Aus dem Nebel

by Scott Carson, Andreas Fliedner (Translator)

Journalist Nick Bishop soll einen Artikel über das Startup Clarity, Inc. schreiben, das eine Mindfulness-App veröffentlichen will. Er kehrt in seine Heimatstadt in Maine zurück und quartiert sich im Sommerhaus seiner Familie ein. Beim Interview lässt sich Nick von Firmengründer Bryce überreden, die App zu testen. Nach Atemübungen und weißem Rauschen kommen die eine traurige Frauenstimme singt eine verstörende Ballade. Das Lied funktioniert, Nick fällt sofort in einen tiefen Schlaf. Doch mit dem Schlaf kommen die Albträume, und schon bald kann Nick nicht mehr zwischen Traum und Realität unterscheiden. Ihm wird klar, dass Clarity, Inc. ihn gezielt als Testperson ausgewählt hat – und dass er das Geheimnis des Gesangs ergründen muss, wenn er sein Leben retten will ...

Genres: Horror, Thriller, Fiction, Mystery, Audiobook, Adult, Suspense

497 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 26, 2021

About the author

Scott Carson is the pen name of Michael Koryta, a New York Times bestselling author whose work has been translated into more than twenty languages, adapted into major motion pictures, and won the Los Angeles Times Book Prize. A former private investigator and reporter, his writing has been praised by Stephen King, Michael Connelly, and Dean Koontz, among many others. Raised in Bloomington, Indiana, he now lives in Indiana and Maine.

Reviews

[Nilufer Ozmekik · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just like Edgar Allan Poe said:”All that we see or seem is but a dream within a dream.”

This book is a horrifying, jaw dropping, haunted the story of former war correspondent Nick Bishop who spent long time in Kabul, leaving the place with restricted traumatic experiences and PTSD, returning his hometown Maine to stay at the camp located at Rosewater. He’s jobless and his mother suffers from Alzheimer’s, living in the care house. So coming back to hometown, spending more time with her, finding new job opportunities seem like the most logical move.

As soon as he gets an interesting offer to write about a visionary app aims to shape dreams, he drives to the company headquarters to meet with eccentric CEO and his assistant Renee. He realizes that red head woman she recently talked on the phone is very same Renee from his childhood which helps him break the ice before the interview.

But when Bryce Lermond, the founder of app insists to use Nick as his test subject, Renee seems like irritated, trying to convince Nick reject the offer. But Nick accepts. Interestingly one of the reasons of his last relationship’s ending is his dreamless state: he never sees any dream even a nightmare!

But as soon as he tries to app, teasing the meditation parts, he realizes a woman starts singing an ominous song and a few minutes later, he just dozes off and with the sudden breaking sound of his chair, he wakes up, finding Renee stands in front of him.

Renee insists he shouldn’t use the app, because it’s not completely finished and he’s better delete it. This is a little exaggerated reaction: driving through all the way from her workplace to tell him this. Nick gets intrigued and acts like he’s erased the app! He doesn’t have any idea what kind of trouble he’s getting into!

Now a death woman is following him and he cannot get rid of those nightmares. He might have been careful what he’s wished for!

I am not giving extra spoilers. I already told enough!

I enjoyed this book which scared the living daylights out of me! Especially the ending was breathtaking. The plot was also unique, smart, progression and development were well constructed.

It earned my four haunted, nightmarish, screaming, somebody shut this eerie lady’s mouth stars!

Special thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for sharing this digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest opinions.

[Lala BooksandLala · Rating 4 out of 5]

reading all the goodreads horror nominees https://youtu.be/XGfWQh5Ou_c

[Gabby · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars
Ahhh, this book had so much potential to be a five star read for me, so I'm kind of bummed it wasn't. This has the MOST FASCINATING premise. An app called Clarity that is designed to "shape our dreams", and there are these weird, creepy sleep songs that you listen to when you sleep. This book is hard to label, because while some of this book does feel like horror, a lot of it feel more sci-fi. It actually kind of reminded me of Recursion by Blake Crouch with the way it talks so much about memories and how our memories make us who we are.

