Review – The Clearing by Simon Toyne

A smartly crafted and eminently engaging thriller, The Clearing is a gripping and dark read. The second in a series featuring a forensic specialist, it’s a standalone story with an excellent premise.

In the Gloucestershire village of Cinderfield, a young woman, Maddie, has gone missing. Her sister, Adele, is sure something is amiss but the local police see her and her sibling as unreliable victims; those categorised as troublesome and easier to ignore. But, when the missing person report pops up on Dr Laughton Rees’ search parameters, she sees something else. A pattern of disappearances in the area has emerged – woman who have been swept under the rug and whose cases have been shut without proper due care and attention. Realising the young woman is another such occurrence, Rees makes it her business to discover what is happening and where the victim may have gone.

However, it’s no easy task. The cases of the missing women are tangled up with a strange folktale about the Cinderman; a story of a wraith who haunts the vast woods around the small town. Whilst the folklore is used to explain away disappearances, the real truth behind them is far more sinister. Teaming up with Adele, Laughton begins to dig into the case of Maddie – or, more aptly, the lack of a case. She finds an unwilling Chief Constable full of excuses and a tight lipped local Earl. Moreover, the more she prods, the more trouble seems to find her.

The Clearing is excellently written, especially Laughton. A Doctor in criminology, she’s smart, capable and fairly fearless. There’s her own background, eluded to with revelations about Adele’s troubled upbringing, but also a fierce intelligence that, thankfully, sees her making clever decisions. As she begins to piece things together, the different narrative threads continue to build up the tension along side the larger picture, and it’s a clever device that pays huge dividends as the book draws to its explosive conclusion.

A compelling crime thriller with an exceptional lead character, The Clearing is a perfect summer read. Twisty and tricky in each measure, it’s a riveting, fast, satisfying story.

Review copy

Published by HarperCollins

Review – Our Own Unique Affliction by Scott J. Moses

I’ve said it before, but it’s worth stating again; horror is one of the best mediums through which to explore the human condition. Our Own Unique Affliction does that in spades. A poetical and complex look at existential dread and metaphysical conundrums, it’s riveting.

This is how vampire stories should be told. Tormented by her own existence yet consumed by her (un)nature, Alice Ann stalks the night. Not the one she was born into, but the modern, brightly lit, unsleeping urban night of clubs and bars and social media hook ups. She hunts those places and travels incognito via a network of human helpers, travelling America along with her sister, Hannah Grace, and staying secret. Theirs is an immortal life, hidden from humans.

Yet, Alice still misses her former life. She envies her prey. Jealous of their ability to find meaning in the impermanence; warmth in the face of existence’s harsh reality. However, she will still protect her self and when one of her own begins to slay victims with abandon, threatening the network that allows her freedom, Alice is called into action. What she discovers unravels everything she thought she understood.

Our Own Unique Affliction considers some complicated issues, not least those about what reality and individual perception means. Against a character for whom time has become fluid, and where memory has lost its hold over identity, the problem of existentialism takes on an intriguing trajectory. But in all this, Alice Ann must still survive. Regardless of loss, the sense of being demands permanence. It’s what makes this novella so compelling – an exceptional blend of vampiric horror and human experience.

More than that, it’s written with a unique voice, the prose at turns hypnotic and visceral. Flowing, strange and highly original, Our Own Unique Affliction is a brilliant and brutal horror.

Review copy

Published by DarkLit Press

Review – How The Skin Sheds by Chad Lutzke

Splatter Westerns are fast becoming a favourite of mine thanks to Death’s Head Press, and How The Skin Sheds just reinforced that feeling. Fast, fierce and totally uncompromising, it’s a brutal tale of revenge and retribution.

When Garrett arrives at his sisters remote ranch, he can sense something amiss even before he enters the house. What he finds is terrible; his sister eviscerated and his niece, Nadine, raped. As openings go, it doesn’t get much more awful. Determining to exact revenge, Garrett and Nadine head over to recruit the best man he knows, former slave Franklin. An unlikely trio, they head out and soon find the trail of the killer in the form of more mutilated bodies. However, in this wild and dreadful frontier, there’s more to fear than just a serial murderer.

