Published by Celadon Books Genres: Horror, Mystery, thriller
Format: ARC, eBook
“We have to do something about Charlie.”
Charlie Crabtree with his dark imagination and creepy smile committed a murder twenty five years ago that rocked and shocked the local community. The crime destroyed lives and continues to have an impact all the years later. Now, there is a copycat, inspired by that heinous crime years ago, who is communicating with someone online and planning more evil.
When Paul left town, he had no intentions of going back. He was briefly friends with Charlie Crabtree and also friends with Crabtree’s victim. But his elderly mother has taken a turn for the worse and he comes back to town and learns that his mother believes that there is something in the house. Worse yet, he begins to feel as if he is being followed and the ghosts of his past continue to haunt him.
“I don’t care if you ever think about me at all. I’ll think about you instead.”
I have conflicted feelings about this book. There were parts that impressed me, parts where I thought “Are you kidding me”, parts where I thought “Holy Shit” and parts that I wasn’t engaged at all. There is a big twist and reveal, something I didn’t see coming and other things that just didn’t work for me.
This story is told in two time lines. The past when Charlie Crabtree is talking to his friends about lucid dreams and how they can meet in each other’s dreams. Then there is the present day, where Paul has returned home to visit his sick mother while in the same time, a police officer named Amanda is investigating the copycat crimes.
The book did pull off some nice twists and turns but it never really blew my socks off. I found it to be a solid 3 – meaning I enjoyed it but I didn’t love it. There are some creepy parts and the cover is fantastic, but overall a solid book.
I look forward to more books by Alex North. He’s a talented writer who knows how to put the creep in creepy.
Thank you to Celadon Books and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.