The first 200 pages of this book are so good, it's such a slow burn of a mystery, but I was absolutely obsessed and fascinated by the idea of this app. I love horror / mystery novels like this that deal with psychology and the human mind like this. Unfortunately, the last 100 pages or so of the book really dropped the ball for me. It felt way over the top with cheesiness, and to be honest it felt unfinished. I was so unsatisfied with the ending, and it wasn't like a fun ambiguous ending either, cause I usually love those, it just genuinely felt unfinished and I wanted more?

Here's the vlog where I read it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qd3S0...

[LIsa Noell "Rocking the chutzpah!" · Rating 4 out of 5]

My thanks to Atria, Scott Carson and Netgalley.
This story got under my skin. Just the sheer scope of it, and what happened and was done unto someone else? Freaking horrifying! I dreamed this book.
Mostly? I was appalled. Only by the story, mind you, and the events.
The book? Crikey! Read it!

[Melissa ♥ Dog/Wolf Lover ♥ Martin · Rating 1 out of 5]

What the shit! I fell asleep during this! I must have read a different book than most everyone else!!





Mel 🖤🐶🐺🐾

[Kay · Rating 2 out of 5]

LOVE The Chill by Scott Carson/Michael Koryta, but to be honest I couldn't get into this book. The beginning was spoooky, but it felt like a chore to get to 50%. Can't do it.

[Luvtoread (Trying to catch up) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nick Bishop recently laid off from his newspaper job in Florida travels to Maine where he has been offered a temporary job to write an appreciative piece about a new mindfulness app called Clarity. Nick still owned a home in Maine, on the water front where he had lived with his parents for many years until his father died in a tragic car accident caused by black ice. Memories (good and bad) arise for Nick while he's beginning to research the Clarity app bringing about many questions for the CEO and his assistant that they can't or won't answer so they convince Nick to listen to the app and say that is where he will find the answers he's looking for. The first time Nick listens to Clarity, he finds himself in a dream-like state with also hearing a soothing haunting melody until the singer appears in the dream and then becomes a nightmare visage when she then whispers Nick's name and starts to appear at other times while he is not listening to the app. When Nick realizes this app is fatally dangerous he also comes to the conclusion that he has been set up and the people behind the Clarity app didn't just want him to write a story, what they only wanted was Nick himself.

This was an eerie and intriguing and story very pertinent to the technology applications on the internet that we see today but this was a whole different ballgame. There was a lot of science involved but it was written where the majority of readers would have an easy time understanding the story. What appeared as a innocent app to help the listener's dreams to produce more mindfulness in their daily life in reality hid a sinister and probably fatal result if they followed through with most of the steps of the Clarity app while in their dream-like state. Unbeknownst to Nick, this app was not ready for consumer use and should have been only conducted and monitored in a science laboratory while micro-dosing the information in Clarity to the listener. What Nick discovers about the app and also his own past will literally bring him to his knees and also bring about his death and others, unless he finds a way to stop the creative genius who envisions himself as a new world Dr. Frankenstein. I highly recommend this novel and plan on reading more of "Scott Carson's books".

UPDATE: I was browsing book lists this week and came across a book called " MINDFULNESS"! The first line stated: "Do you long for more calm and CLARITY in your life?". How creepy was that? Twilight Zone for me that's for sure!

I want to thank the publisher " Atria Books" and Net galley for the opportunity to read this complimentary copy and any thoughts or opinions expressed are unbiased and mine alone!

I have given this spooky novel a rating of 4 EERIE AND FANTASTIC 🌟🌟🌟🌟 STARS!!

[La Crosse County Library · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wasn’t necessarily sure what I was getting into when I read the synopsis of this novel. It seemed like it was going to be a sci fi book or a horror book. Well, it turns out it is kind of both. The style of writing ensnared me right away and didn’t let go until I reached the end. There were mysteries and twists galore with some being more obvious than others.



