Lee Allen's Blog, page 19

Susan Hill's The Mist in the Mirror - Review

The Mist In The Mirror by Susan Hill

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


A gothic ghost story from the modern mistress of the genre.

After several decades abroad, Sir James Monmouth returns to England for the first time since he was a child, intending to undertake research into the life of adventurer Conrad Vane, in whose footsteps he has followed since first encountering tales of his travels as a boy.

Yet around Vane appears to have developed an aura of fear and revulsion, and Monmouth is several times cautioned against pursuing his quest. Meanwhile, he feels consistently dogged by some presence he cannot see, lurking just out of reach.

By chance, he uncovers a link directly into his own past that may lead to discoveries about his family history that he never considered exploring. As his new quest threatens to consume him, it may expose a secret that unknowingly changed the course of his life.

'The Mist in the Mirror' is Susan Hill's second ghost story, following in the footsteps of the modern classic 'The Woman in Black'. Brilliantly evoking a gothic and ghostly atmosphere, it brims with classic gothic imagery, haunting descriptions gradually building suspense through each page, vividly swirling like mist, the novel maintaining its chill grip until the final moments.

Mystery and shades of supernatural phenomena heighten throughout, as we follow Monmouth's mission to discover more about the life of someone he greatly admires, only to discover he may not be worthy of the pedestal on which he has placed him - something which is all the more relatable in our age of scandals, social media and exposures of social and criminal injustices. As Monmouth becomes drawn into an obsession to find answers to questions about his own past, we feel his unsettling loneliness and the dislocation conjured by the missing pieces of his life, racing on with him to ultimately uncover a horror that can never be forgotten.

A thrilling and at times thought-provoking tale, 'The Mist in the Mirror' is a superlatively well-written and enjoyable ghost story, exploring how secrets haunt the living and the stain of evil forever haunts those it touches.



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Peter James' Dead Man's Footsteps - Review

Dead Man's Footsteps by Peter James

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


A complex case for Roy Grace and the team to unravel, that stretches across continents and back in time into the heart of atrocity.

The discovery of skeletonised remains in a storm drain changes the course of Roy Grace’s weekend plans, launching an investigation into the suspicious death, the first priority being to identify the unknown victim and how she came to be abandoned where she was found.

Meanwhile, in Australia, the body of another young woman is found in the boot of a submerged car. As both suspicious deaths on opposite sides of the planet are determined to be murder, potential links form between them and the presumed death of a man during the terror attacks of 9/11.

As the investigations progress, another young woman who has travelled to the UK under an assumed identity is in fear for her life. By the time her plight comes to the attention of police and linked to the murder inquiry, they find themselves in a race against time to save lives and apprehend a dangerous offender.

Peter James’ Roy Grace series has quickly become one of my favourite police procedural series, and this fourth entry once again does not disappoint – a complex, thrilling plot that evolves in fast-paced twists and turns, packed with layers of detail and well-developed characters. The main plot takes place several months after the previous novel, ‘Not Dead Enough’, picking up the threads of the key character’s personal lives, ongoing subplots and the aftermath of the cases of recent months.

The novel also features flashbacks to the events in New York on 11th September 2001 and its immediate aftermath. While the events themselves are tangential to the core plot, those scenes offer an insight into the horrors experienced that day and what was witnessed and experienced by the many who were there. It remains a defining moment in recent history, the images of the horror that occurred that day forever imprinted on the memories of countless people across the planet.

Told with both gritty realism and sensitivity, the multiple strands of the story weave their own threads, racing on their own paths until tying together at the climax, the novel leaving us with that final concluding scene and its tantalising final sentence. Each of the four novels in the series so far have offered something different, a different approach to a murder investigation with a multitude of driving factors, each time offering a fresh approach while developing the series’ own formula and ongoing character arcs.

A gripping police procedural crime thriller, ‘Dead Man’s Footsteps’ will have you hooked from beginning to end and leave you in eager anticipation for the next case. Next in the series is ‘Dead Tomorrow’ and I cannot wait to read it.



