Secret Basements

by Robert Essig

Jennifer, in recovery after her latest stint in rehab, is called out to care for Uncle Charlie, a man she has never met. It's a good opportunity to get away from the bad influences in Chicago, and even better it's a chance to prove to her family she's not the thieving addict they despise. Problem is, Uncle Charlie lives in Tennessee, and he's an odd duck. Caring after him is a chore, and the podunk town he lives in has many secrets in the many basements of too many abandoned houses.

The creepy church up the road, the woman in tatters who sneaks around dark basement enclosures, the toothless grins of deviant men who crave more than mere friendship. A family with secrets deeper than a hollow pit and bonded by blood. Can Jennifer manage her way through this test of her life?

The cane raps on the porch handrail. Charlie sneers as he makes his demands. Is this life better than what Jennifer left behind?

Genres: Horror

Unknown Binding

Published April 14, 2023

About the author

Robert Essig is the author of 30 books such as Baby Fights, Disco Rice, and Master of Bodies, which was nominated for a Splatterpunk Award. He has published over 130 short stories and edited three anthologies. Robert lives with his family in east Tennessee.

Reviews

[Theresa (mysteries.and.mayhem) · Rating 4 out of 5]

My favorite vacation destination is Tennessee. The beautiful Smoky Mountains; Memphis - the home of The King (not Stephen, but Elvis!); and Nashville - Music City are all places I could visit repeatedly. Secret Basements by Robert Essig manages to put a creepy spin on the backwoods of my favorite state.

Jennifer is a recovering addict trying to distance herself from the streets of Chicago. When her elderly uncle Charlie needs the help of a live-in caretaker, she decides that's the perfect opportunity to start over and prove herself to her mom and sister back in Chicago. Charlie doesn't make her job easy. He's a grouchy old man with what seems to be an evil side. The small town he lives in seems a bit "off" as well. There are many secrets throughout this book. Secrets in Jennifer's family; in the town; even in deserted basements. Once the suspense ratchets up, it doesn't stop! And that ending! I was on the edge of my seat as I finished the book. With plenty of creepy small town vibes throughout and some added gore, I consider Secret Basements an excellent thriller and horror combination. I would recommend it to any fan of horror or suspense.

I'm happy to give Secret Basements four out of five stars. Many thanks to D&T Publishing. I received an electronic copy of this book for free, and I'm leaving this review voluntarily. The opinions expressed here are completely my own.

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

Jennifer had a hard life as an addict. No stranger to couch hopping and doing whatever to get her next fix. Now all of that is behind her. She’s clean and has now been named her Uncle Charlie’s caretaker. While this isn’t something she enjoys (in fact, she loathes the old man), she sees it as an opportunity to stay clean. Eventually, Jennifer starts noticing odd things and odd behaviors in the small town.

Essig did a wonderful job on the buildup in this book. Details slowly emerge, giving the reader small hints as to what is going on. The tension and the unknown had me flying through the pages. As I started seeing the bigger picture, I was blown away at what was revealed. Talk about creepy! The author also did a great job with the characters. Uncle Charlie’s character was so easy to despise. Such a grumpy and abrasive old man that seemed to love to push buttons. I loved the bit of mystery that always surrounded this character until the end. Jennifer was also well done. Her struggles were really captured throughout the whole book.

Secret Basements was an entertaining read. It’s creepy, it has chilling moments, and some surprising twists. You never really know what or who may be lurking about the odd town of Rudgersville.

"It was macabre, creepy. It looked like... It looked like a death mask."

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to D&T Publishing for providing a review copy.
4.25 stars. This is my second Robert Essig book and he can definitely write a great story. Secret Basements is fairly slow-paced, taking its time building up tension and dread (and a serious dislike of Uncle Charlie). Towards the end, things develop quite quickly. I devoured the book in two sittings and enjoyed it very much.