The story follows our journalist protagonist, Nick Bishop, who is down on his luck and in need of a job and a relocation. A college buddy conveniently gets into contact with him about writing an article about a new tech start up in their hometown in Maine. It seems like it is too good to be true and maybe it is. A childhood friend of his who works for the company tries to warn him away from using the app, but Nick is an investigative reporter so that just instead incites him to go sleuthing further.

For some reason, Nick has never been able to dream, but after using the app he starts experiencing dreams and nightmares that involve a dead woman. He starts drawing connections to things that seem a little too convenient and must explore his own past and the past of the surrounding area if he wants to survive.



The book reads like a mystery thriller with some elements of horror and sci fi thrown in. The first part of the book has a sci fi feel where the mystery is drenched in dreams and neuroscience using technology. It was really interesting to read about the connection between dreams and suggestion therapy with tragedy and trauma. The novel also explored what happened with the Cuban Embassy in 2016 with the book saying it was an ultrasound weapon.

This is the second time this year that I have seen the sickness and symptoms brought up with sound being the explanation. The first was an episode of The Blacklist . The middle part of the book does start to drag in parts, but the author’s writing style kept me engaged.



The second half of the book moves beyond the sci fi aspect and features more horror and supernatural historical events. Since it is Maine, ghost ships and wrecks were of course involved. The historical information about New England prior to the American Revolution was also eye opening.

I had no idea about the treatment of Acadians by the English and knew little of them in general. I liked the characters in the first half, but I fell out of love with some of them in the second half of the book. Renee went from a smart, independent and intelligent character to a damsel in distress who couldn’t do much on her own except during the climax of the story.



As much as I was enjoying the book with how unique it felt, there were some things that I had minor problems with such as motivations of characters. Those problems were superficial for me and wouldn’t have changed my rating. Honestly, my main problem was the ending fell flat. It felt empty and unneeded. If anything, it made me a little mad. There were forced plot points for added drama and character changes that felt strange. I also was a bit let down on how the song was used in the ending without exploring if it had any healing effects outside of easing sorrow. I guess I will end my rant there, but my rating dropped because of that since I was enjoying the book so much before.



I really did enjoy this book minus the ending. The combination of a mystery thriller with both sci fi and horror elements always excites me. The added historical narratives were a chef’s kiss for a well-prepared meal except the dessert (the ending) tasted like fermented fish (alright, I am exaggerating the ending here). I do however, recommend this book as it is an interesting read with an easy-to-read prose. I want to read previous books published under this pseudonym of author Michael Kortya.

Find this book and other titles within our catalog.

[Tom Lewis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cool premise about a sleep app that haunts the listener even during daylight hours, but the execution was lacking. I wasn't a fan of the characters either.

[Frank Phillips · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is my third attempt with this author, regardless of genre. This book was average for me, at best. Definitely not anywhere close to anything I would consider horror. He is a good writer and his prose does make what would normally feel like a long novel read fairly quickly, so there's that. I just think he could have chosen a different direction with what initially seemed somewhat promising. I'm sure I'm in the minority with this opinion, but perhaps this author just is not for me.

[Vicki Herbert · Rating 5 out of 5]

Some circuits Stay Lit...

WHERE THEY WAIT by Scott Carson

No spoilers. 5 stars. Nick Bishop was never a dreamer, but he slept well...

After being laid off from his journalism job, Nick returned to his hometown of Hammel, Maine, to do a freelance profile story...

... on a techie who had developed a mindfulness app called Clarity...

... he was asked by the CEO to beta test the app, and when he agreed to do it, the app was downloaded onto his phone...

Clarity's menu contained guided meditations, breathing exercises, focus enhancers, motivation melodies, and...

Sleep songs like Sleep Song #1:

If they come for me, if they take us away
Do not fear, oh do not fear
For others have gone there before...

As we drift away, as they circle around
The night wind calls us forward
And dark seas welcome us down...

No course is clear to us now,
no guide, but the voices we hear
Down, down in the dark,
No stars, no guide but fear...

We hear them thrashing around
And know our hour draws near
If you feel you must stay, now is the time

But if you follow me dear,
I'll ask you to rise without fear...

