Didn't work for me

The story of Issac, a night auditor, at the Goddam Hotel somewhere in Texas, the people he meets, the troubles he endures, and the somewhat full on life he leads. The way of the author, the somewhat in your face prose, and the rather bizarre storyline is either something you will love or hate. In the beginning I enjoyed but by the midway point I felt the whole thing somewhat bizarre and wished for the party to be over. Not an author I would choose to read in the future......

Stunning and compelling

As a student at Queens University Belfast in the mid 70's I was privileged to be selected to act as a "counsellor" on the Camp America scheme. I spent a very happy 10 weeks working with underprivileged kids at Camp Sebago just south of Portland  in the Pine Tree State of Maine. This was a very closed environment and it offered city kids the opportunity to mature and grow and hopefully develop into exemplary adults. In such an idyllic setting it was very obvious to me who the trouble makers were, who sought attention, who craved companionship, and who simply wanted to be left alone.

It all came flooding back to me in this excellent short story "Odd Man Out". That is certainly not to say that I encountered extremes of behaviour but I can appreciate how James Newman skilfully used the summer camp setting to show the ugly side of human nature. Dennis Munce "D-Man" is spending the summer at Black Mountain Camp for Boys with his best childhood friend Wesley Westmore. It is indicated that Wesley has a secret, and something that he wishes to remain hidden in this boys will be boys setting...."We knew Wesley was not like us, even though we couldn't explain what we meant when we were nine or ten" In any group there are those egotistical individuals who seek to strengthen their peer standing by searching out those they see as weak or "different" and quite simply destroying them. What follows is a shocking example of the lowest form of human behaviour, why sometimes it is best not to remain silent in the face of evil, to act and put right and not just to follow!

James Newman is certainly one of the best authors I have been introduced to in my long association with "goodreads" a social networking site for booklovers. His writing is thoughtful, articulate and a joy to read quite simply he is an excellent story teller. Odd Man Out is one of best novellas I have had the pleasure to read this year, a story that paints a bleak picture of humanity but one that needs to be read if we are to fully understand and alter the way we view those who do not adhere to what we perceive as the norm.

Enjoyable Gothic horror story

Maddie inherits a gothic mansion from her aunt Charlotte. She is puzzled and surprised by this gift but determined to make full use of the unexpected inheritance. She has decided for the present to reside there.

A series of unusual occurrences and events is somewhat concerning; what is the significance of the willow tree in the basement? what are the shady figures and apparitions that live within the confines of the house, in particular an elderly gentleman in a cloak. We learn that Maddie had a lonely childhood and to compensate for this she has created an imaginary circle of friends who appear to her throughout the story.

The reader is introduced to Shona and her amateur theatrical associates who make good use of the abundant house resources for rehearsal, and young Charlie Evans the friendly plumber who appears to be a resource of inspiration and help to an increasingly frightened and confused Maddie. Is there something unexplained and frightening within the characters of Shona and Charlie that the reader should be cautious and concerned about? As the story proceeds the issues are dealt with in a very effective manner.

For a haunted house story to be successful the most important element is the pace of the story telling. At the centre of this novel is the imposing and gothic presence of Hargest House. Maddie is frightened by ghostly figures and the willow in the basement, and her state of mind is deteriorating the longer she remains in residence.

The slow unveiling of the house and characters almost leads the reader into a false sense of security and is subtly done by the author creating a beautiful foundation to showcase the evil when it occurs in the latter part of the story.

So an enjoyable gothic horror tale expertly paced with enough hidden surprises to entertain and engage the reader's interest until the end. I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review and that is what I have written.

A big and I mean big disappointment

For all those positive reviews on Mister White and for all those reviewers who thought this pathetic imitation of a horror story was "Brilliant"..."This is an amazing Thril Ride!!" (is that an intentional spelling error?)...."I can't stop saying his name" I only have one appropriate comment to make....."BOLL**KS!

This is possible the worst story I have ever read, yes even worse than "Night of the Nazi Zombies" (my review amazon uk Jan 4th 2012) Once the words "Who is Mister White" are uttered then hell and confusion abound in a story that has no direction no meaning, no plot, no memorable or likeable characters, no nothing!! When I tell you that those words are the opening lines in Chapter 1 then you will probably wonder how I ever managed to not only read but finish! It was tough dear readers of my review but I wanted to share my thoughts with you before you commit yourself to the buy button on Amazon! To think I actually spent £4.14 of my hard earned spondolies (cash to you and me) on this pitiful excuse of storytelling brought to you by Grey Matter Press.

This is a chase story and anyone who utters those immortal words "Who is Mister White" is hounded to death by some supernatural entity who will end your life in the most brutal manner. Lewis Edgar makes the unfortunate mistake of asking the White question and this starts a chain of events which sees him journeying from deepest Russia to his wife Cat and daughter Hedde in America. A coded message is received by Cat containing the word "Headband" and immediately she knows that she must flee following Lewis's careful instructions..."Go to Gerard's. Listen to Gerard. Do not leave Gerard's".....and that's about as good as it gets!!

I was totally bored, confused and perplexed, the writing was poor, the characters and characterization were introduced and forgotten in equal measures. Endless paragraphs of frightened people running aimlessly around akin to headless chickens in the farmyard of a demented farmer! There was the usual gratuitous violence, truncating body parts and a nice splattering of blood, but this is NOT enough to keep me entertained I want intelligence and horror that makes me think and question not this mindless drivel

Just before I pressed the buy button for Mister White I debated would it not be wiser to purchase 11/23/63 by the master of penmanship Stephen King. No I thought as I read the "buzz words" on the publishers website..."a potent mix of horror espionage and mystery"..."a finely tuned cat and mouse thriller"...."the most thrilling thing about Mister White is the way it is written"......(yeah right get a life!!) So I bought Mister White, much to my regret, but I will never make that mistake again and will think seriously about the merits of reading from small or self publishers in the future.

Great writing from a great author

This is the first book I have read by Chris Brookmyre and it most certainly will not be my last. It is a first class mystery/thriller and the writing, plotting and characterization are of the highest order.