[Rachel M · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great creepy read following ex addict Jennifer. After her stay in rehab she is sent to take care of nasty uncle Charlie! A slow burn building up tension, learning all about the small towns secrets and more about Jennifer’s family, and that maybe her addiction isn’t the only reason she is the family outcast.

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

My introduction to this author was Death Obsessed which I very much enjoyed. Secret Basements revolves around Jennifer who is a recovering addict. Her Uncle Charlie is sick so she leaves Chicago to take care of him in Tennessee. This is slow burn horror that has a creepy setting, and a great mystery. It captures the struggle of being in recovery very well. The climax was very good.

[Milt Theo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well, this is not an easy book to review. Not because of the writing: it's consistently good, as you'd expect from a Robert Essig book; not because of the slow pace: yes, it's a slow-burn, but Essig delivers a riveting story with engaging characters, creepy imagery and some timely twists, so you're never bored going on with the story. The problem, for me, is with the unexplained repetitions, the giving of the same information twice to the same person (Sheehan to Charlie on Jennifer's drug problem), the inexplicable conversations that say nothing new (Jennifer bickering with Sheehan more than twice on the same issue), plus a major revelation that simply does not register to absolutely nobody (Louis letting slip to Jennifer something truly significant about her relation to Charlie!). Are these editing glitches? Is Uncle Charlie somehow able to manipulate female minds? (He certainly knows how to undermine their self-confidence!) Frankly, I have no idea. But it really threw me off and I had great trouble fully enjoying the book. The story itself, however, is quite good: Jennifer, a former drug addict, goes to Tennessee to take care of her uncle Charlie, whom she's never met; bit by bit, a mystery unfolds and some serious small-town horror develops, as Jennifer discovers something terrible going on in the basements of the abandoned houses in the area.

[Milt Theo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well, this is not an easy book to review. Not because of the writing: it's consistently good, as you'd expect from a Robert Essig book; not because of the slow pace: yes, it's a slow-burn, but Essig delivers a riveting story with engaging characters, creepy imagery and some timely twists, so you're never bored going on with the story. The problem, for me, is with the unexplained repetitions, the giving of the same information twice to the same person (Sheehan to Charlie on Jennifer's drug problem), the inexplicable conversations that say nothing new (Jennifer bickering with Sheehan more than twice on the same issue), plus a major revelation that simply does not register to absolutely nobody (Louis letting slip to Jennifer something truly significant about her relation to Charlie!). Are these editing glitches? Is Uncle Charlie somehow able to manipulate female minds? (He certainly knows how to undermine their self-confidence!) Frankly, I have no idea. But it really threw me off and I had great trouble fully enjoying the book. The story itself, however, is quite good: Jennifer, a former drug addict, goes to Tennessee to take care of her uncle Charlie, whom she's never met; bit by bit, a mystery unfolds and some serious small-town horror develops, as Jennifer discovers something terrible going on in the basements of the abandoned houses in the area.

[Shannon Marie · Rating 3 out of 5]

“… that wasn’t nearly as startling as the discovery of a skull within the cement.”
Jennifer unflinchingly weathers her path as the proverbial black sheep of the family, then addiction and recovery. But, nothing could prepare her for Uncle Charlie (and what lies within the cement) in that backwards Tennessee town she was summoned to…

This one was a creepy and super slow burn for me. Like that winding extension cord that “went straight down to the ground and across the stained concrete and beneath yet another door” in that spine chilling abandoned house across the way - this story meandered through those deeply evil secrets that only small towns can keep close to the vest.

Part thriller, part mysterious family drama and part horror story… this one has a little for everyone.
The tempo was a little slow for my personal taste, and I felt myself wanting to know more about the history, as well as the “why’s”, of the darkness that took over the inhabitants of this crooked little hamlet. Perhaps our dear author will give us a prequel? Only time will tell.

Until then, in the words of our wise town Priest, “Why yell, little lamb, God intended all of this. He intended men to reign supreme. Thing is, most people don’t get that. ‘Specially not these days. It’s okay though. We got all our women folk here in the church…”
I, for one, don’t want to stick around in that church… maybe you do? You’ll have to read this one to find out.