Far, far down we go,
Fearless though we are prey
Nothing ahead that we know
But all behind we must flee

So run, run on with me,
Dive, dive in with me
Swim, swim deep with me
Rise, rise now with --

After listening to Sleep Song #1, Nick was visited by a dead woman who whispered into his ear...

... Darkness rises, fog just behind, and once you're lost there... It is the end. So burn the night, not the daylight...

... Nick had finally had a dream. Some circuits stay lit. The Clarity app was a weapon with an ancient twist...

This was an extraordinary story. At 75%, I couldn't turn the pages fast enough.

[OutlawPoet · Rating 4 out of 5]

Okay, I’m going to be that person.

I liked it. I even liked it liked it (yes I have a 13-year-old). But I didn’t love it.

While I was thoroughly intrigued by the app, and definitely creeped out by a lot that happens in the book, I found the storytelling style to be a little meandering. Now, I admit that’s more an ‘it’s not you, it’s me’ sort of thing and that my mood may have played a part, but I sort of wanted more to happen between the odd dream sequences.

The reason behind everything is incredibly unique. I completely loved the why and how of that. And the eerie elements were well done. But, it just wasn’t a book that I had trouble putting down. I put down a few times – the good thing is that I liked it enough to keep picking it up again.

If you’re a things-go-boom kind of reader, you’ll find that there’s little in the book that moves with intensity, but as a slow burn it does definitely work.

*ARC provided via Net Galley

[Dutchie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Where to start. This really had potential but not executed the way I would have hoped. Our MC doesn’t dream and he is invited to try a relaxing app to write a review on…has the opposite effect on him and gives him nightmares . This for sure to me was not a horror novel and was way too long. I loved the writing style but nothing really happened and was overly long at 400 pages. The first two parts held my attention and didn’t want to put down but not because it was action packed but more so to try and figure out where it was going . Last part I gave up….didn’t work for me

With that said I really will check out The Chill because I enjoyed the writing…it was good, story just didn’t work for me seemed disjointed and ending came out of nowhere….resolution just didn’t resonate for me 😔

[Bandit · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. Awesome. The cover states this is a thriller and sure enough, this book thrills. Mind you, thrillers are ubiquitous these days and most of them involve cheating and/or murderous spouses/bffs/strangers, secrets from the past and/or stolen babies/monies/goods. This one is more about stolen sanity. Sure, there are the prerequisite secrets from the past, but they are of a singularly unpredictable variety. In fact, this novel defies the standard definition and formula for the thriller genre at every turn so terrifically, that to just call it thriller is pretty reductive. Might be a good marketing ploy, but reductive all the same.
For one thing it negates all of its supernatural leanings. Of which there are many. For another it presupposes clichés, of which there are few if any. Mind you, this is a very slick very glossy professional sort of a book that screams bestseller, dynamic, fast paced with pages practically turning themselves and each chapter ending so dramatically, you simply got to get to the next one, this is a tough book to put down. And you’ll have to, at nearly 400 pages this isn’t exactly a one sitting read, but it is in spirit.
So, this is a book about an app. Very modern. I just read one of those, Ruth Ware’s One by One, her latest desperate attempt to establish herself as the new Agatha Christie. That wasn’t original at all outside of the app idea itself. This is very, very original. It seems like yet another one of those mindfulness apps at first, something that yogatalks you into relaxation and lullabies you to sleep and yet beneath the initial gimmickness there’s a terrifying secret layer of mind control and nightmares beyond your wildest…well, nightmares.
This is the sort of thing the novel’s protagonist, a recently laid off and restless journalist, Nick, stumbles into when he takes a seemingly easy, paid gig of doing a promo on a local app entrepreneur. It seems like a good idea, at first, get out of stagnant Tampa and come back to Maine, see his mom, see his old camp (summer cabin in Mainespeak), see his old bff…and yet, of course, nothing’s ever simple about going back. And then there’s the app and its sinister siren song, calling, calling Nick to the darkest corners of his mind and beyond.
It’s a deadly tune and so far it has killed all those who heard it, but Nick is a perfect test subject for it, for he is a nightmare proof man, someone who doesn’t dream. And so, frightening as it is, a man who can’t dream finds himself in the middle of a living nightmare, one he can’t seem to wake up from. Will he survive the test? Read and find out. It’s so, so worth it.
Aside from the excellent dynamic writing, the thing that really stood out about this book, the thing that really made it work is the clever interweaving of real historical tragedy with the modern technology advancements and situations straight out of the news. It’s such a terrific mix of real and speculative. Plus, it gives the narrative a haunting, terrifying backstory.
All in all, this was excellent. Mind you’, I’d probably change the title to Burn the Night, a much more evocative and less clichéd, it seems, but at any rate, this was a great read. Riveting, exciting, terrifying, this is what literary scares ought to look like. Recommended. Thanks Netgalley.