The story revolves around consultant/surgeon Diana Jager, her relationship with husband Peter and his mysterious so called death and disappearance. As the title Black Widow suggests the reader is confronted with the facts and evidence regarding this partnership and must decide if Diana is guilty of the unthinkable.

I was hooked from the first page and loved the twists and turns of this intricate plot as the author expertly teases the reader before revealing a totally unexpected and highly original conclusion.

I was gifted a gratis copy of this book for a fair and honest review and that is what I have written.

Unsettling enjoyable read

Few will forget the last image in that great Alfred Hitchcock classic Psycho when Norman Bates is seen isolated in a protected cell with the immortal words from his mother incarcerated in his mind..."She wouldn't even harm a fly"

In many ways Sanitarium by Chet Williamson tries to encapsulate both the mood of the movie and the somewhat concerning "mother" thoughts that still dwell within the mind of Norman. Added to this is the deep feeling of uneasiness that exist not only in the hospital itself but also amongst fellow residents who have similar murderous afflictions to Norman. This creates a constant tension, the reader can never feel complacent as the volatile residents are liable to explode into violence at any time.

One such resident is a man called Miller who, as a great admirer of Norman Bates, is hoping to learn from him. Miller is a convicted rapist and he feels that by introducing murder into his rapist illusions he can create the ultimate sexual high. Episodes such as this are an everyday occurrence and the staff and doctors must remain vigilant and at a high state of readiness. This story is really a glimpse inside the walls of a building where the patients have no hope of release and must live a day to day existence in the human equivalent of a fish bowl where their every move is observed, their every action noted, and where violence and the unexpected are the accepted norm (no pun intended)

This is an enjoyable but unsettling tale and shows a world where all hope is gone. It was a help to me as I had seen the original movie and the images created by that classic fitted perfectly into the story. I received an advance copy of Sanitarium for an honest review and that is what I have written.

Astounding literary achievement

Some of the negative reviews describe this book as "strange" and I would agree with that another candidly states" nothing significant happens, never mind eerie" and a third makes the very unflattering comment "it was like reading a soap" I think that all the negative reviews have entirely missed the point of this astounding work of literary fiction. The story does not have to be fast moving, it does not have to have pages filled with action and movement and it is certainly much more than "a boys story of going on a religious pilgrimage"

I was fascinated and enthralled from the first page, as I was transported to a wild, rugged and lonely Lancastrian coast where the quietness and isolation of this god forsaken location instantly created a feeling of dread, fear and approaching evil. The beauty and loneliness of the surroundings was reflected so expertly in the reflective and creative writing style of the author. His command of the English language and his ability to paint a picture by his choice of phrases and words is simply unmatched in anything I have ever read......

"Like the shadow of a huge predatory bird, darkness moved slowly down the hillside, past Moorings, across the marshes, across the beach, across the sea, until all that was left was a muddy orange on the horizon as the last of England's light ebbed away."

"The wind came rushing in off the sea, sweeping its comb through the scrubby grass and sending a shiver through the vast pools of standing water."

"It was an albino, with eyes that looked as if they had been marinated in blood."

The narrator (we only ever get to know his nickname Tonto) his brother Hanny together with "Mummer" and "Farther" embark on their annual pilgrimage to a sacred shrine on a desolate strip of coastline known as the Loney. They are hoping that their faith will result in a cure for Hanny who is unable to speak. The Loney is a place of superstition and fear of hauntings and evil amongst a population equally eccentric and unpredictive in their behaviour. The beliefs and religious participation of all the characters we encounter is in wonderful contrast to the "Wicker Man" style rituals that fill the lives of the residents.

The horror is not what is said or done but in the implied which creates a magic visionary picture and in the final chapters uncovering a murder that had remained hidden for many years.The Loney is a great example of what is really important in both the writing and reading of a book. A good story should have the ability not only to entertain but to make you feel a part of the events unfolding before you, transporting you from the ordinary and mundane to the intellectual thoughts of the author. I cannot recommend this book highly enough and thanks to the good people of netgalley for the free copy I received in exchange for an honest review, and that is what I have written.

A nice little tale of a sad relationship

A short love story under the disguise of horror. What happens when you question the relationship of the one you thought you would share you life with forever? Todd has grown tired and complacent with Heather and she in her turn does little to try to stop the breakdown of their teenage love. Both have indulged in random pointless affairs and yet both refuse to have a conversation that includes the D word.

When Heather produces an old winter box that contains precious memories from each year they have spent together, strange dreams and happenings occur. The cold, the snow, the illusions all add to a strange and yet enjoyable tale that attempts to mend the cracks in a broken marriage....."It wasn't just him, though. The same thing had happened to Heather, if to a lesser degree, but that was no excuse. Each partner was expected to do his or her share of the heavy lifting in the relationship, and neither of them had done any for a long time, him more so than her."

The story has a surprisingly good and very relevant ending which brings all the strands of this sad tale to a somewhat unexpected but suitable conclusion.

Cliche-ridden tale of nonsense

Jersey Castle, tough homicide detective, called to the scene of a RTA where it would appear the husband has driven over his partner and a little later commits suicide. Salvation Blue, or Sally as she prefers (thank goodness!) is also present at the accident and has the uncanny gift of seeing events unfold through the eyes of the victim...she is the "Seer". Sally has been working peacefully as a morticians beautician for the last 25 years, aware of her turbulent childhood, and haunted by her dead mother's last words...Run Sally Run! There is a connection between Sally and the Church of a Sabbath Day's Journey. Aedan, dutiful husband, has finally found her and determined to return Sally to her rightful position in the church as the Seer of Visions....."I'm Aedan. Your husband." It took Sally a moment to adjust to the news. "Husband?" Aedan nodded. "That is why I never gave up looking for you. It was my duty."....

Jersey together with the beautiful Kameela..."A tall strikingly handsome woman with skin the color of bittersweet chocolate and curly hair so short it could have been a woolen skullcap" immediately leave in search of Sally (it would appear that on first meeting Jersey was instantly smitten!)

