Midwestern Gothic

by Scott Thomas

Close your eyes. Picture open plains, wheat stalks swaying gently in the wind. Picture the quaint Main Street of a one-stoplight town. Picture endless summers on sunny, tranquil lakes.

With four provocative novellas, Kill Creek author and Kansas native Scott Thomas takes a hatchet to the idyllic tropes of the American heartland.

In The Door in the Field, Thomas follows a quarrelsome construction worker named Rayland Allen whose bad day becomes a far worse night when drinks at an off-the-books establishment deep in the woods set Ray down an unforeseeably bloody path.

In The Boy in the Woods, Thomas follows young Eddie Reicher, who lingers a day too long at summer camp as unholy terror creeps in. Something evil has infected the counselors. And Eddie will have to do everything he can―even kill―if he hopes to survive the night.

In One Half of a Child’s Face, Thomas follows the recently divorced Sienna Franklin. Spying on her son and ex-husband, she notices an odd painting hanging on the wall of an adjacent apartment. Over the course of the next few days, Sienna will watch with growing horror as the children in the apartment building begin to gather before the painting as if called to it.

In Wear Your Secret Like a Stone, a big-box clerk discovers that her book pick for a Halloween display echoes a dark secret hidden beneath the idyllic facade of her hometown.

With this collection, Thomas digs his hands into the soil of the American heartland and establishes himself as the master of Midwestern Gothic.

Genres: Horror, Short Stories, Gothic, Fiction, Anthologies, Collections, Adult

440 pages, Paperback

First published September 17, 2024

About the author

Scott Thomas is the Stoker-nominated author of Kill Creek, which was selected by the American Library Association's reader committee as the top horror book of 2017. Originally from Coffeyville, Kansas, Scott attended the University of Kansas where he earned degrees in English and Film. He has written TV movies and teleplays for various networks including Netflix, Syfy, MTV, VH1, the CW, Disney Channel, Nickelodeon, and ABC family. Scott was nominated for a Daytime Emmy for his work on R.L. Stein's The Haunting Hour. He lives in Sherman Oaks, California with his wife and two daughters. Violet is his second novel.

(source: Amazon)

Reviews

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

My thanks to Inkshares Press, Scott Thomas and Netgalley.
So, I'll admit that I enjoyed this every bit as much as I expected. Scott Thomas has my respect and a wee bit of my very aged, teriyaki flavored, dried up husk of a heart! Lol!
I've seen a few reviews that said that they hadn't read the other Thomas books, so they had no comparison. Bunch of bullshit! Thomas doesn't make you dependant on his other books. He merely references them for context. IYKYK.
I hated the first story. Hate..
The rest? Multiple stars!******So, maybe, 4? Ha!
Scott Thomas is an auto but for me. The man just writes the strange shit and that makes me happy!

[Char · Rating 5 out of 5]

Being that the Midwestern United States is not the first place I think of when I hear the word "gothic," I found the title alone intriguing enough to request this from NetGalley. (That and the fact that I'm already a fan of Scott Thomas' work.) As it turns out, this was a great decision on my part!

Midwestern Gothic contains 4 novellas that range from cosmic to gory to just plain scary. If you've read his book KILL CREEK, you are already familiar with Blantonville, Kansas. (Please note that you do NOT have to have read KILL CREEK to read this collection. But if you have, there are some nice Easter eggs here for you!) In my opinion, Blantonville is just as scary as Derry, Maine, Oxrun Station, or Goblin, Michigan. (If you know, you know.)

Within this novella we meet a few of the citizens of Blantonville, but what's most interesting about this book as a whole is that it's the land itself that is haunted. The history of it, the battles over it, etc.. It's not a haunted house, it's not a serial killer, (though there are some), it's just land. Land that has soaked up the blood of its inhabitants for years, even centuries.

Stand alone doors in a field, pathways to other worlds, a smidge of the cosmic, a horrific story of summer camp, and a woman who watches the apartments of her neighbors instead of television. The last tale of the woman watching a nearby apartment building was brilliant. (Rear Window-ish brilliant.) The main character of the story is editing a book about gothic stories in the Midwest, while being a character in a book about gothic stories of the Midwest. Again, I say BRILLIANT!

This novella collection has everything a horror lover like me wants in a book. It has the scares and the gore, but it also has a sense of itself, if that makes any sense. As I was reading, the admirable skills of the author became readily apparent and I devoured the 440 pages within a week. When I wasn't reading I wanted to be. MIDWESTERN GOTHIC made me wish I didn't have a full time job and a family. It was that good.

To sum up, I think this is now my favorite Scott Thomas book, even over KILL CREEK, which I adored. Four novellas, each its own distinct tale, each taking place on that haunted Midwestern land.

My highest recommendation!

*ARC from publisher. Thank you!*

[Adrienne L · Rating 4 out of 5]

"...When those proud farm folk stood in the doorways of humble houses built with their own hands, staring out at acres of waving wheat and corn that they planted, the land stared back. A pact had been made. An endless exchange. Misery for misery. Blood for blood." .

I've never visited the Midwestern US, but I can now say that Scott Thomas gave me a little dark tourism glimpse at the state of Kansas in his highly enjoyable collection of novellas that make up Midwestern Gothic.. These are four separate stories with some loose connections to one another as well as the author's previously published work. While each tale is very much a standalone, they all share common themes of ancient evil and curses, guilt, and the simmering heat and volatility of a land that has been conquered and exploited, and is out for blood. These are stories of characters who are paying back a deadly debt to that land.

