Beneath

by Lee Richmond

Nine strangers find themselves trapped on the London Underground. Something has happened in the streets above. The word ‘attacked’ spoken over the radio before it went dead, is their only clue as to what has taken place. With no way off the train, and with tensions rising amongst the group, their greatest threat may come from each other.

Genres: Horror

165 pages, Hardcover

Published April 30, 2025

About the author

Lee Richmond was born in the swampy marshlands of East Anglia. Fed on a steady diet of fast, snotty punk rock and 80s slasher movies, it was only a matter of time before the sick, twisted imagery that festered in his head eventually found its way to the page.
Lee was influenced from a very early age by the films of John Carpenter, Dario Argento, Wes Craven, Sam Raimi, Stanley Kubrick, and Tobe Hooper and the books of Clive Barker, Stephen King and James Herbert.
Music also plays its part in influencing Lee’s writing. He loves bands like The Misfits, Ramones, Fugazi, Operation Ivy, Black Flag, Bad Religion, Sisters of Mercy, Alice Cooper and Iron Maiden and the works of such movie composers as Hans Zimmer and Christopher Young.
When Lee isn't writing, he loves playing his bass guitar, spending time with his wife, and cheering on his favourite Ice Hockey team, The New York Rangers.
Lee is a freelance proofreader and editor for hire.
Lee is the author of such titles as, 232 Jericho Avenue, PolterGary, Tits and Teeth, Beneath, A Meal for the Maggots and many more. You can contact him on Facebook, Instagram, or Goodreads.

Reviews

[Peter · Rating 4 out of 5]

In a London tube carriage is group of people is stuck. The people come from different walks of life and you learn a lot about their individual histories (excellent date-earlier technique of the author). Something terrible has happened overground. A fire, a terrorist attack, something nuclear or the end of the world (you and the group don't know)? Soon the real horror starts between the people stuck underground... between Jamie and Craig the situation escalates first. Then there is Richard, a perfect example of a nasty bugger... what about Abi and Mia? Absolutely compelling and nailbiting story in a place every Londoner knows quite well, the tube. The characters are drawn in a excellent way and the action has unexpected and gory twists. What a ride. Absolutely enjoyed this tale of horror. Highly recommended until the very end. Definitely not for the faint hearted!

[PinkPanthress · Rating 4 out of 5]

As we follow Aberdeen Redmond to Charing Cross, we are right on our way to make a little journey through the London Tube.

Soon a little group will form as people start to enter the train.

We've got Craig, Jamie, Mia, Richard, Angela, the friends Andy & Dean, as well as the driver Steve and one or two guests who will visit one way or another.

At Leicester Square everything still seems to be all right but just after leaving Tottenham Court Road the brakes jam and here we are.
Confused and pissed off at each other by the minute.

Something is happening above. But what exactly is it?
Zombies? Terrorists? WWIII?

But why fear what is happening above London's tubes, when you might need to fear the ones around you in the carriage, right?
Or was everyone just being paranoid?

¦ ߹ ¦ · ¦ ߹ ¦ · ¦ ߹ ¦ · ¦ ߹ ¦ · ¦ ߹ ¦ · ¦ ߹ ¦ · ¦ ߹ ¦ · ¦ ߹ ¦

So… one thing first. I was elated by the time I remembered the names of the stations in this story.
They're part of the Northern Line, AND ALL of these weren't that far away from Piccadilly Circus, the station at which I used to enter the Bakerloo Line almost daily when I first visited London at age 17.
We were staying at a now defunct Hotel and it was all so magickal!
Great Memories!!!

At first I really thought the Story was about Zombies but after reading about 1/3 of the Book I didn't care as much about what was happening on the Streets of London but rather what would happen next while these people were stuck down there in the underground compartment.

And the heat of which everything was complaining in the carriage of the train!?
It was kind of fitting since we've been having a heat-wave for the past 2-3 weeks here where I live… and I hate heat.

I liked the story, even though a few twists and turns had me sad or sometimes frustrated at the people in this Book.

A 4.3 Star Rating for this one, but I'll give it 4 Stars here on GR.
(We really need half Stars here on GR!)



Update, cleaned up a few errors and added a sentence I forgot.

[Kate Victoria RescueandReading · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a character focussed, claustrophobic thriller, with a wild ending. I loved getting all the back stories, but I wish more time had been spent above ground at the end.