I found this story somewhere between a B movie and a badly written made for tv series, with the stories, descriptions, characters and eventual outcome laughable. Look at this paragraph on Jersey's first encounter with Kameeela..."untouchable runway model-all pouty lips and attitude-or a disemboweling Zulu warrior. Either way, she made him nervous. Perhaps sensing his anxiety the woman opened her lips to revel a blinding and utterly captivating smile. A bright pink tongue followed as she plucked a flake of tobacco off its tip." There is a final scene where a group of bike driving nuns, a cross between hells angels and ninja warriors, (are we serious!) attempt to make a forced entrance at the church's stronghold....Sister Mary Theresa turned to her pack of nuns and quickly gave instructions. Instantly, two nuns broke right and two went left. Each pair glided their bikes silently away from the gate until they reached the far side of the two homes. Hidden from view of anyone looking out, the nuns propped their sturdy machines against the eight-foot stone wall. As Jersey watched, the ninja-black nuns, hopped onto their saddles, stood up tall, and scrambled over the wall. One half of each pair carried a lariat, the other, a shotgun. The maneuver was so perfectly executed, Jersey wondered if the Mission of the Immaculate Heart had been recruiting women from the Navy Seals." At his stage in the story I would not have been surprised if that all American hero Audie Murpy together with his trusty sidekick John Wayne had made a dramatic entrance to aid those ninja warrior nuns!!

Some months ago I read The Butcher's Son by Grant Mckenzie and really enjoyed describing him as an exciting new name in the thriller genre. Unfortunately "Speak the Dead" has proved to be a cliché ridden tale of nonsense, superhero hollow characters with egos to match, and a storyline silly in the extreme. I received a copy of this book from the good people at edelweiss for a fair and honest review and that is what I have written.

Fast paced will crafted crime thriller

DI Jessica Daniel is having a busy day. Two prisoners escape in a smash and grab incident on the busy motorway network around Manchester. Soon afterwards one of them is found dead, hanging from a bridge over the M62. A lone pensioner fears for his personal safety and he is about to become the victim of a future crime..."He's called us ten times today and about a dozen times yesterday. He says people are breaking into his house but nobody at your end's doing anything. Sounds like a bit of a nutter to me....." There are rumours of an illegal bare-knuckled championship with the supposed appearance of British middleweight Champion Liam "nine fingers" Flanagan. There are fears of a gang turf war spilling over onto the streets of Manchester. Jessica's personal life is equally chaotic. She questions her relationship with colleague Archie Davey and the guilt she holds about fiancé Adam..."Jessica's fiancé Adam, was still in a coma, the doctors unsure if he'd ever wake up.  She should be spending evenings at his side, not with another man..." She feels a responsibility to her lodger Bex, a young lady who Jessica rescued from a life on the streets. now facing the ultimate test when Bex's drug addicted mother makes an unwelcome appearance.

The author does a wonderful job of controlling all these separate threads and presenting them in a very readable and exciting form. He most certainly writes with a certain flair and panache and I love the way he starts is book with a cliff hanger and ends in the same fashion. The conclusion in particular leaves a doubt over the future wellbeing of one of the central characters and ensures that the reader will return for the next exciting instalment. A bit like those old silent black and white movies with the heroine tied to the railway track!

A great big thank you to the good people of netgalley for sending me a gratis copy of this book for a fair and honest review and that is what I have written. I most certainly will be returning for the future adventures of DI Jessica Daniel and in the hands of her creator Kerry Wilkinson that can only be a good thing as he matures and perfects his style.

The horrors of the Great War

Following the demise of her Nan Joanne Neally,  whilst inspecting the old ladies possessions, discovers documents relating the death of her great grandfather Wilfred Isherwood during the Great War. She is intrigued, and eager to discover more and visits Arthur, an old army colleague of Wilf's, still alive in a residential home. She is horrified to learn the conditions that her great grandfather endured at the battle of Passchendaele and his ultimate fate. Forsaking family life, an abusive husband Frank, sacked from her place of employment, she travels to the Ypres area of Belgium.

I do have a few issues with this story, and find it hard to understand why this independent and single minded woman should remain in a relationship with such a controlling man as Frank. He is a bully and a drunk , a man subject to fits of temper expecting his spouse to attend to his every needs while he drinks away the family budget at the local public house. It also seems totally implausible that Joanne would immediately abandon her children and travel to Belgium especially as repossession of the family home is now a distinct possibility. However even more absurd Joanne, whilst drinking at the hotel bar makes the acquaintance of a local man, Jacques Freyhoek, and in a very short time they retire to her bedroom for a night of passion! When he leaves the following morning she is horrified to discover that her wedding/engagement rings, passport and money are all missing! How could this intelligent woman be so easily misled and tricked. Disillusioned and disheartened she pays a final trip to Wilf's grave and as she stands alone amongst the sad departed a voice calls out her name......her drunken, controlling, abusive partner Frank has found her and pleads with her to return home...This intelligent, attractive woman apologises to her husband for her behaviour and returns to the family nest where presumably the bullying and abusive behaviour continue....

I enjoyed the ideals behind this story and many of the descriptions..."The small talk of soldiers, young men from opposite sides of the world with nothing in common except a burning desire to survive, to escape, to return to a way of life in which destruction suffering and death was not commonplace"....However the characters were feeble and it seemed to me hopelessly impossible that a woman, with such a burning ambition and single mindedness could be so inadequate and weak in dealing with a very abusive and controlling partner. Equally her decisions whilst in Belgium were totally at odds with her reasons for visiting. Having said that I quite enjoyed reading this short story as it detailed the life and sordid conditions that young soldiers faced on a daily basis on the killing fields of France. Many thanks to the good people of netgalley for sending me a gratis copy of this book in exchange for an honest review, and that is what I have written.

Unsettling yet compulsive reading

This was certainly different and I had a real problem with the author's writing style from the start. The way he phrased sentences and presented the various characters as they related to each other reminded me of studying Shakespeare at school!....

Josh: "You were playing on our server?"

Tommy:"What's the big deal?"

Arnold: "No worries. I was on some public one. Not yours."

Josh: "How'd  you know Tommy was playing then?"

Arnold: "Huh? Nah, I didn't know."

Josh: "You just said you did."