"The Door in the Field" - The story of a man with a violent temper who spends a night he will never forget with a coworker who is hiding something even deadlier than human rage. This first story, I must admit, was a disappointment. I found it overly long and the lore behind the events seemed a bit tenuous. I also found the framing story of this novella completely unnecessary and it just added to the dissonance I felt when reading it. The writing was still good and the story had an excellent sense of setting and established the "Midwestern Gothic" feel of the collection very well. 3 stars.

"Wear Your Secret Like a Stone" - When the manager of the store she works for rejects her choice of book for the Halloween display, a young horror fan's search for an explanation will deliver more answers than she bargained for in this haunting tale. My favorite story of the collection, this one has a number of really effectively creepy scenes. After my disappointment with the first story, I was invested in "Wear Your Secret" right away. There were parts of this story that reminded me a bit of the works of Charles L. Grant, as well as a favorite horror movie of mine. I'm deducting half a star because there still seemed like there were too many ideas thrown into the mix here, none of which were completely fleshed out in the end. This contributed to the dreamlike quality, but also left me feeling a bit unsatisfied. 4.5 stars.

"The Boy in the Woods" - A young boy who suffers from severe facial scarring (and the bullying that comes with it) finds himself spending an extra night at summer camp, alone with the counselors and one other forgotten camper, when things take a turn for the decidedly bloody. This is an action-packed summer camp slasher with a couple of twists and an end that took me by surprise. Unlike the other novellas, this story isn't particularly Midwestern in tone, this could be any generic, summer camp setting, but there are still some similar prevailing themes like debts to the land and ancient evil. 4.5 stars.

"One Half of a Child's Face" - The collection takes a bit of a meta twist in this novella about Sienna, an editor who is working on a manuscript discussing the defining themes of the "Midwestern Gothic" (written by one of the characters from the author's previous novels, Kill Creek). The little snippets of the manuscript that are shared with the reader throughout this story are a satisfying way to summarize the threads that runs throughout this collection as a whole, as in the example at the start of this review. But that's not all that's going on here, because Sienna is playing a bit of Rear Window with the apartment building up the hill from her house, where her ex-husband lives with his current girlfriend. After a mysterious oversized portrait is delivered to a seemingly abandoned apartment on the top floor of the building, events take a sinister turn. As Sienna spies on her ex and his neighbors, she's going to soon find she doesn't like what she sees in the Riverside Apartments in more ways than one. Another excellent novella, not as creepy as "Wear Your Secret Like a Stone," but I enjoyed this one almost as much. 4.5 stars.

With Midwestern Gothic Scott Thomas does an excellent job evoking a real sense of place in the dusty, dry heat of his home state. The writing is immersive and enjoyable, and there was more than one or two chills delivered, despite the stifling air of a Kansas summer. I look forward to reading more of the author's work in the future.

Midwestern Gothic is set for publication on September 17, 2024. My thanks to Inkshares and NetGalley for the advanced reader copy for an honest review.

[Dead Inside · Rating 4 out of 5]

“After all, that was the point of an artistic endeavor, wasn’t it? To share it with others. To make them feel excitement or fear or hope, and, by the end, to change them in some small way.”

This was a collection of short stories that take place in Kansas, I live near Kansas so I was interested in reading some horror that takes place in this wasteland. Overall I liked most of the stories, two of them really stood out.

[Becky Spratford · Rating 5 out of 5]

Star review is in the April 2024 issue of Library Journal

Three Things That Describe This Book: strong sense of place, palpable dread, book within a book frame

Draft Review:
In this collection of 4 novellas, Thomas brilliant presents a volume that is not only dripping with overwhelming dread on every page, but also serves as a proof of concept for the Midwest Gothic itself. The novellas, all set in the fictional town of Blantonville, Kansas, are framed in some way by the works of his most famous characters, the authors from Kill Creek. The book within a book frame adds interest to the stories whether readers are familiar with the source material or not, while also allowing the author to explore different writing styles and subgenres across the volume. From Cosmic Horror to Folk Horror, a twist on the summer camp Slasher to a Hitchcockian psychological nightmare, each single sitting read stands alone as a fully realized, unnerving tale, expertly merging compelling storylines and fascinating characters.. However, it is the place that shines here, as Thomas presents the idea of the haunted land itself, the place of our American nightmares, illustrating that it is the vast, wide open prairie, not a crumbling mansion, which will turn against the characters and provoke terror in the reader. An immersive, chilling, and unsettling read that will put Blantonville on the Horror map right next to Castle Rock.

Verdict: A must buy title that updates the enduringly popular Gothic from a new perspective, like Mexican Gothic by Silvia Morerno-Garcia or The Hollow Kind by Andy Davidson while also adding depth to the horror uniting Thomas’ literary universe similar to Goblin and Spin a Black Yarn by Josh Malerman.


This book exists within the Kill Creek universe, but you don't have to have read it to enjoy it. Basically the authors from that book and their writings frame each of the 4 novellas. But it's more than that. The entire book is like a proof of concept for the idea of a Midwest Gothic. Thomas is showing the world that it exists and it is not only terrifying but clearly worth being help up as its own thing within the Gothic frame work.

The most important thing about this book is the place-- Blantonville-- where Thomas sets all of his books (Hot tip-- read the acknowledgements for a fun fact that makes all of the stories even more chilling) it is as if they take place in a world parallel to ours; something I felt-- that slightly askew feeling-- as I was reading. It was cool to have that feeling which I could not communicate, but just felt, confirmed.