This and more at https://advancetheplot.weebly.com/

[Ghoul Von Horror · Rating 3 out of 5]

TW: Suicide, parents death, Alzheimer's,

*****SPOILERS*****
About the book:Recently laid-off from his newspaper and desperate for work, war correspondent Nick Bishop takes a humbling job: writing a profile of a new mindfulness app called Clarity. It’s easy money, and a chance to return to his hometown for his first visit in years. The app itself seems like a retread of old ideas—relaxing white noise and guided meditations. But then there are the “Sleep Songs.” A woman’s hauntingly beautiful voice sings a ballad that is anything but soothing—it’s disturbing, really, more of a warning than a relaxation—but it works. Deep, refreshing sleep follows.So do nightmares. Vivid and chilling, they feature a dead woman who calls Nick by name and whispers guidance—or are they threats? And soon her voice follows him long after the song is done. As the effects of the nightmares begin to permeate his waking life, Nick makes a terrifying discovery: no one involved with Clarity has any interest in his article. Their interest is in him. Because while he might not have any memory of it, he’s one of twenty people who have heard this sinister song before and the only one who is still alive.
Release Date: 12/26/2021
Genre: YA horror
Pages: 400
Rating: ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ 2.5

What I Liked:
• The plot of the book sounded like a good and interesting topic
• First 30% of this book was pretty good

What I Didn't Like:
• Turned out not what it said it was
• Nick never really emotionally reacts to things

Overall Thoughts:
The alarming part for Nick is when he realizes that he has had dreams and not that his mother gave him a false memory of his past and him killing his father. Um okay.

At the 40% part it turns into The Truman Show. Renee turns into the friend that just hung around with Nick to watch him for Nick's mom. She was supposed to report back and let her know if he wsd dreaming.

I will forever think when someone is listening to Airpods they are being possessed by a sleep app.

This book just took the oddest turn into something I stopped caring about.

Final Thoughts: 60% mark I dnfed it. I just could not. The story takes a totally different turn and just felt like I was reading something else.

IG | Blog

[Mariana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nota real: 3.5 estrellas
Una pluma que me recordó mucho a la de King, quizá porque la historia se desarrolla en Maine y el protagonista es un periodista/escritor. La premisa me preció genial: ¿qué pasaría si esa app que usas para relajarte (o esos audios ASMR que yo amo, por ejemplo) contuvieran mensajes subliminales? Y no cualquier tipo de mensajes subliminales, sino unos mensajes siniestros que provocan la aparición de una mujer fantasmal.
Tras haberse quedado desempleado, el protagonista de esta historia acepta escribir un artículo sobre la app Clarity, sin embargo, muy pronto se da cuenta de que esta app no solamente tiene efectos sobrenaturales, también parece tener una conexión personal con él. Durante la novela vamos desentrañando dicho misterio. Me pareció un libro muy entretenido con escenas de horror muy bien logradas, lo malo es que hay algunas partes que son lentas. El entender porqué Clarity afecta de tal manera a Nick y cómo va desbloqueando sus recuerdos, la verdad me dio flojera. Lo que salvó este libro e hizo que me gustara bastante es que conectaron todo con folklore local. Las historias sobre personas ahogadas, islas malditas y canciones con poderes paranormales hizo que me súper clavara con la historia de nuevo y la disfrutara mucho más. Aunque el libro anterior de este autor (The Chill) no me llamó la atención cuando salió, he decidido darle una oportunidad pues "Where they wait" me convenció de que Scott Carson tiene talento para el horror.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Scott Carson writes good books. And his story concepts are original, interesting and not predictable. He has a conversational easy writing style with believable well developed characters. Nick Bishop is a character I was rooting for from the beginning. An investigative reporter whose life had hit pause, he did not dissappoint. But the story line was a little jerky and disconnected at times. Lots of moving parts. Carson pulled it all together in the end, but I liked the last book "The Chill" more. 4 stars.