Against the odds, and facing down racists and madmen, Garrett and the others find themselves in the thick of a nightmarish hunt; one that sees them becoming the hunted. It quickly becomes more about survival than revenge though the trio never lose faith in each other. Taking social inequality to task and pitching supernatural strangeness against human evil, How The Skin Sheds is a blood soaked story of unflinching proportions. Wild weirdness and gory, gritty prose, it’s not for the faint of heart.

At only a hundred pages, it’s a fast read not least because of the engaging writing. Dark, violent and massively entertaining, How The Skin Sheds is another great addition to this splatter western tapestry of mayhem.

Review copy

Published by Death’s Head Press

Review – They Lurk by Ronald Malfi

A collection of five novellas from Ronald Malfi, They Lurk republishes four stories and one new work to create an excellent and harmonious book full of dreadful horror. Themes of ominous uncertainty, strangeness and the unknown weave through each tale, building the tension and terror perfectly. Starting with the case of four lost campers and ending on a story of survival in the face of a mad killer, They Lurk is an exceptional look at the things that hide in the shadows.

When the parents of four teens hire a private detective, John Jeffers, to discover what happened on a camping trip the children took and why only one emerged from the forest, all manner of theories abound. And theories is all Jeffers has because the lone survivor is catatonic; badly injured and suffering such trauma that he hasn’t spoken a word since he was found. The local police seem reticent to explain what is happening with the case whilst the townsfolk don’t want to talk about the woods. But, as Jeffers digs and prods he discovers that the unknown is nothing short of terrifying. Skullbelly cleverly pits folk horror against the equally nefarious possibility of human evil and leaves it as open as the case of the missing kids. Cleverly constructed, it’s a great opening novella that speaks to that blend of thriller and horror Malfi has become known for.

The Separation is a vastly different prospect but one which plays on the ambiguity of the horror residing at its heart nonetheless. Information is achieved almost via osmosis as the main character, Marcus, discusses the changes and mental decline of Charlie. A prizefighter going through a divorce, Charlie refuses to eat or sleep and appears to be unaware of his actions. For his friends and his manager it’s a difficult situation. Though Marcus is a therapist, even he is at a loss as to how to deal with Charlie’s decline. Written with a quirky cadence, Separation slowly unravels as what appears to be morphs into something else before ending with a brutal gut punch.

Absurd and infused with frustration, The Stranger reads like an older story, playing on how a ridiculous situation escalates beyond reasonable proportions. Driving through America, David realises his spur of the moment romance with Rhonda has curdled over the miles. However, that annoyance is only exacerbated when, stopping overnight at a motel, a stranger takes over his car. Unspeaking, unmoving, the man refuses to exit the vehicle even when the police arrive. The strangeness builds into something nightmarish and awful, almost beyond words. Written with and intensity and dread, it’s a bizarre and unforgettable story.

After The Fade is a brilliant and claustrophobic story reminiscent of Stephen King’s The Mist. In some ways, it felt like it could be the opening chapters for a much longer work. But, what it achieves is excellent. Planning to split up with his girlfriend, Tom heads to a local bar to meet her. However, it’s not long after Lauren arrives that the world falls apart. A young woman staggers into the bar with something awful and insectile attached to her head. What ensues is a nail biting tale of surviving the night. Replete with excellent characters, each of whom offer an insight into the apocalyptic situation, the first person narrative gives the story a terrifying and personal touch.

