Mothman Haze

by E.C. Hanson

Summoned home after her nephew goes missing, Caroline Walzer returns to Connecticut to solve the mystery. Only her father, a once-respected construction worker, knows the truth. But he’s claiming that the Mothman snatched Little Ronnie outside a daycare center. Unnerved by his mental state, Caroline tries to bond with her demanding mother. As the heat ratchets up and impacts everyone’s mood, Caroline must press on. Will she learn what happened to Little Ronnie before it’s too late?

Genres: Horror

82 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 15, 2023

Reviews

[Syn · Rating 5 out of 5]

The writing is captivating, the story strange, and the main character is horny which made this intense book also funny at the same time. This little novella tells the story of a possible kidnapping done by the mythic cryptid known as Mothman.

I am a huge cryptid fan so I love reading stories featuring them, especially Mothman since he's my favorite.

This story was an addictive read with mysterious happenings, it is weird and strangely compelling and also sad and heartbreaking. If you like horror that is on the stranger side and that packs an emotional punch, Mothman Haze is a fantastic read.

[Paul Preston · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m not telling you anything about this book, except to go read it. What? You’re not into Mothman or Cryptids? Shut up and go read this book. Sure, this book is crude at times. I don’t care, it’s a short book. -Go. Read. It.
So you say you’re into grief horror? Well, by the end of this book, Hanson is using your heart as a Hacky Sack and he is really good at kicking it about until…the very end…when he misses…and he stomps on it…on purpose.

[Damien Casey · Rating 5 out of 5]

The main character in this book is thirsty. I didn’t expect that in a book about the Mothman. I also didn’t expect to laugh at the back and forth convo of the family like I had known them all my life. Legit, this book feels like you’re being told a story by your uncle after he’s a couple PBRs deep and decided to reminisce about little Ronnie. I think this element added a punch to the sentimentality the characters had for one another and made every event feel like it had real stakes to it. K thx.

[kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to the author for sending me a PDF ARC of Mothman Haze in exchange for an honest review!

I love anything involving Mothman and I really liked how Hanson included the cryptid into his novella. I definitely was not expecting the ending and it was jaw dropping! I would recommend this to anyone looking for a quick and shocking story. My only complaint would be I wished the characters were more fleshed out, but nonetheless I throughly enjoyed Mothman Haze!

[Caleb Ryan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hanson Strikes Again!

Mothman Haze is a quick read that grabs you by the throat on the first page and doesn’t let up. E. C. Hanson has proved time and time again that he is a master of intertwining horror and heart. Another creepy, dramatic, horny? mix of all the Mothman goodness we’re all ready to eat up.

[Kimyona Dietter · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is my first Mothman story. I wasn't sure what to expect. While I do enjoy an occasional cryptid tale, I haven't read one in a few months and I welcomed an opportunity to indulge in one. I will try to keep this as spoiler free as possible.

Mothman Haze is a short tale that moves fairly well utilizing aspects of psychological terror and written in a predominantly first-person voice. Enter Ms. Caroline Walzer; the story's protagonist. Suffering from Second Child Syndrome, Caroline is a grad student studying (and failing ) to be a screenwriter who drowns herself alcohol and sex to draw attention to herself and away from her older sister Kate. A few years prior, Kate committed suicide leaving her only son behind to be cared for by her parents.

Caroline receives a call from her mother to come home. After arriving home, she finds out her nephew is missing and the only explanation comes from her father who claims the Mothman took him. Mystery, dream terror scenes, a quest for revenge, and a twist of an ending makes me recommend this to my reader friends that lean more towards mysteries and thrillers versus horror. This book can be read in an evening or while traveling making it perfect for those bookworms that like to snack on smaller portions.

The only hiccup I found is most of the other characters could use a little more work to bring them out. However this being mainly a first person perspective and short work, I feel too much character development might take away from Caroline's journey and bog the story down.

Overall I enjoyed this and was glad to be given a PDF by the author to read and review. And now, I must read more Mothman!

