An okay thriller. The Absence told the story of a very dysfunctional family and how each family member's guilt played into an ancient and evil presence at an old mill house in the Fens of England. I would give this one a marginal recommendation although I thought the story was a little long-winded and overplayed its premise of the absence. The novel reminded me somewhat of James Herbert's horror stories although I enjoyed Herbert's novels much more.

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The flawed characters are explored and drawn exceptionally well which is something I find lacking in most modern horror tales and the reason I find most of them ho-hum. These teens and their dad have some major tragedy and guilt weighing them down and it is very believably written. You can feel tension in every exchange as well as the pain and raw emotion behind it.

When the three head out to the old secluded millhouse to reconnect you just know things can't possibly end well. I don't want to spoil things for future readers so I won't go into the plot just trust me it's one of those rare books that gets under your skin. Fantastic read.

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