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"Matt Drabble is a name that will one day be as widely recognized as Stephen King & Dean Koontz" - READERS FAVORITE
They were the best of friends. Four teenagers thrown together on the set of the TV show "Reaper". It was a late night guilty pleasure of the eighties, a slasher loose in a land of endless fashion victims. But a shadow loomed over the show when a fatal accident claimed the life of the stuntman who wore the Reaper mask.
In a time before the internet and ravenous social media the death was covered up by the studio and only those involved ever knew what really happened as the four young actors were torn apart and sent their separate ways.
Now the eighties show is being resurrected, a second life on the cult convention circuit. Faithful fans who never let the show truly die have garnered enough interest to bring the cast and crew back together.
An isolated mountain top luxury resort seems like the perfect location for a secret meeting to discuss the rebirth of a classic away from prying publicity seeking eyes. Everyone here as their own reasons for coming, the faded pop star, the unemployed actor, the desperate for money and those just seeking to reconnect with lost friends.
The invitations are sent, the rooms are prepared, the phones are of the hook and the do not disturb signs are hung. Lights, Camera, Murder.
Selected other works by Matt Drabble
ABRA-CADAVER - The 2017 Readers Favorite Silver Medal Winner for Horror Fiction. Winner of a prestigious Indie Book of the Day Award, a 2015 Kindle Book Review Award Finalist and is the 2016 Book Excellence Awards winner for Horror Fiction.
THE GATED TRILOGY - Winner of multiple achievements including - a UK & US Horror Chart Top 10 best seller, 2015 Readers Favorite Gold Medal Winner for Horror Fiction & the 2014 Full Moon Awards Horror Book of the year.
THE ASYLUM TRILOGY - an Amazon US Horror Chart #5 best seller, voted #5 on The Horror Novel Review's Top 10 Books of 2013, a 2014 Readers Favorite Gold Medal winner & the 2016 Readers Favorite Silver Medal winner for Anthology Fiction.
THE LAST RESORT - The 2019 Readers Favorite Silver Medal Winner for Horror Fiction & The 2019 Kindle Book Review's Winner for Horror/Suspense.
To find more
Website: mattdrabble.co.uk
X: MattDrabble01
Facebook: matt.drabble.3
Instagram: mattdrabble01
They were the best of friends. Four teenagers thrown together on the set of the TV show "Reaper". It was a late night guilty pleasure of the eighties, a slasher loose in a land of endless fashion victims. But a shadow loomed over the show when a fatal accident claimed the life of the stuntman who wore the Reaper mask.
In a time before the internet and ravenous social media the death was covered up by the studio and only those involved ever knew what really happened as the four young actors were torn apart and sent their separate ways.
Now the eighties show is being resurrected, a second life on the cult convention circuit. Faithful fans who never let the show truly die have garnered enough interest to bring the cast and crew back together.
An isolated mountain top luxury resort seems like the perfect location for a secret meeting to discuss the rebirth of a classic away from prying publicity seeking eyes. Everyone here as their own reasons for coming, the faded pop star, the unemployed actor, the desperate for money and those just seeking to reconnect with lost friends.
The invitations are sent, the rooms are prepared, the phones are of the hook and the do not disturb signs are hung. Lights, Camera, Murder.
Selected other works by Matt Drabble
ABRA-CADAVER - The 2017 Readers Favorite Silver Medal Winner for Horror Fiction. Winner of a prestigious Indie Book of the Day Award, a 2015 Kindle Book Review Award Finalist and is the 2016 Book Excellence Awards winner for Horror Fiction.
THE GATED TRILOGY - Winner of multiple achievements including - a UK & US Horror Chart Top 10 best seller, 2015 Readers Favorite Gold Medal Winner for Horror Fiction & the 2014 Full Moon Awards Horror Book of the year.
THE ASYLUM TRILOGY - an Amazon US Horror Chart #5 best seller, voted #5 on The Horror Novel Review's Top 10 Books of 2013, a 2014 Readers Favorite Gold Medal winner & the 2016 Readers Favorite Silver Medal winner for Anthology Fiction.
THE LAST RESORT - The 2019 Readers Favorite Silver Medal Winner for Horror Fiction & The 2019 Kindle Book Review's Winner for Horror/Suspense.
To find more
Website: mattdrabble.co.uk
X: MattDrabble01
Facebook: matt.drabble.3
Instagram: mattdrabble01
- GenresHorror
Audible Audio
Published March 14, 2025
22 people are currently reading
28 people want to read
About the author
Matt Drabble
63 books244 followersBorn in Bath, England in 1974, a self-professed "funny onion", equal parts sport loving jock and comic book geek.
Awards & Achievements:
"ABRA-CADAVER" is the 2017 Readers Favorite Silver Medal Winner for Horror Fiction. It is also a 2015 Kindle Book Review Finalist, an Indie Book of the Day winner and the 2016 Book Excellence Award Winner for Horror Fiction.
"GATED" is the 2015 Readers Favorite Gold Medal Winner. It is also a UK & US Horror Chart Top Ten Best Seller & winner of the Full Moon Awards 2014 Horror Book of the Year.
"ASYLUM - 13 TALES OF TERROR" was a US Horror Chart #5. It was also voted #5 on The Horror Novel Review's Top 10 Books of 2013 & was the Readers Favorite 2014 Gold Medal Winner for Anthology Fiction.
"THE LAST RESORT" is the 2019 Readers Favorite Silver Medal Winner for Horror Fiction & The 2019 Kindle Book Review's Winner for Horror/Suspense
Visit me at www.mattdrabble.co.uk to download free short stories.
