Dead Religion by David Beers

Alex Valdez has spent most of his life trying to get away from a nightmare that has haunted him and destroyed his parents. When Alex is linked to a terrorist attack on a hotel in Mexico City FBI Agent James Allison is despatched to find out what happened and why, before the incident becomes a major diplomatic issue. He uncovers a history of mental illness, which started when his parents held an ancient blood rite to awaken a forgotten God. This is part thriller part horror, told from several viewpoints as the Aztec God finds himself growing in strength once more.


In the early part of the book we discover plenty of Alex's recent past and a little of his early life with parents haunted and hunted before they met an early death. Although his supportive wife and a therapist at one point persuade him that his nightmares are nothing more than that over time he begins to doubt once more and descends back into terror. It had the definite air of a thriller about it, but as events began to pick up pace the story telling moved more firmly into the realm of horror with plenty of blood and gore, and a vengeful God who is now hunting more and more people associated with Alex. I really felt his growing unease, and eventual terror. He was definitely the most well rounded of the characters, and although Allison plays quite a key role there were other characters that featured less but struck more of a chord with me.

On the whole the book was well written and nicely paced. The foundations were well laid early on with a gradual addition of more and more information to really put flesh on the bones of the story. Some of the descriptions made me flinch and I liked that this was a horror with a decent back story rather than the protagonists facing some vague, ill defined malevolence. However there were a few typos that should have been picked up and I felt the epilogue left too much unresolved for my liking. However as an entirety I really enjoyed this read.

Format: Kindle, review copy
My Rating: 4*

Dead Girl by Mark Boss

When I find an author I like I'm more than happy to read further books by them. Last year I read and reviewed Hired Guns by Mark Boss, and found it a refreshing action read. As such I was keen to take a look at this book. This is completely different to Hired Guns though and I have to admit that to start with I was going to just give up and stop reading because I didn't think it would be my thing. However I like to give a book a good chance, read on a bit further and found myself lured in! I don't like to put in spoilers but in this case it would be hard to write any sort of review and explain why I enjoyed it without revealing the premise so be warned before you read on.


Sixteen year old Dahlia is hospitalised after a football accident, then a subsequent scan shows she has an inoperable brain tumour. She lapses into a coma and finds her way to the Shadow Lands. This is a parallel universe where  the world she knows is crumbling. Her home town is inhabited by ferocious mutant animals and tribes of feral children. Somewhere is the monster she must find and slay (and quickly) in order to return to our world - her cancer monster. In her quest to get home she also meets Faders (ghostly individuals who have given up their fight but are yet to die) and another Relentless (a person who won't stop fighting their illness) who has been in town for some time.


Faced with strange mutant monsters chasing a girl through a grim and dank parallel world I did wonder what I was getting myself into until the main premise of the plot was revealed. I thought the idea of patients in a coma being present in an alternate reality where they have to literally battle their illness was a very clever one. While it's a pretty horrible thought, as one of the young characters points out, they'd rather be there and fighting than present in reality and suffering.


I liked Dahlia, who after overcoming her shock turns out to be a resourceful and mature 16 year old, and felt for her as she assumed responsibility for a group of young feral children despite it conflicting with her search for her monster. The other character who was less prominent but plays an important role, and who I hope will appear in future Shadow Lands books, was Fader Boy. There's a hint of potential romance and he shows that not all Faders are completely resigned to their fate, providing a little spark of hope.


The author paints a picture of a world that is all too familiar but where water permeates and ruins virtually everything that might be useful to those stuck in the Shadow Lands. I could really imagine the sort of bone aching chill from being constantly damp and cold, and think Mark did a really good job of creating the nightmare world Dahlia finds herself in.


There were a few minor typos and it's not a long book but generally I found this an absorbing read and I'm so relieved I didn't give up on it. It's such an interesting mix of horror and fantasy and I'd love to read more about the Shadow Lands. Although the main protagonist and a lot of the minor characters are young this has some rather grim moments so it's probably not suitable for younger readers, although I can imagine the appeal for perhaps mid teens upwards. 


Format: Kindle, review copy
My Rating: 4*

Book Review: Fear in Appleton by J.Stephen Howard

I used to read Dean Koontz, Stephen King, James Herbert and similar when I was in my teens, then for no good reason just stopped. No idea why. However lately I've been getting back into horror as a genre. This book sounded creepy and worth a read.

Professor Terrance Crawford is overwhelmed by his fears. Towards the end of his life he starts a largely unrequited affair with a student, Angela Lacey, and when he dies this propels him to start making others face their fears, with terrible consequences.