The only previously unpublished story in this collection, Fierce is a fascinating survival horror that twists and turns between the present narrative and a past incident. Each story dovetails perfectly into the other; each a story of bravery and determination. Driving home after a dinner with her father, Connie and her mother, Elaine, are driven off the road by a truck. When Elaine is then assaulted by the other driver, Connie escapes into the winter night, running through snowy forests in an attempt to flee. But, with no phone and nowhere to go, she returns to the accident hoping to find a way to get help. Discovering the scene of the crime has been cleaned up, she treks back to a remote farm house only to discover she’s entered the lair of her attacker. The narrative is broken up by flashbacks to a childhood camping trip where her mother protected her from a wild animal. Channeling that same resolve, Connie sets out to save her mother. Cleverly crafted, Fierce is a dark and compelling story that pulls at the heartstrings whilst ramping up the adrenaline. Probably my favourite of the collection, it’s a visceral and intense slice of horror.

Brilliant writing, engaging stories and a thrilling dose of horror, They Lurk showcases Malfi at his best.

Review copy

Published by Titan Books

Review – A Harvest of Ash & Blood by D.J. Molles

When author D.J. Molles reached out to me to read his latest book, I jumped at the opportunity. Already familiar with his brand of breathless, post-apocalyptic writing, I was beyond excited to read A Harvest of Ash & Blood. A gritty and brutal tale of a religious crusade, it’s packed with violence, intrigue and insight. This is Grimdark fantasy on a whole other level.

The Empire is a sprawling kingdom, made up of many a conquered country and its patchwork of cultures. Ruled by a king yet reliant on the Church and its grasp of alchemical technologies. Yet, the Church is itself beholden to the Seekers; a secretive collective who control how the alchemy is harvested. It’s an unpleasant business; children with magical powers are taken and burnt, their ashes used to power the new technologies that run the Empire and its growth. Growth which is clamoured for but whose advances come at a terrible cost. Especially for a man like Lochled whose own daughter was taken by the Seekers; a man who has spent his life fighting in wars and obeying orders only for his very life blood to be torn from him. When the next Crusade is announced, Lochled is eager to escape from himself, signing up to once more attack the Leftlanders and harvest their blood and ash.

Thrown into the thick of things immediately, Lochled is an intriguing character to introduce not only the complex dynamics of king, church and alchemy but also the bitter truth behind it all. Tasked with a squad that includes Rony, a green young girl, Lochled is as jaded and hard bitten as they come but he’s an exceptional soldier and that includes protecting his squad. When the battle starts, storming the beaches of a Leftlander harbour, those attributes reveal even more about the man and those around him. However, war is as arbitrary as it is brutal, regardless of good intentions, and the terrifying actuality of combat tells even more.

Fast paced and furious, the fighting is vicious as the Empire use technology to power their guns and cannons against the Leftlanders telekinetic powers to throw rocks and stones. A mix of magics and gunpowder-esque fantasy, these scenes are visceral and fraught with death, destruction and the discombobulating mayhem of close combat. However, there’s more at play as the savage Empire soldiers attack. The doctrine that Leftlanders are dumb animals, that alchemy is progress, that the church cannot be questioned, and that orders must be followed all come under scrutiny; the kind of questioning that can unravel a man or priest or, even, a Seeker. In the crucible of war, where beauty and brutality go hand in hand, nothing is left untouched by the fire of truth. And, the further Lochled and his squad push on with their mission alongside the priest, Ord, and the enigmatic Seeker, Kanya, the more things are unpicked and cast into a new perspective.

Effortless worldbuilding and outstanding characters, A Harvest of Ash & Blood is fantasy at its best. Grim, dark and violent, it takes ideas and flips them on their head as it’s not long before the Empire and men like Lochled are shown to be far from on the right side. An invasive force of violent savages hell bent on stealing technologies and harvesting the Leftlanders, it’s an intriguing perspective to take. Alongside the devastating insight into how war affects the survivors, there is some intriguing social commentary to unpack – especially the idea of dehumanising an enemy whilst simultaneously following orders unquestionably. Yet, it is the quality of the writing that ties all these impressive ideas together. From the camaraderie of fireside moments to the awful snapshots of fighting, the complex politics and the burgeoning friendships, it’s all brilliantly portrayed.