Twitter: MattDrabble01
Facebook: matt.drabble.3
Instagram: mattdrabble01
or to sign up for a newsletter: http://mad.ly/signups/95503/join
Awards & Achievements:
"ABRA-CADAVER" is the 2017 Readers Favorite Silver Medal Winner for Horror Fiction. It is also a 2015 Kindle Book Review Finalist, an Indie Book of the Day winner and the 2016 Book Excellence Award Winner for Horror Fiction.
"GATED" is the 2015 Readers Favorite Gold Medal Winner. It is also a UK & US Horror Chart Top Ten Best Seller & winner of the Full Moon Awards 2014 Horror Book of the Year.
"ASYLUM - 13 TALES OF TERROR" was a US Horror Chart #5. It was also voted #5 on The Horror Novel Review's Top 10 Books of 2013 & was the Readers Favorite 2014 Gold Medal Winner for Anthology Fiction.
"THE LAST RESORT" is the 2019 Readers Favorite Silver Medal Winner for Horror Fiction & The 2019 Kindle Book Review's Winner for Horror/Suspense
Visit me at www.mattdrabble.co.uk to download free short stories.
Twitter: MattDrabble01
Facebook: matt.drabble.3
Instagram: mattdrabble01
or to sign up for a newsletter: http://mad.ly/signups/95503/join
Ratings & Reviews
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Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
January 21, 2020
Honestly I couldn't even finish it. I got halfway through the book before I just couldn't take it anymore. I really liked asylum and after darkness falls by Drabble but this book was a huge disappointment. 1 dimensional characters, Cliche Plot. Pretty much your typical slasher story. Literally nothing special about this. I like my horror stories to have more to it than just a rising body count.
May 25, 2021
My thanks to Matt Drabble for his generosity with a large portion of his catalogue during the Covid crisis.
What a shame. This was a real challenge, and I struggled to be objective with this book. I really wanted to enjoy this. I have read other books by this author, so know that he is a great writer, this, sadly, is not good. 2.5 - 3 stars at a push.
What we are offered this time around, is a story, full to the brim with clichés. The fact that the author is aware of this, and gets his characters in the book to also mention this, makes it all the worse.
Imagine an Agatha Christie novel, mixed with elements from Stephen Kings 'The Shining', add also elements from 'Scream' and you basically have this book for the majority of its parts.
Several actors and associates are invited to an out of the way hotel by a mysterious unknown individual who is paying for their stay, on the premise that nobody knows who it is until they personally reveal themselves. What happens for the next 28 chapters is pretty much in every crime / horror novel or film since the late 70s onwards where the protagonist 'offs' the characters.
That is not to say that this is badly written, far from it. But the characters are not remotely likeable, the action has been done so many times that the story is a chore to get through, and the only saving grace is in the last few chapters, where the author decided to mix things up and add some originality to the storyline. From chapter 29 onwards, I became interested in what was happening. Events were taking place that got my attention, and I was really disappointed that this change in plot didn't happen sooner and the last few chapters were expanded upon, focusing on making this element of the story a bigger investigation. The possibility of expanding the story had so much missed potential that I felt really frustrated as up until this point, this was only a 2 star book (I decided to add an extra star just on the basis of the last 3/4 chapters alone).
If you have not read books by this author, please don't judge his work solely by this book. He is a really good writer. If you have never read or seen an Agatha Christie mystery, watched Scream or anything along the lines of either, then you may well enjoy this a whole lot more.
One for newbies to the slasher genre. If not, and you are able to stay with it until the end, the last few chapters are almost worth the slog through the book.
What a shame. This was a real challenge, and I struggled to be objective with this book. I really wanted to enjoy this. I have read other books by this author, so know that he is a great writer, this, sadly, is not good. 2.5 - 3 stars at a push.
What we are offered this time around, is a story, full to the brim with clichés. The fact that the author is aware of this, and gets his characters in the book to also mention this, makes it all the worse.
Imagine an Agatha Christie novel, mixed with elements from Stephen Kings 'The Shining', add also elements from 'Scream' and you basically have this book for the majority of its parts.
Several actors and associates are invited to an out of the way hotel by a mysterious unknown individual who is paying for their stay, on the premise that nobody knows who it is until they personally reveal themselves. What happens for the next 28 chapters is pretty much in every crime / horror novel or film since the late 70s onwards where the protagonist 'offs' the characters.
That is not to say that this is badly written, far from it. But the characters are not remotely likeable, the action has been done so many times that the story is a chore to get through, and the only saving grace is in the last few chapters, where the author decided to mix things up and add some originality to the storyline. From chapter 29 onwards, I became interested in what was happening. Events were taking place that got my attention, and I was really disappointed that this change in plot didn't happen sooner and the last few chapters were expanded upon, focusing on making this element of the story a bigger investigation. The possibility of expanding the story had so much missed potential that I felt really frustrated as up until this point, this was only a 2 star book (I decided to add an extra star just on the basis of the last 3/4 chapters alone).
If you have not read books by this author, please don't judge his work solely by this book. He is a really good writer. If you have never read or seen an Agatha Christie mystery, watched Scream or anything along the lines of either, then you may well enjoy this a whole lot more.
One for newbies to the slasher genre. If not, and you are able to stay with it until the end, the last few chapters are almost worth the slog through the book.
October 6, 2019
Really good book. It read like a slasher movie which was cool.
September 23, 2024
Awesome read!
This was a great book to read! It kept me on the edge and shocked at the end. It is a must-read!
This was a great book to read! It kept me on the edge and shocked at the end. It is a must-read!
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews