"Freeman's prose is clean and lovely, painting the canvas of the printed page so unobtrusively yet with such pronounced effect. His writing will leave you both chilled and deeply moved." - William Peter Blatty
Brian James Freeman's first full-length collection features twenty-nine stories that deal with both real and supernatural terrors.
These tales are populated by characters who seek answers to deeply troubling questions. They are haunted by horrors they think are out of their control, but sometimes the source of their greatest fears is closer to home than they ever imagined.
As William Peter Blatty notes in his introduction, "Freeman writes like someone who has seen the darkness lurking within the human heart and is compelled to shine a light on our deepest fears. His writing will leave you both chilled and deeply moved."
Originally published only as a small print run Limited Edition in the UK, this new edition features revised text and updated story notes by the author.
Brian Freeman is a New York Times bestselling author of psychological thrillers, including the Jonathan Stride series and multiple popular stand-alones. His books have been sold in 46 countries and 24 languages. He is widely acclaimed for his "you are there" settings and his complex, engaging characters and twist-filled plots. Brian was also selected as the official author to continue Robert Ludlum's Jason Bourne series, and he has since published eight bestselling Bourne novels.
Brian's seventh novel SPILLED BLOOD won the award for Best Hardcover Novel in the annual Thriller Awards given out by the International Thriller Writers organization, and his fifth novel THE BURYING PLACE was a finalist for the same award. His novel THE DEEP, DEEP SNOW was a finalist for the Edgar Award for Best Paperback Original.
His debut thriller, IMMORAL, won the Macavity Award for Best First Novel and was a nominee for the Edgar, Dagger, Anthony, and Barry Awards. IMMORAL was named an International Book of the Month, a distinction shared with authors such as Harlan Coben and Lisa Unger.
All of Brian's books are also available in audiobook editions. His novels THE BONE HOUSE and SEASON OF FEAR were both finalists for Best Audiobook of the Year in Thriller/Suspense.
For more information on Brian's books, visit his web site at bfreemanbooks.com or find him on Facebook at facebook.com/bfreemanfans or Twitter and Instagram (@bfreemanbooks).
“It was still Halloween night, after all, and there were real monsters out there, prowling in the dark.”
A collection of short stories dealing with both real and supernatural terrors.
This was my first time reading any of Freeman’s work and I would definitely pick up more in the future. He seems to be predominantly a short story writer and it’s easy to see why - he has a real flair for telling a story effectively within a limited number of pages. This collection is just over 300 pages long and contains 30 stories, so all the stories are concise and to the point. And wonderfully written.
There’s a lot of diversity and different settings within the short stories, but all seem to be linked by the theme of things that haunt us. Some stories are chilling, some are touching, some have supernatural forces at work, some don’t. A lot of the stories had twists and turns and endings that left me with my jaw hanging open - the first story in particular was excellent!!
My favourite story in the collection was Silent Attic, which is about a girl who’s mother dies in their attic bedroom after a long illness, and it was just so resonating and really hit home with me. Another story was absolutely hilarious (for me anyway!!), it was about a small community who take their Christmas decorations just a tad too seriously...
There’s really just a bit of everything! There were some stories that I didn’t enjoy AS much (which seems to always be the case with short story collections), but they were still impeccably written.
The average score for the short stories was about 3.6, so 3.5 stars seems fair!
In my opinion, short stories are so difficult to get right. The writer must balance character development, plot, and a satisfying ending in a limited format. Many I have read leave me wanting more due to an abrupt ending or flat characters. Walking with Ghosts by Brian Freeman is a master class in short story telling. Most of his stories are squarely in the horror genre although I wouldn’t describe any as “scary”. Creepy, suspenseful, surprising are words that come to mind. I’m only 3/4 of the way through, but am so thoroughly enjoying it that I wanted to leave a review encouraging people to read it.
I really enjoyed this book. It is filled with several short stories from Brian James Freeman. Some of which will make you think about each one after you have finished reading them. I also liked the fact that Brian has a section in the back of the book in which he tells the reader how he came to write that story. If you are a short story fan with an interest is scary stories, then this book is for you! I look forward to reading the next book from Brian James Freeman, a truly gifted writer!
Just finished this up, 29 short stories in all. This is a rather mellow read, nothing too shocking, scary or grotesque about any of the stories. Some stood out more than others, some of the stories would have made excellent novels on their own, had they been given more background and depth. His story about Halloween really resonated with me though. 3 out of 5 stars for me.
I really enjoyed reading this short story collection. I mean, between the gorgeous cover and the blurb from William Peter Blatty - of course I had to pick this one up. The writing is exquisite and I love supernatural stories! This entire collection is a wonderful ghost-y treat! Highly recommended! I’ll be looking out for what Brian J. Freeman publishes next!
Great collection of shorts - often melancholy and heart wrenching. Lots of focus of loss and a few fun creepy crawling added in. A couple that made you go "huh?" Upon completion. Overall enjoyable read.
Don’t get me wrong, the short stories were great. Well written, interesting, and easy to read but not knowing how the story continues bugs me 😂! I just wanted each of them to go on and on. Otherwise, I did like them very much.
Great short story writer. And, an added attraction - really wonderful Story Notes by the author, which doesn't just talk about the writing of the stories, but how his daily life, his family, fit into it all.