You In?

by Kealan Patrick Burke, Steven Gilberts (Illustrator)

For years the Wickerwood Inn has stood abandoned, home to nothing but dust and the trapped echo of past celebrations...and tragedy. For a down on his luck ex-gambler, the inn's reputation is a thing of myth, and certainly not reason enough to turn down the first paying job to come his way in months. The inn will soon be renovated in preparation for a new lease on life. So tonight, from midnight till six, Peter Haskins will watch over the machinery. And he will soon discover that there is something else in the hotel with him, something that needs no new lease on life, for it has never died.And never will.

Genres: Horror, Novella

39 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2007

About the author

Hailed by Booklist as “one of the most clever and original talents in contemporary horror,” Kealan Patrick Burke was born and raised in Ireland and emigrated to the United States a few weeks before 9/11.

Since then, he has written six novels, among them the popular southern gothic Kin, and over two hundred short stories and novellas, many of which are in various stages of development for film/TV.

A five-time nominee, Burke won the Bram Stoker Award in 2005 for his coming-of-age novella The Turtle Boy, the first book in the acclaimed Timmy Quinn series.

As editor, he helmed the anthologies Night Visions 12, Taverns of the Dead, and Quietly Now, a tribute anthology to one of Burke’s influences, the late Charles L. Grant.

More recently, he wrote the screenplays for Sour Candy (based on his novella), and the remake of the iconic horror film The Changeling (1980), for producer Joel B. Michaels.

He also adapted Sour Candy as a graphic novel for John Carpenter's Night Terrors.

His most recent release is Cottonmouth, a prequel to Kin. The Widows of Winding Gale, a maritime horror novel set in Ireland, is due for release in October as a signed limited edition from Earthling Publications.

Kealan is represented by Merrilee Heifetz at Writers House.

He lives in Ohio with a Scooby Doo lookalike rescue named Red.

Reviews

[Angel Gelique · Rating 4 out of 5]

Peter Haskins has never been dealt a fair hand in his life. He thinks his luck is about to change when he is offered a job as a night security guard at the Wickerwood Inn--a place rumored to be haunted. $400 for a single week sounds like a good deal to Peter. Most importantly, though, it's a chance for him to prove to Claire, the woman he loves, that he could leave behind the bookies, his gambling problems and his unstable employment history. She has placed her faith in him and he doesn't intend to let her down. But the "inhabitants" of the Wickerwood Inn might have something else in mind....

Exquisite writing from a master of horror and suspense, I greatly enjoyed this short story.

[Karl · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mr. Burke is usually better than this. It's a short little book that can be read in about half an hour. p 19 "Fear gave way to confusion. He was supposed to be alone." - A haunted hotel ghost story. Limited to 300 copies and 26 hardcovers, signed by Burke and Steven Gilberts who did paint a nice cover.

[Matthew Bielawa · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a wonderful short story, sure to become a classic in the sub-genre of haunted houses. Burke beautifully intertwines a background story into the story where the events only takes place over one night. I loved the building tension and atmosphere of the Wickerwood Inn! I read a lot of horror, almost exclusively this last year, and Burke’s narrative in the beginning was so tight and, I believe, perfect. I loved the story and how his character approaches the house, reminiscing his past experiences, contemplating his current situation and the prospects of his new job. Perfect.

This is what a short story is all about, a tight story line which is expertly written to carry a lasting impression. Though it is a short read with the events taking place only over a short period, in the end I felt completely satisfied as if it was a longer novel. What more can you ask for in a short story?!

[Inn Auni · Rating 3 out of 5]

A down on his luck ex-glambler was hired as a security at an abandoned inn for a week from 12am till 6am to watch some machines and tools. The payment was handsome and eventhough stories were told about the inn, nothing can stop Peter from turning his life around. He needed the money and a new start.

Being a horror story, I knew something was waiting for him at the inn. I wasn't expecting whatever it was, was Peter biggest fear. I guess the horror was that it fed on your fear. And for Peter, it was gambling.

The ending felt abrupt. Like that's it. And it was confusing. Was it truly ghost? Was it people Peter owe money to?

[Mike · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well done haunted hotel story.

[Amit · Rating 4 out of 5]

Whenever I feel like bad and not having good time by myself I switched to the Author Kealan Patrick Burke. & guess what? He never disappoint me. Same goes for this time too. I intend to make it all by reading his every work that he wrote and still going on…

The Wickerwood Inn known as abandoned and home to nothing but dust and the trapped echo of past celebrations...and tragedy as the review saying. Just looking at the story cover and the name of the author was far more enough to pick it up and read it. I won’t say that it was like other Kealan Patrick work as I always look for the best of horror. But for a short tale it was more than good. I would recommend that whenever read, read it at night while you are preparing yourself for sleeping. But though I read it at day I could say it did scare me. Well not like much but enough to keep reading on it…

Peter Haskins never been in success in all his life. He worked hard, tried his best to deal the worst moment of his pathetic life but in the end he never won. But that didn’t stop him but yes it would if not for his love that woman named Claire. It was because of her Peter still kept pushing himself as Claire kept faith on him. So yes it was all he can do was not to break down again but keep fighting. It was then one day he find a job at $400 for a single week for looking over the Inn. The amount of the money surprised him but eventually he took it and he did what he told to do. But when at night he went in that Inn everything became changed & all he could do was accept it. What happened in the end then? Well I guess you should read the story to find it out. For me I can say as I repeating I will continue my read of Kealan Patrick Burke again and again…

Was not much notable to read but from me it’s 4 out of 5...

