The Smell of Cedar by River

Tags

Horror, mystery, Review, Review week, River Dixon, story, Terror, The Smell of Cedar

Just for a change (and in support of a few authors whose work I have been enjoying) I thought that I’d post a review a day for a week. Hopefully something might take your fancy!

The Smell of Cedar by River Dixon

The Smell of Cedar is an unsettling and unnerving psychological horror story made all the more believable by its backstory of abuse and control. For me the length is just right, with moments of reflection which help to not only explain the lead character’s past but also move the story along at a good pace.
River’s use of a nonlinear structure is both effective and skillfully employed and his careful use of description allows the reader to create a vivid scene whilst reading the story. At times I was not certain as to whether tense changes worked quite as effectively as they might have, but this is a minor issue and I am being, perhaps,  a little pedantic.
I do think, however, that the actions of the character Melanie, to whom we are introduced early on in the story, and which become clearer as the tale develops, add to the chilling (and all too real) possibility of history repeating itself. 
If you enjoy short, chilling and disturbing stories, then I would certainly recommend reading this.

You’ll Never Walk Alone by Chris Hall

Tags

1980's, Adventure, Chris Hall, Liverpool, mystery, Reading, Review, Review week, story, You'll Never Walk Alone

Just for a change (and in support of a few authors whose work I have been enjoying) I thought that I’d post a review a day for a week. Hopefully something might take your fancy!

You’ll Never Walk Alone by Chris Hall

Chris Hall writes with a style which can only be described as irresistible. From the very opening of ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’ until the closing sentence I was hooked and, like all of the other stories of hers that I have read, I simply didn’t want to put the book down.Written with great wit and humour, the story twists and turns, drawing new characters in as it unwinds, each of whom has their role to play. Without wanting to give too much away this is a story that is easy to imagine actually happening; the characters are all very real and three dimensional and some of the coincidences that occur along the way are very believable and, indeed, relatable.
Chris’s descriptions are vivid and clear, and certainly not over-worked, allowing the reader to easily form a visual narrative as they read. Would it help to have a little background knowledge of Britain in the 1980’s? Well, I’m not sure. Being British (and of an age) I found it easy to identify with the setting (even though my knowledge of Liverpool, where the story is set, is very limited), and I found myself chuckling at times at some of the references to which her characters allude: (‘You dancing?’ for example). So, in answer to the question, I would say not, such is the strength of the story.
There are moments within the story where I genuinely took a breath and thought ‘well, I didn’t see that coming’, which, if I’m honest, doesn’t happen that often.
And, of course, there’s a monkey! Who could say no?
This is a story that I know I will re-read over and over and, if you enjoy a good, realistic adventure (with just a hint of mysterious legend) then ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’ is the book you’ve been searching for. 
Highly recommended. 

Dead Souls by Andrew S French

Tags

Andrew French, Andrew S French, Dead Souls, Ghost, Horror, Reading, Review, Review week, short stories, Spooky, stories

Just for a change (and in support of a few authors whose work I have been enjoying) I thought that I’d post a review a day for a week. Hopefully something might take your fancy!

Dead Souls by Andrew S French

Dead Souls is a fine collection of supernatural stories each with an original and unique perspective. Very little about each of the stories is predictable which makes them a joy to read.None of the stories are overly graphic, focusing on the unsettling rather than relying on horror or gore for their impact, which makes them all the more interesting and satisfying.
If you are looking for short stories which are ghostly but thoughtfully written then I would highly recommend reading this collection.

Static Dreams – Tara Caribou (ed)

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Authors, Ghostly, Horror, mystery, Reading, Review, Review week, short stories, Static Dreams, stories, Tara Caribou, Terror, Various

Just for a change (and in support of a few authors whose work I have been enjoying) I thought that I’d post a review a day for a week. Hopefully something might take your fancy!

Static Dreams – various authors, edited by Tara Caribou

It would take a lot of searching, and even more page turning, to find a finer collection of dark tales than Static Dreams. From Mark Ryan’s quintessentially English story, which will make you think twice about visiting a charity shop, to Lou Rasmus’s chilling tale of a man’s decline to editor Tara Caribou’s own disturbing dystopian contribution, whose roots feel very close to home, this anthology features stories by some of the most original independent authors around.
I cannot recommend this book highly enough.