But the entire idea of the Midwest Gothic, as Thomas presents it is that, it is the land that is haunted. There are no old mansions in Kansas. The land is what they have. The vast, wide open prairie, the land that can turn again them, the land that they stole form the Natives, the land that is being built up with big box stores and developments.

Thomas does an amazing job with each story of piling the dread onto of itself. Each story is terrifying on its own, with perfect resolved by open endings. Each is a single sitting read (about 100 pages) that holds your attention for the duration and leaves you highly unsettled. But as a whole the book leaves echoes of itself imprinted on the reader.

The reason it gets 5 stars is all of this PLUS the fact that when I got to the end of the 3rd novella I realized something else cool about this book-- each novella is a different subgenre of Horror book, and yet, the book is still a cohesive whole.

This book within a book within a book layered even more by the entire novel being a "proof of concept" of the Midwest Gothic made for a very cool reading experience. While I enjoyed each story, it was that realization of what else Thomas was doing that elevated the book. It is nuanced appeal, one I don't think every reader will get, but I don't think it matters because the stories are very good on their own.

Readalikes: Thomas is updating the Gothic using the land of the Midwest as his muse, much like Andy Davidson does for the Southern Gothic. The sense of place and palpable dread is also similar to This Wretched Valley by Jenny Kiefer and I could feel a bit of the scariest Jennifer McMahon here as well-- especially in the last novella.

Also, Spin a Black Yarn by Malerman since both are collections of novellas set in a similar universe that goes across multiple books.

[Horror Reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a book containing four novellas all set in Kansas. If you've read Kill Creek by this author, you'll find some pleasant surprises within these terrifying stories.

And they are terrifying. Each one focuses on various characters but all of them take you in directions you can't imagine from the beginning. Like a fight at a construction site, a kid at a summer camp, or a woman who's trying to get some editing work done. Seemingly innocent things that happen every day. Until the author puts them into horrific circumstances they are not prepared for.

From murder to madness. Inexplicable monstrosities to guilt. Humanity meets its superior in these delightfully twisted tales and you'll be left breathless.

I loved these four novellas. And there are characters from his novel, Kill Creek, that make appearances in each of them. There are also references to certain businesses from previous stories so these all have a feeling of being connected or part of the same universe.

The stories are twisty, mind bending, and creepy as hell. You definitely want to read for yourself and I highly recommend it.

I received an ARC of this book through Netgalley with no consideration. This review is voluntary and is my own personal opinion.

[kimberly · Rating 4 out of 5]

You have heard of Southern gothic stories, surely. They’re dark, they’re dreadful, they make your skin crawl. Allow me to introduce to you… Midwestern Gothic. It’s like Southern gothic except this time we’re in Kansas because the Midwest has its own horrors lurking. Won’t you come in and have a look?

Midwestern Gothic is comprised of four spine-chilling novellas.

→In The Door in the Field, after volatile construction worker Rayland Allen is provoked at work, his boss takes him out for a drink at an off-the-grid backwoods bar but the night takes a turn that he wasn’t expecting… A real bloody turn.
→In Wear Your Secret Like a Stone, big-box store worker Tara Bright picks her favorite horror book for the store’s Halloween display but when a customer complains and she is forced to remove it, she realizes that the book is much more disturbing than it originally seems.
→In The Boy in the Woods, Eddie Reicher is dropped off at summer camp and notices some scary, dark changes in the counselors.
→In One Half of a Child’s Face, Sienna Franklin notices something odd happening with a peculiar painting and the children who come in to contact with it.

Each novella begins with its own art work—think a cover for the individual novellas—which was an unnecessary but welcomed touch that delighted me because it helped to drop me in to the mood of the story that followed. Thomas creates vivid, life-like atmospheres which made for four truly riveting stories. From cosmic horror and serial killers to folk horror and a bloody summer camp, there is something for every horror lover in here.

”What is the source of Midwestern Gothic? Where did the evil originally root itself? Not in the structure but in the very land upon which the structure was built.”

Thank you Inkshares Publishing and NetGalley for the digital copy in exchange for an honest review. Available 09/17/2024!

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

ARC for review. To be published September 17, 2024.

Four gothic horror novellas by the author of KILL CREEK. Each of the four contains a connection to one of the authors featured in that book; it’s a fun little Easter egg, but it’s not necessary that you have read KILL CREEK before diving into these.

In the first, “The Door in the Field,” a night out with the boss turns into a nightmare. “The Boy in the Woods” is set at a summer camp that is getting ready to shut down for the season. In “Wear Your Secret Like a Stone,” my favorite of the four, a girl and her elderly colleague from a big box store investigate their small Kansas town. Finally, the main character in “One Half of a Child’s Face” is editing an essay collection and shares custody of her daughter with her ex…and she can see into his apartment building.

Novellas are tricky and hard to do well. Stephen King is an expert (of course) but often times they seem like short stories that needed a good editor. However, Thomas is a gifted writer and does well with the form, even though I couldn’t help thinking that he is an excellent author in search of better material here, other than with “Secret.” The other stories were good, just not great. But I very much enjoy Thomas; Kansas seems to be his Maine and I look forward to reading what he does next.

[Nina The Wandering Reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

"...When those proud farm folk stood in the doorways of humble houses built with their own hands, staring out at acres of waving wheat and corn that they planted, the land stared back. A pact had been made. An endless exchange. Misery for misery. Blood for blood."

I loved this so much!

[Jerry · Rating 5 out of 5]

My thanks to Netgalley and Inkshares for the ARC.

