The Restless Ones: A Novel

by Abe Moss

There’s no rest for the wicked… or the dead they’ve left behind.It’s been four years since the Hartnett House Massacre – four years since Whitley Adams rescued her sister, Nora, from a nightmare she herself still struggles to escape.When a documentary filmmaker expresses interest in telling their story, Whitley’s sister believes it could be the answer to all their troubles. A chance to finally confront their past, and move on with their lives once and for all.But the past isn’t the only thing waiting at Hartnett House. More than memories roam its forgotten halls. More than shadows lurk behind its dark, unwashed windowpanes. Something sinister has awaited Whitley’s return since that fateful night four years ago, biding its time for one thing, and one thing only...Revenge.

Genres: Horror, Thriller, Ghosts, Paranormal, Horror Thriller, Suspense, Mystery Thriller

284 pages, Paperback

First published January 30, 2024

About the author

Abe Moss has been writing horror stories for as long as he can remember, and hopes to never stop. He loves creature-features, psychological horror, supernatural horror, cosmic horror, you name it. With each book he writes, he hopes to try something a little different. The possibilities are endless and that's what he really loves about storytelling. He hopes you'll enjoy his stories, too!

Reviews

[Susannah Prewitt · Rating 5 out of 5]

For fans of Riley Sager, The Restless Ones had me gripping my kindle for the entire ride. I thought my original guesses for the ending were spot on, nope. Moss excels at pacing, each page more unsettling than the last. Part Scream, part Bodies Bodies Bodies, The Restless Ones was a morbid adventure in curiosity that I could not put down! If you like horror, creepy houses and twisty twisty turns then this one is for you!

Thank you to the author for this ARC in exchange for my honest review!

[Nita Garcia · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a ride! Abe Moss has a twistedly beautiful mind! If Riley Sager and Lucinda Berry had a baby, and that baby turned out to be a horror genius... it would be Abe Moss. I received this book as an ARC read and I really couldn't put this book down. It's creepy and dysfunctional and there are 2 twists I didn't see coming. I had been in a horror book slump after I DNF'd a book early this month and within the first 8-10 pages my love of horror books was sparked again. I loved this one so much I ended up purchasing more books by the author.

The short of it is... Whittley and Nora, sisters survive an attack at Nora's friend's summer home. Fast forward 4 years and they return to the house to film a documentary about that night and hopefully get some closure.... but evil lies in waiting.... bidding it's time... waiting for Whittley's return to exact revenge.

No one is who they appear to be.... nothing is what it appears to be... and no one is safe.
There were several times that I was freaked out and there were several times I had to re-read a passage because the writing style of Abe Moss is so good.

It's a quick read, I only had to space it out because I wasn't feeling good... but I seriously did not want to put this book down. This one certainly didn't disappoint.

[Hope Mosley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this author on TikTok and was super intrigued from the beginning however this book blew those expectations out of the water! This fast paced horror had me in its grips from page 1! A quick read with tons of action and a great storyline had me wishing for more at the end. I am truly impressed by this read and can’t wait to read more from this author!!!

[Amandatory Reading · Rating 3 out of 5]

Average read. Was hoping for more spooky but there were some creepy moments. I knew the twist from the beginning. It wasn’t hard to figure out since things didn’t add up right away. I still liked it enough to give 3 stars.

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This author is so under hyped, this was such a good spooky read. It had me hooked from the first page, somehow it felt like such a light and easy read, even though it was a thriller.

I wasn’t completely satisfied with the ending and who was responsible for all of the deaths, but the writing style was perfect and I still loved reading this.

The main reason I loved this so much, was the fact that it didn’t follow the usual narrative of a thriller, it felt really quite unique. A lot of thrillers follow the same style as a Frieda McFadden novel, the first half one character is crazy, then you find out at the half way point that actually, they’re the innocent party. But The Restless Ones wasn’t like that, which I really appreciated.

I also didn’t expect the paranormal aspect of this, but again, i appreciated it.