What’s more is that there is an equally impressive Volume 2 as well. Definitely worth checking out!

The Stories Inbetween by River Dixon

Tags

Ghost, Horror, Reading, Review, Review week, River Dixon, short stories, stories, Terror, The Stories Inbetween

Just for a change (and in support of a few authors whose work I have been enjoying) I thought that I’d post a review a day for a week. Hopefully something might take your fancy!

The Stories Inbetween by River Dixon

I will preface this review by saying that I read a lot of short stories.

Having got that out of the way I have to say that I have never read a collection so original, so cleverly written or so affecting as ‘The Stories Inbetween’. Whether it is the dark humour of stories like ‘The Example’, the superb literary idea behind ‘The Diner’ or the unsettling nature of ‘Conversations in the Mirror’, River Dixon has managed to craft a collection of stories which will stay long in the memory. His style is very much that of a writer’s writer, using prose effectively and succinctly and knowing exactly what to include and where to leave spaces for the reader to fill themselves.

Many of the stories contained here are darkly horrific, but benefit from River understanding precisely how much ‘gore’ is needed to maintain the effectiveness of the  story – yet I would not lump this collection in with a horror genre. It is far more than that. So many of the stories are both insightful of human nature and  indeed, thought-provoking, and this is, without doubt, a collection that I will read many times.

I cannot recommend this book highly enough.

Don’t Fear the Reaper by Andrew S

Tags

Andrew S French, Astrid Snow, Don't Fear the Reaper, Intrigue, mystery, Review, Review week, story, Thriller, writing

Just for a change (and in support of a few authors whose work I have been enjoying) I thought that I’d post a review a day for a week. Hopefully something might take your fancy!

Don’t Fear the Reaper by Andrew S French

‘Don’t Fear the Reaper’ is a well-paced, exciting and engaging mystery-thriller which takes the reader into a world of murky, dangerous and hidden government agencies. Original and skillfully written it is full of the grit that one might expect without the glamour that is so often portrayed elsewhere. Yes, there are several references made to cities more ‘associated’ with espionage and subversive activities such as Berlin, Prague and Vienna, but most of the action takes place in and around London and the (unassuming) South and South-East of England. And this results in the story being both more realistic and more relatable.
An intriguing opening introduces the reader to the lead character who is, refreshingly, female. Astrid is a strong, but ultimately flawed, woman whose backstory is unveiled in a series of flashback memories. It is, indeed, these flaws that engage the reader and give her character depth and realism in what is (action aside) a very character-led story.
The story itself is complex but not complicated and, as it progressed, I found myself being more and more drawn in by it. It is full of twists and turns (some of them unexpected) right up until its gripping conclusion, where the reader is left wanting more – fitting, really, as this is the first of a series of books featuring the protagonist. 
One feature of this book which I think French employs with particular success is the use of double narrative: the bulk of the writing carries the story in the third person, but a second narrator (the antagonist) tell events from their perspective which adds an extra level of interest.
Oh, and did I mention the great musical references that run through the story?
I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who enjoys not only thrillers and mystery stories but also readers with a penchant for stories featuring a strong female lead

The Time Traveller’s Murder

Tags

Adventure, Andrew French, Andrewsfrench, Apocalypse, Book review, creative, Detective, future, mystery, Novel, Review, Sci-Fi, story, The Time Traveller's Murder, Thriller, Time travel, writing

A short review of ‘ The Time Traveller’s Murder’ by Andrew French.

‘The Time Traveller’s Murder’ is a novel which is tricky to categorise – part mystery, part thriller and part Sci-Fi, it excells in crossing between genres to create an engrossing and entertaining story.

Set in the near future it tells the tale of an ex-detective (now turned private investigator) who gets drawn into an elaborate investigation involving time travel. However, as the story unfolds, French brings in several sub-plots which are interwoven cleverly and keep the reader engaged (and indeed guessing) as the main plot progresses.

From the opening line: ‘Detective Inspector Harry Hook flexed his fingers in anticipation of strangling a man’ we are introduced to characters who are rounded, three-dimensional and believable and French’s strong, realistic use of dialogue serves well to enable them to be visualised clearly. The back-stories of the main characters are drip-fed into the novel cleverly, helping to provide the reader for a deeper understanding of both them and their motivation.

