Alex McVey

A rather brisk, if somewhat predictable and paint-by-numbers little horror thriller. Kelly has a real talent for evoking the rural Tennessee atmosphere with which he is obviously familiar. The plotting is a bit staid, with periodic forays into some rather visceral gore and violence, though the sharp pacing does elevate it a bit. I did feel that some of the dialogue was a bit stilted, but again, Kelly's greatest strength is in his ability to impart a very palpable menace to a pastoral, rustic setting.

In all, a solid midlist horror title. I knew where it was going rather early on and there were a few cringeworthy moments, but the quality setting and pervasive creepiness kept me turning pages and feeling genuinely good about reading the book. I have more unread Ronald Kelly titles on my shelf and I will certainly be cracking them open sooner than later.… (mais)