[Ella · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was so fortunate to be an ARC reader for this book and god, I loved every moment of it. The slow build up to the actual event, it was all so good. I stayed up late to read so much of this as it gripped me! Perfect read for horror and thriller fans

[Al · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5* - Very campy, B horror movie vibes.

[Acadia · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was not bad, very predictable but I loved some of the imagery, the overall story, and the characters. A fun haunted house read with a solid backstory to start off spooky season with.

[Kerry · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyable but fairly predictable.

[Sara Mcfadden · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this arc in return for an honest review

This is a creepy insidious horror book that feels like ghost fingers upon your neck and fingers running up your spine.

It is a haunted house, ghosts of the past tale that happens after a brutal serial killer massacre. A film crew is interested in the survivors stories and what ensues is a rollercoaster of horror and emotional feels. I thoroughly enjoyed this book.

[April · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great read. I love a good haunting book. I am now interested to read this authors other books!

[Stephanie Duron · Rating 5 out of 5]

My first ARC of the year! Truthfully, I did not read the description of this book before signing up to be an ARC reader. So, as usual, I went in blind. I've never read anything by Abe Moss, but now I need to devour all of his books. The writing was great. The twists were insane. I read this so fast! I couldn't get enough of Whitley, Nora, and the Hartnett house.

[Betsy Byrd · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dude....all.I can say is amazing!!

This book was awesome!! I was literally breathless. I was feeling ThE tension And fear!!! I don't think a book has ever gave me this feeling better!! Absolutely the best book ever!!!!!!i I wish I could give it 10 stars...bc its great!!!

[Woodsmoke · Rating 1 out of 5]

I had high hopes for this one. Unfortunately, this read like a shitty, forgettable B-movie. The author could have done so much more to flesh out the characters... not to mention make them actually more human. Everything was given away. The reader didn't have to guess at what was happening as it was all laid out within the first few chapters. The characters were some of the stupidest I've ever read. Every decision they made had me facepalming. No one with a single brain cell would make any decisions that these characters made. I thought about making notes to give examples but I would rather not waste my time because there were just too many stupid decisions. The magic... er... paranormal... system isn't fleshed out. How are the ghosts so powerful? Is there something about the property? Are all ghosts in this world that powerful? Are all ghosts terrified of the instrument of their death? Why? It seemed so silly to have this big-bad-murderer ghost be scared of a garden gnome. Was I supposed to laugh? Because I definitely wtf-laughed. How/why did she think her plan was gonna work? Why was Whitley able to see the ghosts and no one else could? Does she have a gift for seeing the dead? Who was Julian again? lol Like I honestly don't even remember. Nick was the one with the pungent body odor... I think. Ugh, I have so many questions and no answers. The last thing I'll say here is that the characters are very flat in both personality and emotionality. If I were to give constructive feedback, it would be to make the characters have more inner turmoil over things that would cause the average person to have extreme inner turmoil! It doesn't matter if your sister helped murder everyone, and caused your life to be all fucked up for the past 4 years. You'd still have qualms about killing your sister. The main character didn't even shed a tear, and she was supposed to be the non-sociopathic one! No one acts like that. Anyway, save your time, don't read this.

[Cass · Rating 4 out of 5]

what a deliciously creepy read! i'm too much of a wuss to sit down and watch a horror movie, but literary horror is a whole different ball game. supernatural horror in particular always piques my interest, so naturally, i was very intrigued by the premise of this story. now that i've finished it, i'm happy to report that it did not disappoint.

despite its slow start, this novel really packed a punch. though it took a second to get the ball rolling, once it did... oh boy. i finished this book in three sittings—it would have only been two, but yesterday i grew too scared to continue reading before bed. (seeing as this is a horror story, however, i'm sure the author would count that as an indisputable win.)

with propulsive prose, unexpected twists, and the use of some notoriously well-timed flashbacks, the restless ones succeeded in serving up a plate of cold, spine-tingling terror. the book itself was less than 250 pages, so it never felt like events were needlessly dragging on; if anything, the shorter length made for a much more compelling read.

i set out for an engrossing palate cleanser, and this novel gave me exactly what i was looking for. in the future, i'll definitely be keeping an eye out for more of abe moss' work 👁️

[Shannon Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.


TBH I was a bit nervous about reading a reviewing this book, as I have never reviewed a book for an indie author but I am SO glad I signed up for this one. this books was so fun! I love a good haunted house story and this was such a fun one. you have unlikeable and unreliable characters. the classic final girl. some gory death scenes. and so much more. there is dual timelines, which is always fun, however i do wish we got to spend a bit more time in the “murder night” timeline because i would have loved getting a more detailed version of the attacks and murders and such. while I did guess the twist early on it did not take away from my enjoyment at all. overall this was an amazing book and I highly recommend it

[Tish · Rating 5 out of 5]

Holy crap! What in the world did I just read?? And why did I enjoy it so much?

This is my first book by this author and it will not be my last. One of the best books I've read so far this year, without a doubt.

I went into this one blind, like I tend to do, so had no idea what to expect. But in my wildest imagination I'd had never guessed.

Drew me in right from the beginning and kept me on the edge of my seat right up to the end.

[Denise · Rating 5 out of 5]

Couldn't put it down! The Restless Ones dances between psychological thriller and horror as the Whitley goes back to the place of her trauma. Abe Moss keeps readers wondering what's real and what's not as Whitley relives her experiences and we discover what happened four years prior. This was a real page turner with a few scenes in each chapter. The story was told in a single perspective, switching between timelines, and was easy to follow. Two thumbs up!

[BreesBeast · Rating 5 out of 5]

Omg! This was a great read! I loved that it was a mix of slasher and haunted house vibes! I also loved how the story flowed and the build up had me second guessing myself on what would happen! I Would definitely recommend to anyone looking for a quick spooky read that will keep you on the edge of your seat until the very end.

[Aleasha · Rating 4 out of 5]

First off, I'm glad I was lucky enough to receive this as an ARC. It was my first book by this author & it won't be my last. It gave me Riley Sager vibes the whole time I was reading it. This book kept me interested throughout the book & threw some unexpected twists in, both supernatural & not. Definitely worth the read when it's released 1/30/2024!

[Terry M · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent well-written paranormal horror. It leads you through pages of fear, uncertainty murder and twists that you don't see coming. Highly recommended. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Debbie DiFiore · Rating 5 out of 5]

Incredibly horrifying

This was a ride! Wow! I had so many suspects and I thought I knew what happened but I wasn't prepared for the journey. It was pretty intense and I could not put the book down. Everyone has secrets. Is the documentary going to get to the truth? Is Nora really whay she seems? Does Whitley have PTSD or something worse? this book totally engrossed me. Four years ago something bad happened at Hartnet House! There were two survivors. A documentary wants to get to the bottom of that night and tell the story. So they return to the scene of the crime. And the house is restless. ,crazy good.

[Chaice · Rating 5 out of 5]

As expected from this author this was a great story that kept me intrigued and enthralled in the unfolding, unexpected events.

[Joshua · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was fine; nothing particularly great, and not very scary. At least not what I expected. Hoping Abe Moss’s other stuff is better.

[Auđur · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,5*

[Justaunna Sperry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! Great book, captivating and creepy! Loved it!!!

[Krissy Leigh · Rating 4 out of 5]

A gripping, suspenseful, thrilling, gruesome, addictive, supernatural, page-turner!

[Audra Preston · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was my first ARC read and I went into it blind. This book honestly recieved my first 5 star rating of 2024. There were moments my heart was truly racing!

The characters were all written so well that I could see them clearly in my head. Often times I'm distracted from the story because I'm trying to remember who is who, but not in this book. I was hooked from the first chapter.

The twists will catch you off guard and there is so much going on that you will be hanging on every word!

Amazing storytelling and a very unique plot.

This was the first book I've read from Abe Moss but now I can't wait to read more.

[Rebecca Spurgin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a phenomenal book! It was so hard to put down because I wanted to know what happened next and it genuinely kept me guessing the whole time.

[Jennie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Each twist and turn left me hanging for more. It was a little hard to follow In the beginning but once you got through the first few chapters it’s so good!!!