Confession: I added this to my "To Read" pile based on the cover artwork and the synopsis and I didn't even register the author, or that I had read his previous title Kill Creek. It was a pleasant realisation once I noticed the first nod to Kill Creek here, and it suddenly made sense why I was captivated so quickly with this book. Much like Creek, Midwestern Gothic is a stunning piece of writing. And while I definitely enjoyed Creek, I'm happy to say I loved Gothic so much more. Rest assured, however, you do NOT need to have read one to enjoy the other. This book is completely stand-alone.

Scott Thomas succeeds where many less talented writers would flounder, and breathes new life into some rather familiar horror themes. The stories themselves aren't anything particularly *new* per-se, but are handled so beautifully and written so intoxicatingly that I was never bothered by a feeling of familiarity. Instead, I happily lapped up every page. Thomas conjures up vivid imagery in a way I don't often encounter and he develops fleshed out, believable characters that fully captivate me. I really just love his writing style, if that isn't clear yet.

Below are some of the notes I jotted down whilst reading:

- 5% in and I'm already feeling this. Can already tell this will be a 4 or 5 star read...
- Loving how delightfully *readable* this is. There's such a flow that really works for me. So much world-building that actually propels me forward instead of derailing my interest.
- Characterisation is perfect. Every single character is so expertly defined in my head. Fully realised.
- Definitely getting some Derry, Maine/Stephen King vibes here...

To sum it up, Midwestern Gothic has cemented Scott Thomas as an auto-buy for me. His writing prowess is enough to keep me coming back for more and I hope a future book will just scare me senseless. The final novella One Half of A Child's Face also proves he could deftly insert himself into the domestic thriller genre if he wanted a break from the cosmic horror. ;)

[AndiReads · Rating 5 out of 5]

Scott Thomas is the author of Kill Creek, a favorite horror novel of mine. Midwestern Gothic is a collection of 4 gothic novellas from his collection of writings.

The Door in the Field, focuses upon a construction worker who can't control his anger and The Boy in the Woods touches on the evil at a summer camp. In One Half of a Child’s Face, a woman sees a mysterious painting while spying on her family and in Wear Your Secret Like a Stone, a store worker makes a haunting discovery while picking books for a Halloween display.
All four are unique and creepy and perfect for your next long story night! #Scottthomas #midwesterngothic.#inkshares

[Bill · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kill Creek was hands down the best haunted house story I've read. Especially how he ended it.

For this reason Scott Thomas never strayed far from my radar. I haven't read Violet due to mixed reviews, but I imagine I will check it out for myself one of these days.

Last September Midwestern Gothic was released, a collection of four novellas, and when I saw there would be easter eggs referring to Kill Creek, well, I was all in.

I enjoyed this collection quite a bit. The first two stories were solid 4 stars, but the third wasn't really appealing to me; just a bit too predictable. The fourth story was very good: 5 stars.

All in all a four star average, and it was fun to read him again!

[Diana | Indie Book Addict · Rating 4 out of 5]

Midwestern Gothic features four novellas that all take place in Kansas. They cover beings that haunt a construction site, a terrifying trip to a summer camp, an odd painting and a book display that may reveal a town’s dark secret.

This was my first time reading this author’s work, and I’m so glad I did. Thomas did an amazing job pulling me into each story. Each one was creepy in its own way and packed full of dread. If I had to pick a favorite, I’d say The Boy in the Woods. I loved the setting, the story idea and, of course, the unexpected ending. It was perfect! I would definitely recommend this collection to horror lovers. There’s a good variety here and the writing is great!

[Icy-Cobwebs-Crossing-SpaceTime · Rating 5 out of 5]

I adored Scott Thomas's KILL CREEK, absolutely adored its window on "We're not in Kansas anymore!" through unexpected twists of Horror set in a mild-seeming Midwest rural locale. Now that I've raced through the four horrifying novellas comprising MIDWESTERN GOTHIC, I'm eager to read KILL CREEK again. MIDWESTERN GOTHIC, in its own inimitable fashion, offers tribute to the Horror authors at the heart of KILL CREEK, extending, as it were, their reach. You needn't have read KILL CREEK to be terrified by MIDWESTERN GOTHIC [but then, WHY haven't you read it?].

[Kate Victoria RescueandReading · Rating 1 out of 5]

I haven’t read Kill Creek, so I didn’t understand all the references to it. I also found the stories a bit drawn out and dry.

Thank you anyways to the author and NetGalley for a copy!

[Rachel the Page-Turner · Rating 4 out of 5]

Being a Midwestern girl who loves horror, I took a chance on this author and decided to give these four novellas a try. I was not let down! The four stories are…

The Door In The Field: Set primarily in Wichita, Kansas, this is a beautifully written horror/fantasy story about a man who has a choice to make. I think it’s up to the reader to decide whether or not he made the right one. 4/5

Wear Your Secret Like A Stone: When a blatant act of extreme horror censorship hits a big box store in Blantonville, Kansas, it leads to a girl trying to learn more about the creepy past of the small town, with terrifying results… 3.5/5

The Boy In The Woods: This slasher story about a disfigured boy being bullied at summer camp was FANTASTIC! The creep (and the camp, pun intended) were strong with this one. 5/5

One Half Of A Child’s Face: A piece of artwork infiltrates an apartment building, but luckily one mother has been watching, and listening - listening very closely - and knows just what to do… 4.5/5

Overall, this is a great and unique collection; everyone loves southern gothic, but what about the Midwest? Each novella had its own feel, but they were all tied geographically, with a little history mixed in with the horror. Four stars!

