extreme weather conditions is a very powerful tool in the hands of an accomplished author. Who can ever forget Jack Torrance newly appointed caretaker at the isolated and snowbound Overlook Hotel and the sad events that followed. 
4 friends Coburn, Baumann, Shore and Vigil are once again embarking on their yearly elk hunting expedition to the aptly named and snowbound Mt Isolation. They are forced to seek refuge when Vigil suffers severe trauma and injury in a fall and are now along surrounded by the harsh elements of nature and something evil and unknown....the scene is set! “Someone or something was still out there. Watching them. Waiting”...

A horror story (to appreciate the full effects!) is best enjoyed alone and possibly with the aid of an alcoholic beverage as the silence and tension can be unbearable. I sometimes read very early in the morning and approaching winter, here in the UK, the wind may be howling accompanied by a little rain....and then I read the following....

“Coburn crept closer, prepared to grab the branch, toss it away from the house, and sprint back toward the open window. He had already loosened his grip on the rifle when his brain caught up with his eyes. It wasn’t a branch. It was a hand. A human hand at the end of a severed forearm.Tied to a bent, rusted nail in the door by a tendon. Swinging gently back and forth at the behest of the wind. The curled fingers raking the wood.Scratch.....Scratch....Scratch...”

An important element I use to judge a good story is....Do I think about it the following day? Where is the author going? Are the characters real? Can I sympathize with them?....more importantly in a horror story....does it scare the hell out of me?? Let me tell you dear readers of my review that I cycle to and from work each day (ok you say what has that got to do with it....hold on I will tell you!) My 12 mile route home in the evenings is dark and lonely with only me my bike and my little light for company...the mind plays funny things and “Snowblind” became my mental companion this week as I struggled through the darkness....what was that I began to see to my left and right....????

“A lone silhouette separated from the shadows. Large and hunched. Low to the ground. Was it a bear? He couldn’t....couldn’t quite tell. He tried to zero in on it through the scope- Another silhouette materialized from the woods to the right of the first...another to its left...”

Michael McBride has written a novel that blends all the elements of good horror writing to produce a masterpiece of tension and fear and one I will remember for a very long time. Highly recommended!

"The Killing" American Series on Netflix

Some two years ago I watched the excellent original Danish version and having some time to kill (no pun intended) decided to settle down on netflix and watch the American adaption....could it be as good or even better? In short no but it is still an excellent series and one that you must be prepared to engage with and spend some time with over a long period to really feel the benefits, the enjoyment and possibly play amateur detective as you along with Detectives Sarah Linden and Stephen Holder analyse the evidence and decide who killed lovely Rosie Larsen.

The story differs from the original ie the killer is not the same and thus this makes the final outcome different. I was able to identify the killer quite will hidden but always obvious (to say more would give the plot away) however there was a great twist in the final episode which was astounding and showed that the killer did not work alone.....his accomplice will sadden and amaze you! Sarah Linden will not amaze you however she may as a detective have proved more than capable but as a mother she is a total failure. She appears to work 24 hours per day, live out of motels, eat only ready made fast food, and more importantly leave her poor son Jack all alone to deal with his own teenage angst...is it any wonder that her proposed marriage never happens and that Jack finally returns to live with his father in Chicago.

The American series does suffer from the fact that it is unnecessarily long and would have benefited from some good editing; there is one complete chapter devoted to the search for Jack who disappears (not that I blame you Jack with a mother like Sarah Linden) and we spend a wasted 45 minutes in an attempt to locate him.....he finally return to the motel and we the viewer can return to the search for Rosie's killer, and the final outcome is still well worth the wait.There is some wonderful heartfelt acting from Rosie's parents Mitch and Stan Larsen and as the story concludes there is a particular scene that will brings tears of sadness to the most hardened viewers.....So some great acting, memorable moments, and a good attempt at an English version of the Danish series....but if you want the best the original Danish series is unbeatable!

Creepy tale.....