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Stephen King's The Dead Zone - Review

The Dead Zone by Stephen King

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


A classic thriller from horror master Stephen King.

Since suffering an injury as a child, Johnny has experienced moments when he can see and feel with such clarity almost as if with a view into the future. Yet it’s affected his life little up to this point. Now a dedicated teacher, he is delighted when fellow teacher Sarah agrees to a date. Yet their night is due to end tragically, with Johnny left comatose and barely clinging to life.

Almost everyone has given up on Johnny, when, four and a half years later, he wakes from his coma. His precognitive abilities are now far more powerful – with the briefest touch, he can see into someone’s life with terrifying clarity. Johnny’s road to recovery is a difficult one, while his newfound abilities become evermore heavy to bear.

He wants nothing more than to be able to recover and live a quiet life, to get back into teaching and move on from the past. But others will not allow him to rest, while Johnny wrestles with his internal struggle between intervening in the lives of others to offer help and moving on to live his own. But the presence of evil is impossible to ignore and, against his better judgement, threatens to become an obsession that will ultimately consume him.

‘The Dead Zone’ is a gripping, character-driven horror thriller; spanning several years and told from the perspective of a core cast of characters, it has the feel of an epic whilst brimming with elements of supernatural horror and science fiction, with moral questions at its core. I felt a lot of empathy for Johnny, not only through his injuries and recovery, but also in his personal relationships and the increasing burden of his moral struggle. I loved his relationship with Sarah, one that becomes tinged with tragedy, a piece of their life stolen from them before it could be fully realised. There are some relationships you never truly move on from and the novel deals poignantly with that concept. Johnny, Sarah and Herb are developed particularly well, with glimpses into many of the secondary and minor characters, some of which become far more significant as the novel progresses.

King explores themes he has explored in previous novels and would explore again in the future – notably forms of psychic phenomena and the dark side of power, both political and preternatural. I could see shades of Randall Flagg in Greg Stillson and his fascist politics, while Johnny’s precognition presents similar challenges to one who might discover the ability to time travel, which King later explored superbly in '11.22.63’. The novel is also notable for being the first to feature fictional town Castle Rock, the town’s serial killer, whose apprehension is recorded here, often referenced in future novels and TV series.

The novel has twice been adapted for the screen, the first as a film released in 1983, and the second for television as a series which began airing in 2002 and lasted for six seasons. It is a story that lends itself perfectly for adaption to the screen; the novel itself is fast-paced, at times intense and emotionally resonating, with both plot and characters blended perfectly to form a thrilling narrative that builds to an almost inevitable, but satisfying, denouement.

Engrossing and moving, ‘The Dead Zone’ hooks from beginning to end, posing thought-provoking questions and telling a thrilling tale.



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Mo Hayder's Gone - Review

Gone by Mo Hayder

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Jack Caffery returns in another dark, intense, breathtaking thriller.

A man attacks a woman in an underground car park and steals her car. In the back seat is her young daughter. DI Jack Caffery believes – hopes – that as soon as the jacker realises he has abducted a child, he will be looking for the nearest place to drop her off and make his escape. Yet, the hours tick by and there is no sign of the child.

DS Flea Marley is haunted by her demons. Her unit is falling apart around her. She is desperate to get her life back, to make amends for her wrongs. When she hears about the car-jacking, she knows this isn’t the first time it’s happened. Approaching Caffery, she tells him about two previous cases where children were in the back seats of stolen vehicles. The previous two girls were unharmed. But there is still no sign of the third girl.

By the time another young girl is kidnapped, Caffery and the team believe they are truly hunting a child abductor, not a car jacker; one who always seems to be one step ahead of them. At every turn, Caffery discovers there is far more to this sinister case and prays they will not be too late to save the lives of the abducted children.

