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Book Review: Last Wrong Turn (The Blood and Gore Collection) by Amy Cross

January 23, 2023 1 Comment

Title: Last Wrong Turn (The Blood and Gore Collection)
Author: Amy Cross
Genre: Horror
Rating: 3 stars
Purchase: Amazon

Lost on a remote English country road, Penny and her husband are involved in a violent car crash. When she wakes up, however, Penny finds that she’s been tied to a metal table in a farmhouse. She’s the latest victim of a strange family, but Penny is different to the other victims in one crucial respect.

She’s pregnant.

As she fights not only for her own life but also for the life of her unborn child, Penny comes face-to-face with the mysterious Enda. As the child of the family, Enda struggles to understand why their latest prisoner has to die. Can Penny find a way to escape, or is she destined to suffer a darker fate? And is her unborn child destined to become not only a victim of the farm, but one of its new occupants?

Penny and her husband are involved in a violent car crash along a deserted country road. When she wakes up after the crash, Penny discovers she’s been tied to a metal table in a farmhouse — the latest victim of a deranged family. Penny has to fight to stay alive, not just for herself but also for her unborn child.

This story is brutal. That’s really the best way I can describe it. Think Texas Chainsaw Massacre or The Hills Have Eyes.  Penny is a strong woman who is willing to do whatever it takes to protect her child, and I greatly admired her for that. As far as the story itself goes, well… It’s fast-paced, relentless, but it’s also familiar. It’s a plot we’ve seen before in countless of slasher movies. There are some small differences, but the jest of it is the same: unsuspecting couple gets a car crash and ends up at the mercy of depraved killers at an abandoned farmhouse. There are probably twenty, if not more, horror movies out there with the exact same story, so if you want to stand out, you need to add a surprising twist to it.

Here, unfortunately, I didn’t really find the twist I was looking for. Still, it was an entertaining story and I enjoyed reading it, but it lacks originality.

 

 

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Book Review: The Blood House (The Blood and Gore Collection) by Amy Cross

January 19, 2023 Leave a Comment

Title: The Blood House (The Blood and Gore Collection)
Author: Amy Cross
Genre: Horror
Rating: 4 stars
Purchase: Amazon

On the run and deeply in debt, Owen Richards moves his family to a remote house in the middle of nowhere. Despite the strange portrait of an old man in the hallway, and the ticking sound coming from behind the walls, Owen promises his wife and daughter that this is their chance to start a new life.

Soon, however, Owen and his family discover that they’re caught in a horrific trap. Seventy-five years ago, a family of three disappeared while living in the same house. Deadly dangers lurk in every room, and the ticking sound is just the first hint of a monstrous fate that has befallen everyone who has ever dared to step through the front door.

Can the Richards family escape from their supposed dream home, or are they destined to join their predecessors in a gruesome end?

The Blood House is a horror novel about a twisted genius with a vision, and about a family who only want to survive. This is the 2022 edition of the original 2016 book.

Owen Richards is desperate to start a new life with his wife and daughter. On the run from his past, he counts his blessings as he finds a remote house in the middle of nowhere–a perfect hideaway for a man on the run. But what Owen doesn’t realize, is that the house he moved his family into, is far more dangerous than the past threatening to catch up with him.

The last family living here disappeared under mysterious circumstances, an ominous ticking sound acts like a herald of doom, and Owen has no idea that time is running out…

I really liked this book, particularly because I found the concept so intriguing and original. I won’t give any spoilers, but let’s just say this was a twist that I could appreciate.

There’s definitely some gore, though (as the series title suggests) so this isn’t for the faint of heart. I also felt that the book was rushed in some places, but overall, I really enjoyed this story and I thought it was innovative and original.

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Book Review: The Haunting of Hurst House (Mercy Willow Book 1)

January 16, 2023 Leave a Comment

Title: The Haunting of Hurst House (Mercy Willow Book 1)
Author: Amy Cross
Genre: Horror, Paranormal
Rating: 3 stars
Purchase: Amazon

When she moves to a small coastal Cornish village, Mercy Willow hopes to start a new life. She has a brand new job as an estate agent, and she’s determined to put the past where it belongs and get on with building a new future. But will that be easy in a village that has more than its fair share of ghosts?

