Hollow: 20 Tales of Terror - Blair Daniels - Book Review

 

        Recently, I was looking for some horror short stories. Then one day, I saw a new book by Blair Daniels. As a longtime reader of her work, I knew what to expect and jumped right in.

        Hollow is a collection of twenty-two horror short stories that mainly connect with social media and current trends. It mainly explores quick stories of entities in the attic, children behaving oddly, a sorority with odd rules, and even events surrounding social media platforms. 

        As with any other Blair Daniels short story collection, what worked well for me was the crazy ideas behind the stories. It always fills me with wonder as to how such scenarios can be brought about. The stories look straight out of creepypasta, with the speed complementing the reading. Most of the twenty-two stories were good and engaging enough, except for three or four. The language is simple and easy to follow.

        In short, a quick and engaging collection of short stories that can be enjoyed by horror lovers.

For other reviews of books by Blair Daniels, check the links below.

Let Me In : 30 Tales of Terror - Blair Daniels

Warning Sirens - Blair Daniels

What Hides in the Dark - Blair Daniels

Cabin: 17 Tales of Terror. 1 Cabin - Blair Daniels

The Homeowners Association - Blair Daniels

The Ruins - Scott Smith - Book Review

 

        I have been in a reading slump in the horror genre. Nothing has interested me for some time. Then I came across this book, which Stephen King gave a positive note about. That was enough to make me try it.

        Four friends go on vacation to Mexico, during which they befriend a German and some Greeks. One day, the German sets out to find his brother, who had gone after an archaeologist girl he seemed to have a crush on. They follow a crude map, reach a Mayan village, and finally find the ruins. They proceed to the ruins despite the villagers' warnings. What starts as a search trip turns into something worse. The villagers won't let them return either. What awaits them in the ruins? Why did the villagers try to dissuade them initially? What happens to them forms the story.

        To start, I had expected a different storyline while reading the blurb. Once the story got going, it was different from what I expected. But the read was very interesting. The story takes its own sweet time to develop and is medium-paced. It is easy to get distracted, but the storyline kept me interested. As the story progresses, we get a solid idea of how the whole thing is going to end. But the author succeeds in keeping the engagement factor going. There are many squirmish moments with mentions of bodily fluids. This might discomfort some of the readers. The physical and mental breakdown of people with the passage of time is well portrayed. It tires us out at times, making me want the story to end. But the author takes his time in moving the story forward, and that was a clever move. The seven main characters were well written, and despite their shortcomings, we feel pity for them. The hill where they were stranded, along with the vines, set the perfect backdrop for this novel, and it shockingly breaks the grit and sanity of a human.

        In short, a good book that keeps us engaged even with a predictable storyline. It might not be everyone's cup of tea. Horror and thriller readers can surely give it a try. 

Note: There is a movie based on this book, which I have yet to watch. 

The Big Four - Agatha Christie - Book Review

 

        Recently, I was watching the 'Knives Out' movies when I realised that it had been a while since I had read a Hercule Poirot mystery. This book has been sitting on my Kindle for a long time, so why not!

        A stranger barges into Hercule's room and dies after giving ambiguous information scribbled on a piece of paper about an underworld organisation. From then on, it becomes a cat-and-mouse game as Hercule tries to uncover the organisation and risks his life to get the four top people arrested.

        This was an interesting book that was written in easy language. While I expected an outright murder investigation, the story quickly shifts into thriller mode. It combined the typical Poirot-style investigation along with his adventurous side. The Big Four was upping the game, making the read much more engaging. But the problem starts here. Suddenly, Poirot is fighting bad guys instead of finding clues to solve the crime. I would like Poirot to stick to his usual self. The book had a love-hate relationship with me due to this. The story seemed a toned-down version of the Sherlock-Moriarty relationship.

        In short, a fairly good book where the expectations play spoilt sport. If you read without a preset mindset, you might enjoy reading this.

That Night - Nidhi Upadhyay - Book Review

 

        Some time back, I came across a YouTube video where the person talked about a book that scared her big time, and it caught my attention. How am I going to miss a scary book? So, on a rainy weekend, I curled up in my reading corner with this book. Let's see if it was worth it.