This rather irritating way of placing the speakers name at the start, inserting a colon immediately after, and then stating what was said....

Now having established my concerns, I must admit I was someone smitten with the suggestive and creeping horror. Elizabeth Sanderson is awoken to the news that her son Tommy is missing. What happened on the final night when he disappeared at Devil's Rock when in the company of his friends Louis, Joss and the mysterious Arnold. What is the significance of dark shadows, the crack-head penny, and mysterious notes that appear randomly at night for Elizabeth's attention. Who can she trust; daughter Kate? mum Janice? Detective Allison Murtagh? I read this story over a 24 hour period and found its content very unsettling, the character of Arnold somewhat evil, and the outcome for Tommy, Louis, and Joss sadly inevitable. The events that took place on one fateful night at Devil's Rock cannot fail but make a lasting impression on the reader and that surely must be the mark of a good book.

First class techno thriller

I read and review a lot of traditional UK and USA based crime and it is always a pleasure to read something that is just that little bit different. Chris Brookmyre brings a real freshness and punch to this highly entertaining cybercrime novel "Want You Gone"

Samantha Morpeth  is the heroine of the moment. She has inherited the responsibility of caring for her younger sister Lilly (who suffers from down's syndrome), as her mother is unfortunately serving a prison sentence. Life is tough, she works in a lowly paid job, worries that the local social services will soon visit, and socializes on the web as alter ego "Buzzkill". Jack Parlabane is an out of work reporter hoping to scoop the big job opportunity with an innovative company called Broadwave. What appears to be a simple data breach at an electronics giant Synergis results in Sam and Jack forming an uneasy alliance and investigating the controversy surrounding a new product  soon to be launched to global acclaim.

This is an edge of the seat thriller that I consumed in two sittings. I enjoyed the dialogue between Sam and Jack and the downright audacity that so called hackers use to introduce themselves, gain trust and ultimately infiltrate and destroy a business. It is a story that is frightening in both its possibilities and scope and demands the reader to keep pace with the breathtaking action. I particularly loved the character of Sam, the struggle and obstacles that she encountered on a daily basis, and hoped that the author would seem fit to grant her some reprieve and reward in the closing chapters.

Many thanks to the good people of netgalley for sending me a gratis copy of this first rate thriller in exchange for an honest review.

Great British Crime

It is always a pleasure to read another episode in the life of DI Tom Thorne from the magical and elegant handwriting style of Mark Billingham. This is English crime as its best, well researched, intelligent, informative with strong characters who aptly display their strengths and weaknesses for all to see. There are no quick solutions here but a story that unfolds like the petals of a rose revealing a nasty underbelly and one shocking revelation concerning one of the players with a personal secret to unfold. (to say more would spoil the surprise!)

Thorne and his partner police officer Helen Weeks are on a trip to the small Warwickshire town of Polesford where an old school friend of Helen's is in trouble and in great need of comfort and assurance, her partner Stephen Bates having been arrested and accused of murder. This is also meant to be a break for Tom and Helen but as Helen becomes ever more involved in the pain and heartbreak of her friend Linda our surly DI finds himself somewhat ignored and at a loss is drawn into the search for the two missing schoolgirls.

I love the relaxed and unpretentious style of Billingham and how he expertly portrays Thorne as a loner with very few friends apart from the somewhat colourful police pathologist Phil Hendricks. It was good to see that Hendricks once again became a central pivot as the story evolved, and his unconventional appearance and lifestyle acted in sharp contrast to the conservative Thorne.

As suggested above there are secrets to be revealed and a relationship tested to the extreme in a great example of modern British crime fiction. Highly Recommended.

Puerile Horror

"One twisted, gnarled body, thousands of tiny heads protruding. The mass crested over her swaying like a cobra for a moment, hundreds of black eyes looking down on her, before it crashed over her in a wave and thousands of razor-sharp teeth found purchase at once." When I read this about a quarter of the way into The Beast of Barcroft I thought whoa!! James Herbert eat your heart out!! this is like a modern retelling of The Rats, 70's horror at its best.....but unfortunately that was as good as it got.......

The Rats was one of the first horror books I ever read and was influential in my early love of the horror genre. It was a book with a great and simple story, a rat plague strikes London, and a wonderful list of characters that instantly got me interested in the story that each had to tell. So why I am talking about The Rats when this is a review of an entirely different book? Simply put The Beast of Barcroft is unfortunately a book that will do little to ingratiate new readers to the horror genre in the way that The Rats did for me all those years ago. It is utter drivel! with characters that are instantly forgettable and a story line that had the potential to relive all those great books from so many years ago and instead turns out to be a damp squib.

Ben McKelvie has moved into a new pad in Arlington Virginia with his dog Bucky, and a disorganised neighbour whose chaotic and irresponsible lifestyle is attracting all types of rodents and vermin to the streets outside his home. What more is there to say....the beast/shapeshifter arrives, takes on whatever form he chooses and terrorizes and kills a few inhabitants. So will our hero (who loves Lindsay but she is really in love with her new partner Faith, so then he loves Lisa!) save the day. Do I really care about the puerile and petty little lives of hollow and forgettable characters in some nondescript town, I can only hope that in this battle of attrition against a poor and defenceless beast that the beast wins. You will of course, dear reader, have to read the story (if you can be bothered) to find out the answer but personally I would prefer to be buried up to my neck in pig swill rather than have to endure such drivel again!

I cannot understand why so called horror authors have the audacity to present such poorly written rubbish for print, are all those positive reviews a fair and unbiased point of view?.....I simply state this point as the Amazon star system always makes me a little suspicious of reviewers who claim...... a very good read, compellingly creepy and well written.....well written my ar*e

Gruesome horror of the finest order

Having read so much mediocre horror fiction recently it has been a pleasure to read something with real originality and style and outstanding evil that resides at the Ballador House Hotel.

An eclectic mix of characters are in resident at the Ballador Hotel all hoping to encounter and meet paranormal apparitions as night approaches. One particular resident Victor Teversham is praying that the hotel will supply an answer as to why his wife Josephine booked a getaway break here before committing suicide.

