Reviews

Michael McDowell is so sorely underrated. This is a perfectly wicked little small-town story of revenge from beyond the grave that should be mentioned in the same breaths as any of Stephen King's similar works. Granted, I'm a particular sucker for stories about evil in a small town—especially if they have a nice Southern Gothic bent to them—but the point stands: Kudos to Valancourt Books for bringing this spooky tale back into print.

floralvarezr's review

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dark mysterious sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No

3.25

It was well written, good pace, vivid setting, but it wasn't scary to me. Mainly very frustrating. It read more like a thriller than a horror.

The revenge part, which is the horror part, wasn't that satisfying for me. Nathan is such a despicable villain that I wished him even worse. To him and to every accomplice and enabler, fuck them all. Also, it couldn't have felt like a victory when the whole family was decimated. No good came of it.

castamere's review

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dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Bit of a mixed bag. McDowell's atmospheric writing is captivating, but the story itself lacks the desired mystery and suspense. The supernatural elements, while initially intriguing, feel a bit overdone. Overall, it's worth a read if you enjoy southern gothic, but don't expect a mind-blowing mystery.

Content Warnings

tristan_lince's review

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dark mysterious tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

A truly dark and twisted revenge-from-beyond-the-grave tale that spans not just supernatural horror, but terrifyingly real sociopathy that can only come from the human mind. The bad guy in this book is one of the most deplorable I've read about in recent memory, and boy does he get his just desserts, in a horrifying five-page finale that cracks like a whip.

Content Warnings

kotabee's review against another edition

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dark tense slow-paced

4.5

whaydengilbert's review against another edition

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4.0

A super dark but straightforward supernatural revenge story that’s so well-written, I got a little frustrated when I would occasionally forget that all it was trying to be was pulp. Michael McDowell is SO GOOD, that when characters start behaving like they’re in some trash I’m just so surprised.

Things and people get real stupit around the halfway point, and it feels kinda like he wrote himself into a slump and then was like “I know a way out of this. It’s going to be so stupid but it’s going to be fun.”

**Spoiler below**
How are you gonna mention a giant snake pit in your pulp paperback and then NOT have someone fall in it??
Cmon Mike!

vampirehelpdesk's review against another edition

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5.0

Sure it’s a little pulpy but isn’t pulp good for you? Amazing ghosts, most evil villain I’ve ever read, and of course the perfect sinister, syrupy, Southern gothic writing you’d expect from McDowell.

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