        Natasha, Riya, Anjali and Katherine were best friends in college, through thick and thin, until that fateful night. What was supposed to be a bottle of whisky and a prank with an Ouija board resulted in the death of their hostel mate, Sania. Twenty years later, four of them are scattered across the world, barely in touch with one another. The secret from the past that no one else knew is out to get them. Four of them convene to sort this out as darker secrets begin to bleed out. Is it the ghost of Sania? Or is someone out for revenge? 

        The plot of the book was interesting. It genuinely interested me. The messing up of electronic devices and the dark secrets all kept the tempo going. Also, it kept me guessing if this was a real ghost or someone out to get revenge. Since most of the book revolves around the four main characters, the author provided good characterisation for all of them. The language is simple, but some of the dialogue seems bland and plain. It can be quite a hiccup. Also, the second half of the book was unnecessarily stretched. The book would have been better if it were 20 to 30 pages shorter. This lag affected my reading seriously. I expect a thriller to keep me engaged and breathless until the very end. The book fails miserably at this. The interest in guessing whether it was a ghost or not wanes due to this. As a result, the ending felt flat for me.

        To sum it up, a book that had a promising plotline and engaging buildup, only to be let down by flat writing in the second half. Thriller fans can give it a one-time try.

Tuesdays with Morrie - Mitch Albom - Book Review

        Some books land in our hands just like that. While searching the library shelves for a book, this showed up. There was some connection I had with the title, and I ended up taking it up for a read.

        Mitch Albom is a busy man who is extremely successful in his career and life. One day he happens to see one of his old professors, Morrie, on TV. The person is suffering from ALS. Mitch pays him a visit and reconnects with him. Morrie ends up sharing life lessons with Mitch that he records in this book for all to benefit from.

        To start with, a good and fairly engaging read. I expected something different when starting the book but ended up with a different perspective on the same. The lessons from Morrie hold prominence very much to this day. These conversations pull at our hearts at various instances, and we could not help but feel happy for Morrie himself. The underlying thought of Morrie is to love each other, and the book emphasises prioritising love nd kindness above everything else. This might mean a lot in these times when many people find time a valuable thing. The warmth and chemistry between Mitch and Morrie keeps the conversations lively and us invested in the book. The book is also written in a clear way to connect everyone to this.

        A quick but invaluable book that will strike a chord with the readers. The love radiated from Morrie is reflected throughout the book, which is passed on to the readers. End up with a smile on your face as you celebrate the life of Morrie with this book.

Five Survive - Holly Jackson - Book Review

                                     

           An interesting storyline is always hard to resist. As I was walking down the street, looking at the roadside bookshop, this book cover caught my attention, and the blurb made me pick it up.

           Six friends are on their way to a vacation in an RV. What starts as a fun ride quickly goes out of hand as they make a wrong turn and end up stranded in a desolate place. Someone shoots out the tyres, and with no mobile coverage, they must survive the night. The sniper is there to take one of them out and has no plans to back down until it is done. Who is the sniper after? What inner demons of theirs will surface? Will they escape safely? forms the rest of the story.

         This is an interesting premise with a lot of potential. For the most part, the book was interesting enough. The storyline was make-or-break, where it could have gone either way on many levels. But the author kept us engaged throughout most of the book. There were places where the situation became redundant and tiring. But it was for a shorter time period. The writing was simple but engaging. I also liked how the book jumped right into the story without wasting much time. There were a couple of back-and-forths, but that did not affect the pacing. There were a couple of red herrings as well - some hits and some misses. Most of the characterisations were good and intriguing, while one or two irritated me.

         In short, an interesting book which did a pretty neat job. Those who love thrillers might like the book. Personally, a decent enough book where the goods outweigh the bads.

The Tenant - Freida McFadden - Book Review

 

        It's been quite a while since I went to the library. During this visit, I was going through a couple of blurbs, and this one caught my attention. This was an author I had not read in a while, and I chose the book to see how it would turn out.

        Blake is working as the VP of a big company. He and his fiancée, Krista, live in an uptown house. One day, Blake is accused of fraudulent activity at the office and is immediately fired. Tight on cash and down payments, they decide to rent out a portion of the house. Enter Whitney Cross as the tenant. She seemed likeable at first. As days go by, Blake is at loggerheads with Whitney, blaming her for doing things to sabotage his life and marriage. Is the tenant really what Blake claims to be? Is it all a part of his imagination? Is his life with Krista going to be sabotaged? forms the remaining story.