[Ron · Rating 2 out of 5]

Interesting premise - terrible execution.

I see a great many good reviews of this book - why? The concept of the story is interesting but everything goes downhill very quickly. The more you learn about the mystery the more ridiculous the story becomes. The finale is laughably bad.

When the story sticks to subtle horror, it's actually quite engaging. When it gets into supernatural elements, it goes downhill very quickly.

[megs_bookrack]

This sounds creepy. I'll bite!!!



Thanks for the ARC, Atria Books.

[Nicole · Rating 3 out of 5]

Down on his luck and desperate for work, Nick Bishop accepts a job writing a profile for the new mindfulness app Clarity. The app consists of white noise and guided meditation. It also includes “Sleep Songs”. A woman sings a creepy ballad that is the opposite of relaxing. However, it does the job for Nick and he is relaxed, deep in sleep in no time. That is when nightmares begin.

A dead woman who seems to know Nick and calls him by name. She whispers in his ear. Is she helping him? Eventually he hears the woman’s whisper when he is awake. As his nightmares become reality Nick makes the realization that no one at Clarity is interested in the profile he was writing. They are interested in him.

I liked this book. I listened to the audiobook. The narrator did a great job. The language was creepy, atmospheric, and descriptive. The story was very strange and I had to rewind it a few times to fully get what was happening. The exploration of the mind in connection with using the app was so interesting to me.

[Danielle Trussoni · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mindfulness apps are frightening beasts, but a mindfulness app that delves deep inside the psyche to control dreams? Pure horror. The premise of WHERE THEY WAIT, Scott Carson’s compulsively readable psychological horror novel, rests upon anxiety and a need to soothe it. Nick Bishop, an unemployed journalist, is hired to write a profile of Bryce Lermond, a wealthy tech entrepreneur whose mindfulness app, Clarity, is about to hit the market. Nick is skeptical, but when he tries it, he discovers that it is the “Inception” of mindfulness apps. In a series of chilling sessions, we experience the mind-warping power of Clarity’s incantations called “sleep songs,” meditations taken from an ancient source and sung by a ghostly voice, “an eerie, whispering wail, a sound caught between a warning and an invitation, a sound that could conjure thoughts of a night hunt with hounds and now one of a tall, ancient church with stained-glass windows and high ceilings and flickering candles” that inspires all who hear it to commit suicide. Think Enya with a razor blade.

Carson’s storytelling is like the Clarity app: It’s easy to get hooked and hard to forget. After reading “Where They Wait,” you may find that earbuds take on a sinister quality, and downloading an app — especially one that is supposed to promote mindfulness — calls up a strange, haunting voice in your head.

[Richard Bankey · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was a miss for me. The book read more as a science fiction/paranormal book for the 1st half or so and I was enjoying it and anxious to see where it where it was going. Then it seemed to try to turn into a horror novel which I don't think succeeded. I have liked most of the books by Michael Koryta that I have read, but not this one. 2.25 🌟

[Rachel · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was just way too all over the place for me. I found the first half to be slow, then interesting from 65% through 75%, then I don't know what. My favorite part was actually a chapter in the second half of the book that takes place in the past. Wish that part had lasted longer.

[Amos · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well, that was silly. To be fair, it was probably the best a story about people being sung to death could've been....but still.....it was quite silly.