[Elise a.k.a. PAPERNERD · Rating 4 out of 5]

What I like about this book and the author in general ?

The massacre and horrors are produced in your head - the instructions are masterfully given in his books.

Loved this little novella...more to come on my TBR list, that's for sure !

[Morcys · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found it quite boring. Don't get me wrong, I understood the concept perfectly. it's just not for me.

[Hayli · Rating 2 out of 5]

I just needed more. There wasn’t enough substance to make me feel anything for this story.

[Leigh Kenny · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another interesting short from KPB. It's a haunted house with a twist. Enjoyable and atmospheric with a flawed but well written protagonist.

[Bookish Satty · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sadly I didn't love this as I loved other short stories by Kealan Patrick Burke. The ending was disappointing and too rushed. Oh well! You win some, you lose some.

[Geoff · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a short piece about a man down on his luck, that takes a temporary job as a security guard, for a old closed down hotel. The hotel is haunted, and it tells of the man seeing a card game played by ghosts. And the ghosts asks "Are You In?" It's a nice little story, as you don't really grasp what's going on at first, until you read further. This story wasn't great, but it still had an attraction to it, that made me like it. It was an enjoyable read.

[Elusive · Rating 2 out of 5]

In ‘You In?’, former gambling addict Peter takes up a job in which he’s required to watch over the machinery in the abandoned Wickerwood Inn. Although the job sounds easy, he gets more than he bargained for when he realizes he’s not alone.

This short story featured some detailed descriptions regarding the inn hence I could picture how dilapidated, cluttered and unnerving it was. However, despite being a horror tale I didn’t find it to be scary mostly because of the lack of subtlety and surprise factor. It’s evident that Peter will experience something strange and creepy yet there was no suspense. Plus, the pacing could have been improved as things happened too quickly to create the sort of impact that they otherwise could have had. The ending was a little better though.

Overall, ‘You In?’ was a passable but forgettable story.

[Robert Beveridge · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kealan Patrick Burke, You In? (Kealan Patrick Burke, 2011)

Another solid short from Mr. Burke, though perhaps not as solid as his finest work. A haunted-hotel story with a recovering gambler in the lead, who finds that, perhaps, he didn't take the best overnight-security job in the world given his condition. Well-written, of course, but I felt there was probably more to this story than we were getting; another couple of thousand words might not have gone amiss here, and the ending was predictable if you've read another half-dozen stories of this stripe. Still, Kealan Patrick Burke's considerable way with words makes anything he puts out worth your time. ***

[Frank Errington · Rating 4 out of 5]

"The Wickerwood is being renovated, so tonight Peter will watch over the machinery. And he will soon discover that there is something else in the hotel with him, something that has never died. And never will."

Peter Haskins is trying to get his act together. A recovering gambler who takes the job with Abigail Point Securicorp on a 12-6 shift to keep an eye on the place. Sure he's heard the history of Wickerwood, but he doesn't much believe all the stories.

You in? is a smartly written ghost story of a man already haunted by personal demons. Completely enjoyable read, with a fun little hook.

You in? is now available in e-book format from a variety of sources.

[Ch · Rating 2 out of 5]

"Fear gave way to confusion. He was supposed to be alone."

The building and setup was actually excellent. There's a different kind of uniqueness and fluidity to Blurke's writing but You In wasn't truly satisfying. The main character's background, inner struggles were all interesting but there really was no creepy factor in the story and if there is, it failed to get to me.

[Jeff French · Rating 3 out of 5]

Burke has set the bar pretty high with his works that I have read thus far; the Timmy Quinn series, Kin, The Tent and Seldom Seen in August. While 'You In?' is not a bad novella, it isn't in that same league. It is fairly predictable and not particularly tense or scary. Burke's descriptions and characterization are top notch as always, but overall, this novella did not meet my high expectations.

[Jason Parent · Rating 2 out of 5]

Honestly, I didn't understand the point of this one. A classic-type ghost story, I suppose, but lacking rationale. The Tent was much better.

[Adam Light · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this one in The Novellas. Very cool, literary and spooky. As always, Kealan delivers the goods.

[Crystal Rafuse · Rating 3 out of 5]

Creepy little read, this one! Nice quick little tale.