‘Gone’ is the fifth novel in the Jack Caffery police procedural series. Taking place six months following the events of ‘Skin’, we find Flea and Caffery continue to be haunted by events of the previous novel. This is what I love about series with serialised elements – you are plunged straight back in to the ongoing plots, picking up with the characters where you left off when you spent time with them last. The Walking Man sub-plot also continues, exploring his history in small chunks novel by novel.

The cases in each novel are, for the most part, self-contained. ‘Gone’ follows the investigation into multiple child abductions, also exploring themes of paedophilia and domestic violence. Hayder does not shy away from the dark reality of serious crime; we witness the horror of such cases as experienced by the police officers and the crippling fear and anguish inflicted on the parents.

Mo Hayder takes crime fiction to the very edge of the blurred boundaries it shares with horror and holds us there on every page, navigating multiple twists and turns through detailed exploration of police procedure and forensics, while delving deep into the psyches of the characters. I didn’t want to put the book down and I didn’t want it to end. I loved it and cannot wait to dive into the next two novels in the series.

Tragically, they will also be the last. Several months ago, we received the incredibly sad news of the author’s passing. We have lost an incredible talent. Real name Clare Dunkel, she has left behind an incredible legacy in her ten Mo Hayder novels (three standalones in addition to the Jack Caffery series), with a forthcoming dystopian fantasy, which she completed before her death, due to published next year under the pseudonym Theo Clare. Her work is truly an inspiration.

Riveting and disturbing, ‘Gone’ is a superlative, relentless thriller that refuses to relinquish its hold on you long after you've read the final page.



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Will o' the Wisp - Preview, Part III

Here's the final part of the preview of my brand new short story, Will o' the Wisp, creeping out of the shadows this Hallowe'en!

Missed Parts I and II? Check out my earlier blog posts.
___

I leaned forward, squinting more keenly out into the passing dark. I could see the glimmer of a distant light, floating and darting between what must be trees, as if someone was struggling to gather their bearings.

“Stop!” I called up to the driver. “There is someone out there, lost.”

“There is no one,” came the abrupt, gruff reply. I heard the crack of the whip, urging the horses on. “There is only marshland; no one can survive out there.”

Still, the wind formed into strangled, indistinct whispers, the distant light hovering, glimmering in the night.

“But I can see their light,” I protested, fearful for the poor soul trapped out on the marshes.

“What you see is the Friar’s Lantern. Only a fool pays it any heed, and no sooner does he than he is a doomed fool. On this night, more than any other.”

I had paid little heed to the date of note prior to this moment, considering myself neither religious nor superstitious.

“The Friar’s Lantern?” I queried.

“Friar w’ the Rush, will entice you out on yonder marshes and to your death. Pay it no heed, sir, I implore you. It is the Devil’s work. I have no wish for us to die tonight.”

I squinted into the night again, trying to identify the source of light. I had no doubt it was not the superstitious nonsense the driver claimed. Knowing nothing would impel him to stop, I dug the matches from my pockets and relit the lantern, in the dim hope that the lost soul may see the source of light and discern the direction of the road.
___

It may be safer for some questions to remain unanswered...

Whilst running an errand late one Hallowe'en night, a young gentleman comes across a young lady in need of assistance. From whom or what she flees is unclear, but nevertheless he desires to help.

When she vanishes without trace, he determines to find the reason for her disappearance, a quest which may lead him into unknown peril.

For, amongst the shadows, there lurks something sinister...
___

A gothic horror short story from the author of "The Jack O'Lantern Men" and "Whispers from the Dead of Night".

Continue reading this Sunday.

Available to download 31/10/2021. Pre-order on Amazon now!

Just four more days 'til Hallowe'en!

🎃 TRICK OR TREAT?! 😉

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Halloween Pieces - Review

Halloween Pieces: A Mobile Writers Guild Anthology by Joyce Scarbrough

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Treats and tricks galore in this anthology from the Mobile Writers' Guild in celebration of the spookiest season of the year.