We meet the mysterious and beautiful Gia, the night manager Mrs Dempsey and the loud and boisterous Heinrich Stritzel. The author accomplishes, what many writers fail to do, he makes all the players that we encounter very believable. At times I felt this was almost a modern horror remaking of Casablanca where all meet and encounter horror at a central point with no means of escape. What was extraordinary in the story telling , not only for the main antagonists but also for the reader, was the inability to distinguish between what was real and what was fiction....what was a dream and what was reality. This confusion added greatly to the constant feeling of dread and fear that permeated the unravelling of the mysterious ghostly events taking place.

There is a clever connection between Victor and his wife and a woman from the past known as Evelyn Burgess, and when the true intentions of the ghostly "residents" becomes apparent it is too late to stop the ensuing bloodbath..." The Residents are the parts of ourselves we wanted to keep hidden. The parts we didn't like. The parts we suppressed. Invasive thoughts, base urges, and hateful impulses."

So a highly original story with a gruesome and bloody conclusion, a most enjoyable treat for lovers of good horror. I received an advance copy of Prince of Nightmares for an honest review and that is what I have written.

Snowy horror melts away.....

Although this is a short story it failed to make any real impression on me and I really struggled to finish. There is a mysterious and beautiful woman in white appearing in the cold cold winter in the small town of Rocky Rhodes Maine. Is there a connection between this strange apparition and a number of recent murders, all men? So we have a horror story set in small town America with faceless uninteresting characters, attempting to solve the mystery of something strange and huge that fell from the sky. What is the connection between this event, the woman in white and the grub-monster?

The one aspect of this story that I did like was the snowy setting which lends itself beautifully to the horror genre (hence the two stars) The stillness and quietness creates a strange and nervous landscape where anything could be hidden and everything is possible. Unfortunately the readers is subjected to the pettiness, quarrels and disagreements amongst the leading players, and the horror element when revealed is frankly laughable. I would however recommend Snowblind and Snowblind 2 by Michael McBride as perfect examples of a big scary monster against the background of a still and frozen landscape, and I reflect once again on the fact that there is really only one writer who could be truly described as the "king" of small town America.

Formulaic predictable adventure story

It was always going to be difficult to enjoy this book having just read and been astounded by the brilliant Submerged by Thomas F Monteleone. As a youth I have fond memories of the boys own type thrillers by Scottish born Alistair McLean, and on initial reading I recall that Where Eagles Dare was a first class page-turner. Unfortunately revisiting this 2ndWW thriller after many years has not proved so enjoyable.

The story starts off with a great flourish when Major Smith and Lt Shaffer together with their motley crew are sent on a perilous mission to the Schloss Adler, a fortress high in the alps of Southern Bavaria. There is initial intrigue when having parachuted into enemy territory one of the saboteurs is found murdered, there is an enemy agent within the ranks! We then proceed in a set formulaic manner as Smith and Shaffer proceed to infiltrate the fortress stronghold by means of a perilous journey on the roof of a cable car. Their task it would appear is to rescue Col Carnaby before the Germans can interrogate him and discover the plans for the second front ie the expected imminent Normandy Landings. There is lots of shooting, and a final confrontation within the castle when the true nature of Smith’s mission is disclosed. This is followed by more shooting as our brave heroes depart the bloody scene amidst chaos and a smouldering fortress that is fast being destroyed by fire and turning into dust and decay.

This is a clean easily assimilated adventure story suited to the minds and attitude of teenage boys emerging from a youth spent reading the adventures of comic heroes Batman and Superman. It is not really a book to satisfy the intellect or demands of an adult reader due to its simplicity and soulless empty characters. It is probably best remembered for the 1968 movie starring Richard Burton and Clint Eastwood with the immortal words “Broadsword calling Danny Boy, he said Broadsword calling Danny Boy. Can you hear me? Can you hear me? It is also equally absurd as representing the German high command as bumbling fools who somehow allowed a small trained group of saboteurs to destroy a seemingly well protected impregnable fortress and as they escape are heard to say..” Gott in Himmel!” They’ve got away.”

Perhaps I criticize and reprimand a story that is simply there to entertain, and not to be viewed as a well researched and informative thriller. That may be so but in the final analysis I demand more from my reading than a routine adventure with a much frequented theme and a predictable conclusion.

A very disappointing read

The problem with the writing of Harry Bingham is you either enjoy his style, his quirky and somewhat detached 1st person adventure or you struggle and find the whole experience tedious and irritating.Having previously read and enjoyed "Talking to the Dead" I was eager to learn more about the life of DC Fiona Griffiths and her daily battle with the depressive and psychotic disease known as Cotard's Syndrome. Body parts have been discovered and it is the job of our intrepid and courageous Fiona to solve the case and bring the perpetrators to justice whilst coping with the effects of her illness. Unfortunately the temperament and attitude of the central character could do very little to rescue what essentially was a somewhat boring and overlong police procedural. I also discovered that by page 440 the very endearing qualities of the author's style once so enjoyable had now become frankly laborious. To discover that the key to unlocking the murders resided at a small engineering firm in the town of Barry only added to the parochial quality of the story telling, and in the end I really struggled to finish.

The way to write a short horror story

This was downloaded as a free short read on my kindle and is a good example of how to write a short story with a memorable snappy storyline good characters and perhaps more importantly a great conclusion.

Frank and Shelley and their two children have moved into a big old rambling house. Surprisingly their offer was successful and now is the time to become acquainted with their new surroundings. The structure includes a rusty old radio transmission tower "The structure soared upwards of one hundred feet; the aerial on top seemed to disappear into infinity." There is also a mysterious locked basement where a noisy dynamo emits a light that appears to communicate with the radio tower. Frank decides to investigate the source of noise/light in the hope that he can solve the problem and this means entering the locked basement....

This is certainly the recipe for a good horror story as our hero heads into the dark unknown to discover the mysterious light source and there he encounters "Edward Sparkes and his Amazing Magnetic Magic Show" The author does not disappoint and the ending is quite unexpected concluding what is a fun little horror story and a great way to spend an idle 30 minutes but remember do not go into the basement!

