The Nightmare Man

I just finished The Nightmare Man by J H Markert and here is my review.

Ben's book signing doesn't quite go to plan. A fan blows his brains out right in front of him. His book, the scarecrow, was written in a few days at the ancestral home. He doesn't remember much from the time he spent writing the novel there and his nanny/researcher.... Fled that night and won't answer the phone to him or his wife.

That is just the tip of the iceberg.. Someone is re-enacting the murders from his book. A book that has only just been released.

Detective Mills and his rookie daughter work the case in tangent and the more they untangle, the more likely Ben is the killer they have been looking for. Ben has his own reasons for not being honest with the police. It stems from a mystery from when he was a teenager. The mystery of his missing brother and it all seems to have started in the atrium. A room his grandfather kept. A room full of books.

All the answers seem to be linked to Blackwood's history but can they figure it all out before another dead body turns up?

I had no idea how horror packed this book was going to be until I opened it. It is seriously not for the faint of heart. Horror is my jam.. This book... Premium jelly. I don't think I have been this scared by a book in years. It checked every box, creeped my whole world out for hours after too.

Ben is so complex and I loved all the layers between him and his family and the detective. Twists and turns, gore and the hairs on the back of my neck stood so tall the whole time. Loved the whole ride. I would have liked to have known more about the blackwood estate and the Grandfather but it felt complete without it. Loved the plot, especially as it was a story that had been done before but had its own unique twists to it.

Lucid writing with really clever character development. I rarely give 5 stars to horror books but this is well deserved.

If you love horror books and need a fix.... This has to be your next book! Out today!

Thank you @crookedlanebooks and @netgalley for my review copy