Faster by Calvin Demmer

 

Brock Johnson made a deal to return home from the war—alive. It’s a contract that follows him throughout his days, a contract he can’t escape. Or can he? One night on the road, he must decide whether to keep running or surrender. . . Either choice has its price.

As Brock Johnson lay dying, he was offered another chance at life. He's been on the run from the terms of that contract ever since.

Calvin Demmer's short story "Faster" is a new take on the deal with the devil trope, with a clever twist. Is there ever a way to get out of the deal once you've signed away your soul? Brock thinks he has found a way to keep the devil at bay... but at what cost?

I've been a fan of Demmer's short stories for years. They're always entertaining and pack a punch in a small package. This was no exception. I can't say this one was particularly scary but it was still a hell of a good time.

4 out of 5 stars

I received a complimentary copy

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The Wakening by J.G. Faherty

 

A team of paranormal investigators, a priest and a defrocked priest with a dark secret join forces to combat of a vengeful ancient demon, and the evil spreading throughout a small New York town.

Fifty years ago, Father Leo Bonaventura, a young exorcist, cast a demon out from a young boy in Central America. The demon, Asmodeus, vowed revenge. Now the demon has returned, in the same town where Bonaventura is a retired priest nearing the end of his life. In a series of not-so-coincidental events, the possession of a young girl brings together an unlikely group of people, all of whom are linked in their pasts in some way: A group of paranormal investigators, including twin psychics. Robert Lockhart, a defrocked priest with a dark secret that only the twins know. A father whose dead wife was a college girlfriend of Robert’s and once conjured an evil spirit with him through a Ouiji board. Now they must all join forces and help Father Bonaventura rid the town not only of Asmodeus, but also the plague of poltergeists that have followed the demon into our world.

Half a century ago, a young priest was called to the jungle to help with an exorcism. Though he was successful, the demon vowed to come back for Father Bonaventura someday.

30 years ago, a group of friends attempted a séance in a haunted dorm and woke a sleeping evil.

One year ago, little Abby Rawlings began suffering the torments of unseen forces. Unable to cope, her father calls for help, bringing in a group of paranormal experts who do not believe in demons but intend to either debunk these supernatural goings on or possibly clear the home of poltergeist activity.

A little slice of hell has come to the town of Hastings Mills and it's growing day by day. Before long the non believers will be forced to face the truth. Whatever is tormenting Abby is not confined to her and they can not handle this alone. Father Bonaventura has grown old and frail, but he may be the only hope.

There are a lot of characters to unpack and get to know here. It took me some time to get everyone straight. I did once have to flip back closer to the beginning to get the names of those who were present at the séance to make sure I was clear on the attendees, so pay attention there, it matters later on, these things are all connected.

 I don't think I have been so freaked out since I read the story that inspired a head spinning Linda Blair to visit my nightmares in my teens. The earlier events in the book that introduce the characters and set the scene are chilling enough, but as the book progresses into full throttle hell on earth it makes those earlier incidents seem mild by comparison. This is a good vs evil story of epic proportions. The action just never lets up.

5 out of 5 stars

I received a complimentary copy for review.

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Hope Wharf by Mark Towse

 

Hope Wharf is an idyllic town surrounded by crystal blue waters and home to approximately two hundred residents, including best friends Ryan and Zac. There’s only one road in and one road out, and the locals like it that way, happy to cater to the tourists during the holiday season and keen to get their idyllic town back in the off-season. It sounds perfect, but there’s a catch. The last time a local allegedly tried to leave town, they were found on the side of the road with mist coming out of every orifice. Tourists can come and go as they please, but it’s forbidden for locals to leave, and from an early age, children are told about what happens if they try, poor old Tommy Nicholls used as an example. Ryan and Zac are keen to uncover the town’s secrets and arrange a midnight stroll down Mulville Road to test the rumours out for themselves.

Hope Wharf is a town with no theft, no murder, no crime, and no escape for the residents. Everyone knows what happened to the only person who ever tried to leave, and nobody has attempted it since. Best friends Ryan and Zac aren't so sure this is true and set out to test what would happen if they try to get out. After all, tourists are welcome and they flock to this seaside town in droves. They are free to go home when their vacation ends but there may be a nefarious reason for that.

All of the residents are in on an ominous secret and as Ryan and Zac begin to uncover it things take a very unexpected path. This escalated quickly from a story about a boy who just wanted to know what life is like outside of his small town to something much darker.  If you like small town horror as I do, then this is the book for you. You'll definitely think twice about your next summer vacation plan!

4 out of 5 stars

I received a complimentary copy for review.

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Gloria by Bentley Little

 

Considering she had just attended her mother's funeral, Gloria Jaymes never expected to see the woman again, but then her dead mom shows up at her house. Gloria's mom is... different. She's younger than when she died, dressed in clothes from the 1980s. And nobody else in Gloria's family seems to recognize her.

As Gloria tries to figure out the reason for her mother's reappearance ― and the odd behaviors the woman begins to exhibit ― other bizarre events occur. The changes to Gloria's world are small and subtle, at first... then they become much more startling.

The freaky situation might just be connected to a mysterious shed in a small California town. The strangers who gather around the shed seem to know Gloria's name... and maybe they aren't strangers after all.

With Gloria, Bentley Little presents one of his most complex and compelling novels ― one that is certain to surprise readers on every page.

This is a tough one to review. As a long time fan of Bentley Little I have read everything he has ever written. Generally he has a formula that he sticks to and those books are all recognizable by the word "THE" in the title. The Store, The Resort, The Consultant. The Bank, etc. all follow this formula. Occasionally he steps away from that, and those books can be recognized by lack of "The" such as "His Father's son" and "Death Instinct" and now "Gloria"

What all of his books have in common is over the top bizarre situations, but Gloria really takes the cake here. I didn't know what to make of it at first. It seemed like a big dose of crazy "what if's." 

What if your life was different? what if you had children? What if you didn't have children? What if you had a different job? What if your mom died? What if your mom lived? What if you had multiple siblings, no siblings, were wealthier, poorer, a stay at home parent.  What if all of your what ifs sucked and no matter how your life was different that was always the same. Always the grief and the suffering and the loss as if it were predestined no matter what you chose. Like a big case of do overs on ground hogs day. That is what I thought for over the first 150 pages and that's around the time I started getting fed up with it. It wasn't until around page 200 that these constant do-overs were explained but that made it no less crazy. The explanation is weak, and vague, and is never made any clearer.

At the beginning of the book I was all in on this. It was strange and creepy and some of these really bizarre scenes gave me chills. Unfortunately there is always that pesky little too much of a good thing, and I reached that point before the halfway mark.  It was just too much, and no longer enjoyable or unexpected. It started to feel like walking through a Halloween attraction and the way the first couple of times someone jumps out at you it's fun and scary, but by the tenth time it's expected and gone on for too long. There were also random acts of animal cruelty that were pointless. I think this was the author's attempt at a love story but by the end I wanted a divorce. 

3 out of 5 stars

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