        The story sounds interesting to start with, and ends the same way too. The way both unfolded was very engaging. The problem lies in between. The portions where Whitney comes in were downright irritating. I guess the character and interaction were written that way, and to make us feel the same. But it irritated me to the point that I felt like stopping the read. The intent might be right, but I guess it was a bit self-damaging, according to me. The tropes used here are mostly the usual ones that the author had employed previously. This made the story predictable. But the suspense saved the day by breaking it when it was getting too monotonous. The characters are well-written, and the backstory that came in the movie was interesting. In the novels of Freida McFadden that I have read, it is always through the eyes of the female characters. But here, the story is told mostly from the POV of Blake. The story proceeds through small chapters, making the read a quick one.

        To sum it up, a potentially engaging story marred by a slow, irritable slump in the middle making it an average experience. The usual tropes and the midway mishap might have played spoilsport until the suspense and the aftermath saved the day for this novel. 

The Homeowners Association - Blair Daniels - Book Review

 

            The name 'Blair Daniels' always invokes a sense of curiosity in me. This is mainly due to the quirky story plots and super creepy book covers. So, when I saw the notification on this book, I went for it with some basic expectations. Let's see if the book fulfils them!

            Piper and her family move from the big city to a villa in a town, which is part of a gated community. Once they move in, she finds the community odd. There are seldom people moving outside, everything looks too perfect. More importantly, there is a large binder of really strange rules that are set by the HOA. No lights after 9 PM, garbage out by the previous night, any vacations should be approved by the HOA, and no noise in the house, etc. Really strange, right! Failure to comply can result in some bad reprimands. Soon, the family realises not everything is fine as it seems. Is there something deeper in the gated community? Will they be safe? forms the rest of the story.

            First of all, an interesting premise! There were some interesting characters, and the language was fairly simple and engaging. The settings had good potential for an exciting, urban horror story. However, I felt that the potential was cut short by a rushed second half. Towards the end, the story picks up too much pace, and the ending felt forced. The story could have been explored more. It was like expecting a novel, but getting a novella. The unravelling and the small backstory happened towards the end. While it had the potential to be developed into something interesting, the abrupt way the story shifted was a big letdown for me.

           In short, a potentially good read let down by a rushed ending. I did enjoy the way things were played out until it reached that part.

A Head Full Of Ghosts - Paul Tremblay - Book Review

                                   

                Horror has always been my go-to genre when it comes to reading, and exploring different authors is a fun way for me to do it. That helps me de-stress. I had heard the name 'Paul Tremblay' many times and thought I would start with this book that I picked up.

             The Barretts are a typical New England suburban family. While John, the father, loses his job, the elder daughter, Marjorie, starts showing signs of mental illness. John starts becoming religious, and he believes that Marjorie is possessed. As they encounter financial problems, the Barretts get into an agreement with a TV company to document and relay it as a reality show and tragedy strikes. What transpired forms the story through the eyes of Merry, the youngest daughter.

             To start with, an interesting premise at hand. The story is a mish-mash of 'The Exorcist' meets 'Paranormal Activity'. The story confused me at first, and it took 5 or 6 pages for the tempo to set in. The characters are well written, especially the relationship between the two sisters. This book seems like a homage to horror movies with references like The Yellow Wallpaper, The Exorcist, Poltergeist, The Possession, Paranormal Activity, etc. The story talks about the importance of mental health and how it was mistook as possession. The story described in the words of a small kid makes us see the story from a different angle. There is a sense of ambiguity due to this. The book can be creepy. The ending was totally unexpected, and it was quite a shocker for me. 

             To sum it all up, a good read that can give quite a scary experience. This does not come near a Stephen King experience for me, but still an engaging read. 

Ghost 19 - Simone St. James - Book Review

 

                There I was hunting for stories to read when I came across the blurb for the book. It did sound interesting on a surface level, and the book is a novella, which promised a quick read. Therefore, I ended up reading the book. How did it turn out?

                Ginette Cox, an ex-actress, is advised by her doctor to move away from the city to a quiet town to cool her nerves. As she moves into a house, she spends her time watching her neighbours, which turns into an obsession. When she tries to leave the house to go out, she realises the truth. The house refuses to let her leave. Is it a figment of her imagination, or is the house haunted? This forms the rest of the novella. 