The Sci-Fi element of the story is well researched and explained effectively, but also poses some interesting philosophical questions about the nature of time travel.

From the first chapter – which sets both the scene and tone of the book and gives the reader an outline of the lead character – we are lead through a series of twists and turns, many of which are quite unpredictable, and I found myself being sucked deeper and deeper into the book the more I read. Music plays a strong role throughout the book (look closely at the chapter titles!) and acts as a reminder that, despite time moving forward, links to our pasts are everywhere. 

If I were to level any criticism at this book (and it is a very minor point) it would be that I found one or two phrases to be a little stereotypical.

Overall this is a fantastic read which I would recommend for anyone who enjoys a good mystery, detective story, thriller or, indeed, a slice of Sci-Fi.

The Silver Locket by Chris Hall (Holly Atkins) – a short review

Tags

Chris Hall, Holly Atkins, Review, story, The Silver Locket, writing

The Silver Locket is a beautifully told story of mystery, romance and the past which sucks the reader into the lives of each character as they are revealed to us. Chris Hall (aka Holly Atkins) writes with a style which is as fluent as it is mesmerising and it is easy to become a part of the story as it unfolds as if the reader were a first hand witness. In fact Chris writes as if she herself has lived the lives of her characters, which makes them all the more accessible and believable.

What makes this story all the more wonderful, though, is knowing that this is Chris’s debut novel – her skill and literary dexterity are clear to see, and it is no surprise that she has gone on to write more superb novels.

There are twists and turns aplenty throughout this story which kept me guessing right up until the closing pages, none of which I have any intention of revealing!

I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys tucking into a good mystery with a small slice of romance and history on the side.

The Smell of Cedar by River Dixon – a quick review

Tags

abuse, Childhood, Control, creative, E-book, fiction, Horror, Psychological, Review, River Dixon, short story, story, The Smell of Cedar, writing

Having just read this book I wanted to share a few thoughts:

The Smell of Cedar is an unsettling and unnerving psychological horror story made all the more believable by its backstory of abuse and control. For me the length is just right, with moments of reflection which help to not only explain the lead character’s past but also move the story along at a good pace.

River’s use of a nonlinear structure is both effective and skillfully employed and his careful use of description allows the reader to create a vivid scene whilst reading the story. At times I was not certain as to whether tense changes worked quite as effectively as they might have, but this is a minor issue and I am being, perhaps,  a little pedantic.

I do think, however, that the actions of the character Melanie, to whom we are introduced early on in the story, and which become clearer as the tale develops, add to the chilling (and all too real) possibility of history repeating itself. 

If you enjoy short, chilling and disturbing stories, then I would certainly recommend reading this.

You’ll Never Walk Alone – Review

Tags

Adventure, Book, Chris Hall, Goodreads, Jade Camel, Liverpool, Monkey, Necklace, Review, Ruby, story, You'll Never Walk Alone

Time for another book review, I think. Today’s book is ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’ by the very wonderful and gifted Chris Hall.

Chris Hall writes with a style which can only be described as irresistible. From the very opening of ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’ until the closing sentence I was hooked and, like all of the other stories of hers that I have read, I simply didn’t want to put the book down.

Written with great wit and humour, the story twists and turns, drawing new characters in as it unwinds, each of whom has their role to play. Without wanting to give too much away this is a story that is easy to imagine actually happening; the characters are all very real and three dimensional and some of the coincidences that occur along the way are very believable and, indeed, relatable.

Chris’s descriptions are vivid and clear, and certainly not over-worked, allowing the reader to easily form a visual narrative as they read. Would it help to have a little background knowledge of Britain in the 1980’s? Well, I’m not sure. Being British (and of an age) I found it easy to identify with the setting (even though my knowledge of Liverpool, where the story is set, is very limited), and I found myself chuckling at times at some of the references to which her characters allude: (‘You dancing?’ for example). So, in answer to the question, I would say not, such is the strength of the story.

There are moments within the story where I genuinely took a breath and thought ‘well, I didn’t see that coming’, which, if I’m honest, doesn’t happen that often.

And, of course, there’s a monkey! Who could say no?

This is a story that I know I will re-read over and over and, if you enjoy a good, realistic adventure (with just a hint of mysterious legend) then ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’ is the book you’ve been searching for. 

Highly recommended.