Today marks the beginning of Women in Horror Month. I will be hosting two posts a week on the horror blog as I do every year. You can read the first one, a guest post by Mary SanGiovanni here.
Today there is also a new issue of Booklist out and it includes my review of a book by a woman in horror. Here we go...
by Camilla Sten
Mar. 2021. 320p. St. Martin’s, $26.99 (9781250249258); e-book, $13.99 (9781250249265).
First published February 1, 2021 (Booklist).
In 1959, the population of the entire mining village of Silvertjärn, Sweden disappeared. 60 years later, Alice, the granddaughter of a villager who had moved out just before the tragedy, brings a film crew back to the isolated, abandoned, and eerie town, to scout for a possible documentary about the history, hoping to use her personal connection with the creepy occurrence to bring closure to the unsolved tale. But as soon as Alice and her crew arrive, strange, unexplainable things start happening, dangerous occurrences that put everyone’s lives and sanity at risk, and instead of making a movie, the trip becomes a race to survive whatever evil still has its hold on the community. Sten’s novel, already a hit across Europe, is a horror-suspense hybrid, told with a dual time frame in the “Now” and “Then,” with short chapters that keep the pacing brisk and the novel very hard to put down, and a killer set-up that is more than a gimmick. It is a puzzle that delivers maximum dread with clues revealed with remarkable restraint, and as the details pile up going from bad to worse to terrifying, readers will revel in the chills. A great choice for fans of Jennifer McMahon in general and for fans of The Remaking by Chapman or Hex by Heuvelt specifically.
Further Appeal: Most of the appeal is in the review because I didn't want to give away the plot beyond the set up. And that is a key to point out...readers will enjoy watching the tension and suspense build until it bursts and unravels.
Three Words That Describe This Book: fast paced, oppressive atmosphere, seeking answers
Readalikes: Besides the ones listed above, suggest to fans of T. Kingfisher, the film The Blair Witch Project and anyone who enjoys stories about cults. A recent title for that would be The Children of Red Peak by DiLouie.
But don't count out the creepiest of Nordic Noir. This novel reminded me a Jo Nesbo's Harry Hole series too.
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