                This interesting premise is what attracted me to the story. As I mentioned, being a novella, it was a quick read. It did start creepily, but the essence was not maintained throughout. There were a couple of Alfred Hitchcock's 'Rear Window' moments here and there. The writing was simple and fairly engaging. At one point in time, the story starts to turn predictable, which is a damper, as it was a quick one. The unfolding of events also seems rushed. The characters, except for Ginette, lack depth. 

                In short, a quick-read novella that might not fully cater to the taste of horror or mystery genre fans. Nevertheless, this can be a decent one-time read.

The Resting Place - Camilla Sten - Book Review

 

                Last week, while browsing the internet for some book recommendations, I came across this book by Camilla Sten. I was very much impressed by her first book, 'The Lost Village', and so decided to give this book a try.

                Eleanor suffers from prosopagnosia - a medical condition where the person is unable to identify human faces. As she reaches her grandmother Vivianne's home to meet her over dinner, she finds her murdered, and the killer walks past. Eleanor is unable to identify the killer. A lawyer calls and informs about a home that Vivianne has left her. She, her boyfriend, the lawyer, and her aunt visit the house to seek answers. With the killer still on the loose and the house holding some dark secrets, will Eleanor be able to get to the bottom of these forms the rest of the story.

                The first thing that captured my attention was the condition of Eleanor, which can be a perfect setting for a great story. I expected the story to move in that way. But when they arrive at the house, and the story tended to travel in two different timelines, there was a sense of amiss. On a positive note, the read was mostly engaging. The language was simple enough, and it kept us reading forward without many glitches. Yet, I did not get any edge-of-the-seat experience. The characters were portrayed well but carried a sense of mystery till the very end. As in many similar novels, I felt that the portions leading to the climax were stretched, and I was able to decipher the plot except for the last twist. Recently, I have this feeling that stories that carry multiple timelines in parallel tend to get stretched unnecessarily. The claustrophobic, isolated setting helped the story to a certain extent. Mental health was discussed superficially at times. There was a sense of wasted oppurtunity throughout the read, and that gets played in the back of our minds as we read the book. I think the first book might have set the expectation level at a higher level.

                Overall, a decent one-time read, which might not fully entice thrill seekers. The medical condition could have been effectively used in favour of the book. That, along with a toned-down pre-climax, could have given us a much more satisfying read.

Check out the review of other books by Camilla Sten.

The Lost Village - A Novel

A Master of Djinn - P. Djeli Clark - Book Review

 

                I was browsing for books of the fantasy genre when I came across this book. The name Djinn sparked interest, and I ended up selecting this as my next read.

            Egypt is a place in its fullest glory where djinns and people coexist. Fatma is a brilliant young woman who works for the Ministry of Alchemy, Enchantments and Supernatural Entities. A mass murder happens that involves some prominent people, and it is attributed to Al-Jahiz, a famous mystic who lived many years back and transformed Egypt into what it is at present. All hell breaks loose when a person claiming to be Al-Jahiz appears out of nowhere, spreading discord. He can control the Djinns like Al-Jahiz claimed to. Fatma, along with her team, should race against time to get to the bottom of what ensues. 

            The first thing that caught my attention was the whole setting of the story. Most of the fantasy books I have read are set in an English background with ghouls, monsters, ogres, etc. This book has an Arabic backdrop that piqued my interest from the start. The book starts with a bit of excitement, which tames down as it goes, maintaining the pace as the world is built around us. Halfway into the book, it surprisingly picks up pace and keeps us well excited all the way. The book is a surprise drift away from pine forests and Gothic castles to deserts and palaces. There are a lot of things talked about in the book - feminism, women's suffrage, war, economic marginalisation of society, etc. I liked how that dived down to the djinn community as well. The pacing was apt, like I said. But the climax felt a bit dragging and preachy. The writing style was simple enough, with a lot of Arabic words being used. The characters were interestingly written (human, Djinn and Angels). Every character had their own shades, which they carried around perfectly. I realized that two novellas precede the book, which I have not read. But it did not hamper the reading experience anywhere.

            In short, a wonderfully written fantasy novel set in the Arabian lands. It will be a welcome change for fantasy lovers. And, if this develops as a series, I would certainly be interested to read more.