Average book nothing more

In The Silence of the Lambs by Thomas Harris a serial killer named Buffalo Bill kidnaps a US senators daughter called Catherine Martin and keeps her hostage in a dry well. In Last Call by Sean Costello a deranged serial killer name "Bobcat" kidnaps young girls keeping them hostage in a well before murdering and disposing of their remains. Is there a similarity between the stories only the reader can make that decision.

Trish loves her mum Sally, she has just purchased her first car, and has been accepted as a veterinary student. She then discovers that her dad Jim, a recovering alcoholic, is alive and Dean an old boyfriend from the past is now back in her life. It's all going so well until one day she attracts the attention of Bobcat and she must hope and pray that Jim and Dean will rescue her.

This is a very average story I read whilst recovering from a hernia operation and most certainly some of the scenes involving Bobcat made me feel somewhat uncomfortable. His hobby is to remove the teeth from his victims and create attractive jewellery trinkets for the unsuspecting tourists. The style of writing is average and simplistic and the story easy to follow as it plods along to its somewhat inevitable conclusion. I was very disappointed in this book having read on recommendation and will not be reading anymore by the author.

Thrilling undersea adventure

When I was young I was enchanted by the stories of the great Alistair Maclean. I sailed with Captain Keith Mallory as he and his crew attempted to silence the guns of Navarone, I climbed the heights with Major John Smith as the infiltrated the Schloss Adler fortress in Southern Bavaria and I accompanied Cdr. James Ferraday beneath the ice-floes of the Arctic ocean to locate and rescue the men of weather-station zebra. As I grew older I grew to love the technical brilliance of Tom Clancy and the techno-thriller genius of Michael Crichton. All of these fade into insignificance when I compare them to this astounding novel Submerged by Thomas F Monteleone.

From the opening pages I was totally enthralled by the adventures of submarine U-5001 and its mission to attack the eastern side of the United States. I was equally captivated by Dexter McCauley and his quest to understand the fate of U-5001. KptLt Eric Bruchner has been charged with the task of striking the eastern United States with a secret weapon. He is a man of immense charisma, charm and intellect and well respected by the members of his crew, and we sail with him as he sets course on a perilous and dangerous mission.

As the story developed I could feel the tension and fear within this floating coffin as Bruckner attempts to steer a safe course and avoid the constant attacks by enemy aircraft. “There was a curious groaning of the bulkheads as the steel ribs of the hull absorbed their first encounter with ocean pressure. It was normal on a new boat to hear such sounds but they never failed to get everyone’s attention. As if the deck could grow more quiet. Then the silence was pierced by an abrupt series of concussions. The shockwave rattled the boat, but far less severely than Eric had ever experienced”....”No one spoke as the floor beneath them gradually levelled out. Everyone exhaled at the same time. No U-boat crewman would ever lie so poorly to swear he felt comfortable when the bubble –indicator told you the nose of your boat was pointed at the bottom.” The closest comparison is probably is probably Wolfgang Peterson’s 1981 masterpiece “Das Boot” The claustrophobic world of a German u-boat with its periods of boredom and sheer terror.

We move forward to the present and Dex McCauley is overseeing a dive in Chesapeake Bay with a group of fellow enthusiasts affectionately known as The Deep Six. They encounter the hull of U-5001 and as they explore the ghostly corridors of the sunken sub they make a discovery “At the same time, Tommy’s light touched the fuselage of a plane painted in green and gray camo.......Looks like we’ve got a light-to-medium bomber in here. Seaplane.” So what is the purpose of a small plane attached to the submarine’s fuselage? And why has a seemingly intact vessel been ditched at the bottom of the ocean?

Bruckner is suddenly presented with new orders and has to divert on a rescue and recovery operation to station one eleven located under the Greenland Shelf. Why have KptLt Bruckner and his crew been diverted from their original objective, and will they still be expected to carry out the attack?

The author does a wonderful job of presenting the two storylines in a most thrilling and frightening fashion. The tension within the submarine is unbearable and the sudden alteration to the mission throws the story and the readers expectations into chaos. Meanwhile, in the present, Dex is faced with his own challenges when a series of events occurs that results in him being the subject of attention that threatens the very lives of him and his crew.

In the final chapters there is a race by the American authorities and a shadowy group known as The Guild to discover the secrets of the Nazi stronghold and the scientific projects carried out at station one eleven. There are surprising revelations and a most unexpected appearance before the story ends in an explosive finale.

This is probably one of the most exciting adventure stories I have ever read with a very well presented past and present timeline, engaging believable characters, and a well researched story with hidden Lovecraftian overtones. It is always good to discover a new author and I would like to thank the publisher for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review and that is what I have written.

Mesmerizing coming of age story

What a most unusual and wonderful tale this has proved to be. Having never read anything by Ronald Kelly before I was attracted to this book by the horrific and gruesome paperback cover depicting a snake like evil entity. Naturally I was expecting the story to take me on a macabre journey where most of the residents of Pikesville, located in the middle of Mangrum County, would be devoured by this ravenous monster! This book however is so much more than that; it is the story of 10 year old Jeb Sweeney as he begins to make the painful transition from the innocence of childhood to the challenges of adulthood. I loved the randomness of the story from the quiet opening with all the smells and sounds of downtown Pikesville, from the repartee and banter of Mr Drewer’s barbershop to the almost “wizard of oz” feel of the perilous journey into Fear County.

The snake-critter “some sort of half –dog, half-snake with big yellow-green eyes, long fangs, and a shiny coat of black scales” is terrorizing the citizens of Pikesville draining their blood and holding them hostage in his lair, a cave on the south bank of the Cumberland river. Jeb knows the only way to defeat this demon is to travel to the house of the Granny Woman for a magical potion to destroy it. On that journey he will be accompanied by legendary bluesman Roscoe Ledbetter and his father Sam who is mentally handicapped having been wounded in the 2WW.

