A compelling plot and mounting sense of dread infuse this atmospheric thriller with plenty of chills.
A woman must uncover the truth behind the horrifying bargain that strips her of her senses, one by one, in Every’s horror novel.
Deena Bartlett cares for her dying, elderly Aunt Agatha at Wilshire Rehab Center. She has long had a tumultuous relationship with her cantankerous aunt, but Deena—partly fueled by the facts that her own parents were both dead by the time she was 25 and that Agatha is the only living relative she has left— attempts to do her part. When Wilshire’s mysterious old cleaning woman, Jadwiga, warns her to “take care…She is coming for you,” Deena soon finds herself facing a nightmarish set of attacks seemingly designed to take out her five senses, one by one: “The hum rose higher in pitch, piercing the stale, hot air. Deena threw her hands over her ears hoping to block it out—which was when she discovered it wasn’t coming from the room. It was coming from inside her head, growing louder and higher, throbbing against her temples, pressing against her eyes until it felt as if they would burst from their sockets.” Deena seeks help from Jadwiga, who reveals that Agatha made a deal with the Sensu, an ancient creature who feeds off Deena’s senses in exchange for curing Agatha. After each attack, Deena is left with a mark somewhere on her body for five days before the Sensu moves on to the next sense. When Deena is branded with the last Tactu (touch) mark, her life will end. To stop the relentless attacks, Deena must discover the truth behind her aunt’s bargain before it’s too late.
Every has crafted a genuinely spooky tale that relies less on body horror and more on the slow and patient buildup of moody suspense—an approach that fans of Grady Hendrix and Stephen King will surely welcome. The gore is never gratuitous as the tension slowly mounts and Deena uncovers the family secrets that have made her a marked woman. That’s not to say the book doesn’t have some absolutely stomach-churning moments, especially when it comes to the twisted old Agatha: “With a satisfying sense of release she pulls off her fingers, one by one, and drops them into the lake, watching the blood turn the water black. As each finger sinks it expands, becoming a formless, irregular mass floating just below the surface. She gazes at them as a mother would her children, her need for a legacy finally satisfied.” The dialogue mostly feels natural, with only a few missteps—such as the repeated appearances throughout the novel of a disembodied voice intoning “I’ve got you now,” a catchphrase that tends to come across as more “campy Wicked Witch” than legitimately creepy. The author manages to infuse her solid horror story with larger themes—including motherhood, grief, youth, and death—that lend Deena an added layer of depth while raising the stakes of her emotional and physical journey. The novel’s eerie, open-ended conclusion is reminiscent of classic horror novels and movies that manage to satisfy even as they unsettle.
A compelling plot and mounting sense of dread infuse this atmospheric thriller with plenty of chills.Pub Date: Oct. 8, 2024
ISBN: 9781960456137
Page Count: 272
Publisher: Woodhall Press
Review Posted Online: April 26, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2024
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Even when King is not at his best, he’s still good.
Two killers are on the loose. Can they be stopped?
In this ambitious mystery, the prolific and popular King tells the story of a serial murderer who pledges, in a note to Buckeye City police, to kill “13 innocents and 1 guilty,” in order, we eventually learn, to avenge the death of a man who was framed and convicted for possession of child pornography and then killed in prison. At the same time, the author weaves in the efforts of another would-be murderer, a member of a violently abortion-opposing church who has been stalking a popular feminist author and women’s rights activist on a publicity tour. To tell these twin tales of murders done and intended, King summons some familiar characters, including private investigator Holly Gibney, whom readers may recall from previous novels. Gibney is enlisted to help Buckeye City police detective Izzy Jaynes try to identify and stop the serial killer, who has been murdering random unlucky citizens with chilling efficiency. She’s also been hired as a bodyguard for author and activist Kate McKay and her young assistant. The author succeeds in grabbing the reader’s interest and holding it throughout this page-turning tale of terror, which reads like a big-screen thriller. The action is well paced, the settings are vividly drawn, and King’s choice to focus on the real and deadly dangers of extremist thought is admirable. But the book is hamstrung by cliched characters, hackneyed dialogue (both spoken and internal), and motives that feel both convoluted and overly simplistic. King shines brightest when he gets to the heart of our darkest fears and desires, but here the dangers seem a bit cerebral. In his warning letter to the police, the serial killer wonders if his cryptic rationale to murder will make sense to others, concluding, “It does to me, and that is enough.” Is it enough? In another writer’s work, it might not be, but in King’s skilled hands, it probably is.
Even when King is not at his best, he’s still good.Pub Date: May 27, 2025
ISBN: 9781668089330
Page Count: 448
Publisher: Scribner
Review Posted Online: Feb. 1, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2025
Jewell is absolutely a genius at building suspense, but the “man behaving badly” plot is getting tired.
Following her father’s sudden death, Aisling Swann is secretly horrified when her mother begins to date again—and she quickly becomes suspicious of this new flame.
Four years ago: A mysterious male narrator reflects upon his relationship with his wife—along with a few pointed comments about how she is aging. It quickly becomes apparent that this self-proclaimed “very pleasant” man is not who he seems; he already has a girlfriend on the side, and he’s playing both women with sob stories about his job and his traumatic past while taking money from them. Even as they get more and more frustrated with his lack of communication during ever-lengthening absences, he still gives them what they want: “a top-notch husband.” In the present day, Ash Swann; her brother, Arlo; and their mother, Nina, mourn the loss of her charismatic father, Paddy, a successful chef with a chain of lucrative restaurants. Nina receives a sympathy note from a man who claims to have worked closely with Paddy in the industry, which leads to a robust online flirtation that moves into the real world about a year after her husband’s death. Ash is living at home, mired in grief as well as her own mental health struggles, and she’s none too happy to see her mom dating—but particularly this handsome, egregiously suave Nick Radcliffe. Ash begins to notice some inconsistencies with his stories and his past, so she enlists Paddy’s ex-girlfriend Jane to help her investigate. Meanwhile, Ash’s story continues to intercut that of the mysterious man who is now married to his former girlfriend—and still up to his old tricks. Jewell’s cutting between past and present certainly allows revelations to ooze out at a slow, controlled pace; even as the reader makes obvious connections, the full picture remains obscure. Jewell has written some incredibly engaging and strong female characters, Nina, Ash, and Jane foremost among them. What would it have been like to split the narrative between them instead of giving so much voice—and thus narrative power—to the male antagonist?
Jewell is absolutely a genius at building suspense, but the “man behaving badly” plot is getting tired.Pub Date: June 24, 2025
ISBN: 9781668033876
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Atria
Review Posted Online: April 19, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2025
© Copyright 2025 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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