The Possessing Hour : Jeremy John Hayes : Book Review

 

            Last week, I was under bed rest due to a fever. Boredom led me to search for a book to read. As usual, a search for the horror genre led me to select this set of short stories.

         A journalist experiences strange visions at a stipulated time daily, and it starts getting worse day by day. These visions of supposedly real people are affecting him mentally. He writes down those visions to avoid going crazy. This book chronicles those visions - a couple living in an apartment building where neighbours are performing an exorcism, a box where a woman starts putting all the bad things around her, a boy kills a butterfly only to encounter something bad, etc.

         The first thing that attracts us to the book is the abruptness of the stories. They start and end ambiguously. I would say that it becomes the boon and bane of the book. The ambiguity sparks an interest in you initially. The subtle undercurrent of dark humour will also keep you invested. But as we read on, the ambiguity takes the steam off a few of the stories. The author has tried many tropes (vampires, cults, urban legends, ghosts, haunted houses, etc), most of which have worked out really well. But in some of them, I feel it is a miss. Another drawback was the pacing. Some stories did not connect with me, and those stories slowed down my pace. The author had done a good job of making us uncomfortable in some of the stories. I wished that some of the stories could have had a better closure.

           In brief, this book could have been a better one if there were a tad less ambiguity. Nevertheless, this is a good collection of stories with an interesting premise that can make you feel uncomfortable at times. A decent one-time read.

Howl's Moving Castle - Diana Wynne Jones - Book Review

 

                

                I am a big fan of Studio Ghibli movies, which I binge-watch quite often. One of my favourites among them is 'Howl' Moving Castle'. Recently did I came to know that the movie is based on a book. Luckily, I spotted the book in the library and ended up taking the book for the week. Let's see how it fared.

             Sophie, from Market Chipping, grew up with her two sisters. They have a hat shop run by her stepmother. While her two sisters move out to learn, Sophie gets stuck in the shop creating hats. She accidentally crosses paths with the Witch of the Waste, who curses her to be an old lady. Sophie leaves the house and encounters the moving castle of Howl, who had a bad reputation for taking young girls' souls. Sophie meets Howl, Michael and the fire demon, Calcifer, at the castle and starts to live as a caretaker. She enters a pact with Calcifer to break the curse. Is Howl evil, as people believe him to be? What pact does she make with Calcifer? Is she able to break the curse? forms the rest of the story.

                I had a certain expectation while reading the book. All this is due to watching the movie. This was the wrong thing to do. The story progressed differently in both the book and the film. Since I had watched the film many times, the story from the movie often crossed my mind, spoiling the reading experience. The story was good enough. But the tempo was undulating. What started well slowed down in the middle for some time, and picked up pace towards the end. The language and writing style are simple enough to enjoy the read. Young readers might be able to connect well with the book. The various characters and the underlying characteristics are well written. They may appear one way, but behave in a totally different way. A few underlying themes, like resilience, adaptability, courage, and acceptance, are explored well. The mystery surrounding Howl makes him the most interesting character of the book.

             To sum it up, a charming book that can be fun at times but slow otherwise. Nevertheless, a fairly enjoyable read. Those who have already seen the movie should read this with a fresh mindset. 

The Time Machine - H.G.Wells - Book Review

                                

One genre that fascinated me greatly during my childhood was science fiction. I used to read many abridged books of Jules Verne. Those were my versions of fantasy at that time. One writer I largely overlooked at that time was H.G. Wells. Forgotten, for a long time, I recently saw a collector's edition of 'The Time Machine' in the library and was quick enough to grab it to experience H.G.Wells.

The story is set in the Victorian Era, where the author, with a handful of people, gathers at the house of a scientist who claims to have invented a time machine. The second time he visits the house, the scientist claims to have actually done a time travel. Most of the story follows the scientist's experience during the time travel and what happened after that.

First of all, what a concept! I have always dreamed about being able to time-travel during childhood, and this book brings vivid childhood memories. Yes, this is a classic and needs patience to read. The reading was very slow at first. This picked up pace when the scientist started describing his time travel experience, and the tempo kept on till the end. HG Wells has blended science, society and philosophy in a balanced way. There are instances where you can experience deep philosophy as you read on. The Victorian Era was well depicted. There are scenes towards the end where the scientist time-travels on a fast-forward mode to somewhere in the far future and back. Those portions, even though of a few pages, were spellbinding for me. I could not help but wonder about the thought process.