The story moves at a frenetic pace and every chapter is littered with breathtaking adventure and wonderful characters. We meet the snake queen, Ezelical Gallow, the Kudzu, Buckshot and we travel to Paradise Hollow, Adder Swamp, Lynching Springs. Jed’s adventures take place in the evil and adjacent Fear County “it had been named Fear a hundred years or so ago because that was the emotion the dark and desolate country conjured the most”

This novel is part thriller, part fantasy, part horror and it will make you laugh, cry, and contemplate in equal measure. It portrays through the eyes of Jeb the type of world we live in, both the good and bad, and how the decisions that we take effect those we love the most. It is a story of family, want, need, it is at times sad but ultimately it shows how the power of friendship, kin and understanding are the most vital characteristics of the human condition.

Cosy horror never felt so good

Bernard Taylor is such a unique and unassuming voice in the world of horror fiction. His writing style is direct, very easy to assimilate and read, a type of cosy horror and just when you think it is safe he confronts you with something totally unexpected.

Alan and Kate live the idyllic life, in the picturesque village of Little Haverstraw, with their four beautiful children Sam, Davie, Lucy and baby Matthew. Alan is an illustrator and he works from his own studio close to the family home, and Kate is occupied with four busy and adventurous children. “A dragon-fly darted, hovered and darted, close to the bank. Flies hummed in the warm air. The flower in Kate’s hair slipped, tilted, and I reached up and secured it. I kissed her again, lightly. Now, I thought, now –just as it is; I wanted nothing to change” This is exactly what I love about Bernard Taylor, he gives you hope, he creates the illusion that you are safe in his hands, he paints a picture of the idyll as he invites you into his confidence with the shiftyeyed look of a black mamba!

They make the acquaintance of a pregnant young lady called Jane Bryant who they invite to their home and unexpectedly the baby is born. Immediately the mother disappears and after some deep soul searching Alan and Kate welcome baby “Bonnie” into their new extended and wonderful family. The story now adopts a more sinister feel as catastrophe and tragedy become the everday norm and Alan and Kate must now confront their worst fears as they fight to retain their sanity amidst the realization that the new baby has a dark and evil intent.

The Godsend did not quite inspire and entertain me as much as Sweetheart Sweetheart or The Moorstone Sickness but it was still an excellent read in the very creative and gentle style of Bernard Taylor. This is not horror that is graphic but rather relies on the reader and his imagination to create a picture in his mind and by doing so he can almost experience the story and live the tragedy as it unfolds.

Harrowing but essential reading

I completed this short book in one sitting and I feel exhausted by the process. This is a hard look at the life of a drug user/users and the effects such behaviour has on society and friends and family. It is a harrowing tale made more poignant by the fact that the author is a trained counsellor and someone who has worked in the field of mental health and addiction for many years and is therefore knowledgeable and skilled to produce a work of such deep thought and feeling.

The term milk-blood comes from a process by which one addict extracts the drug rich blood from another and in turn uses this to feed the craving of a fellow junkie by injection. An even more horrific process is the ability to boil a deceased’s ashes and use this again as a form of high. You do not have to look very far to see just where the horror of this story resides and the ultimate effect for the reader is to make for an uncomfortable yet essential read.

Crystal is a drug user who has just been released from prison following the negligence and death of her son Oscar who burnt in a house fire whilst she was elsewhere feeding her drug habit. “What was he thinking just before he died?. The image of the crawling body remained. She kept watching. It was no illusion. It did not disappear but moved like a half-smashed insect crawling for safety. This is what Oscar would have looked like had he busted out of the locked door of his bedroom and escaped the flames.”

Lilly is the 10 year old child of drug offender Poppa Jervis, regularly injected with milk-blood and heroin, she to is a slave to addiction. “He wouldn’t let her stop living. Even when her eyes closed for so long, her black eyelids looking so at rest, he knew what to do to open them again. The smack. The milk-blood. He filled her up with what he could find, and then went for more.”

We follow the story of Crystal and Lilly as we are granted a glimpse into the drug fuelled lives of residents of Brentwood, and the substance abuse that is a part of their everyday lives. This is in no way an easy read and yet the author Mark Mathews has managed to create an unforgettable story with deep social significance and one that I urge you to read.

Beautifully written a joy to read

The main titled story “The Stones of Muncaster Cathedral” is about Joe Clarke Steeplejack extraordinaire who together with his work mate Billy Simpson is prepared to scale any building to carry out all necessary repairs and maintenance. The trouble however begins when they are given a job of cleaning the South West tower at Muncaster Cathedral “There was something funny about the thing, something nobody wanted to talk about. Maybe my dream was a warning that there was something wrong with the tower: some steeplejack’s instinct that I couldn’t plumb. Something in the stone.”

Joe has dreams of his son being trapped on the tower.. ”And our Kevin was up there on top, in the dark, and screaming as if some wild beast was eating him. And the door to the tower was locked and I didn’t have the key. I remember that I was so desperate that I tried to climb up the outside of the tower, up the buttress. Bu I knew I’d never get there in time to save Kevin.”... He learns of its unusual background and the mysterious figures of John of Salisbury, the Devil and the mythical master mason when the original south tower was erected, Jacopo Mancini of Milan.

This is a superb setting for a horror story. The idea of performing such dangerous work and relying not only on such basic equipment but also the presence and help of your colleague, knowing that one mistake could be your last, is in itself chilling. Robert Westall really makes the reader feel a sense of space and height as the work proceeds with his descriptive prose..”Up there Kevin an’ I get real close to each other, as my dad and me did long before he was born...the safe careful way he climbs, as fearless of heights as a cat.”... Then when we interweave an evil presence that spans hundreds of years the tension is both frightening and unbearable.

The story evolves around Joe his wife Barbara and son Kevin and to disclose more would spoil what is a brilliant read for young and old alike. However a warning those who suffer from vertigo you may want to read with an adult!

In the second short story it is 1955 and Harry Shaftoe, a student, is seeking accommodation in London and soon finds success at No 11 Brangwyn Gardens. This house stands alone as a testament to the blitz the properties on either side having been destroyed some years ago. Harry agrees to rent the attic room which overlooks St Paul’s Cathedral from the landlady Mrs Meggitt and as Harry observes he notices.......“Nervously she put up her hand and tucked a stray strand of dark hair back inside her headscarf. As she did so, he noticed her ear. It was absurdly fine and shapely, on such a mess of a creature. But then he’d noticed such things before. His Auntie Daisy, his mother’s older sister, had beautiful shapely legs. No varicose veins or anything, though she was over sixty. Those beautiful legs haunted him at family Christmas parties; they went so ill with that grey hair and that high-pitched cackling laugh (over women’s dirty jokes muttered in corners after the port wine had gone round twice). He had an absurd desire to rescue those beautiful legs and return them to their rightful owner, who would be satisfyingly grateful.”