Determined to sell the un-sellable Hurst House, Mercy gets straight to work. Hurst House was once the scene of a terrible tragedy, and many of the locals believe that the place is best left untouched and undisturbed. Mercy, however, thinks it just needs a lick of paint and a few other improvements, and that then she’ll be able to find a buyer in no time.

Soon, Mercy discovers that parts of Hurst House’s past are still lingering. Strange noises hint at an unseen presence, and an old family secret is about to come bursting back to life with terrifying consequences. Meanwhile, Mercy herself has a dark past that she’d rather keep hidden. After all, her name isn’t really Mercy Willow at all, and she’s running from something that has already almost killed her once.

The Haunting of Hurst House is the first book in the Mercy Willow series, about an estate agent in deepest Cornwall who develops the unusual ability to communicate with ghosts.

The Haunting of Hurst House is the first book in the Mercy Willow series, a series about real estate agent Mercy Willow. Running away from her past, Mercy is desperate to build a new life for herself working as a real estate agent in a small village. Unfortunately, her new career isn’t off to a great start, so Mercy vows to herself that she will do the unthinkable.

She will sell the house no one can sell. Hurst House. Scene of a terrible tragedy, a house that has lain abandoned for years. If she can sell this house, then she can sell any house.

But Hurst House isn’t an ordinary house. Strange noises haunt its corridors, during the renovation, items move from one room to another over night… Then again, Mercy Willow is no ordinary real estate agent, either, so if anyone can pull this off, it’s her.

I liked parts of this book, but other parts were just too far-fetched. The twist about the family who had lived in Hurst House just seemed too impossible for me, not believable at all. Apart from that, I liked the story overall and Mercy is an intriguing protagonist because there’s obvbiously parts about her that the reader doesn’t know yet. I will definitely pick up the next book in the series.

Filed Under: Ghosts & Hauntings, Horror, Reviews Tagged With: , , ,

Book Review: One Star: A Horror Story by Amy Cross

January 12, 2023 2 Comments

Title: One Star: A Horror Story
Author: Amy Cross
Genre: Horror
Rating: 3,5 stars
Purchase: Amazon

After slogging his way through a particularly awful horror novel, Harry Jenkins leaves a scathing review. He then moves on to another book, and soon he’s forgotten all about The Haunting of Myrtle Roach.

Six months later, however, a strange woman moves into the cottage opposite.

At first, Harry and his wife Debbie don’t mind their new neighbor. Even when she starts to exhibit a few unusual qualities, Abigail Cain doesn’t exactly seem dangerous, just… slightly weird. But Abigail has a very particular reason for having moved to the small seaside village of Hambledown, and she seems very interested in Harry.

Soon, Harry and Debbie find themselves in a desperate fight for survival. Abigail Cain is out to get them, and her fury knows no limit. All because of a one star review that Harry wrote. Can she be stopped, or will Harry and his wife pay the ultimate price at the hands of a murderous and vengeful author?

As an author myself, I was quite intrigued by the premise of this novel. One night, Harry Jenkins leaves a one-star review on a horror novel he thinks is horrible. The book in question is called The Haunting of Myrtle Roach, and in his opinion, it’s about as imaginative as a rock. His review is rather scatching, but of course, like most readers after leaving such reviews, he soon forgets about the book and moves on with his life.

Six months later, a new neighbour moves into the cottage opposite his home. He and his wife, Debbie, try to welcome the new neighbour, Abigail Cain. But when strange things start happening, Harry begins to wonder if his one-star review might bring forth consequences he never intended for…

Although I found the twist quite predictable, I did enjoy this book. The writing was decent, the plot fast-paced, and while we don’t learn that much about the characters, I didn’t really feel like we needed to either. Kind of like if you’re watching a slasher movie, you don’t care about what the characters did ten years ago either; you just want to know if they can beat the killer or not. I had the same feeling with this book: I didn’t really care about Harry’s background, but I wanted to know if he was getting out of this ordeal alive or not.

Plus, especially as an author / reader, this book really makes one think twice about leaving those bad reviews!

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Book Review: The Devil, the Witch and the Whore (The Deal Trilogy Book 1)

January 9, 2023 4 Comments

Title: The Devil, the Witch and the Whore (The Deal Trilogy Book 1)
Author: Amy Cross
Genre: Horror, Paranormal
Rating: 3 stars
Purchase: Amazon

 

“Leave the forest alone. Whatever’s out there, just let it be. Don’t make it angry.”