 

In short, despite being a slow-paced read, this is a wonderful classic that triggers the thought and imagination of time travel in every person who reads it.

In a Dark, Dark Wood - Ruth Ware - Book Review

 

This year, reading has been on the downside. I do not mean the numbers, but the variety and the experience. I have been struggling to maintain the pace for the past three months. I have been catching up on the missed experiences shortly after I landed upon this book. Ruth Ware's 'Turn of the Key' was interesting for me. I decided to go ahead with the read.

Leonara (aka Nora, aka Leo) is a writer who lives in a studio apartment in London. She is a recluse with minimal contact with other people. One day, she receives an invitation to the hen party of her erstwhile best friend, Clare. She is hesitant at first due to a bad past involving Clare and her fiancé, who is Nora's boyfriend. They arrive at a glasshouse in the English countryside along with a couple of other guests. As the party starts, things go awry and Nora realises that not everyone is here to celebrate. What happens at the party forms the rest.

First of all, the novel has a decent storyline. A handful of characters that at times tend to irritate us and not. The tagline was to get scared, but there was nothing scary about the novel. The so-called flashback was easily guessable. But there were multiple places where there was a lead to flashback until the climax, and this really tested my patience. The story started well, but quarter past into the book, it felt dragged at places. The characters were well written, even though a few of them irritated me at times. The writing style and language were simple to follow. The climax seemed rushed and cinematic. The unwanted length in the middle portions could have been used at the end for a more refined climax. Plus, the book cover was a major turn-off.

In short, a normal one-time read marred by slowness at places. Don't be fooled by the title or tagline. A wannabe thriller that can be a quick read.

All The Sinners Bleed - S.A. Cosby - Book Review

 

I had been considering trying a new author when I accidentally came across this book in the library. The name seemed interesting enough to catch my attention, and hence the read.

Titus, an ex-FBI agent, is the first black sheriff in Charon County. Even in this modern year, there is racism still underlying in the county. A year into the office, a school shooting happens that results in the death of a black person, the perpetrator. As the investigation progresses, more deaths happen, and Titus and his team realise that they are in for a wild ride. The violent crimes lead them to believe that a serial killer is hiding in plain sight. As the killer taunts Titus, he has to fight inner demons, tensions due to the far-right group, his dysfunctional personal life and catch the killer before it is too late.

To start with, I am happy to discover this author. The blurb made me look out for a racy story. But that was not so. The book was slow-paced. At the same time, there was no dearth of excitement. There were times when the reading was crawling at a snail's pace, but there was something or the other happening in the story that still managed to keep us hooked into the story. This is more of a crime procedural story. I liked how the social conditions of the county were described. Racism is an underlying theme in the story, and it pretty much runs in tandem with the main storyline. I was particularly impressed by the storytelling and character building of SA Cosby. Almost all the characters are grey shaded, and as the story progresses, the author keeps adding bits of layers to the story and characters. The detailing is spot o,n and the writings take us into the county. I enjoyed the chemistry that Titus has with his father and brother. The FBI background makes him see the crimes in a proper way, and we do not feel it is forced due to that. The crimes are violent, and some people might find it uncomfortable. There are red flags like racism, school shootings, violent death, right extremism, crime against children, etc. These can be trigger points for some. Also, the slow pace can give an undulating experience to the reader.

To sum it up, this is a brilliantly written story that touches a lot of social issues and gives a good procedural crime story. SA Cosby is an author whose works I need to check out more in the future.  

In The Tall Grass - Stephen King & Joe Hill - Book Review

 

I went on a trip last week and was looking for a quick read during the travel time. Browsing through my Kindle led to this novella. I quickly remembered watching a trailer for the adaptation of this book, which prompted me to read it. 

The story revolves around two siblings, Cal and Becky, who are travelling and what they encounter on the way. They are twins and in most cases, two single-minded bodies. On the way, they encounter a place with tall grass on the roadside where they hear a boy asking for help. He tells them that he and his mother are stranded in the long grass and they are not able to find their way out. Sceptical at first, they decide to help when they hear the mother of the kid warning him to be quiet or "he" will find them. But they go ahead, and what transpires from the story of the novella. Will they be able to find the boy? Is there more happening than they see? What happens to the brother sister duo? 