(Thank you to Inkshares, Scott Thomas and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my review. This book is slated to be released on September 17, 2024.)

[Matthew Condello · Rating 5 out of 5]

Scott Thomas is a master of horror and “Midwestern Gothic” is a terrifyingly terrific collection. 4 knockout Novellas that will have you thanking the horror gods for Scott Thomas. I was in a bit of a reading rut and this collection snapped me out of it. Thomas gave us one of the finest haunted house novels ever in “Kill Creek” and here he works in the same universe but delivers starkly different horrors. While there are some connecting threads each one stands on its own as a masterwork of horror storytelling. While he may not be as “prolific” as some, in my opinion he can stand along side the horror greats. Read it! Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.

[Raquel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rating: ★★★★☆

A thank you to the author and NetGalley for providing me a copy of the book in exchange for an unbiased and honest review.

”We gave the soil its first taste of our blood. Who among us will satiate its thirst?”

Midwestern Gothic tells four different horror tales, each scarier than the next. In them Thomas intertwines various pieces of folklore and references to other horror novels and authors, creating a love-letter to the genre.

⟡•—— ・ ₊˚🪦♱‧₊˚. ・ ——•⟡

In Midwestern Gothic you get four different novels in one single book: The Door in the Field, The Boy in the Woods, One Half of a Child’s Face and Wear Your Secret Like a Stone. Each individual story is about 110 pages long - optimum length for a short but sweet horror story without it being boring or dragging.

In The Door in the Field we follow Rayland Allen who, after a freakish accident, becomes a shadow of his former self - a very angry version. One day, after accompanying his boss, Don, for a drink after work, he discovers more than he bargained for.
This was definitely the weakest among the short stories which is not to say it was bad, on the contrary; i enjoyed the storytelling and the plot was unlike anything i’ve ever read. Nonetheless, it didn’t blow my mind like the other stories did and its ending is also open for interpretation - not my personal favorite type of ending. It’s a 3/5 for me.

In The Boy in the Woods we follow Eddie Reicher, a young child whose face has been transfigured in a vicious attack by a Rottweiler. Being apart of a camp - and being bullied by his fellow campers - Eddie is afraid that the councilors banquet will only propel him to feel more excluded by his peers. However, when the night turns into a blood-bath, his initial fears are soon forgotten.
This one gives very much slasher vibes. I was holding on to my kindle thought the whole length of the story and i genuinely could not put it down until i reached the last page. The suspense of it made my heart beat like crazy. It’s a 5/5 for me.

In One Half of a Child’s Face we follow Sienna Roh, a newly divorced mother that finds comfort in observing the lives of her neighbors through a toy telescope.
The writing of this short story created a very eery and unsettling atmosphere - especially when the tale started to take some very bizarre turns. It’s a 4.5/5 for me.

In Wear Your Secret Like a Stone we follow Tara Bright, a fellow bookworm. Since Halloween is very near, her boss decides that each employee shall recommend a horror book. Following a complaint about Tara’s choice, she tries to track down who had her book removed from the display, resulting in dark secrets being unveiled.
The storytelling in this one was very similar to One Half of a Child’s Face for me. Although starting off in a very jolly manner - different from the previous tale - it soon takes a very dark turn. It’s a 4/5 for me.

If you’d like to dip your toes in your very first horror book, i think Midwestern Gothic is a very good choice. Apart from having four different but absolutely enjoyable novels, you get to experience different subgenres of horror. Each narrative will keep you on the edge with these unsettling and haunting tales.

[Jeff · Rating 3 out of 5]

Midwestern Gothic is the ambitious follow-up in the spirit of Scott Thomas' brilliant 2017 novel, Kill Creek. The collection of four novellas revolves around connections to the four fictional authors from that book and explores different subgenres of horror similar to its predecessor. A lot of talent went into these stories, but the book was like a finely crafted arrow fired by an expert marksman that completely missed the target for me. Some seemed like they would have been good short stories or, if developed even further, good novels, but only one of the four felt like it was the right length. The underlying premise for the book is profound and more than worthy of the original story, but the execution didn't work for me. There was one consistently satisfying part of the book, which was the full-color cover art included for each novella. They're all dread-inducing and beautiful. A lofty project that might be the perfect pairing with Kill Creek for some readers, but was just okay for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Inkshares for the ARC.

[Jeremy Fowler · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the Best 5 Star Books I've Read This Year!

Scott Thomas is genuinely a master of the craft. When I saw that he had a collection of novellas coming out I knew I was going to love them. His writing style just pulls you under a spell and you'll blink and realize that 100+ pages have flown by as you found yourself devouring his stories. His writing similarly to that to Stephen King seems to be interwoven with characters from all of his work finding homes and mentions through the pages of this story! It makes for such a fun Easter Egg hunt!

The body horror, the psychological terror, and the deliciously devious character writing will ensure that this book will haunt you for ages to come!

The Door in the Field - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

- This story ramps up slowly, but by the ending of this story, you'll know nothing is safe. What a twisting and turning story that truly gave me whiplash because of the reveals. The pacing (even with a slower start) keeps you wanting to know more and the style that this is presented with takes it to the next level.
- There are also some Easter Eggs in this that think long time fans of Thomas are going to LOVE!

