Bedevil

by Kiran Hunter

Short Story - approx 11,500 words

A dream inheritance. A dark legacy. A new beginning.

We all have demons. They can be ignored, but they’ll surface eventually. Once they are out in the open should they be destroyed or tamed? Or perhaps they should be allowed free rein.

Harbinger House has a dark past. Shrouded in mystery, only rumours of what may have occurred inside its walls are left to fuel the local’s gossip. When Gareth Balaam inherits the house from a long lost relative he thinks his problems have ended. But it’s just the beginning. His partner, Tim, thinks the house is haunted. Gareth doesn’t believe in ghosts, but he does believe Tim is using the house as an excuse to not work on their relationship. Tensions rise as Gareth resents Tim for making him give up his lifestyle, and Tim feels Gareth doesn’t take him seriously. All the time they are being watched...

Genres: M M Romance, Paranormal

50 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 11, 2011

About the author

Kiran's early years were spent living in Cyprus and, later, in Hertfordshire and Kent, England. Cambridge is home now, but the mountains of Wales often beckon. Interests include psychology, philosophy, literature, art and music. Psychological thrillers fill the book case and rock music fills the house.

Kiran has always written… and figured it was time to unleash some of the many stories written instead of keeping them locked away.

The dark side of human nature is a constant fascination and the inspiration behind much of what Kiran writes, but sometimes the lighter side is tempting…

Reviews

[Portia · Rating 5 out of 5]

This review was written for MM Good Book Reviews by Pixie.

This is Kiran Hunter’s debut story and after reading this story I think I may just start author hunting (and they are in my neck of the woods bwahhahaha).

Gareth and Tim are moving into a house that Gareth has inherited. It’s tucked away in a little village and Gareth thinks it’s the perfect place to show Tim he is serious about him. After all, there is no temptation, no nightclubs and no men to cheat with. Tim doesn’t really want to be there. He is having difficulty trusting Gareth and finds it very hard to believe a word he says. He also feels that the house is haunted and really wants to leave. Luka is all alone when the two new men move in and he has hopes that that will change, but his presence spooks Tim.

I think that this story is well-written, well-plotted, has a good story-line and more than anything else it’s a teaser. It teases us with Gareth’s infidelity, it teases us with Tim’s difficulty to forgive, it teases us with Luka’s presence and it teases us with the mysterious old man in the pub. What we have here is a build-up of a spooky paranormal and I really can’t predict which way it’s going to go in the next book (oh yes I checked). Will it tip towards a romance? Or towards horror? It has the potential to go either way and I have a feeling that no matter which way it goes it will be great.

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[Tristram Roche · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very clever and intelligent ghost story with a gay twist.I loved the efficiency of the language which only serves to chill further. I feel there could be more to come - from any of the three main characters.

[Susan Roebuck · Rating 5 out of 5]

This short story is immensely readable and entertaining.
Kiran Hunter proves to be a wizard at the writing craft, creating well-rounded, memorable characters in few words - characters that I'd very much like to meet again. Gareth inherits a house he's never seen and has no idea of its sinister history. In order to save his cooling relationship with Tim, he moves into the house in the middle of the countryside to avoid the temptations of city life, unaware of who, or what, lurks in the walls of the crumbling abandoned house, nor what its intentions are.

The cover of "Bedevil" is a perfect fit for this brilliant story. Kiran Hunter plays with the reader like a cat and brews the horror like a gathering storm. I would love to see the sequel, if there is one, and I would definitely like to see Gareth and Tim again - I miss them already.

[Steve Emmett · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’d looked forward to reading Kiran Hunter’s debut release because it’s one of those hard-to-classify cross-genre stories that always intrigue me. A good old ghost story of the M R James variety, coupled – if I can be forgiven for using the word – with a gay relationship (I avoid the use of the word romance intentionally) between two asking-to-be-smacked middle class men from the Alan Hollinghurst school. The result is a wonderfully creepy, emotionally charged, sometimes explicit, short story that positions Hunter ready to take the world of gay/mm/paranormal fiction by storm. Read it or miss out

[Catherine Cavendish · Rating 5 out of 5]

I understand this is Kiran Hunter's first published work, but it is written with a maturity and sureness of touch I would normally expect from one with a number of books in circulation. It's a story of a house with a secret and a complex relationship in trouble. The story is fast-paced, without leaving the reader breathless, and is both original and compelling. Don't want to give anything away but I loved the ending too! Highly recommended for adults

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice cover, but the story is mediocre as a ghost story and a romance.

[Enny · Rating 2 out of 5]

This had an interesting premise and I rather liked it but the rushed and too open ending ruined it for me.