[Mamasita81 · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5/5⭐️

This faced paced novella follows Caroline who’s got major second child syndrome. Living in her sister’s shadow has made her starved for affection and not making the best decision. She’s also never cried, at least as far as she can remember. She’s an aspiring playwright writer who passes her free time boozing and enjoying the flesh. However, a call from her mother has her going back home where she needs to confront her family life issues and figure out what happened to her nephew Little Ronnie. All while her father’s obsession with mothman has taken him down a spiral.

Caroline is a great character and her growth in the span of 82 pages was excellent. Could there have been more development in the other characters? Maybe but I don’t think it affects the story. Her father’s obsession with Mothman is permeated within every inch of him and the way it’s displayed within the story is both haunting and gut wrenching. And you’re really wondering if the Mothman took Little Ronnie as punishment to her father escaping him those many years prior?

Mothman is such a fascinating cryptid and is nicely used by Hanson. But that ending….I really didn’t expect that.

Thank you netgalley, big Swede publishing and EC Hanson for the opportunity to read an arc. Best wishes for release day.

[Jody Blanchette · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mothman lured me in, but the story held me hostage. You think you’re getting a horrific story about the classic cryptid, but what you actually get is more frightening..The monsters that live inside us!
Mothman Haze is a wild chase to find a missing child. The last person to see the child, claims that Mothman flew away with him. I found this hilarious. Next time I get confused or need an excuse to get out of something, I’m definitely claiming Mothman did it! To add to my hysteria, the main character is ready to mount the officer on the case. Lol. Her dirty thoughts will definitely have you giggling.
Without giving away spoilers, I will tell you that it’s not what you think. The ending sneaks up on you, in a rather odd way, and shocks. EC Hanson likes to take you inside the darkness of people. I’ve found he is quite good at deception, and I’m here for it!l

[Lauren K · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have always loved Mothman so I jumped for the chance to read this arc! Eric has such a way with drawing the readers in right away, and then tossing them into the thick of it. This was an incredibly fast paced story, and I absolutely loved our main character Caroline. You get humor, cryptids, and high emotions. Yet again, another fantastic read from a master of Horror!!

PS - Eric we NEED a sequel with Caroline!!!! Maybe a real Mothman sighting?? 🤩

[Robert Ottone · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hanson nails it. Unsurprisingly.

[Max · Rating 4 out of 5]

A breezy novella with a compelling voice. Narrator Caroline carries us through the opening pages with aplomb, and the small town of Monrovia, Connecticut is drawn in evocative broad strokes. Like all good horror stories set in small towns, there’s plenty of intrigue to be found; one parent is battling mental illness and another might just have seen something supernatural. The disappearance of nephew Little Ronnie is just the push she and the family need to start unravelling completely.

The writing is at its strongest when it leans into its main character’s voice and her twisty dialogue. At times narration veers away into the more clinical, the more obvious, in order to advance a scene. In any case, the story is so short that there’s not much time to nitpick! We’re dragged along for the ride with Caroline, her loves and loathings, her unbridled sexuality and her guilt-ridden dreams. And if nothing else, it’s an experience.

I received an ARC via NetGalley.

[Jules_withtheaxe · Rating 2 out of 5]

A quick little mystery!
Caroline is a sociopath (even though she won't admit it). She has no empathy towards anyone and hasn't shed a tear since she was very young. She is also very confident in her sexuality and likes to play the field. But when her nephew suddenly goes missing, with her father saying that he saw the Mothman carry him off, her mother asks her to come home. And so ensues the mystery.

I really enjoyed the dark humor and Caroline's witty dialogue. I found myself laughing out loud quite a lot. Obviously you have to suspend your disbelief while reading a story about a cryptid, but unfortunately I found I had no empathy for any of the characters. I felt like they weren't fleshed out enough for my taste. And when the final reveal happens I found it to be lacklustre instead of shocking as I'm sure it was intended to be. Also, I'm not sure why this is considered to be in the horror genre and I was disappointed to discover that it's instead a mystery.