When a horrific discovery is made at the edge of town, Sheriff James Kopperud realizes the answers he seeks might be waiting beyond in the vast forest. But everybody in the town of Deal knows that there’s something out there in the forest, something that should never be disturbed. A deal was made long ago, a deal that was supposed to keep the town safe. And if he insists on investigating the murder of a local girl, James is going to have to break that deal and head out into the wilderness.

Meanwhile, James has no idea that his estranged daughter Ramsey has returned to town. Ramsey is running from something, and she thinks she can find safety in the vast tunnel system that runs beneath the forest. Before long, however, Ramsey finds herself coming face to face with creatures that hide in the shadows. One of these creatures is known as the devil, and another is known as the witch. They’re both waiting for the whore to arrive, but for very different reasons. And soon Ramsey is offered a terrible deal, one that could save or destroy the entire town, and maybe even the world.

The Devil, the Witch and the Whore is the first book in a trilogy about a town and its demons, and about the consequences of making a deal with the devil. Contains scenes of horror and violence.

Last week, I reviewed American Coven by Amy Cross, and this week I’m back with a review of another one of her books. I had The Devil, the Witch and the Whore on my Kindle for quite a while before I finally decided to read it. I kept on pushing it back because there was always another book that piqued my interest more. The blurb just didn’t do it for me. Plus, the book is quite long – 453 pages – so it’s not something you can use for a quick reading fix.

When I started reading, I was mildly intrigued but never more than that. I tend to read every day while jogging on my treadmill, but if I enjoy a book a lot, I often squeeze in some more reading time. Not so with this one. I looked forward to reading a bit every day while jogging, but the book wasn’t enticing enough that I wanted to finish it asap. The pacing was a bit uneven too. Some parts went rather fast – like the gory scene in the beginning of the book – while other parts, especially the parts in the tunnels, seemed to drag on. Plus, with the perspectives jumping from one character to another, and even from one timeline to another, it just seems like the story is all over the place.

For me, this was just an ‘okay’ read, and I started the sequel but I’m having trouble finishing it. Given that I usually breeze through this author’s books, that’s saying something. This just isn’t my cup of tea, I guess. But if you like horror, don’t mind time-jumps and multiple character POVs, give it a shot. Note that the story is rather gory, though, so if you have a weak stomach, you may want to stay away from this one.

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Book Review: American Coven by Amy Cross

January 6, 2023 4 Comments

Title: American Coven
Author: Amy Cross
Genre: Horror, Paranormal
Rating: 3 stars
Purchase: Amazon

After being snatched from the street near her home, Holly Carter wakes up in the basement of a mysterious rural house. She’s not alone: two other women are also in the basement, and they quickly start to tell her about the strange ritual she’s going to endure. Soon, her kidnapper will take her upstairs and submerge her in the ice bath.

Many years later, having long since escaped from the house, Holly tries to put her experiences in the past. When someone starts digging into the story, however, Holly starts to realize that the truth is going to come out. After all, no-one has ever found out exactly how the three women escaped from that strange basement. If the truth ever emerges, Holly’s life – and the lives of her two fellow captives – will be ruined forever.

American Coven is a horror novel about three women who make a startling discovery while they’re being held captive, and about a deadly entity that lurks in the darkest recesses of an old building. This is the 2022 edition of the original 2013 book.

I read a lot of books by Amy Cross. If you’re a fan of horror, then I definitely recommend reading her books. She has a lot of imagination, and the books are usually fast-paced and most of them also have an original twist. Having read so many books by this author, though, I definitely have a few favourites, a few I didn’t enjoy that much, and a few I thought were okay but not the best. American Coven falls in the latter category. It’s a fun read, the plot keeps you guessing, but it’s not as mind-shattering or jaw-dropping as some of Amy Cross’s other work.

The book flips between one timeline and another. In one timeline (the past), Holly Carter ends up in the basement of a madman, trapped with two other women who tell her about a sickening ritual she’ll be forced to endure at the hands of her captor: an ice bath. The second timeline (set in the present day), follows Holly fifteen years later as she is confronted with the events of the past again.

The main reason why I didn’t rate this book higher, is that I found the evil to be too vaguely described. There was a mystery-behind-the-mystery, and that wasn’t fully explored, in my opinion, leaving me with some remaining questions, hwich was a little frustrating.

Still, it’s a decent horror read, and certainly has some unexpected twists, so I definitely recommend this to horror fans.