In the attic he discovers a diary written in 1940 by Catherine Winslow and as he reads her words Harry falls in love and almost begins to imagine that she could be with him now...”But she his lovely girl, was back in 1940. She smiled up at him from the table, her eyes just pools of dark in a patch of light. Had she been buried? She’d be a mouldering skeleton by now. Or had she been cremated by her sorrowing parents? Or burned in the Blitz? Or been blown to bits; small chunks of her picked from telegraph wires by little innocent birds? He mourned her with all his heart. And then perversely he wished again that time was elastic, and he could travel back, meet her, stand close, make love.”

This second short story has a most unexpected, surprising and delightful ending and concludes a brilliant collection by a story teller who unfortunately is no longer with us. Writers could learn so much from Robert Westall today, irrespective of genre his prose and ability to draw the reader in and make an occasion come alive is astounding. Highly Recommended.

Astounding sequel to The Straw Men

Some weeks ago I read The Straw Men by Michael Marshall the first part of a trilogy by an author who has never received the acclaim and recognition that he so richly deserves. I thought The Straw Men was an excellent read and was doubtful if the style, character development, and story could be bettered in a sequel. I need not have worried, The Lonely Dead has exceeded all my expectations, it is quite simply a stunning novel told by an expert author.

Ward Hopkins, ex CIA agent, is a man with a secret past, and he is determined to confront the murderers of his parents and trace the whereabouts is his lost brother Paul “The Upright Man” a deranged serial killer. His parents had been murdered by a group that his father had belonged to 35 years earlier...”the Straw Men, and believed themselves the only portion of humanity uninfected by a virus promoting social conscience above the cold-hearted individualism they believed inherent to our species. Whether they genuinely thought this, or it was just a convenient cover for acts of violence and depravity, was not clear.”

John Zandt, former LA homicide detective has his own special agenda for seeking out The Upright Man, an enforcer under the auspices and protection of The Straw Men. His daughter Karen was brutally murdered by him, and he seeks revenge whatever the cost. Adding to the intrigue is Nina Baynum, FBI agent, and former friend and lover to John Zandt.

What makes for a good thriller is the author’s ability to capture the reader’s attention from the first page and to retain that enthusiasm throughout a multi layered tour de force journey straddling the coasts of America. What on the face of it seems like a complex novel is made eminently readable by a very direct and approachable writing style. I found myself richly involved in the storyline whether that was in the cold mountain forests of Washington State, the Verona logettes of Bill and Patrice Anders, or the corridors of the Seattle Fairfew hotel where “Miss Katelyn” the night manager meets an unexpected intruder with murderous intent. This second book in the trilogy also imparts a little history on The Straw Men and it seems their ancestry reached back many hundreds of years..”The Straw Men were here back in the 1500’s? Get real. They were here long before that. They got here first, Ward. They stole America from the locals four thousand years before anyone else knew it was here”.

This is truly a wonderful read, a thriller with elements of the supernatural, and a storyline that pulses excitement and thrills at every page. The ending when it occurs is perfect and leaves the setting poised for the third and final instalment. If you only read one thriller this year let that the story be The Lonely Dead...of course I am presuming you have already enjoyed its predecessor The Straw Men. Highly highly recommended!!

Dark and Disturbing

Toplin by Michael McDowell is more akin to the weird writings of Thomas Ligotti than mainstream horror fiction. The narrator in the story (we never actually get to know his name) lives a life of solitude and order and is consumed by the acute symptoms of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, a feeling that things have to be done in a way that is just right and this can trigger extreme anxiety which can impinge on day to day living.

In the context of the subject matter McDowell produces some powerful imagery highlighting the mind of the ordered “I found myself at work without recollection of having waked, evacuated, cleansed myself, drunk chocolate, spun my combination lock, descended my stairs, or traversed the sidewalks and streets from my apartment.” I particularly loved the description of the narrator’s suits numbered S1-S6...”They are numbered and I wear them quite at random. I might have placed on the floor of the closet my six pairs of black wing-tip shoes, for the boards there are completely bare. But my shoes are lined up beneath the foot of my bed. I might have placed my black socks in a shoe box on the shelf above the rack, but my socks are bundled in the top drawer of my dresser. I might have hung my slender black ties on a hanger pushed right against the side of the closet wall, or set on a hook that was already screwed into the back of the door, but my ties hang over one of the long bolts that hold my dresser mirror in place, The closet is empty but for my suits S-1 though S-6.”

So in the context of this somewhat disturbed narrator we are privileged to view his world through his own limited vision. He has become fixated with a waitress called Marta who is employed at the Baltyk Kitchen and because of her ugly appearance has decided logically that she must die..”She was quite simply the most hideous human being I had ever seen. The disfigurements of her birth were compounded with the ravages of disease. I saw them in her face. Her mouth was a running sore. Her bulging eyes were of different colors. Her ears were slabs of flesh pillaged from anonymous victims of accidents. Her nose was a bulging membrane filled with ancient purulence.”

The reader has this wonderful and yet unbalanced feeling of understanding the narrator’s world through black and white imagery helped by the subtle use of black and white photos all adding to a great feeling of unease. One such photograph I found very disturbing was titled “The Maintenance Man came forward into the light”...”The left side of his chest had hair, the same color as his partial moustaches. The right side was smooth but bore a fair-shaped female breast, with a large soft nipple spitting out from the centre of it.”.....”I turned and fled from the hermaphroditic abomination.”

This is a very uncomfortable read as if by reading the narrators thoughts we are condoning his actions and lending approval to his limited view of society and his unconventional sexual needs. However if the mark of a good work of fiction is the writers ability to linger in the mind then Toplin deserves great respect and praise for a memorable and horrific journey.