Peek-a-boo | AstraDaemon

VODKA AND SPIRITS by Michael McKean has a slow setup and a meandering ending, but the moment Darren and Spencer are hellbent to get out of the pub, I was literally and figuratively on edge. I'm so glad I read this story during daylight hours because this is a chilling ghost story.

As always,

AstraDaemon

In the Shadow of Death

THE HAUNTING OF THE HATHAWAY HOUSE by Amy Cross is extremely frightening, especially if you're a parent. A malevolent spirit drives Michael's parents to their deaths: his dad dies by hanging, and his mother suffers a heart attack. His uncle, Stephen, finds him three days later, but how the infant survived is a mystery.

As an adult, Michael returns to his family home with his pregnant wife Jen, but the womanly apparition is still there, and she has a sinister agenda. As Michael becomes obsessed with the shed in the backyard, Jen is forced to confront the evil spirit without her husband. Mistakes are made, the history of the house is revealed, and newborn Lucas is soon in great danger with no one to protect him.

Told in the POVs of Michael and Jen, with occasional flashbacks, the building suspense is terrifying. As the specter feeds on the fears of the new parents, the loss of hope during the battle against such an overwhelming threat to the family is agonizing. Highly recommend!

As always,
AstraDaemon

Scorned Fury

MARY by Amy Cross is not just a ghost story set in 1962, but rather a mystery-thriller about a woman trapped in a cottage by a malevolent spirit, and a young police officer determined to help Mary Moore. Unfortunately, Sergeant Ben Warner finds himself in the middle of a supernatural battle.

The author uses suspense to grab readers with a death grip, and drags them through the hell which has left Mary's memory fractured. This haunted tale is full of twists, with an ending which leaves me wanting a sequel.

As always,
AstraDaemon

Supernatural Mystery-Thriller

THE GHOSTS OF DAVID BROOK by Amy Cross is a fantastic ghost story. First of all, you have the urban legend of Catherine Bannister who takes one victim, every year on the same date. Then the author mixes it up with stories of the poor souls murdered by the hate-filled ghost. The switching POV makes it difficult to tell who is alive and who is dead, but this serves to increase the suspense.

Last but not least, you have the backstory of Catherine and the revelations made by two of her victims. I never knew what to expect, and the ending is completely awesome. Even though David is at the center of everything, Kaylee is my favorite character.

This would make a great horror film.

As always,
AstraDaemon

Secrets Within Secrets

THE WEDDING OF RACHEL BLAINE by Amy Cross has such a wicked twist, I've been sitting at my laptop for more than a few minutes, trying to figure out how to write this review. When I first saw this novel, I thought, "Here we go with another jilted bride-ghost story," but this focuses more on a woman with a dark secret...marrying a man with a dark secret.

I felt so damn sorry for Rachel, once her past is revealed, and her mother's flippant attitude made me sick. Rachel is about to get married, surrounded by friends and family, and not a single person has her back. Even though this story has a paranormal element, the underlying theme of distrust and abandonment is just too realistic.

The pace is a little slow...this could've been a novella, if not for the long setup...but the ending is worth the effort to stick with Rachel's plight. Too bad she didn't trust her own feelings.

As always,
AstraDaemon

God Has Left The Building

The year is 1942. Britain is in the grip of the Second World War, bringing blackout conditions to much of the country.

For several years, Briarwych Church has remained locked and unused. Arriving to take up his new position, Father Lionel Loveford's first task is to open the great wooden door and get the church back into use. But something lurks in the shadows. A terrible tragedy once took place in Briarwych, and now the locals live in fear of a vengeful spirit that has sometimes been spotted looking out from the church's windows.

Although he doesn't believe in ghosts, Father Loveford soon discovers that the entire village of Blackwych lives in a perpetual state of guilt and terror. Does the ghost of Judith Prendergast really haunt the church and, if so, what does she want from the villagers? With the door now unlocked, does her spirit now roam the village? And can her anger really reach as far as the wartorn fields of mainland Europe?

The Haunting of Briarwych Church by Amy Cross is so much more than a mere ghost story. This novella is a mystery-thriller, revolving around a single decision by an entire village to turn their backs on a woman in need. Father Loveford appears to be in denial about everything around him, but his cynicism leads to his discovery of several tragic secrets, all tied together by the late Judith Prendergast.

Rather than lean heavily on the paranormal aspects of the story, Cross does a great job utilizing the wartime setting and the desperation of a community without hope. The conflicts of faith and reason highlight the horrors of human nature. Not once could I guess where the author would take this story. Definitely one of my favorite Amy Cross stories.

As always,
AstraDaemon

Question Everything

Rescue by Sharath Komarraju appears to take place in India. The story has several ups and downs as the tragic family history is revealed. Although the reader is led to believe Vali's mother has come back to save her from a terrible fate, the scene with the well made me question Ratna's true intentions. The conversation between the father and the doctor also had me wondering if Ratna's perception of events is a result of mental illness. The author uses misdirection to amplify the horror of uncertainty, and the choice of the girl's name, Pravallika, is the perfect touch.

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I've often wonder why readers are so quick to believe what is being revealed to them through the POV of the narrating character. Isn't it possible, for one reason or another, the character is mistaken about events? Maybe the character is lying to herself and, as a result, feeding misinformation to the reader.

I've always known, if enough time is spent with a character or a group of characters, readers become sympathetic and attached to that POV on a personal level...but I've only recently realized that readers are also likely to be biased in favor of the main POV as well.

Is it the author manipulating our emotions or is it simply human nature to choose a character to root for?

As always,
AstraDaemon

Consumed by Horror

The Consuming by Rhonda Hopkins isn't easily characterized as a ghost story or a haunted house. In fact, I think it's more a story about estrangement and denial. If you take out the paranormal elements, you have a tragic drama centered around a young woman trying to make sense of her family's buried past. Her uncle becomes a broken man due to his unwillingness to remove himself from a toxic situation, which leads to his eventual death. Unfortunately, Serena seems to suffer from the same affliction.

My only complaint is the abrupt ending. Hopkins takes readers into a dark place, filled with troubled spirits, only to abandon readers to their own conclusions. I might have overlooked this if more history had been revealed about Jesse, Edgar and Gretchen. I feel like Hopkins left me locked in the library.

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I first began reading horror in the late 1980s due to ongoing night terrors (ex: I would see corpses trying to crawl through my ground-level bedroom windows at night)...a face my fear type of decision was made by me. There has always been something cathartic about exposing my imagination the genre. Reading about different kinds of monsters keeps my monsters at a safe distance.

So, someone like Serena in The Consuming is a mystery to me. I wonder how on earth a person could choose to stay in strange house alone after seeing a corpse. I'm not even sure if I'd have the presence of mind to grab my car keys as I hauled ass out of the damned house. Hopefully, I'd have my phone to order up an Uber.

However, the big question, the deciding factor in the hauling-ass plan is: how bad does something have to be before a person is convinced the supernatural and/or unnatural threat is real?

I once asked zombiephiles if they would believe the dead had become undead before or after the zombies were breaking down their doors. Something to think about...

As always,
AstraDaemon