 

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Book Review: The Haunting of Edward House

August 9, 2021 Leave a Comment

Title: The Haunting of Edward House
Author: Amy Cross
Genre: Horror
Rating: 3,5 stars
Purchase: Amazon

Twenty-five years ago, Edward House and his sister Meg ran screaming from their family home. They claimed that a ghost had attacked their parents, that some kind of evil spirit had been trying to possess Edward and take control of his body. Their father lay dead on the floor, and their mother had lost her mind. Now Edward and Meg only had each other.

Today, Edward is a married man with a daughter of his own. When he and his family move into a new home, they have no idea that a dark force from the past is once again beginning to stir. Edward is certain that the events of his childhood are over, but his sister’s not so sure.

And when Edward’s daughter Molly starts seeing the same ghost that tormented Edward and Meg a quarter of a century earlier, history looks set to repeat itself.

The Haunting of Edward House is a ghost story about a man who refuses to face his past, a woman can’t let go of one moment of horror, and a deadly evil that will stop at nothing to get what it wants.

The Haunting of Edward House is the story of Edward House, a rather bland married man with a daughter of his own. He and his family move into a new home, and strangely enough, his daughter Molly starts seeing the same ghost that tormented Edward and his sister Meg back when they were children–although back then they lived in a completely different house!

As usual, Amy Cross manages to put an interesting, unexpected spin on your typical run-down-the-mill ghost story, making her books stand out from others in the genre. This is not one of my favorites by Amy Cross, but it’s still a decent story. What annoyed me the most was how long it took for Edward and his wife to finally admit they were being haunted. They did wrong by Meg by not believing her sooner. It also didn’t make much sense, given what had happened in Edward’s past, that he was so reluctant to believe.

Fans of ghost stories will find an interesting story here about trauma, family ties and also a lesson that not everything is always what it seems at first glance.

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Book Review: How to Make A Ghost by Amy Cross

August 2, 2021 Leave a Comment

Title: How to Make A Ghost
Author: Amy Cross
Genre: Horror
Rating: 4 stars
Purchase: Amazon

Twenty-five years ago, Eve Marsh’s little sister Rebecca vanished. No-one in the family is willing to talk about what happened, and Eve has come to accept that she might never learn the truth.

When a huge storm erupts, however, Eve is forced to return to her childhood home. Her father lives alone, and the house is in danger of collapsing as it’s battered by wind and rain. Eve hasn’t talked to her father since she ran away from home many years earlier, and she soon finds that the old man’s mind is deteriorating. Meanwhile, something seems to be in the house with him, lurking in the shadows and tormenting what’s left of his sanity.

Eve soon begins to discover the truth about what happened to Rebecca. A strange, ghostly figure appears in the house, and a voice cries out for revenge. The more Eve learns, the more she comes to understand that something terrible has been happening to her family for many years. She’s always held her father responsible, but is there something even worse that Eve doesn’t know? And is the ghost of her dead sister really lurking in the shadows of the house?

How To Make a Ghost is a horror story about a haunted house, a dark family secret, and a horrific experiment that has been years in the making.

Over the past year, Amy Cross has become one of my favorite authors. She manages to combine a straightforward, no-nonsense, fast-paced writing style with original, imaginative stories that keep readers on the edge of their seat.

How to Make A Ghost is no different. Seemingly starting off as yet another ghost story, the plot soon takes a turn followed by an ever-more-complicated series of twists that make for an unpredictable, innovative story.

Eve Marsh’s little sister Rebecca vanished more than two decades ago. No one in the family is willing to discuss the incident, and it has estranged Eve from her father, whom she blames for what happened to Rebecca. When a storm erupts and her sister begs her to go check up on her father, Eve reluctantly heads to her childhood home. Upon her arrival, she notices immediately that her father’s mind seems to be deteriorating… But perhaps even more worrying, something seems to be inside the house, trying to destroy whatever is left of her father’s sanity.

Is it the ghost of Rebecca? Or is something else at play?

What I enjoyed the most about this book, without giving too much away concerning the plot, is that the true horror doesn’t come from the ghosts, but from another source entirely. And that is far more horrifying and nightmare-inducing than any ghost could ever be.