Wear Your Secret Like A Stone ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

- I won't be able to put into words how literally terrifying this story was. The way that Thomas chose his words in this story, the sheer journey that the main character, Tara, takes is just literally superb. It truly scared the death out of me. The imagery of what happens appears behind my eyelids every time I close my eyes. This is truly amazing folk horror.
- PS - if you loved Grady Hendrix's Ankle Snatcher then this will give you the cravings you've been having.

The Boy in the Woods ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

- Wow, this is a whirlwind of a summer camp story that is chock full of deliciously devious body horror. This story follows Eddie who has unfortunately been bullied for a majority of his life due to a dog related accident. However, Eddie witnesses something bone chilling seemingly torn from the pages of one of his favorite stories. Kids at his camp aren't right. They are so far from right that Eddie is now in fear for his life.
- Seriously perfect for fans of the Faculty (film) or The Troop by Nick Cutter.
- I'm serious - please give us a glimpse into the Camp's future after the events of this story! What a thrill ride.

One Half of a Child's Face ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
- This story didn't grab me as quickly as the others in this collection, however the pay off in this story was so Hitchcock that I loved it just the same. This plays out like some twisted Rear Window but with a terrifying and horrid twist that as a reader I really enjoyed.
- The Easter eggs in this story are really fun too!


All in all this collection is truly spectacular and will stick with me for a while to come. Some of the horror sequences in this story are next level and inspired such bone-deep terror. These stories are fun and have so much for readers!

[Amy Imogene Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

Meaty, but good.

As someone who lives in Michigan—which is still the Midwest according to most jurisdictions, but occasionally subset further into the “Great Lakes region”—I found this collection an uncanny valley of things familiar and foreign. Thomas’ horror-filled version of Kansas strikes a chord. At the same time, it repels me with its flat farmland aesthetic hedging out the possibilities of midwestern horror found closer to me and the Michigan water. I know this entire blurb is me self-inserting my home state into the conversation, but that in itself is a point—This collection enhances a region not often romanticized, or even depicted, in the horror landscape. It is nice to see my region’s roots here in horror. The Midwest is just as worthy of tales as the Northeast and other parts of the country, and in this collection Scott Thomas proves to us why.

My favorite two stories were “The Door in the Field” and “One Half of a Child’s Face”. I didn’t care for “Wear Your Secret Like a Stone” at all (it honestly made me reconsider the entire collection, so a caution to future readers that if you struggle with that story, push on for the rest instead). I thought “The Boy in the Woods” was fine as a tired rehash of the slasher trope kit.

[Kaitlyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh my gosh, I loved this book. This is everything horror should be!

This book contains four novellas that all take place in Kansas. This is my first time reading work by Scott Thomas, but it absolutely won't be the last; these stories were uncanny, suspenseful, and creepy in all the best ways. I read well into the night and actually found myself spooked after the lights were off...a rare experience for someone who consumes so much horror media, I've become a bit desensitized to it.

Thomas' writing reminds me of Stephen King's, but with more of a modern twist. The stories themselves are so vivid, I felt connected to characters I'd only just met. I admire authors who can create an atmosphere, and this author never failed to do that, whether it be by creating an ancient, alternate world that appears through a mysterious doorway, or showing us a familiar, soul-crushing box store in a small town. I could see the action of this book play out in my mind like I was watching a film.

Something I really admire about this collection of novellas is how the author created such complex characters in so short a time. With novellas, character development often falls by the wayside, but Thomas manages to build subtle backstories for even tertiary characters. He creates protagonists who feel authentic, who have moral grey areas, and who we can root for. On top of that, he creates monsters, and stirs within his readers a real sense of fear and unease.

A resounding five stars from me, and you know I'll be buying the hardcover when it comes out!

[Virgil · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think this ARC might haunt me at night a little.

I'm not usually one to get particularly spooked or squeamish about horror writing, but my first delve into Scott Thomas just proved I definitely can be spooked and made squeamish. Midwestern Gothic in its four short stories explores the Bible Belt in all its god-fearing, hardworking glory. The Gothic elements are expertly driven by the underlying horror plots of each short story, and Thomas' prose enhances the eerie atmosphere fantastically. Thomas' narrative style is easy to pick up and results in real page-turners such as The Boy In The Woods.

I do think I'd enjoy these stories more if I had been exposed to Thomas' writing before diving into this one. I noticed a lot of references to Kill Creek that I didn't understand as Midwestern Gothic is the first book I've read from Thomas' collection. I think reading this book and possibly Violet as well would've allowed for me to settle into the world of Midwestern Gothic easier and not be distracted trying to understand references to events that take place in Thomas' other books. Despite this, the references are limited and ultimately don't detract much from the reading experience, but I would be interested in revisiting Midwestern Gothic after reading Kill Creek and Violet. Altogether I look forward to reading more of Scott Thomas' works in the future!

[Nick · Rating 4 out of 5]

"If a man owns land, the land owns him." -Ralph Waldo Emerson

For fans of Scott Thomas's Bram Stoker Award-nominated Kill Creek, all four novellas in Midwestern Gothic draw connections to the horror authors who regrettably agreed to spend Halloween night in the blood-soaked legacy that was the Finch House.

The Door in the Field
April never knew her father. One day, with the help of a 23andMe-like company, she tracks him down, only to discover that perhaps her ghost of a father, Ray, has a few ghosts of his own.

"My father was once two people. This is the story of how he became a third."

Ray is a hot-headed, hard-hat construction worker who, while April was still in the womb, came face-to-face with a serial killer: the heartland's own Prairie Phantom. I won't disclose too much here as there's not many twists-and-turns, but let's just say there's at least one memorably badass scene involving a creature that once roamed the plains.