To start with, this turned out to be a quick read. This was a novella that could be read within an hour or so. But the authors do not shy away from maintaining their usual writing style. Like father, like son. Stephen King and Joe Hill did not infuse scares in this novella, but genuinely made me uncomfortable with the setting. Once the characters venture into the tall grass, it makes me feel a bit claustrophobic, even though the story was set in a field. It was creepy, and things can turn out gory for some people. I love how the few characters in the story had their own space and were able to make an impact in the little time they got. The antagonist was portrayed very well. I love the subtle meaning hidden in the backdrop, like in any Stephen King book. The writing was simple enough to read through. The interactions that the antagonist and the boy has with the siblings were the highlight according to me and these set the tone for the things to follow. I was amazed at how the writers succeeded in telling a full story with a bit of back story, a solid story and an interesting bait-picking finish.

In short, an interesting and quick novella that will entice horror readers. The father-son duo has done full justice to the twisted setting that they take us into. I will have to check more books by Joe Hill.

The Last Devil to Die - Richard Osman - Book Review

 

                One of the books I read last year was the first book of The Thursday Murder Club Mystery series. It was interesting enough and prompted me to look out for more of them in the series. This book caught my attention during my recent visit to the library. Well! It is not the second book of the series. But I went ahead and gave it a try.

           Stephen's friend, Kuldesh, an antiques dealer, gets killed, and a package that was in his place has gone missing. For the Thursday Murder Club, it is a personal matter, and they need to get to the bottom of this mystery. They cross paths with drug dealers, gangs and art forgers, and the body count starts rising. Will they be able to find the perpetrator form the rest of the story.

          To start with, this was an interesting storyline. The author succeeds in catching our attention from the start. The main characters, Elizabeth, Joyce, Ron and Ibrahim are poles apart but just right as a team. I enjoyed the banter between them and how the characters play on with the story. They are quirky and witty as in the first book. I read the fourth book without covering the second and third ones. But that did not bother me in any way. You can read this separately. There are a few references to the old books, but you can still read this as a standalone. There are places where the story slows down. But the writer skillfully keeps us reading at a slower pace and not get bored with the same. The language and reading experience are breezy and enjoyable. 

            In short, a good and cosy mystery read that can be enjoyed in a single sitting, barring a few hiccups. This is a fitting continuation of a sweet and cosy mystery series. 

            

                

Read my reviews of other books by Richard Osman below.

The Thursday Murder Club - Richard Osman

The Fisherman - John Langan - Book Review

 

                Last month was dull in terms of reading, and I wanted to rekindle the reading streak with a horror genre. Browsing through the list of Bram Stoker award winners, I came across this book. Why did it catch my interest? The book cover and title seemed harmless enough to pique my curiosity, and I ended up picking up the book to read.

            Abe recently lost his wife, and he takes it very badly. Once the mourning period is over, Abe picks up an interest in fishing. Soon enough, one of his office mates, Dan, also loses his wife and kids to an accident and finds himself taking it pretty badly. When Abe introduces him to fishing, both seem to bond and find solace in this activity. One day, they end up visiting the Dutchman's Creek for their fishing weekend. On the way, they chanced upon some rumours about the place and a mysterious figure, 'Der Fisher'. But they don't pay heed and proceed to the place. What transpires, what secret does the creek hold, forms the story of 'The Fisherman'.

             To start with, a pretty decent read. One thing that strikes you right away is that there is no suspense of any sort in the story. A few pages into the book, and we know what happens at the end. Nevertheless, the author has been successful in keeping us fairly invested. The book is mainly divided into three parts. It is difficult to keep the tempo of the story steady when the reader knows what to expect. But John does a decent job of it. The read was plain but engaging, and the author was able to maintain that most of the time. On the downside, the book could have been shortened by 15-20 pages. There are a few instances that could have been cut short to make it crisper. Some scenes from the flashback and climax felt dragged. Other than these instances, the read was a breeze. The language was simple to catch up with. I liked how the characters were set in the first part. 

             In short, a decent read that keeps us fairly engaged. An interesting premise that steams ahead with some hiccups here and there. This book had won the Bram Stoker award for Best Novel in 2016.