This is not the first I've read of Mark Edwards' books ... but it is the best! Reminds me a bit of a horror story within a horror story .. although this isn't really a horror story at all.
Lucas, a horror novelist, has checked into a remote writer's retreat. When his girlfriend was killed, he lost his ability to write. Maybe what he needs is a long quiet, relaxed stay without the sight and sounds of a busy city. Too bad that's not what he gets.
Julia has opened her home and made it into a writer's retreat. Two years ago her husband drowned and her young daughter disappeared. She thought keeping busy with new people in her home would quiet the voices in her head that insist her daughter is still alive. Too bad that doesn't work.
Lucas gets lost in the superstitions and stories that seem to permeate small villages. Secrets are buried under many years of stories and rumors. It gets serious when Lucas starts hearing voices ... a girl singing ... he's either losing his mind or could it possibly be a spirit from the other side. Lucas is a realist and as a novelist, begins to research.
The one story that around is of a witch/woman who demands a sacrifice every 35 years. The townspeople take a child and tie her to a tree in the forest. The child disappears and every parent takes a breath knowing 'their' child was not taken.
Past and present come together to create a perfect storm. Who ... or what ... seems to be haunting the retreat?
This is one of the most compelling books I've read in a long time. I was drawn in from the very beginning and it didn't let go until the final word .. an ending I promise the reader will never see coming.
Many thanks to the author / Amazon Publishing / TBC Reviewer Request Group / Netgalley for the advanced digital copy of this terrifying crime fiction. Opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.
Lucas, a horror novelist, has checked into a remote writer's retreat. When his girlfriend was killed, he lost his ability to write. Maybe what he needs is a long quiet, relaxed stay without the sight and sounds of a busy city. Too bad that's not what he gets.
Julia has opened her home and made it into a writer's retreat. Two years ago her husband drowned and her young daughter disappeared. She thought keeping busy with new people in her home would quiet the voices in her head that insist her daughter is still alive. Too bad that doesn't work.
Lucas gets lost in the superstitions and stories that seem to permeate small villages. Secrets are buried under many years of stories and rumors. It gets serious when Lucas starts hearing voices ... a girl singing ... he's either losing his mind or could it possibly be a spirit from the other side. Lucas is a realist and as a novelist, begins to research.
The one story that around is of a witch/woman who demands a sacrifice every 35 years. The townspeople take a child and tie her to a tree in the forest. The child disappears and every parent takes a breath knowing 'their' child was not taken.
Past and present come together to create a perfect storm. Who ... or what ... seems to be haunting the retreat?
This is one of the most compelling books I've read in a long time. I was drawn in from the very beginning and it didn't let go until the final word .. an ending I promise the reader will never see coming.
Many thanks to the author / Amazon Publishing / TBC Reviewer Request Group / Netgalley for the advanced digital copy of this terrifying crime fiction. Opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.
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