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Book Review: Her Name is Mercie by Chris Roy

May 26, 2018 1 Comment

Title: Her Name is Mercie
Author: Chris Roy
Genre: Thriller, Noir, Horror
Rating: 4,5 stars
Purchase: Amazon
Review copy provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Roy delivers on the edge of your seat storytelling with rough edges, crooked cops and a tiny light at the end of the tunnel that is never quite extinguished.

— Tom Vater, co–founder of Crime Wave Press.

Her Name Is Mercie is a fast furious ride into an inferno of the highest tension you are likely to encounter this year. Where noir meets thriller, toss a coin. Dive in. And unplug your phones, pcs tablets and keep reading deeper and deeper, until the final pages.

— Richard Godwin, author of Apostle Rising.

Mercie Hillbrook lives a simple, quiet life working as a gas station attendant. Then her parents are killed. Her home is taken. The people responsible are excused for just doing their job. When an attempt to get justice her way lands her in trouble with the law, Mercie realizes she still has something to lose: her own life.

Then she finds reason to believe her parents were murdered… and she doesn’t care anymore

In Her Name is Mercie, we get a few different stories to enjoy, the first and longest being “Her Name is Mercie” (same as the title of the book), but then we also get several shorter stories: “Re-Pete”, “Hunger”, my personal favorite “Libby’s Hands” and “Marsh Madness”.

While “Her Name is Mercie” is the longest story in the book and the other seem more like additions, I actually liked the shorter stories even more than the long story. I am a fan of short stories, so that could be one of the reasons.

In “Her Name is Mercie”, main character Mercie Hillbrook lives a pretty ordinary life until her parents get murdered, her home is taken, and the people responsible don’t get any type of punishment. Mercie has no choice but to take matters into her own hands and get some justice of her own.

The story has a very noir feel to it, and it’s definitely dark and troubling. “Libby’s Hands” has more of a horror feel to it, and overall, all the stories are omnious, atmospheric reads.

A great book to crawl under a blanket and read with the flashlight on.

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Book Review: Skull Session by Daniel Hecht

May 9, 2018 Leave a Comment

Title: Skull Session

Author: Daniel Hecht

Genre: Mystery / Thriller

Rating: 3,5 stars

Purchase: Amazon

Despite his brilliance, Paul Skoglund hasn’t held a steady job for years, partly because of his Tourette’s syndrome. When his eccentric, wealthy aunt asks him to take on the repairs of her magnificent hunting lodge, he is in no position to refuse. But then he finds that the rambling old house has been savagely vandalized: he discovers a scene of almost superhuman destruction, a violence mirrored by a series of disappearances and grisly deaths haunting the region. Paul delves into the wreckage, wondering what dark passion—and what strength—could cause such chaos. As state police investigator Mo Ford pursues the mystery through official channels, escalating events force Paul deeper into his family’s past and into the darker aspects of his own nature.

Do you know the kind of book that starts out great, builds this wonderful, delightfully creepy plot, introduces you to these amazing characters with detailed, complex, three-dimensional personalities, all of them with their own quirks and characteristics? The suspense is so palpable you’re on the edge of your seat and you just can’t wait to see how it all plays out.

Until it does play out, and the big reveal is so shocking you can barely believe what you’re reading – and unfortunately, not in a good way. The big climax is weird, out of place, and seemingly comes out of nowhere. It’s also utterly ridiculous, even within the bonds of the world described in this book.

So, basically, an amazing, atmospheric, eerie read… Up until the last thirty pages which, as one reviewer on Goodreads adequately described them: “the last 30 pages ripped off my head and pooped down my neck”. That’s the most adequate description I’ve found of that horrible, out-of-place, surreal ending.

Anyway, back to hte plot. Paul Skogland, our main character, has Tourette’s syndrom and struggles to cope with his symptoms, and with keeping a job. When his wealthy aunt wants him to repair the old family estate which she has left vacant for the past six months, Paul jumps at the opportunity. But the mayhem wrecked in the manor doesn’t seem like something that could be attributed to a regular person.The force seems almost too strong for that.

Then, when a local police detective investigates missing persons reports of several teenagers who disappeared in the past few months, and the traces lead him to the house Paul is renovating, Paul realizes that to face the monster inhabiting his ancestral home, he might first have to face the monster inside himself.

Worth a read especially if you like psychological horror / neurological thrillers, but I’m giving you a fair warning – you will probably either like the ending, or absolutely hate it.

 

Filed Under: Horror, Psychological Thrillers, Reviews, Thrillers Tagged With: , , , ,

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