Escape From Hehl

by Issac Brooks

The most beautiful homes hide the ugliest secrets.

When real estate agent Katie returns to the abandoned Hehl Mansion to prepare it for sale, she discovers her childhood friend's family never actually left during the pandemic—and neither will she. As Katie and later a renovation crew find themselves trapped inside the decaying mansion, they face a horrifying someone—or something—lurks within its walls, wearing a cracked porcelain mask and turning trespassers into macabre art. With each gruesome death, the survivors realize that Mimi Hehl has created her own twisted family inside the mansion, and she's eager for new additions.

In a house where doors lock from both sides and windows are barred like a prison, your only escape might be death itself.

168 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 3, 2025

Reviews

[Josette Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

This had to be the goriest slasher book I have ever read. The gore was non stop. From the opening chapter until the last pages. I thought this was going to be another book about people entering a haunted house and then figuring out how to escape. Oh no, this book was none of that. Once the first person was killed, I assumed I would be getting a back story about what might have caused the Hehl mansion to become haunted. I love going to allegedly haunted house for the adrenaline rush and the hopes to see apparitions. This house would be a hard pass!

[Julia · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think this was a great story, which had a grip on me from the first couple of pages and I couldn't put it down at first. I think it was very well written and kept the suspense going. That being said, there was too much repetition to the point of it being frustrating and hard to read, which is why I gave it 3 stars instead of 4 or even 5. In my opinion, there were consistently repeated words and phrases, literally copied, and too many overly detailed descriptions throughout the whole book. Had there been a wider variety of descriptive words or phrases and had there been an effective use of synonyms, it would have been much more immersive throughout.

In addition, it felt like practically every sentence was followed up with a comparison or romanticized description of the atmosphere, even when it was completely redundant. It felt a little... forced, like trying just a little too hard to bring the setting to life.

I was also slightly confused by the timeline, but that's a minor 'issue'. Now, had the above mentioned concerns been considered during the writing process, it would have been a more pleasant read in my opinion.

I received an advance review copy of this book for free and am happy I did, because the story was great and the characters were well-developed. Again, if not for the excessive repetitiveness, this would absolutely be worth 4 or 5 stars to me.

[Lyndsey Gollogly · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book genuinely creeped me the hell out. Mimi is a capital B. She is on a mission and by god does she mean to fulfill it. I was so creeped out although I was stupid to read it In the dark. I kept thinking this would make an amazing film. I hate porcelain dolls and masks my mum had some when I was a child and this brought all sorts of vivid dreams back. Well written and fun little horror read. Definitely recommend.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Nupur · Rating 4 out of 5]

A horror story about jess and her team exploring a mansion to renovate and soon realizing there is something more to the place. The killer is on the loose inside a locked mansion with no way out. It was an interesting read, keeping me on edge. The only thing that was a downside for me was the repetition of a few sentences which could have been avoided or written differently but other than that the thrill of this haunting, the killings, and the mansion itself, were all exciting.

[Cat B. · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story Escape From Hehl, was definitely a horror but was so repetitious in places that I found myself rolling my eyes far too often. There was also no connection whatsoever with the players. They were there just to be fodder to the mansion's main inhabitant, Mimi. No real back story as to how and why Mimi was able to do what she did. Rather felt unfulfilled by it all.
I received a copy of this book through BookSirens and am voluntarily leaving my opinion of the tale.

[Sammy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was a quick read and had a pretty decent storyline. It has the potential to be really good, however the amount of characters made it a bit confusing at times and there was a TON of repetition as far as descriptions go. For me, that made some of the more intense scenes to come across a bit boring/ predictable.

[Nancy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Suspenseful and gory, a great combination. The characters were too many in my opinion, which made it sometimes hard to follow. The story was quick and easy to follow. The house renovation of a supposedly haunted area made me stay wiith the story.

[Caitlin U. · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF at 42% - great premise to the book but like others said - way too much repetition for me - I got tired of reading about “peeling wallpaper” and “metallic smells”