[Danielle Yeager · Rating 4 out of 5]

Addiction, misogyny, family dysfunction, and family secrets are the themes here.

The MC, Jennifer, is a recovering drug addict caring for her elderly, ill, insufferable redneck uncle. In her free time, she snoops in the basements of numerous abandoned houses in this small Tennessee town, which has A LOT of cement statues. The third character is Jennifer's narcissistic sister, Sasheen. Uncle Charlie is a loathsome character, to say Sasheen is unlikable is an understatement, and I wanted to but just didn't connect with Jennifer.

While it wasn't a page-turner for me, I did like that it is transgressive with some splatter and is set in Appalachia. This was my first by this author and I definitely plan on checking out some of his other works.

[Milt Theo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well, this is not an easy book to review. Not because of the writing: it's consistently good, as you'd expect from a Robert Essig book; not because of the slow pace: yes, it's a slow-burn, but Essig delivers a riveting story with engaging characters, creepy imagery and some timely twists, so you're never bored going on with the story. The problem, for me, is with the unexplained repetitions, the giving of the same information twice to the same person (Sheehan to Charlie on Jennifer's drug problem), the inexplicable conversations that say nothing new (Jennifer bickering with Sheehan more than twice on the same issue), plus a major revelation that simply does not register to absolutely nobody (Louis letting slip to Jennifer something truly significant about her relation to Charlie!). Are these editing glitches? Is Uncle Charlie somehow able to manipulate female minds? (He certainly knows how to undermine their self-confidence!) Frankly, I have no idea. But it really threw me off and I had great trouble fully enjoying the book. The story itself, however, is quite good: Jennifer, a former drug addict, goes to Tennessee to take care of her uncle Charlie, whom she's never met; bit by bit, a mystery unfolds and some serious small-town horror develops, as Jennifer discovers something terrible going on in the basements of the abandoned houses in the area.

[Milt Theo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well, this is not an easy book to review. Not because of the writing: it's consistently good, as you'd expect from a Robert Essig book; not because of the slow pace: yes, it's a slow-burn, but Essig delivers a riveting story with engaging characters, creepy imagery and some timely twists, so you're never bored going on with the story. The problem, for me, is with the unexplained repetitions, the giving of the same information twice to the same person (Sheehan to Charlie on Jennifer's drug problem), the inexplicable conversations that say nothing new (Jennifer bickering with Sheehan more than twice on the same issue), plus a major revelation that simply does not register to absolutely nobody (Louis letting slip to Jennifer something truly significant about her relation to Charlie!). Are these editing glitches? Is Uncle Charlie somehow able to manipulate female minds? (He certainly knows how to undermine their self-confidence!) Frankly, I have no idea. But it really threw me off and I had great trouble fully enjoying the book. The story itself, however, is quite good: Jennifer, a former drug addict, goes to Tennessee to take care of her uncle Charlie, whom she's never met; bit by bit, a mystery unfolds and some serious small-town horror develops, as Jennifer discovers something terrible going on in the basements of the abandoned houses in the area.

[Danielle Yeager · Rating 4 out of 5]

Addiction, misogyny, family dysfunction, and family secrets are the themes here.

The MC, Jennifer, is a recovering drug addict caring for her elderly, ill, insufferable redneck uncle. In her free time, she snoops in the basements of numerous abandoned houses in this small Tennessee town, which has A LOT of cement statues. The third character is Jennifer's narcissistic sister, Sasheen. Uncle Charlie is a loathsome character, to say Sasheen is unlikable is an understatement, and I wanted to but just didn't connect with Jennifer.

While it wasn't a page-turner for me, I did like that it is transgressive with some splatter and is set in Appalachia. This was my first by this author and I definitely plan on checking out some of his other works.

Thank you to D&T Publishing LLC for an ARC in exchange for my honest opinion and review.