I think this would appeal to someone who enjoys fun, short mysteries laced with dark humor.
2 1/2 stars

TW: Profanity, sexuality, suicide

I received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Alan · Rating 2 out of 5]

This review is for an ARC copy received from the publisher through NetGalley.
Though she hasn't been home in over a year, Caroline returns to her Connecticut town when her mother calls her, telling her to come home ASAP. There, she discovers that her six-year old nephew, whom her parents were raising, went missing after being dropped off at day care. Her father, who believes he witnessed seeing the infamous Mothman at the 1967 Silver Bridge collapse, claims that Mothman has taken the boy in revenge for him escaping the bridge unharmed. Caroline must now figure out what happened to her nephew, what's wrong with her father, and is there really such a thing as the Mothman.
The premise of the story itself was pretty good, and I am a sucker for Mothman stories. However, the character of Caroline was one of the worst written ones I've ever read. While she may be someone who is emotionally void (though she insists not psychopathic), her thoughts and actions are like those some teenage boy would fantasize out and then put to paper. Upon seeing the cop who she always had a crush on, all she can think about is "boning him"; she states this numerous times, despite the fact that their interactions are revolve around the nephew's disappearance. And her over-sexualized thoughts and dialogue were just cringe-worthy. This is definitely a case of a male writer who has no clue how to write female characters well. 2.5/5*

[Vanessa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received this eARC from the author.

I had never reads a cryptid story before and I really enjoyed this one. Mothman Haze is definitely not your standard horror book. It's mysterious, creepy full of peculiar happenings and a very horny protagonist.

I enjoyed the story and the pacing was great. I did not expect the ending at all which was a pleasant surprise.

The MC could have been a little bit more fleshed out and maybe a little bit less horny as her thoughts are fit for a teenage boy rather than an adult woman.

Overall a nice quick read.

[Erin Cunningham · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quick novella with a twist. Easy read that sucked me in. Psychological with a little mystery involving the Mothman lore. Narrated by our lead Caroline we see tiny glimpses into her past and her hopes for her future. We follow her along as she is in search for her nephew, a young boy who grandpa is positive was taken by the Mothman. It was sometimes hard to follow, but with its length you don’t get very lost.

Thank you to the author for the free eARC for my honest review.

[Claire Pacey · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was OK. On the one side I did find it hars to put down, I wanted to keep reading. On the other hand it was not what I was expecting at all. I was expecting it to be about an actual creature that was real. I think the ending personally was a bit disappointing to say it was meant to be a horror. Was a sad ending though which was different.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[⚕️NurseNan⚕️ · Rating 5 out of 5]

To most, Mothman is a beloved Cryptid but to Bud, it's a evil creature worthy of his vengeance.

This book is a quick read but it is heavy on the content. It draws you in under the premise of a Cryptid mystery and a man's revenge, then it takes a sharp left and leaves you stunned. I definitely did not expect that ending. An absolutely fantastic read.

[Milt Theo · Rating 5 out of 5]

E.C. Hanson's new novella, 'Mothman Haze,' is an excellent story drawing on the urban legend of Mothman in a way that's original, deep, and captivating! It's an easy read, character-driven, with a strong true crime or mockumentary feel, all done deftly in less than a hundred pages. The central figure, film school graduate Caroline, is a great narrator choice, shining with intelligence and self-awareness; still, she's not your standard type of female character in such stories, and this made all the difference for me. I liked the sense of freedom and self-criticism she punctuated everything with, her way of thinking through her problems (the brilliant idea of presenting alternative ways she'd preferred things might have gone made her feel real and alive!), and her merciless acknowledgment of her own bad decisions. Hanson knows how to tell a story with very few resources, and this is a classic case of simplicity exploding into a rich assortment of complexities throughout: family issues, clashes of personalities, contradictions of reality and desires. Plus, the incredible ending! The resolution of the mystery was sheer genius. This is not your run-of-the-mill cryptid story; it's a fast-paced novella highly recommended to everyone!