All in all, an alright but not attention-grabbing novella to kick off the four-part collection.

3.25 out of 5

Wear Your Secret Like a Stone
After her best friend dies in a tragic accident and the town blames her for it, big box retail store worker, Tara, has one goal: save up enough money to get the hell out of Blantonville. But when a customer complains about Tara's selection for the front-of-store Halloween display (Puncture, by the one-and-only TC Moore), her pursuit for answers leads her on an unexpected quest into the land of nightmares.

"There are shadows in the forest that cannot be trees."

The most badass part of this story was learning what a "hunger stone" was. It's a practice dating back to the 15th century where, during a period of prolonged drought, a stone monument would be erected in the the riverbed, etched with a warning for future settlers of coming famine should the water again get so low as to reveal the memorial.

The bones of this novella were sturdy as all get-out, but it took a turn with a plot point that was a bit too fantasy for my horror hunger. One thing Thomas does extremely well, however, is writing likeably badass female characters - Tara is right up there with TC Moore in my book!

3.75 out of 5

The Boy in the Woods
For fans of the Friday the 13th and Sleepaway Camp franchises, go back to camp and read this one lantern-side.

Eddie, mauled by a dog years ago, has a tough go of it at summer camp. The other campers call him "freak" and "dog-faced boy," and the camp counselors - but teenagers themselves - mostly tolerate the jackassery. When Eddie's parents miss their pick-up date, Eddie is stranded at Camp Cottonwood's wind-down, and something infectiously sinister turns the camp counselors against one another.

Eddie is like an accidental Jason Voorhees, long before he carried a machete wore wore a hockey mask. He's a character that makes you feel something, whether it's anger at his childhood bullies or sadness for a kid whose internal voices at once tell him he doesn't belong and at another tells him "Everyone gets their moment to shine."

I wish this was a full-length book, or that Scott Thomas gives the horror world more of Eddie Reicher.

4.25 out of 5

One Half of a Child's Face
Sienna Roh lives in a house overlooking Lake Michigan on the one side, and the apartment her ex-husband rents with his new girlfriend on the other. When Sienna's daughter, Maya, spends her custodial weekends with her father, Sienna's imagination tells her that her beautiful baby girl is held captive by "the bastard" and his too blonde, annoyingly petite witch.

Sienna should've been a writer. When she became pregnant with Maya, she put those dreams to the side. But that didn't stop her from telling herself stories. In fact, there are more than a dozen other apartments in the building her daughter frequents by order of the court, and sienna has crafted a lively backstory for many of them through her Rear Window-esque observations by telescope (Sienna's so-called "Riverside Apartments Entertainment Network").

There's one apartment, though, she never sees into. When its velvet curtains are one day pulled aback, revealing a painting with the left side of a child's face, her multi-floor sitcom transforms into a house of horror.

This is not the first horror story to feature haunted art, but it's a clever one, anchored by yet another female character of Thomas's that warrants a revisit in future work. Perhaps, by that time, Sienna would've published her own horror novel, shelved neatly alongside the likes of Sam McGarver, TC Moore, Sebastian Cole, and Daniel Slaughter.

4 out of 5

Overall: 3.75 (rounded up)

[greta · Rating 3 out of 5]

i've read kill creek by this author which was one of my favourite horror books, so i knew i had to try this horror short story collection!

those are my ratings for each story:

the door in the field - 3⭐️
wear your secret like a stone - 4⭐️
the boy in the woods - 3.5⭐️
one half of a child's face - 2⭐️

if you want unique and unsettling stories to read, i definitely recommend reading this book! i think each person is bound to find a favourite in here, it just depends what kind of horror you enjoy.

[Jen · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5🌟
I finished the last novella in this collection today, and it was on a high note! Scott Thomas manages to pull you into a story so easily. His writing style is nicely descriptive, and although these are each only roughly 120 pages long, they are full stories, well structured, well paced, with great characterisation.
The Door in the Woods 3.5🌟
Wear Your Secret Like a Stone 5🌟
The Boy in the Woods 4🌟
One Half of a Child's Face 5🌟

[Tabitha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thanks to NetGalley and Inkshares for the advanced copy.

What a wonderful surprise! I was instantly drawn to Scott Thomas's Midwestern Gothic, as a fan of the gothic and from the Midwest (born and raised in northern IL and recently moved to southern MO, and apparently not too far from the author's hometown, and the town he used as inspiration for the fictional Blantonville in his collection). The last story in Thomas' collection features snippets of an essay on what midwestern gothic is, how the traditional gothic setting of an old house is transferred to the setting of the old land in the midwest, because that's where our historical stories of pain, misery, and horror reside: in the land.

If you're unfamiliar with the American midwest, this book is a great place to start to get the vibe of what it can be like in the rural parts of the middle of our country. Even though I grew up in Illinois and not Kansas, I could still see a lot of what I remembered from my own childhood in settings of these stories, but even if I didn't have that connection Thomas evokes that atmosphere expertly.

This book contains four incredible novellas, all wonderful and engrossing, varying between turning tropes on their head to embracing those tropes in homages to other genres. I also really love that a couple stories also include some cosmic horror, my favorite :)

The Door in the Field - A line in a book that's not meant to be there sends a man on a downward spiral, dragging him and a few of those around him down a path of no return. Spooky, creepy, and something I've actually had nightmares about from growing up surround by cornfields.