It goes without saying, I’d highly recommend this to fans of modern, Grimdark fantasy. Deftly crafted, astounding world building and with a mix of action and intrigue, the only caveat I have about A Harvest of Ash & Blood is the huge cliffhanger on which it ended. Brilliant, bloody and absolutely engrossing, this is an exceptional book.

Review copy

Published by Blackstone Publishing

Review – Razorblade Tears by S.A Cosby

An unflinching discourse on the nature of hate, Razorblade Tears is a thriller that speaks to many a modern issue. Dark, heart wrenching and astute, it’s a rollercoaster of revelations and revenge.

When a married couple is brutally murdered, the fathers of the two men are brought together through their guilt and grief. Ike, a former gangbanger, has turned his life around to become a successful landscaper; not an easy thing for a black, ex-convict. Buddy Lee, a redneck career criminal, hasn’t escaped the trailer park but knows that life is about more than just getting drunk. The death of their sons, and the professional manner of the murders, opens up something in both men. What entails is a story of vengeance and mourning; for what was lost and what wasn’t said, for mistakes made and for things that can never be.

An unlikely duo, from opposite sides of the tracks, Ike and Buddy Lee both carry the weight of ostracising their gay sons. Whilst the police seem unable to find the perpetrators, the two fathers decide to bring their own form of justice to the problem. As Ike mentions at one point: this isn’t vengeance; it’s hate dressed up in a nicer suit. It’s a key idea for Razorblade Tears because, whilst the book is a cinematic action thriller, it’s also a discourse on hate, racism, homophobia and bigotry. It’s fathers who can’t accept their child’s life choices. It’s people oppressed for their skin colour. It’s ideas indoctrinated via social networks. It’s entitled and untouchable figures who think they can get away with anything.

As Ike and Buddy Lee dig further into the murders, the more they come to understand their own failures and each other’s positions. Whilst some of the discourse is slightly clunky in places, the book does a great job at considering the difficult and nuanced modern world where “woke” can mean right-wing antiestablishment, and those who fight against daily racism are sometimes the same people who perpetuate homophobia. Through their shared grief, Buddy Lee and Ike, however, begin to unpack what their sons really meant to them – beyond labels or derogatory terms – revealing their own tender hearts and difficult pasts.

Against this background, the action is relentless. White power biker gangs, politically powerful church leaders and a girl who is key to it all. As things are set in motion and with hatred – both of themselves and of their sons’ killers – fuelling them, Ike and Buddy Lee are an uncompromising force. Prepared to do whatever it takes in an attempt absolve their guilt and take the murderers down, Razorblade Tears is a no-holds-barred tale of violence and retribution. Neatly constructed, it’s less a whodunit and more of a why but, regardless, when Ike and Buddy Lee get to the truth, they unleash everything they have.

Great characters and an insightful commentary, Razorblade Tears is a modern and dogged story that boils with dark violence. Cinematic, emotional and brutally entertaining, it’s a deftly crafted piece of writing.

My copy

Published by Headline

Review – The Others of Edenwell by Verity M. Holloway

Lilting, lyrical dread, The Others of Edenwell is a poetical and insightful look at the human condition. Mesmerising prose, haunting ideas, it’s a quiet and discombobulating novel.

Set within a fictional Manor House in the brecks of Norfolk during 1917, The Others of Edenwell beguiles with its wholly believable yet fantastical history. The Hydropathic spa, created as a wellness retreat, is a shadow of its former self as the First World War rages on. Those few ladies and elders able to afford use of its special waters, a well that dates back hundreds if not thousands of years, are cared for by a harried and troubled staff. Not least the young and sickly Freddie, son of the groundskeeper. Artistic yet different, and with a weak heart, Freddie finds himself unable to join the war effort. When Eustace Moncrieff arrives at the spa, sent by his mother in the hopes to get him invalided out of the army, the two are brought together, forming a friendship that borders on something else.