A haunted house horror tale from the 70's now in kindle form. Marian, Ben and their son David respond to an ad to act as housesitters at the home of the Allardyces in upstate New York. What follows is a creepy tale as the house appears to be coming alive bit by bit and all through Marian. There is something very unsettling about this book....what is the true intention of the Allardyces letting this beautiful old house for the small sum of $900? who is the old lady who resides deep within the walls of the house and who must be regularly fed three times each day?...although she is never seen. What strange power has this house over Marian as she appears to sacrifice it over the lives of her husband Ben and son David. "It was alive, all around her it was alive, and how else had it come alive but through her? And wasn't that the uneasiness she was feeling - the growing awareness of her power in the house, the enormity of the mystery enveloping her life...."

White Knuckle by Eric Red

There is nothing that is better than a good trucking story. The open highway, the smell of the diesel fuel and the wonderful beauty of those great big 18 wheel monsters as they roam the highways of America. Roy Tremble is no ordinary trucker, he is a killer, who for some 40 years has been murdering and butchering women across the American states. Known to his fellow truckers by the CB handle “White Knuckle” he feels truly unstoppable until that is he makes the acquaintance of Special Agent Sharon Ormsby.

This is a fun read and gives a real feeling of being at the wheel of a monster truck and the complexities, control and skill that is needed to navigate this powerful machine successfully from town to town.

Where this trucking tale fails is in the stupidity of the storyline. To accept that no sooner has an FBI agent become an undercover trucker’s mate than she immediately makes contact with the trucker killer (who has eluded the authorities for a very long time) is absurd in the extreme. Whilst I realise this is merely a story, I would feel much more comfortable if the writing contained an element of believability, the ending itself almost portraying Agent Ormsby as a superhuman superwoman! 

This kindle edition contains a number of grammatical errors which would have been so easy to avoid and correct by simple proof reading. I would certainly have awarded White Knuckle a 3 star review if more care and attention had been directed towards the preparation and presentation of the ebook edition but because of the carelessness of these silly mistakes a 2 star review is more appropriate.
The errors are as follows:

“The officer was in a foul mood because he wasn’t supposed to working a double shift....” should read “The officer was in a foul mood because he wasn’t supposed to (be) working a double shift...”
“......were driving up to my grandmother’s in Pennsylvania. Don’t where my dad was, but it was just me and my mom....” should read  “....were driving up to my grandmother’s in Pennsylvania. Don’t (know) where my dad was, but it was just me and my mom...”
“Know that. Found your badge. Nice tits for and G-gal.”  should read  “Know that, Found your badge, Nice tits for (a) G-gal.”
“Her legs were rubber and she again she almost tumbled off the truck” should read “ Her legs were rubber and she almost tumbled off the truck”.

Blood Sisters by Graham Masterton (Katie Maguire Book 6)

I have a real problem with Katie Maguire, for a high ranking police officer she is so tangled and confused.....

 

She love’s Michael? or does she? Michael loves her? or does he? Michael may want to live with her in Ireland or may want to move to San Francisco and indulge his pastime within a global pharmaceutical empire? He moves to San Francisco and then moves back! Katie is pregnant but the baby is not Michael’s rather her next door neighbour who she became intimate with when Michael decided to go Stateside.....but now Michael’s back....and Katie love’s Michael and Michael love’s Katie? What will Michael say when he discovers that Katie is pregnant with the child of his next door neighbour who is now unfortunately but conveniently dead....surely his love for Katie will forgive all of her little misdemeanours....yeah right Katie get a life!!

Now as if this was not enough Katie is now even questioning her own sexuality as she appears to be succumbing to the advances of the attractive Sergeant Ni Nuallan known as “Kyna” ....”Without a word, Katie took Kyna into her arms and held her close. Kyna dropped her folder on to the carpet and held Katie, too. They kissed, tenderly but chastely, both with their eyes open, as if they needed to see one another as close as possible”.....

Amongst all this personal angst we have the brutal butchering of some lovely old nuns just going about their daily job of spreading the good word. It seems that a number of the good sisters have an evil past and someone is out for revenge and in typical Graham Masterton style this revenge is long, brutal and bloody.

