Screams do not carry twenty miles to the next farm house…
Ten years ago, a little girl was supposedly murdered. Ten years ago, that little girl got away.
Now, after eight years of living on her own, feeding from garbage cans and doing what she must to survive and still remain anonymous, the lies told to her have led her—her sense of vengeance and retribution—back to the door-step of whom she considers to blame.
Those who stand in her way receive nothing of mercy as her relentless pursuit to extract revenge on those who robbed her of her life comes to a chilling close as nothing will stop her…and no one is to be spared.
Full disclosure: Steve Soderquist, like me, is a Damnation Books author. We exchanged books for honest reviews. Writers support writers. With that, “Farm House” made me tense. It made me go check on my family several times to make sure they were sleeping safely. It kept me reading through the night because I wanted to know what was going to happen. This book is a coiled snake, hypnotizing you with its gaze while it deliberately unfolds. You read this, and you are snared. I was caught from the beginning by despicable, yet human characters. The evil that men do is fully on display here in all of its ugliness. “Farm House” starts out darkly, then goes on to show that evil begets evil. I read this, and secretly envied Soderquist for some his passages, wishing I had come up with these lyrical descriptions about what’s going on in his characters’ heads. I mean, I really wish I had come up with some of the lines in his book. Damn him for his skill! “Farm House” is populated by real people. I felt what Soderquist wants his readers to feel for them: compassion, hatred, sadness, despair, everything Soderquist hypnotized me into feeling. These aren’t characters, but flesh-and-blood people with real motives, real emotions and honest reactions to a horror meticulously unraveling around them. That made me all the more tense. I connected to his people. I knew his people, not his characters, but his people. I read about this happening to real people. Those poor people… The protagonist in “Farm House” is a damaged soul. She is evil by no fault of her own, a victim of evil. It happens every minute of every day: people are damaged and victimized, then become stronger and better, or every bit as evil as the perpetrator that ruined them, if not more. So, do you hate the monster that didn’t start out as a monster, or feel pity for the victimized child deep inside no matter how evil and remorseless they have become? The damaged soul in this book is metamorphosed into an evil spirit of vengeance, her past littered with the corpses of those unlucky to meet her on her way to fulfilling her perceived divine destiny. Those that believe their bloodstained fates are divinely ordained are the most dangerous. This book isn’t torture-porn, but it will make your own body parts ache with something akin to phantom pains as Soderquist describes the torment she has come home to deliver. Remember to check on your family once in a while.
If Charles Bronson had been an eight year old girl...this book is always creepy, sometimes funny, and always scary. It latches on to our greatest fears. I'll think twice before stopping at that adorable Farm House from now on.
I am not a horror/ mystery reader at all. This book has made me think twice about that. I read it in a day. It keeps you on the edge of your seat and just when you think oh she'll soften. Haha. Think again. This author has what it takes to go the long hall. No sissy stuff here
I was out of my usual genre again with this book. Well written, it had many layers, taking the reader on a journey of suspense, intrigue and horror. The story revolves around a child who has disappeared at the age of eight following an event. She survives her precarious childhood despite this. Her family are estranged and the main character, Crystal Christiana is a dark force in the Farm House. She meets some very horrible people and is completely void of empathy. An act of kindness sees Crystal arrive at the a remote farm house. She finds a group of young people living there, who have all had issues of their own of one kind or another. What ensues at the farm house afterwards, is a gruesome set of events. It is clear her past events has culminated in a mental state of dissociation or detachment. It's hard to review this book without letting spoilers slip, but I will say that the characters are well developed, there is a lot of reflection by some of them, and the scenes are graphically and detailed in their description. It would appear a lot of research has preceded Mr. Sodiquist's work, and attention to detail is noted.Good read for horror/thriller fans.
Well this book scared me to death. But that's a good thing...I pulled a Joey(I had to put it in the freezer)! But I read it in 2 days in the daylight! I am a fan now! Definitely better than Steven King!
If you are a fan of dark, edgy, psychological thrillers, this book is for you. If violence and deep, dark subject matter turns you off, this book probably isn't for you. I happen to be a fan of the macabre, not because I like violence, but because I enjoy the study of the mind, and why some of us decided to visit the evil, dark side and do disturbing things to others. Is it pure evil, our DNA, our traumatic childhood experiences, or a combination of all of these that push people over the edge into an evil abyss? This book touches on this discussion while also delivering interesting characters and a frenetic, intense pace.
Crystal Ann Christina was an abused child that was left for dead by her father when she was eight. But she managed to survive doing whatever it takes. Her mother Karen wonders what happened to Crystal and decides to take in those from the streets that need a family. Then they start disappearing one by one. At the same time a serial killer is on the loose and the police are trying to stop them. It seems Karen may have more information than you initially see and that she is intentionally not sharing that information with the detectives. Will they be able to stop the serial killer?
I love a great serial killer story when penned properly and Soderquist does a fantastic job. A young girl has been betrayed in the ultimate way and does whatever she can to survive, you feel bad for her. Years later you see she has become a serial killer, it’s hard to hate someone when they have had such a tough start in life.
Personally I love stories with female serial killers, creepy right?! But women are generally over looked when you think of someone that is going to kill. But I have seen things that women do that put male serial killers to shame. And this book fits right into true life events.
If you like your thrillers bloody good, look no further. You will be adding Soderquist to your book shelves like me.
I received Farm House from Foundation Books for free. This has in no way influenced my opinion of this book.
Crazy, Suspense, Mystery, Gruesome; those are just some of the words to describe Farmhouse by Steve Soderquist. This book truly captivated me, so much so I couldn't put it down, I read it in a day. This book really does take you for a ride, making you sit at the edge of your seat scared from reading the words, but brave enough to continue on. You just know you have to keep reading to find out what is going to happen, especially when things start to ease up a bit, then BAM! Everything changes.
This book is about a little girl who was left for dead by her father, but she was able to escape and live on her own. Crystal Christiana disappeared after she was left for dead, and lived on the streets doing what she had to in order to survive. Crystal's mother Karen always wondered what happened to her daughter, but knew there was no leads. So Karen and Jules, Crystal's little sister, took in other troubled teens and created a big family. Most of these teens came from trouble backgrounds, runaways, or people who had no family. They all loved Karen and their home, they loved each other, it was safe and peaceful. (Steve is able to make these characters real in your mind. You're able to understand them, and feel exactly how he wants you to feel towards them.) That was until Karen invited a new girl to come stay at the house, then everyone started disappearing. Some had their suspicions whether the disappearances were due to Kelly or not, but would they find the truth a little too late?
This book was absolutely amazing!!! There were times when I cried, cringed and bit my lips until they bled reading this book. This is definitely one that will make you leave the light on. Perfection!!