[Wayne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. Very good story by E C Hanson. First time reading him, and really enjoyed this story. The characters were realistic, and the story and pacing were great. And a great twist at the end. And of course who doesn't love a story about the Mothman. Can't wait to read more from E C Hanson. #MothmanHaze #NetGalley

[Jamie Park · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book so much! I was hooked from the first word. What an opening! You know how I love books where someone has to come home to help family, like Hallmark movies but not. Well our girl is slutty, funny, and self centered but she comes home after her little nephew goes missing. Her father believes Mothman took him. I laughed so many times. I just am an absolute fan of this one.

[Nicole · Rating 5 out of 5]

really enjoyed reading the Mothman Haze, this novella was full of mystery and intrigue. The ending was not at all what I expected and I loved the dynamics between the book's characters, I also loved the mystery of the Mothman and what happened to little Ronnie. this was a quick gripping read and if you love mysteries that feature legendary creatures this book is for you, Highly recommended!!!

[Annarella · Rating 5 out of 5]

A good horror novella that I enjoyed. The author did a good job and developed a fast paced and dark story that kept me on the edge.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

[Danielle (Danni) Vinson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mothman Haze, by E.C. Hanson, is a tragic story about loss, guilt, and dysfunctional family relationships. It's the story of a man who breaks from reality, and the events that culminate in truth, acceptance, and unexpected release. I loved it.

[DA · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow

A dark mystery that engulfed me and made me as invested in the truth as the characters. Hanson always blows me away with how he can build a story that will make you question what you believe is going on.

[Lexaprose · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this! The plot, pacing, character development, and plot twist were excellent. A very unique premise. The last chapter was epic.

Thank you to the author for gifting me the book.

[Emily Lorié · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hanson is a master at crafting unexpected endings. I did not see that coming!

I’m impressed beyond words at the depth of this cryptid story. It may be short, but it truly packs a punch!

I was left speechless at the end, so I’ll keep this brief, but I encourage you to check out Mothman Haze. Even the title blows me away, knowing what I know. Brilliant.

[Aeroreader · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mothman Haze is a story that brought two of the worst fears I have as a parent and channeled them into a cryptid mystery horror. It was a fresh take to watch the story unfold from the point of view of a disbeliever. While the main character is pretty unlikeable, she's a fine human being when compared to the moral shortcomings of her parents.

As always, Hanson has written a fast-paced tale that leaves you wanting more. The ending was an emotional gut punch that I didn't see coming. If you are looking for a quick page turner, this is the one to pick up.

Many thanks to the author for sending an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Veronica · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a quick read about a graduate student returning home to her parents to help them find her missing nephew that her father believes was taken by Mothman.

This novella was fast paced and interesting from start to finish! Though I found the ending to be predictable, the way it got there was engaging enough to keep me reading!

I didn’t really care for the main character, I found her childish and overly perverted. Her motivations are selfish and aspects of her personality don’t totally make sense with the direction this story takes. Still, it was a good quick read with a satisfying ending.

If you’re looking for a Mothman story that subverts your expectation, then Mothman Haze comes out January 2nd!

[Byron F · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mothman Haze, by E.C. Hanson, is a tightly packed novella with a secret at the heart of it.

Ronnie goes missing. His aunt Caroline, our narrator, returns home to help in any way she can. She has her work cut out for her though because Bud, her father, is saying that Mothman took Ronnie.

This isn't the first time he has seen Mothman, and Bud is hoping it won't be the last. He's on a manic hunt for the elusive cryptid and when he finds it he's going to kill it.

When you're searching for Ronnie and hunting the Mothman, you should be careful what you're looking for because you might just find it.

[Dawn Petersen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely love the Mothman so I was beyond excited to find out Eric wrote this book AND wanted me to read it before it was released!! He creates the most amazing characters that you can’t help but love. And I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again… his surprise endings are mind blowing!! My friend Lauren who I was buddy reading this with sent me a text that said, First page, Chapter 1 and I’m dying! The moment I got home I ran to read it and instantly loved the main character, Caroline! She’s so real and honest, we both said we could totally hang out with her 😆 We also decided that we want more of her in a future story Eric, so chop chop 😂🤣

A totally relatable kick ass main character who has a bitch for a mother, a father who’s losing his mind and a missing nephew. And how could I forget the Mothman…
Did he do it or not…