Having read and enjoyed previous Katie Maguire adventures particularly A Terrible Beauty (now renamed White Bones) I found this latest offering by Mr Masterton devoid of ideas lacking in direction and with a somewhat clichéd storyline. As is a trade mark of the author some extreme violence is introduced but this does little to enhance a story that is doomed to mediocrity from the first chapter and even a cliffhanger type ending does little to endear the reader to the complicated childish and pathetic world of Detective Superintendent Katie Maguire.

The Wolf in Winter by John Connolly

John Connolly is a brilliant author and with his creation Charlie Parker has produced one of the most complete series of books ever published. This is the 12^th outing for our great hero/ private detective and in this taut tale he is drawn to the town or Prosperous in an attempt to find what really happened to Annie Broyer.  Annie’s  estranged father Jude, living on the streets, has amassed the princely sum of $100+ that he hoped would entice the detective to help him....in Charlie’s own words that might have bought some 2 hours of this time. When however Jude is discovered dead, an apparent suicide, our hero knows that he must help discover the truth behind the mysterious disappearance of Annie.

There is a solid and memorable list of characters that we meet as we travel with Charlie on his journey which is fraught with danger and in particular the evil Hayley Conyer the “voice” of Prosperous , her chief of police Morland who is no stranger to killing, and the wonderfully named Ronald Straydeer. If you add in the old favourites of Louis and Angel we have all the ingredients for a cracking story!

It is however the tormented mind of Charlie Parker that always holds the reader’s interest and never fails to draw me back. He is tortured by the death of his wife Rachel and in particular his daughter Samantha who appears to him throughout and always give the impression that she is calling him home. I don’t feel that CP will ever find peace and contentment until he can be with them again....wherever that may be...So once again Connolly has produced a masterpiece of crime combined with just the right amount of dark horror to entice the reader to return for the next instalment. Anything by John Connolly comes highly recommended and this is no exception...

Serial Killer book by which all others should be judged!

If you are a fan (and I use the term loosely) of serial killers such as Edmund Kemper the you will love By Reason of Insanity. The story of mass insane killer Thomas Bishop and the fixation of a young hungry reporter Adam Kenton to find Bishop and bring him to justice. This is a brutal and at times graphic story travelling deep into the mind of a mass murderer as he conducts his war against the world in his attempt to explain and show his hatred of women as he butchers his way across America. If I was to level one small criticism I would question the constant introduction of new characters (some remaining for a very short time) which tends to make the storyline a little over complicated causing the reader to have to refresh his memory on occasions. For a big novel the storyline moves at a frantic pace and makes for a fantastic read with a little unexpected and well thought out "sting in the tail" on the very last page.....I actually rated the book 4.5 stars and have bumped up to 5 stars simply because By Reason of Insanity was first published in 1978 and still has the power to shock and frighten many years later. Some will say this is the book by which all other serial killer novels should be compared and judged and they are not wrong!

Nostalgia read from an 80's icon...

Good nostalgia read from the mid 80's when some might argue saw Mr K  on top form. The story is a mix of horror and fantasy with at it's heart a rather lovey dovey story of Travis Cornell and the virginal Nora Devon...and of course the cute little dog Einstein. Einsteen is part of a secret gov experiment and he can actually communicate with humans although we do have the rather farcical 200 page interlude of Einstein learning to reading and playing scrabble (I kid you not!) Having said that there are some strong characters as always in the writing of Dean Koontz which makes Watchers an enjoyable read. Of special mention is the somewhat despicable Arthur (do people really still call their kids Arthur?).....unfortunately his appearance in the story was much too brief and the equally adventurous hired hitman/assassin Vincent Nasco. I am not sure I would agree with the quotation on the front of this 2015 addition "Not just a master of our darkest dreams but also a literary juggler" but a good read still the same.............