‘Halloween Pieces’ is a collection of eighteen pieces of writing from writers from Mobile, Alabama; the fourth of (currently) five collections. Including twelve short stories, five poems and a play, there is something to suit all tastes, with gothic fiction, mystery, folklore, hauntings, horror and comedy all finding their way within the pages.

My personal highlights were:

‘The Tree Remembers’ by Joyce Scarbrough – Invited to a school reunion, Janelle is at first reluctant to accompany her husband, as she hasn't fond memories of her time at school. But when the opportunity arises to teach the school bullies a lesson, Janelle decides it’s one she cannot miss.

‘Once in a Blue Moon’ by CJ Petterson – When her car breaks down in a secluded area, Katherine is relieved when a stranger comes upon her and offers to assist. Agreeing to accompany him back to his village and join their Samhain celebration, she soons discovers that something sinister is afoot and the villagers may not be as they seem.

‘The Portrait of Eliza Melling’ by Carrie Dalby – Five years after the death of his beloved Eliza, Sean remains heartbroken, attending a Halloween dance in an effort to keep her memory alive. But his devotion to clinging to the past proves dangerous as he returns home to a visitation from the spirit world. (Working well as a standalone story, this is also connected to Dalby’s ongoing gothic family saga ‘The Possession Chronicles’.)

‘A Time to Believe’ by Theola Bright – Accosted by an old lady in the street, Edwina’s day takes a bizarre and terrifying turn, one that threatens her life and that of everyone she cares for. Just what witchcraft has befallen her, she does not know, and tries desperately to escape the clutches of this malign scheme.

Overall this is an enjoyable selection of fiction and poetry for Hallowe’en, including some that can be read aloud and even shared with the whole family (parental discretion advised, of course). So grab your cocoa, your apple cider, or pumpkin spice beverage of choice, and sit back ready to embrace the season with thrills, terrors and supernatural delights.



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Will o' the Wisp - Preview, Part II

Read on for the next scene from my brand new short story, Will o' the Wisp, creeping out of the shadows this Hallowe'en!

Missed Part I? Read it on last weekend's blog post.
___

The telling of this tale began some years past. I was a young bachelor immersed in my study of the law; betrothal and marriage could not be further from my mind. I had taken up an opportunity as a clerk’s assistant at the chambers of a prestigious law firm. I was told I had great promise, having already found myself providing assistance on several briefs. What little I earned was enough to grant me take up rooms only a short walk from both chambers and the university. When I was not working, I took to my studies in my rooms, often staying up late into the night. When the oil lamp burned low, I read my papers by candlelight.

One late autumn evening, one that felt much like any other, I was charged with caretaking a delivery of documents on behalf of Mr Justice Bernstein. I felt honoured to be entrusted with such a task, trifling as it may seem. I set off on my journey via carriage, wrapped against the wind on which one could already feel the chill of winter. The candle that lit the lantern inside of the carriage cast only a dim light, which I was unable to read by. Instead, I extinguished it and took to watching the night go by.

We had left the city behind, its grey and dusty streets lit by street lamps. No lights lit the road along which we trundled and clouds hid the stars high above from view. Beyond the window, I could see only a tapestry of blackness. But over the rapid clopping of hooves and the incessant rattling of the wheels, I heard something in the wind. It sounded like voices, the words indistinct.

A whisper reached my ears, as clear as if it had been conjured in my own mind.

Beware the secrets in a woman’s keep;
For in her bosom is where proud men weep.
___

It may be safer for some questions to remain unanswered...

Whilst running an errand late one Hallowe'en night, a young gentleman comes across a young lady in need of assistance. From whom or what she flees is unclear, but nevertheless he desires to help.

When she vanishes without trace, he determines to find the reason for her disappearance, a quest which may lead him into unknown peril.

For, amongst the shadows, there lurks something sinister...
___

A gothic horror short story from the author of "The Jack O'Lantern Men" and "Whispers from the Dead of Night".

Want to read more? Perhaps I'll share a Part III during the week.

Available to download 31/10/2021. Pre-order on Amazon now!

Just seven days 'til Hallowe'en!

