Overview;
Castle House Lodge. A century ago it was an exclusive resort
hotel. But for years it's stood empty, a haunting shadow of its former glories.
Now, after twenty-five years of rumors and ghost stories, the overgrown grounds
are showing signs of being tended. The building itself has been repaired.
Castle House has new occupants.
What was once a haven for the elite is now a madhouse, a private asylum for pregnant women. But are all the patients really insane? And is it just a coincidence that people have begun to disappear from the nearby town? David Shale's girlfriend is one of the missing, and he's determined to find the truth behind the mysterious Dr. Rockford and his house of secrets.(provided by publisher)
What was once a haven for the elite is now a madhouse, a private asylum for pregnant women. But are all the patients really insane? And is it just a coincidence that people have begun to disappear from the nearby town? David Shale's girlfriend is one of the missing, and he's determined to find the truth behind the mysterious Dr. Rockford and his house of secrets.(provided by publisher)
Review;
John Everson’s 13th, is a slow build atmospheric
mystery with an incredible climax. The reader
understands very early on the Castle House Lodge and Dr. Rockford are up to no
good, but what that is teased out with a ratcheting tension. Everson slowly connects the pieces for the
reader keeping his audience almost as in the dark as his characters.
David Shale, Brenda Bean and Christy Sorenson are well
realized characters that Everson uses deftly to create his atmosphere of
horror. Each is distinct and acts
differently in their stressful situations, yet never plunge head first into
slaughter.
Castle House Lodge is a terrifically realized location, and
the sequences in the building are akin to a haunted house where the structure
seems to be a character unto itself.
The small town around the Asylum is populated by interesting and
well crafting supporting characters added a realness to the area and an eerily isolated
tone akin to the best Twin Peaks episodes.
In the end;
Cults, an asylum, supernatural horror in a remote location,
Everson’s 13th feels tailor made for me. I appreciated the slow build mystery elements
and the final curtain reveal where the book gets bloody, and all your fears
become justified. Christy and David are
two of my favorite horror characters and my investment in them as people kept
my attention ratcheted.
Click either book cover for my interview with John Everson
No comments:
Post a Comment