A song of shadows by John Connolly

The 13th book in the long running Charlie "bird" Parker dark crime series. The great concern about reading the latest offering from John Connolly is to ask the question...is this a step too far? is it not time that Charlie Parker was put into retirement? does the author not run the risk of simply boring the reader with a character, indeed list of characters that quite simply have no more to say or offer? However let it be said here now that "bird" is alive and tweeting! and A Song of Shadows is another remarkable achievement from an author who seems to go from strength to strength.

The central theme of this story is the unveiling and uncovering of Nazi war criminals living in the United States. Bruno Perlmans body is washed ashore in the town of Boreas, his family had been interned at a concentration camp called Lubsko. What is the connection between him and Marcus Baulman, Ruth Winter and her mother Isha? This is an exceptionally well researched novel that probes deep into both America and Germany's attitude to war criminals guilty of genocide and how they should be dealt with (or not)

We see a very subdued Charlie Parker who is recuperating in Boreas (having almost died in his previous outing) and at first his contribution to the story is incidental making the acquaintance of Amanda Winter (Ruth's daughter) on one of his early morning exercise outings along the beach. "His presence in Boreas was incongruous, given his reputation. It was like having a grenade rolling around, one you had been assured was defused but hadn't had time to check out for yourself". What is remarkable in this story is that John Connolly has kept our interest in Parker very much alive even thought he has tended to dwell more on the central issue, the unmasking of war criminals and by doing this Parker receives the readers utmost sympathy in his battle back to full health with of course the help and guidance of his personal body guards the mysterious and dangerous Louis and Angel together with a welcome appearance from The Fulcis, and a cameo role for “The Collector of Souls”

What sets Connolly’s books apart is the adding of a dark element to Parker’s persona. Parker blames himself for the murder of his wife and daughter Jennifer and you cannot help but feel that he will be relieved when it is time for him to join them. He has many visions and often daughter Jennifer appears before him, is she real or a product of his disturbed mind. In A Song of Shadows we once again meet Parker’s second daughter Sam who appears to have inherited the family trait of talking to the dead and in one memorable scene has an encounter with Jennifer…….

“The dead daughter had returned, standing at the end of Sam’s bed, her head bowed so that her hair might conceal the ruin of her face. Sam felt sorry for her, the way she felt sorry for anyone who was forced to endure a form of disability or physical disfigurement. She also understood that it had to be this way for the girl. When she crossed over to this world, she took the last form in which she had inhabited it when she was alive. Her beauty was for another place”

So where does Charlie Parker go from here, can we expect a 14th outing? In the final pages surprisingly Parker secures his own future (I will not disclose how but it comes about from an unexpected source) and that for all JC fans can only be great news. This is storytelling of the highest order, intelligent well researched and a joy to read and I highly recommend!

In Plain Sight the life and lies of Jimmy Savile

This is a very difficult book to read as I like many thought warmly of Jimmy Savile for so many years, and can you blame us? Here was a man who from such humble and hard working beginnings led an extraordinary life. From his early years as a miner (and I use that word with trepidation ) his short spell as a wrestler, his love of marathon running, his virtual creation of the British TV institute  “Top of the Pops” and his equally electrifying Jim’ll fix it, a programme that for so many years was at the heart of BBC Saturday night entertainment. Then there was his memorable road safety ads, the famous clunk-click phrase followed by his equally renowned promotion of British Rail “This is the age of the train” He was friends to the powerful and famous, Prince Charles, Margaret Thatcher (who fought for years to obtain his OBE) and even the late Princess Diana sought him out so eager were they to ask his advice and be seen in his company....but against this all and against the charity money he raised was a monster of a man who used his position of celebrity to sexually abuse and destroy the lives of so many.

In Plain Sight by Dan Davies is a monumental book and a compulsive colourful and chilling read. This is a book that was researched for many years and over the course of that time Davies interviewed and spoke with Savile on numerous occasions, yet he always felt that there was a dark untold side to this seemingly affable gent.....and how right he was. It is with great sadness that Savile was not exposed during his lifetime and that those who were abused had not the courage to come forward (or indeed if they did were not believed) at an earlier time. Society and our obsession with celebrity must bear so much of the responsibility and blame for we kept this vile individual on a pedestal for so long even thought the crimes that he committed were done....in plain sight.....