[Ronald McGillvray · Rating 5 out of 5]

Couldn’t put it down.

I just finished reading “Beneath” by Lee Richmond and loved it. The thought of being trapped underground is harrowing enough. Imagine also being trapped in a subway car with a psychopath. If that isn’t enough, you have no idea what horrors wait for you above. Great character building and loads of tension made this a fantastic read. Highly recommended.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just finished this and all I can say is WTF??!!! Recommended to horror lovers only.

[Dion Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was messed up and brutal but excellent, great characters and tense story.
I will be reading more of Lee Richmond's work

[Julie-Anne Wood · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lee Richmond, always surprises

Great book, not as sinister as 32 Jericho Avenue, just more gory. Great work Lee Richmond, looking forward to PolterGary

[Kerree Kendall · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sorry, this has taken me so long to put up!

I would like to start with the positives.

I like the premise of this book. The idea of strangers stuck on the underground amid rising tensions really appealed to me.

I enjoyed (for the most part) the background stories of each character. I think Lee’s writing was strongest in these parts.

However, I found the story has a whole lot of overly angstiness; the tension doesn’t build gradually, it’s an instant explosion right at the beginning of the book, leaving the rest of the book’s pacing unbalanced.

Also, I feel this book went places that just weren’t necessary. I understand why this was done, to make you hate certain characters. Still, I believe this could have been explored in other ways, and not just purely through sexual violence. Also, with the level of sexual abuse oozing from a particular character, I feel he would have violated everyone and everything, not just women.

By the end of the book, I was so desensitised to the violence and angst that it wasn’t fun to read anymore.

I was hoping, at least, the ending was going to have a twist I wasn’t expecting, like everything was actually okay on the surface. But with the ‘Cloverfield’ vibes I got from the very beginning of the book, unfortunately, I found my prediction of the ending confirmed to be true.


I think if you know or are an angst teenager looking for a thriller. Then this is MOST definitely the book for you!

[Sue and her books · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nine strangers find themselves trapped in the London underground. Something has happened in the streets above and all systems are down. Radio and all comms are dead and there is no clue of the possible chaos unfolding outside.

With no way off the train.and tensions rising, their greatest threat may not come from the unknown above, but from each other. Humans are resilient, brilliant at surviving against all odds, but in a crisis, we can also become our own worst enemies. Each passenger brings their own challenges, traumas and hidden agendas that will ultimately shape how they cope and how they clash.

Told across nine points of view, Beneath drags you into a claustrophic nightmare of a carriage sealed off from the world: no comms, no food, no water. Only fear and suspicion growing thicker by the minute.

An immersive, dark and intense one-day read. A survival horror where the scariest monsters are the people stuck beside you.

[Syd · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 🌟
This short novel was not scary like I thought it would be. It was more character-driven than plot-driven and I found the same back and forth between the characters and the antagonist to be quite repetitive and it almost made me stop reading. However, some of the characters were likeable enough to where I kept engaging with their short little backstories (that did not resolve themselves or prove important to the story). I was intrigued at the beginning and excited for the horror/thriller but was left slightly disappointed.

[Sara Ferrarese · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tense and engaging

I personally love single setting stories, because although I'm not claustrophobic, being trapped in a small space with other people is a nightmare scenario for me. In that respect, this story definitely delivered. I felt every ounce of dread as if I were trapped in that train. Lee Richmond did an excellent job of developing the characters through their actions and also narrative flashbacks, which made most of them relatable people I was inclined to root for. I found this to be a quick and entertaining read, and definitely worth the time.

[Andee Martin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Characters you grow to both love and hate. Lots of tension and dark humour, this is a real treat but not for the faint-hearted. Violent throughout and touches on many sensitive subjects but handled well that help make the characters real.

I struggled to put this book down. it really was a page turner. A well crafted story that I know I'll want to go back to and some point. I went into it expecting a horror, which I got, but I didn't expect to get so attached to some of the characters and their realistic, human backstories.

[Steve Matthewman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not bad, a quick read. Some good moments.

[Rich Padzik · Rating 4 out of 5]

What really happened

This book is more for older teens. There is some parts of the book that should only be rd by young adults. This was a good book but some parts are very graphic.