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PreterNatural Carter Bailey #1
One man, two minds. One is a killer, but is the other insane?
On the remote Connor's Island in the North Atlantic, archeologists unearthing an ancient viking settlement have loosed a curse upon the land. People are dying, and everyone is in fear of the Haugbonde and his monstrous servant, the Skeklar.
To catch a monster you must think like a monster. Carter Bailey is the unfortunate vessel of two spirits: his own and that of his dead brother ‘Cash’, a serial killer who murdered Carter’s wife and unborn child. Most people think Carter delusional, and he suspects they are most likely correct. Only one man, horror writer Paul Broom, believes that Carter is blessed with abilities bordering on the supernatural.
Is the curse true, is a creature out of legend killing the people of Conn, or is the murderer firmly entrenched in the real world? Which begs another question: is Carter Bailey as crazy as he thinks, or is he a man with astonishing powers and the ability to sniff out evil? Mad or blessed with powers, it doesn’t matter, it’s down to Carter - both hindered and helped by Cash - to end the Skeklar’s hellish reign of terror.
On the remote Connor's Island in the North Atlantic, archeologists unearthing an ancient viking settlement have loosed a curse upon the land. People are dying, and everyone is in fear of the Haugbonde and his monstrous servant, the Skeklar.
To catch a monster you must think like a monster. Carter Bailey is the unfortunate vessel of two spirits: his own and that of his dead brother ‘Cash’, a serial killer who murdered Carter’s wife and unborn child. Most people think Carter delusional, and he suspects they are most likely correct. Only one man, horror writer Paul Broom, believes that Carter is blessed with abilities bordering on the supernatural.
Is the curse true, is a creature out of legend killing the people of Conn, or is the murderer firmly entrenched in the real world? Which begs another question: is Carter Bailey as crazy as he thinks, or is he a man with astonishing powers and the ability to sniff out evil? Mad or blessed with powers, it doesn’t matter, it’s down to Carter - both hindered and helped by Cash - to end the Skeklar’s hellish reign of terror.
350 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 2, 2014
1 person is currently reading
25 people want to read
About the author
Matt Hilton
88 books241 followersMatt Hilton worked for twenty-two years in private security and the police force in Cumbria. He is a 4th Dan blackbelt and coach in Ju-Jitsu. He lives in Cumbria with his wife and son.
Matt is the author of the best-selling Joe Hunter thriller series, as well as standalone horror thrillers and short stories that have appeared in a number of collections and anthologies. Matt's first novel - Dead Men's Dust - was a Sunday Times best-seller and was shortlisted for the ITW New Novel Award 2009.
Matt is the author of the best-selling Joe Hunter thriller series, as well as standalone horror thrillers and short stories that have appeared in a number of collections and anthologies. Matt's first novel - Dead Men's Dust - was a Sunday Times best-seller and was shortlisted for the ITW New Novel Award 2009.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
March 16, 2014
Simply put, this is a terrific book and I had to read it all in one sitting as I just couldn't bear to walk away. (It's a pretty long book so snacks are required if you're planning to do this too.) It's action, paranormal, thriller, murder, suspense, and even a bit of romance all tossed into a boiling cauldron of well-written prose. Really liked the characters of Carter and the Sarge. And I loved the setting on the island in the Shetlands. I found the pace to be fast-moving and, even though there are several characters, they are all memorable enough to keep them straight and I enjoyed seeing the action from several different points of view. Some of the descriptions of violence are pretty rough but that suits the plot. This could be a one-off but I hope to see more of Carter. Thanks to the author for another well-done action book.
October 24, 2016
Another Hilton Masterpiece
Matt Hilton at his supernatural best. The setting is an island in the Shetlands, the hero a man haunted by insanity as his thoughts are invaded by the essence of his dead serial killer brother. People are being killed, a young boy is ripped apart, Viking superstitions of scary monsters are suspected and only Carter Blake can see past the uncertainty. It's the tale of a man coming to terms with devastating grief and harnessing the powers he is developing. It's a cracking read.
Matt Hilton at his supernatural best. The setting is an island in the Shetlands, the hero a man haunted by insanity as his thoughts are invaded by the essence of his dead serial killer brother. People are being killed, a young boy is ripped apart, Viking superstitions of scary monsters are suspected and only Carter Blake can see past the uncertainty. It's the tale of a man coming to terms with devastating grief and harnessing the powers he is developing. It's a cracking read.
January 31, 2018
I really tried to read and enjoy this book, which is highly rated and reviewed, which makes me wonder whether there is something wrong with me. Whatever the reason, I couldn't even finish it. Everything in this book is grating my senses, from the writing style to the scenes details, from the editing to the basic story outline. If you've read Dexter (the book the TV show is based on, not the TV show itself) you will have found a similar plot, but as I thought that book was bad, this one felt worse. I can't imagine who in their right mind would give this a full rating.
I've found a blog post by the author, Matt Hilton, that describes the unfortunate period in which he wrote the book. His seventeen old daughter just died. Maybe that affected the writing style, maybe the fact that it was written in several versions that then were edited into this one. I don't know. He has my sympathy for his loss, but not for PreterNatural. In his situation I would have expected to at least get the grief part right. Instead the character lives with the mind of his family's murderer in his head and has humorous dialogues with it.
It's a bad book. I won't recommend it in any way. Considering this is the first and only book in the Carter Bailey series, I think even the author probably agrees with me.
I've found a blog post by the author, Matt Hilton, that describes the unfortunate period in which he wrote the book. His seventeen old daughter just died. Maybe that affected the writing style, maybe the fact that it was written in several versions that then were edited into this one. I don't know. He has my sympathy for his loss, but not for PreterNatural. In his situation I would have expected to at least get the grief part right. Instead the character lives with the mind of his family's murderer in his head and has humorous dialogues with it.
It's a bad book. I won't recommend it in any way. Considering this is the first and only book in the Carter Bailey series, I think even the author probably agrees with me.
October 24, 2016
Matt Hilton at his supernatural best. The setting is an island in the Shetlands, the hero a man haunted by insanity as his thoughts are invaded by the essence of his dead serial killer brother. People are being killed, a young boy is ripped apart, Viking superstitions of scary monsters are suspected and only Carter Blake can see past the uncertainty. It's the tale of a man coming to terms with devastating grief and harnessing the powers he is developing. It's a cracking read.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews