With the new year, we have a couple of old timers in the horror field with
new books. Names that you know, Koontz and John Saul with new books
about hauntings and relentless killers. Also we have a couple of names that
I have review before not so popular but just as good. Their names are Al
Sarrantonio with his Halloween series and Sarah Pinborough with an evil
little ghost. So enjoy these new books and Happy Bloody New Year!
D.W. Jones
The Good Guy by Dean Koontz
Koontz continues to be my favorite writer and this book just
enforces why I love his writing. The Good Guy is a great novel that
keeps you going throughout the story, revealing a little bit each pace
like peeling the layers of an onion.
The story is simple. Timothy is an everyday guy going to his
favorite bar to mull over another day in his life. The he is
approached by a man who gives him an envelope. Before he could
say anything the man leaves. He looks inside and
it has instructions to get rid of someone and money. Shortly after, another man
enters approaching him and asking for the envelope he was just given.
Tim suddenly puts things together and attempts to put a stop to it. Before he knows
it, he is drawn into something he feels obligated to see to the end. And with each
passing moment, Tim is thrown into chaos until that fateful moment that decides his
existence.
Koontz continues to tell thrilling stories of with extraordinary characters. His suspense
slowly ratchet up until it reaches a climax that you just can’t wait to get to. Any Koontz
fan should read this book and everyone else will find a fantastic book with a great
story.
In the Dark of the Night by John Saul
It has been quite a while since reading a Saul book. He has a certain
subtle way of telling a story that sneaks up on you and then wham! it
kicks in full gear. So when I saw this novel on the shelf, I picked it up.
Unlike past books, he start right away and never lets go.
The story is about Eric Brewster wanting to take a summer
vacation with his friends but his mother is reluctant. After he finally
convinces his parents to go, they are lucky enough to a great deal on a
large house off of a lake.
But right away, things go wrong. Problems with local kids, their pet cat ends up
mutilated and then there is the room Eric and his friends find. They lose hours at a
time whenever they go into the room and there are many weird items left behind by
the former owner. Each time the go in there, stranger and stranger things happen.
Eric and his friends are compelled to find the answers of die trying.
Saul departs from his usual method of slowly getting you into a story. The action
starts right away and doesn’t let up until the end where the payoff is fantastic. His
characters are interesting and the way Saul presents the relationships between the
characters is realistic. I recommend this book wholly and well worth the time.
The Taken by Sarah Pinborough
I have heard people ask; Is cover art important. I say yes and this
book proves it. It is the main reason that I picked this book, it is just
real creepy. The cover art is just the beginning because the story is
just as creepy and it keeps your interest all of the way through.
The story starts with Alex helping her aunt set up a birthday party for
her cousin. While her Aunt Mary is working outside, she sees some-
thing that scares her to a panic attack. After she calms down, she tells
Alex what she saw, which could be impossible.
After that sighting, other strange things pop up; the local priest is half dead and
whispers a name from the past. Then townspeople start seeing strange children
playing. In all this a terrible storm rolls in just like one did many years ago. Now Alex
is determined to find out what connects these incidents if to find out what her Aunt
and the town is hiding.
Pinborough does a good job with the story keeping it moving and the mystery to solve
interesting throughout the book. Her characters could of been a little more fleshed
out but are okay. The story itself was exciting, has plenty of gore and just weird
enough for you to see what is around the next corner. I recommend this book for the
story but don’t let the cover get to you.
Halloweenland by Al Sarrantonio
This is the second book I have read from Sarrantonio, the first being
Hallows Eve. Halloweenland is part of Sarrantonio’s Orangefield series
and has done a good job with this series and this book. It was a great
read for the Halloween season.
Bill Grant is a cop who has seen strange things happen in
Orangefield over the years and this year was no exception. A woman’s
husband is killed during the night but she claims to see him two hours
after he was killed. Then the woman shows up pregnant.
Now Samhain, the death spirits visits him and warns him to stay away from the
woman. Bill figures that something is really wrong and feels determined to get
involved to protect the woman. The more he gets involved, the more his life falls
apart. But Bill Grant will go to the ends of the earth and risk his life to find out the
truth to what Samhain is up to.
Sarrantonio tells a quick story and you find out that this was a short story before
becoming a novella. Included in this book is the original story which is the same in
many respects but shows the differences he made. The characters are pretty good
and could see these people in real life. The story moves pretty good but the middle
gets a little slow. I do recommend this book for a quick read, but try to read the
previous books.
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