Both young men harbour secrets. Eustace has a past that has left him mentally scarred whilst Freddie’s strange, private world leaves him adrift. Two faces of a similar coin, the pair create a bond that sees them help each other through more than their own personal troubles. For, whilst Edenwell is famed for its healing water, entwined with it is a violent past; one that reaches from ancient sacrifices to religious slayings and the more recent madness of the manor’s previous owners.

As the collective psyche suffers under the harsh conditions of the war, something begins to stalk the acres and woods around the manor. More specifically, the very place where the ancient well resides. Alongside his father, Freddie tries to keep the guests safe but whatever it is has other plans. Catching him and Eustace up in its nightmarish intentions, it’s the other bit players who allow the thing to find ground. Cowards, hysterics and the lost, all find themselves caught up as nefarious events unfold. Indeed, it is those characters and their actions that set the stage for so much to be revealed about humanity and it’s constant complex nature with itself, made all the more manifest by what haunts the woods.

As each chapter is introduced with a snippet of fictional history about Freddie and his artwork, his insights into folk traditions and the effect of the war reveal an equally complex layering. But, as Eustace and he grow nearer, so does the haunting. Tragedy is brought closer until the horror of the war finds its way to Edenwell’s doors, producing an explosive conclusion.

Written with an intriguing grasp on language, one that rolls and drifts almost dreamily via the perspective of Freddie’s artistic mind and Eustace’s beleaguered point of view, The Others of Edenwell sets a deliberate pace as it slowly sketches its insights. Quietly engrossing and demanding attention, it’s a fascinating folk horror full of dread but, also, something more.

Review copy

Published by Titan Books

Review – Boys in the Valley by Philip Fracassi

An author I’ve been eager to read for some time, Philip Fracassi’s Boys In The Valley is nothing short of amazing. A terrifying story built around the bones of a dreadful premise and written in exquisite prose, this is a book all horror fans should read.

Set at the turn of the 20th century in a remote part of Pennsylvania, an orphanage for boys is readying itself for a harsh winter. The Catholic priest in charge runs the home with an uncompromising hand, and hardship, along with hunger, are the common denominators for the boys unfortunate enough in life to find themselves residing under its roof. No misdemeanour is left unpunished and Peter, one of the eldest boys, takes it on himself to ensure the others don’t make mistakes. However, when a sheriff shows up one night with an injured prisoner, everything changes at St. Vincent’s Orphanage as a true evil is unleashed on the unsuspecting boys.

Told through a variety of perspectives, including changes between Peter’s first person narrative and third person points of view from other characters, Boys In The Valley creates an unrelenting and harrowing picture. The cruel reality of the orphanage, and the tragic pasts of the boys, paints a grim tapestry overlaid upon which the horrifying introduction of the prisoner produces a truly awful set of events. Possessed by evil and guilty of a despicable crime, the man unleashes something that takes hold amongst the children. Slowly and inexorably, a madness seeps amongst the boys, changing them in ways difficult to comprehend until it’s too late.

From the slow dread of the orphanage to the sharp terror of the possessed prisoner, Boys In The Valley ebbs and flows in an intricate and elegant manner as it builds. The isolation of the setting, and the loneliness of the boys, is deftly crafted leaving space for the insidious horror to creep through. Caught in this trap, Peter and others must face the very difficult moral challenges the situation ascribes. Clashing up against their traumatic pasts, this battle between good and evil, right and wrong, is played out both internally and without as each of them must make decisions and take sides. A morally grey world, peopled by characters who have experienced the worst, questions about the nature of evil are asked in many poignant ways. Both heartbreaking and tragic, the core of the human condition is laid bare in those moments.

On the cusp of manhood, Peter’s story digs into ideas of nature versus nurture. But, more so, the idea of reaction as opposed to choice. Boys In The Valley doesn’t flinch from seeing that concept through, creating an exceptionally beautiful and insistent work of horror. As gripping as it is considered, it’s an astounding piece of fiction.

Wonderfully crafted, elegantly written, Boys In The Valley is a breathtaking and heart wrenching horror of outstanding proportions.

Review copy

Published by Orbit Books