The first part of the book is written from his point of view, allowing the reader to understand what drives him. A number of people in the town of Appleton find themselves driven mad by their deepest fears, and the chapters are almost a series of short stories with a connecting thread. The second part of the book comes from Angela's viewpoint, detailing events as she tries to stop the events as they come to a head.

I really liked the first part and found the stories behind the characters selected by Prof. Crawford varied and that had me hooked. The whole feeling was eerie and disconcerting, and Crawford's descent into madness was well charted. The second part was good but without the input from the perpetrator I found myself wondering at points what exactly was supposed to have happened. I also wasn't sure how I felt about Angela as a character. In places she felt cocky rather than confident, trying to analyse those around her, although as her family life was revealed and the story progressed she became more likable. There was a slightly gothic feel to the way the story was presented which I appreciated.

I thought this book was well-written and overall found it an enjoyable read that didn't take me long to get through as I read on to find out how the tale would end.

Format: Kindle, review copy
My Rating: 3*

Book Review: The Tunnelers by Geoff Gander

Looking for a short story in the horror vein? Look no further. Psychiatrist Dr. Vincent Armstrong is on shift when a traumatised mine foreman is admitted to his care, apparently after witnessing a terrible accident. Once the victim starts to remember what remember what happened and reveal the details, Armstrong becomes almost obsessed with the case, and his research uncovers legends and information that threaten his until then wholly scientific view of the world. Gradually he comes to understand that it's true that it's not paranoia when they really are after you.

I loved this story. I thought it was cleverly presented as a chronological series of notes written by Dr. Armstrong as he uncovers the truth behind an old myth and begins to feel threatened himself. This is a tense, terse and pacey thriller, that is well-polished and dragged me in from the word go. There isn't a great deal to say about the characters as it is predominantly plot driven, but I could certainly feel the Dr start to question his previously well-constructed world view and imagine the horror he was uncovering. It took me no time at all to read, partly because there was no way I was going to spend part of my commute looking out the window when I was so compelled to find out what the heck was going on.

Format: Kindle, review copy
My Rating: 5*

Book Review: The Final Winter by Iain Rob Wright

After an exceptionally hard winter in the UK, and my husband's oft stated desire to be snowed in in a pub, this book sounded like a good read for me.  Something very strange is going on. News channels are reporting that it is snowing in every country of the world. That night in old English pub The Trumpet a small group of locals gather, debating the cause of this odd occurrence. But as the night goes on things get stranger and the group grows as other take refuge from both the snow storm and sinister characters outside. As events unfold it appears someone in their group may be the cause of it all.

The book is described as an apocalyptic horror, and while it starts in a way that provokes thoughts about climate change and doesn't appear to be setting up a horror story, as the evening goes on members of the group witness terrible things. Although some of the action takes place outside and in shops nearby most of the evening is covered from within the pub, in close quarters which feels quite claustrophobic and adds to the atmosphere. The tone starts as quite conversational and there are moments of humour which lightened the book and made it less dark than I was expecting while still containing some terrible moments. Will the group freeze to death, kill each other or have some other fate befall them? What on earth is behind the freak weather and are the newest members of the group exaggerating about what they have seen outside?

Written in the third person from a range of viewpoints we are able to find out about the secrets some of the refugees from the weather have. Harry is one of the main characters, a regular since tragedy hit his life. The others see him a bit of a drunken joke, not knowing about what has happened in his past. Local thug Damien lacks respect for the other regulars and has a hard man reputation but isn't all he seems. Nigel the trucker is an unknown quantity for the others, a man who keeps himself to himself, but probably for good reason.  Some of the characters like duo Ben and Jerry start out light-hearted and confident but reveal their softer more thoughtful sides as the night goes on. Possibly the most interesting character to me was the Irish charmer who has made his first appearance in the pub on this of all nights and seems to have uncanny insight. I thought the development of the characters and their interwoven relationships was great, and a real strength. The different types of people and their contradictory views were pretty representative of the sort of people you can find on any given evening in locals across the land. I definitely found myself identifying with and rooting for some of the characters while being disgusted by others.

It's proved quite difficult to review this book without giving any spoilers, so suffice it to say that towards the end all is explained and I really liked the what and why. I also liked the very last chapter which acted as an epilogue, but again would hate to say more for fear of ruining it for anyone else.

I thought this was a very good book, only let down a little by a few typos and misplaced apostrophes, with both a clever plot and a number of engaging characters. Oh and as an added bonus there is a revolting short story at the end! I'd definitely look up Iain Rob Wright's other works.

Format: Kindle, review copy
My Rating: 4*