Noose: The Case of Shelby Watts

by Sara Lea

Short story related to the novel Home Sweet Home

The circle wants you...
When Shelby and Charles Watts get an invitation to the Circle of Harrow Hills, they're confused but willing to see what it's all about. But what the circle wants, the circle gets.

ebook

Published March 1, 2025

Reviews

[Rachel Browning]

“Noose” by Sara Lea, is creepy, tense, and totally gripping. Noose is a short story related to the novel Home Sweet Home. The Circle is as terrifying as ever—what it wants, it gets.

[Cheyenne Joy Mijdam]

Book Review
Personal Copy
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Noose by Sara Lea

Thank you Sara and InsideStory for letting me read this short story!

Okay, this was short. Like, blink and suddenly you’re done short. But somehow it still managed to creep under my skin and settle there quite nicely.

It’s fast-paced, creepy, and I really enjoyed how much of the story lives between the lines. You’re left to fill in the blanks yourself, and honestly? My dark little brain had absolutely no problem doing that.

That’s also why I landed on four stars. The very last few sentences felt a little unnecessary to me. The story had already said what it needed to say without actually saying it, and I would have preferred it to leave me sitting there with my own thoughts rather than explaining things a little more at the end.
Because sometimes less really is more.

Still, if you’re looking for a quick, creepy little read that you can finish before your coffee gets cold—and that might make you look at your neighbours just a tiny bit differently—this one is worth picking up.

Just remember: sometimes it’s perfectly healthy to know absolutely nothing about the people living next door.

[Tanya Kolb]

This is a creepy tale of why you should sometimes fear being new to the neighborhood! Being welcomed liked old friends was a little too good to be true in this case!

I feel like it was a little predictable, but the creep factor was turned all the way up.

[Alison G.]

Good concept for this book, but it just didnt do it for me. I found some Grammer errors and misspellings at the beginning. For me, I think if it had more bulk to it and was longer it would have been better.

[Mike C.]

Super awesome and super creepy short story. Really going to make you think twice being welcomed to the neighborhood. Was an amazingly creepy lunchtime read. Definitely recommend.

[Country]

A creepy fast paced short story that will have you on the edge of your seat!

[Terri Lyn]

I usually love Sara’s books but this one, while a great concept, had a few grammatical errors and was kinda difficult to follow. Usually I can deal with them, but I couldn’t here.