🎃 TRICK OR TREAT?! 😉

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L.B. Stimson's The Farmhouse at Peace and Plenty - Review

The Farmhouse at Peace and Plenty by L.B. Stimson

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


A chilling gothic ghost story in the tradition of classic tales of hauntings.

In need of a new start, Jenny and Kyle take a summer lease on a secluded farmhouse in the countryside. Jenny wishes to write her new book, while her husband has committed to renovating the property ready for sale.

Jenny becomes fascinated with the history of the farmhouse, following several unsettling encounters with people in the nearby village. Still troubled by the problems they've fled, the couple decide to go against all advice and stay into the autumn and winter.

But Jenny is far from safe, finding herself succumbing to the grip of the Farmhouse. As fact and fiction become entwined and past and present blur, what haunts the Farmhouse now haunts her mind, threatening her grip on her very soul.

'The Farmhouse (at Peace and Plenty)' is the third of L.B. Stimson's books I've read and it just might be the best so far, this being my favourite type of ghost story - full of gothic atmosphere, characters isolated from the outside world, a mystery from the past which refuses to stay buried; all playing on the fears and anxieties of troubled characters, threatening their sanity as the horror builds, while maintaining the chill of restrained realism.

At the story's heart is a couple trying desperately to repair their marriage, one almost shattered by betrayal and mistrust. The writing so brilliantly evokes both a disquieting atmosphere and the emotional pain of the characters, blending seamlessly to create a haunting story.

The abandoned farmhouse stands unaffected by all the pain within. The locals fear it, issuing cryptic warnings. Whatever resides in the Farmhouse will feed on such pain - the loneliness, the heartbreak, the isolation, the conflict - manipulating it and pulling you to the brink of despair. Jenny's vulnerability is so well-developed throughout the story that you can feel yourself breaking with her as she clings desperately to her relationship and the connection she feels at the Farmhouse.

A fantastic second standalone entry in the 'Tales from the Parlour Room' anthology series. I cannot wait to read what comes next.



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Will o' the Wisp - Preview, Part I

Preview the opening scene from my brand new short story, Will o' the Wisp, creeping out of the shadows this Hallowe'en:
___

Never have I stopped searching, and never shall I give up the quest for as long as I breathe.

I have tried all manner of methods to reacquaint myself with my lost and distant love, searching amongst both the living and the dead. Yet always have I been too far behind. Perhaps tonight, as I sat beside a stuttering jack o’lantern and gazed out upon the blackest of nights, I would finally lay eyes upon her face again and find the answers which I sought.

Oh, but what a thing of beauty was her face. Her smooth, white skin and her rosebud mouth. Those bright, green eyes that sang in the sunshine. Her raven black hair, that descended down to her waist. The elegance of her form. I fell madly, deeply, as soon as I laid eyes upon her, of that I am sure, for she claimed my thoughts in every waking moment. Who could this maiden be, if not my intended bride? I shall admit that a kind of insanity may have befallen me, for so quickly was I overcome, my one desire to claim this beauty as my own.

When I sought the services of Madame Marsden, I had no reason to believe this encounter would prove more fruitful than the last, or the countless others before them. I had fallen into a melancholy, believing I would never find the answers I sought, but nonetheless could not give up my search. In my depressed and desperate state, I clung to the false hope that just one more time, one final attempt, would be the moment of revelation.

So it went on. I’d enlisted mediums, clairvoyants, fortunetellers, as well as the more conventional private detectives and the constabularies of the various locales which I explored in vain. No one, by either investigative or preternatural means, had uncovered one clue as to the whereabouts of she who possessed my soul.

But tonight would prove different; I could feel it deep in my bones. The flame flickered again, waxing and waning in the draft from the cracks in the windowpane, causing the jack o’lantern to wink at me, his wicked grin stretching with menace.

I have digressed, my tale already resembling the knotted tangents of my mind. I hoped simply to get the facts down on paper whilst awaiting her arrival. Thus, it would be prudent to commence at the beginning.
___

It may be safer for some questions to remain unanswered...

Whilst running an errand late one Hallowe'en night, a young gentleman comes across a young lady in need of assistance. From whom or what she flees is unclear, but nevertheless he desires to help.

When she vanishes without trace, he determines to find the reason for her disappearance, a quest which may lead him into unknown peril.

For, amongst the shadows, there lurks something sinister...
___

A gothic horror short story from the author of "The Jack O'Lantern Men" and "Whispers from the Dead of Night". Look out for part II of the preview next weekend.

Available to download 31/10/2021. Pre-order on Amazon now!

Just two weeks 'til Hallowe'en!

🎃 TRICK OR TREAT?! 😉

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Ann Radcliffe's The Italian - Review

The Italian by Ann Radcliffe

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


In the ruins of an abandoned convent, an assassin is said to still reside, having sought sanctuary within its walls. This is the story that precedes the urban legend.

When Vincentio di Vivaldi first lays eyes upon Ellena Rosalba, he knows she is everything he has ever wanted and desired, and vows to make her his bride. Yet his parents are opposed to such a marriage, as their son’s selection possesses no social standing.

Father Schedoni, confessor to Vivaldi’s mother, appears to have his own motivations for preventing such a union. He sets in motion a malign plot to ensure their love cannot blossom.

But even the most carefully orchestrated plots can unravel and, once set in motion, the consequences prove catastrophic. In the wake of the damage, can the passion of true love and the might of moral justice hold true, or must everything inevitably descend into ruin?

Published in 1796, Ann Radcliffe’s ‘The Italian’ is a gothic tale of passion and love, penance and retribution, with hints of a supernatural influence and mystery woven beneath every chapter. Blending elements of romance, horror and suspense to build its intensely gothic atmosphere, it oozes its themes of morality and religion, specifically that of Roman Catholicism and the Holy Inquisition, while exploring the thoughts, emotions and motivations of each character in depth and building a vivid sense of place and setting.

Evocative of Shakespearean drama, alluding to and doubtless deeply influenced by many of his plays, the story is told in three volumes (perhaps mirroring the traditional three acts of a play). Often rich in dense description, this is a novel to be savoured and allowed time to develop as you read. It also provides a detailed insight into some of the views held at the time, such as those of the class system, the role and dependence of women, and the might and corruption of large (in this case, religious) institutions. It should perhaps be remarkable that we are still talking about the same views and issues, all across the world, over two hundred years later.

The characters are heavily developed, particularly the central three – we learn of their family circumstances, their histories, and their innermost turmoil. The relationship between Vivaldi and Ellena begins with Vivaldi’s obsessive passion and desire to win Ellena’s hand. For many reasons, she is resistant, but Vivalidi’s persistence holds strong. Throughout the novel, we witness the development of genuine affection between them, made bittersweet by the pain of separation and fear of loss.

Schedoni, the mysterious monk and eponymous figure, is the hand that pulls the strings of the narrative. An incredibly well-developed antagonist, his characterisation is perhaps the greatest strength of Radcliffe’s novel. From the shadows, he manipulates and orchestrates much of the unfolding tragedy, before it escalates out of his control; his motivations and personal desires ultimately may be his undoing, as his dark past begins to come to light.

As alliances break, and tension and dread build, through murder plots, kidnappings, escape plans, and a fight for justice, we arrive at the revelations of the final chapters deep in the dungeons of the Inquisition, where mysteries are solved and questions finally answered. This may not be a novel for casual reading, but if you are interested in early gothic literature or religious and social history, then I would recommend delving in and committing to it. Faced with the sometimes overwhelming emotions of the characters cannot help but encourage empathy – the universal experiences of love and loss and fear keeping you travelling with these characters through to the conclusion of their journeys.

Gothic and tragic, Ann Radcliffe’s ‘The Italian’ is both mystery and social commentary, told through confessions of deep emotion that will haunt even the coldest of hearts.



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