The Rain Dancers Greg F Gifune

Will and Betty have arrived at her late father Earle’s house to arrange for the property to be cleared and the contents sorted prior to its imminent sale. As they set about the sad task and as Betty reacquaints herself with her childhood there is a knock at the door......”After a slight hesitation, I opened the door. “Come in.”...”Much obliged.” He stepped inside, bringing a gust of wind and a spray of rain with him. “Great Gosh Almighty, nasty night out there, isn’t it?”...”Quite a rain,” I said. He made sure the storm door closed and latched behind him. “Apologize for showing up announced like this,” he said, “but when I heard Earl had passed I felt it only right to stop in and pay you and your lovely bride my respects.”

Thus the reader is introduced to the deeply disturbed, overtly friendly and thoroughly evil “good ole southern boy” Bob Laurent. Greg F Gifune has done a wonderful job of introducing a seemingly harmless, friendly stranger and yet from the moment we meet him his evil intent is apparent. “The inexplicable fear I’d initially felt had subsided, but in its wake was an equally baffling sense of unease.” It is this growing fear and the knowledge that something terrible is about to befall Will and Betty that makes The Rain Dancers such an unforgettable experience. I read with such a sense of foreboding and fear as I waited for the fate of Will and Betty to be decided...

The reason for Laurent’s visit and the unravelling of Betty Colby’s past come together in an explosive and brilliant conclusion making this one of the best short novellas I have ever read. Greg F Gifune is a writer of such emotive and descriptive power and this short story as a showcase for his undoubted writing talent.

Tormentor by William Meikle

This is a first class example of just how to write an intelligent and gripping horror novel. A good horror story, and in particular a good haunted house horror story, needs certain vital ingredients, firstly an isolated and inviting haunted house, and secondly a troubled even tormented central character. William Meikle does a wonderful job of exploring his native homeland (Scotlands's loss is Canada's gain) and in Jim Greenwood he has chosen the perfect victim to showcase his dark writing talent.

Jim’s partner Beth died swiftly and horribly of cancer and he has taken the decisive step to move into a house by a sea loch on the Isle of Skye...”without her London seemed pointless-a mound full of termites running around doing things that benefited other termites and pretending it mattered a jot.” I find it difficult to believe that William Meikle is no longer a resident of this fair isle as his sense of time and space and his descriptive prowess is breathtaking as he expertly brings alive the isolation of this dark and beautiful windswept island.....”From this vantage point the view was completely wild-no roads or pylons visible, no other houses, just the loch, with wavelets slightly churning in a stiff breeze, the purple hills hanging in a haze across the water and white clouds scudding north across the sky.”

Jim befriends a young estate agent Alan Bean and enjoys his company in the drinking dens of nearby Dunvegan whilst settling into his rustic one-bed roomed home. As befits the setting for this wonderful tale all is not well and soon Jim begins to receive strange messages and notice odd occurrences as he slowly learns what befell the previous owner Annie Menzies.

Meikle’s mixing of the dark, the horror, the setting, the folklore set around Dunvegan Castle and the historical loss of a young drummer boy, many centuries ago, all adds to the atmosphere. The reader becomes confused as to whether what is happening to Jim Greenwood is real or part of the madness surrounding him and possibly controlling him as he lives life without his beloved Beth.

 Alex Wark the local minister was a character in particular I found enticing and a great way for the author to express and compare the presence of good and evil...

“How you can still believe in God when there are so many things wrong in the world and it is obvious that he doesn’t care? He looked up and smiled. “The Bible says that God is love. And part of his loving nature is that he allows people to have free will. As a result, we have evil, pain and suffering, due to the choices we and others make.”

A truly brilliant, intelligent, dark tale of a damaged man attempting to find peace and happiness in the wild and haunted setting of the isle of skye. Highly recommended.