Wear Your Secret Like a Stone - "There are shadows in the forest that cannot be trees". Ah! About the dangers of getting stuck in a small town... lol

The Boy in the Woods - Probably my favorite story in the bunch, it's a classic summer camp horror story but with a fun twist. Very enjoyable and fun, has some spooks but not outright scary.

One Half of a Child's Face - A close-second for favorite and the most outright cosmic horror of the bunch. This, focusing more on the protagonist's mental state and the lives of the people in Riverside Apartments, would make for an excellent full-length novel, I think! Great ending as well.

At the end, I learned from the author bio and acknowledgements that Thomas had an hand in RL Stine's The Haunting Hour tv show and that alone would have sold me on this book had I know, because that is one of the best and most underrated kid's horror shows out there, with some genuine scares.

I think Midwestern Gothic is going to be one of my favorite books this year.

[Lee-ann Oleski · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a collection of four stories set in the heartland of the Midwest. It is also my first Scott Thomas book. I can tell you I definitely enjoyed the writing style and the thought and imagination that went into these stories. Personally, I think I would have enjoyed all of the stories more if they were shorter. I found them all a bit draw out with extra content I didn’t think was needed. My own personal opinion!
—-
𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗗𝗼𝗼𝗿 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗙𝗶𝗲𝗹𝗱-
With a cosmic horror feel to it, this one follows a man named Rayland who suffers from a short temper post head injury. A coworker sees something in him tho, and takes him to a door in a field, and what he sees on the other side will forever change the course of his life.

𝗪𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗦𝗲𝗰𝗿𝗲𝘁 𝗟𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝗮 𝗦𝘁𝗼𝗻𝗲-
Tara works in a big box store and for Halloween, they have staff pick out their favorite books for a display. Tara picks a book more on the extreme side called Puncture, and after a complaint to the store, the manager askes Tara to pick a new book. This upsets Tara knowing there are far worse books out there and she expresses her concern to fellow employee Virgil. This takes Tara to dive deep down a rabbit hole of exploring the history of the local river stone and its deep dark history. This one started off great for me, but then it became really weird and I got a bit lost with some of the information and unanswered questions.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗕𝗼𝘆 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗪𝗼𝗼𝗱𝘀-
A coming of age tale about a young man named Eddie that undergoes a tragic accident, leaving him with a lifelong facial deformity. Other kids call him a freak. After being sent to Camp Cottonwood for 2 weeks, he gets stuck there for an extra night after his parent’s flight was delayed, and comes face to face with a virus attacking the last of the terrified campers

𝗢𝗻𝗲 𝗛𝗮𝗹𝗳 𝗼𝗳 𝗮 𝗖𝗵𝗶𝗹𝗱’𝘀 𝗙𝗮𝗰𝗲-
Sienna happens to live in an apartment building that looks down on her ex husbands apartment where he now lives with his girlfriend. She starts to notice strange things happening at this building, but no one seems to believe her, or tries to get her to forget about it. When children start to go missing inside the building including her own daughter, she fights to save her before it’s too late.
—-
Although I didn’t love this collection as a whole, i still liked it! And I loved a lot of things about each story and I was really impressed with the imagery. I definitely want to check out more of Scott’s work 🙌. Thank you to the publisher and @netgalley for the ARC. This one comes out September 17th!

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you NetGalley and Inkshares for the ARC.

Midwestern Gothic by Scott Thomas is an ode to Midwestern horror. The Midwest is filled with a blend of industrial and decaying barns, thick forests, sprawling corn fields, rolling hills of wheat, and an unlabeled feeling of unease when the sun falls behind the horizon. As a Midwesterner myself I loved seeing my part of the country receive recognition for its unique brand of gothic horror. It’s the place I call home and the place I think deserves its own regionally specific horror.

Midwestern Gothic is comprised of four novellas revolving around different characters throughout Kansas. Each novella makes references to Thomas’s other novel Kill Creek which adds a layer that fans will love to pick up on. The revolving cast makes for a fresh start to the horror with every novella. My personal favorite was the very last story, One Half of a Child’s Face. It was a meta text that acknowledged its roots. The slow drip horror in this story revolves around a woman struggling with motherhood, divorce, guilt, and her past all while realizing there’s an antique horror stalking the neighborhood.

While Midwestern Gothic contains four separate stories, there’s an underlying thread that ties them all together. Thomas uses each novella to push the idea that the Midwestern brand of horror doesn’t stem from any individual human action but can be traced back to the land itself. Midwestern horror is a part of the soil, a part of the land itself, a brand of horror that we’ve built homes and lives upon, a horror we cannot escape because it has been here longer than we have. It was a wonderfully interesting take on horror that stands on its own against the main competitors of Southern and Northeastern Gothic.

[Milt Theo · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a terrific novella collection by the author of Kill Creek, one of my favorite horror novels ever! "Midwestern Gothic" includes references to the novel, which is a good thing if you've read the book (many easter eggs to enjoy!), but totally harmless if you have not. The tales range over cosmic horror and folk horror, contain some gore, but they're mostly examples of incredibly good writing (on several levels), four imaginative stories set over the Midwest (Kansas), many times starring the land itself, the element that provides the unifying factor throughout the stories. There's no need to pick favorites, all four novellas are spectacular and none of them disappoints. One of them, however, deserves special mention: "One Half of a Child's Face", deserves to be a novel; it's chock-full of deep insights on the Gothic, on the book itself, and on what makes horror so attractive in general; it should be allowed space to breathe and it should be given the chance to stand on its own, especially as an extended meditation on the theme of obsession. In sum, the collection is a must-read for all horror fans and I cannot praise it enough!