Thin Places

The Shadows of Miskatonic #2

by Barbara Cottrell

Bodies falling from the sky, a serial killer on the loose, and endless bureaucracy.

Winter quarter has begun at Miskatonic University.

Ellen Logan wants nothing more than to join the school’s “special program”, but the administration refuses to admit her. That’s not her only problem. She has a jealous boyfriend and a charismatic celebrity who’s stalking her. A man who claims he’s a demon from another world.

When her friend is kidnapped, Ellen once again teams up with Professor Andrew Carter. Their investigations lead them to the site of a mysterious plane crash and an encounter that plunges her into the Dreamlands. With the help of new allies, Ellen must find a way to return to the real world where her friend’s life hangs in the balance.

Genres: Lovecraftian, Horror

402 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 2, 2023

About the author

Barbara Cottrell gave up her career as a professor to pursue her true passion: writing weird fiction. She is the author of Darkness Below and is a lifetime member of the Horror Writers Association. She enjoys presenting her work in unusual venues like Mystery Writers in the Mausoleum and Word Horde Emporium of The Weird and Fantastic. She also served as a judge on the Redwood Writer Anthologies Redemption: Stories from the Edge, Endeavor: Stories of Struggle and Perseverance, and helped edit Remember When and On Fire. She lives in Sonoma County on a not-at-all-haunted vineyard. When she isn’t exploring the dark side, she makes wine with her husband, Lance.

To find out more about her and the world of Miskatonic University, visit www.barbaracottrell.com.

Reviews

[Brayton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great follow up to the first book. The first half of the book is loaded with mystery, action, and horror while the second half really dives into fantastical world building that gets more emotional than expected. Ellen, Carter (both of them), and King Kuranes were great characters and the author does a great job of peeling back the layers to explain why they are the way they are. Still a lot of mystery to be explored with Ellen’s history and secrets being kept from her so I am very excited for the third installment.

[Roger · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thin Places (The Shadows of Miskatonic Book 2), is my second read from author Barbara Cottrell. The follow-uo to Darkness Below (The Shadows of Miskatonic Book 1). Is it Dark Fantasy? Dark Fantasy Horror? Paranormal Suspense? No matter how you categorize it, categorize it as wonderful! I look forward to reading more from this author, in fact Shadow Zone (The Shadows of Miskatonic Book 3) is already on my TBR list even though it won't be published until September 16th. (RIP Marley January 20, 2014 - July 24, 2018).

[Lance · Rating 5 out of 5]

Even better than the first book!!

I loved Darkness Below, but Thin Places takes the characters to a whole new level.
The stakes are higher, and the reality more convoluted. We get to explore other realms of existence and meet some famed characters from the Lovecraftian mythos.
The action is unrelenting and the characters pop off the page.
Now I can hardly wait for the next novel in the series to come out.

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Again, a very good book, but like the first book in the series I took a star away for the romantic subplot.

[Lauren Fitch · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.6 stars