2 Silly (sense a theme?) Stars

[Emily · Rating 2 out of 5]

A unique premise and some well-developed characters, though one side characters' motivations are puzzling and the ending left me with more questions than answers (and not in a good way, in a "the police are going to want to talk to you" way.)

Recommended for those wanting a Spooktober book that is more thriller than horror. Let it wash over you, like the fog rolling in...

[Abigail · Rating 5 out of 5]

The premise of this book is wack, and the story is just as wack! So good. So weird. Loved it.

[Bookworm · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75 stars

A haunting blend of sci fi and horror that explored the darker side of meditation apps. The story itself was gripping and the first person narrative kept me invested, but it lacked punch. It was more of a growing mystery that eventually revealed all of the answers.

[Stu Corner · Rating 2 out of 5]

A painfully average PG-13 mystery with paranormal overtones.

Not terrible, but not good by any stretch of the imagination. It's not horror, and you could barely even call it a thriller. There is a mystery though... Family secrets come to light when a journalist returns home to interview the owner of a tech company about his latest mindfulness app. Things start to get weird when he agrees to test it himself. Let's quickly break it down...

The Story - Average at best.
The Characters - Wooden.
The Pacing - "A Chore to get through" - someone else's words, but fitting nonetheless.
The Dread - None. Yep! No dread in a horror novel!

You know you're in for a rough ride when the beta testers are giving this 3-4 stars.
"Terrifying" :D

2 Stars. I seriously feel sorry for the indie authors out there.

[Paul · Rating 1 out of 5]

"Where They Wait" is a chilling tale of possession . . . not of an innocent by a demon, but of an author by the Exposition Fairy. Every twenty pages, the narrator of "Where They Wait" asks a question of another character who responds with a chapter-length digression. The ease with which our hero discovers why he's being haunted by invisible loons kills what little suspense "Where They Wait" might have generated. The plot is familiar to anyone familiar with the Kate Bush song "Experiment IV," which tells the story of "a sound that can kill someone" with a lot more efficiency and atmosphere than "Where They Wait." The author is writing under a pseudonym. If he thinks the name "Scott Carson" is exciting and glamorous, it explains a lot of the problem with this book.

[Mike Finn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Highly Recommended

Scott Carson's 'The Chill' was one of my favourite horror novels of 2023. I described it as "A compelling combination of the plausible and the fantastic that took me on a wild ride to dark places". That description also fits 'Where They Wait', although the two books are very different in terms of plot and characters.

What I liked most about this book was how the horror kept escalating, not on the back of jump scare moments but by the slow, inexorable revelation of a threat that melded science, technology, well-documented but gruesome history, local folklore and the megalomaniacal will of a wannabe Tech Bro. It pulled no punches, and it was beautifully done. 

The book started with Nick Bishop, a previously high-profile but now out-of-work journalist, accepting a commission to write a fluff piece on a Tech start-up for his alma mater's college magazine. It's a favour offered by a long-time friend. Someone he was close to at college. Someone who stayed in the small town Nick long ago left behind.

At first, this read like one of those stories where the local boy made good returns home with his tail between his legs, hooks up with people from his past and rethinks all those might-have-beens until they turn into a happily-ever-after. Except this wasn't a Hallmark movie, and no one in Nick's home town is who Nick remembers them being. 

Enter the Tech Bro wannabe whom Nick is writing the fluff piece about, and we seem to move into an investigative journalist uncovers corporate villainy story with some interesting twists around the nature of memory. Except, again, this isn't quite what it seems. The Tech Bro image is a little dated. The start-up business seems a little hollow. 

Then, like a lietmotiv that's been passing unnoticed in the background, but slowly came to dominate the score, the spooky part of the story emerges. I loved the way the spookiness was grounded in a mix of local folklore and verifiable, if deplorable, history and the way both of those fitted into the technical narrative about the nature of memory and dreams. 

I liked that the spooky part, the tech part and the personal relationships gone wrong part were all woven together, reinforcing one another.

It was always clear that things would not end well, but the ending still surprised me.  It managed to be darker and more hopeful than I'd expected.