Dark Hearts: Four Novellas: Black Canyon, Rewind, Run & Neighbors

by Jeremy Bates

A COLLECTION OF FOUR CRITICALLY ACCLAIMED NOVELLAS:

BLACK CANYON
Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park in Colorado boasts one of the most beautiful and deepest canyons in the United States. For twelve-year-old Brian Garrett, a weekend camping trip in the park promises to be an opportunity to bond with his aloof parents. But after his father suffers a horrible accident during a hike to the chasm's floor, events spiral quickly out of control, and over the next twenty-four hours Brian will uncover a terrifying dark side to his father-and an even darker side to himself.

REWIND
When a man wakes in a rundown apartment, hooked up to a strange machine, a dead body in the next room, he has no memory of who he is, or what he is doing there. Over the next forty-eight hours, however, as he works to unravel the mystery of his identity, he'll come to realize that some things are better left unknown.

RUN
When a former soldier recently released from prison comes looking for his longtime girlfriend, and discovers she has moved on with another boyfriend, he vows to kill her. Now, it seems, she only has one option: Run.

NEIGHBORS
New York is a city of eight million strangers. For twenty-five-year old Buddy Smith, who values his privacy, it's the only place he would call home. Yet his simple life is flipped upside down when a new neighbor moves in next door. She's young, beautiful, a bit nosy...and might just be a cold-blooded killer. Against his better judgment, Buddy spends the night with her--a decision that will prove to be the biggest mistake of his life.

Genres: Horror, Collections, Novella, Fiction

281 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 22, 2015

About the author

USA TODAY and #1 Amazon bestselling author Jeremy Bates has written over twenty novels and novellas, selling more than one million copies worldwide. His work has been translated into multiple languages and optioned for film and television by major studios. Midwest Book Review has likened his storytelling to that of Stephen King and Joe Lansdale, calling him a "master of the art." Bates is a KDP Select All-Star and the recipient of the Australian Shadows Award and the Canadian Arthur Ellis Award. He was also a finalist in the Goodreads Choice Awards, the only major book honors chosen by readers.

His latest novel, *The No-End House*, is a standalone horror story set in Barcelona's Gothic Quarter, where a pair of volunteers must navigate nine mysterious rooms in a sinister house. Scheduled for release by Kensington Publishing in July 2025, it’s a chilling tale of survival and escape.

Visit Amazon to get DENISOVANS for a special release-date price now.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0F...

Also, MOUNTAIN OF THE DEAD is currently only $0.99 in a limited-time deal.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B079KW3N72

Finally, visit Jeremy’s website to receive a free copy of *Black Canyon*, winner of the Lou Allin Memorial Award.
https://www.jeremybatesbooks.com

Reviews

[Michael Dawson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book I only read Black canyon and rewind the other stories I found were a bit slow plus I have so much else to read but the first two stories were amazing I'll probably come back to this book when I have more time and read run and neighbours but I highly recommend this book based on the two stories that I have read the writing is phenomenal

[Иван Величков · Rating 4 out of 5]

Четирите повести имат доста добра анотация в описанието, но да добавя по нещо от мен.

Бейтс има доста специфичен стил на изграждане на повествованието. Докато си мислиш, че четеш абсолютно тривиална, но добре написана история, финалният обрат те хвърля в оркестъра. И четирите пъти обратите си приличаха, и четирите пъти успя да ме гръмне.
Звезда надолу заради леко наивните женски образи. В три от повестите дамите бяха някакъв съвременен, олекотен вариант на "девицата в беда."

Black Canyon - Една история за мрачен инцидент от детството. 12 годишният Брайън тръгва на къмпинг с проблемните си родители. Нелеп инцидент го поставя в тежка ситуация от която ще разберем доста за него.

Rewind - Само тази повест е достатъчна за пет звезди, ако не беше горепосочения проблем. Отдавна не бях чел такава фантастика - многопластова, правилна по всички параграфи и с чудесен финал.
Един мъж се буди без спомени, вързан към машина и с труп в съседната стая. За две денонощия ще открие истината за себе си и хич няма да му хареса.

Run - Това беше най-леймъновият и същевременно най-кинговият разказ на тема възможно най-лош сценарий с елемент на убиец психопат. Все пак авторът хвърля ръкавицата директно в лицето на програмата за ветерани в Щатите. Не съм проверявал до колко твърденията му са истина, но ситуацията, която рисува е доста грозна. А финалът, финалът е бомба със закъснител.
Шарлота има проблем с приятеля си. Когато той се връща от Афганистан вече не е същия. Това ще доведе до кошмарно денонощие и ще завърши с касапница.

Neighbors - Този си представям как го е писал с абсолютно маниакална усмивка. Звучи толкова реалистично, че се чудиш дали не е метапроза и да го обадиш на куките.
Бъди е душичка. Кротък, грижещ се за болната си майка, работещ като пчеличка в една банка, пишещ романи и получаващ откази без да се обезкуражава. Само не обича да контактува много-много с хора. Един ден срещу тях се нанася симпатична съседка и Бъди е сигурен, че ще го тормози социално. Когато я проверява в мрежата, се оказва, че може би е убийца. Писателят в него трябва да се убеди.
И сюжета няма нищо общо с това описание, но искам сами да се изненадате.

Много обещаваща книга, има шанс Бейтс да стане един от любоимците ми.

[Jb · Rating 4 out of 5]

These novellas were really 'dark' and well-written. Although I started out the book hoping to be entertained, I was shocked instead by the themes in these books. There is an evil side in humans which this writer has exposed. The severe consequences of Post traumatic disorder is also shown in one of these frightening tales.
If you want to be scared, this is a book to read...

[Johann · Rating 5 out of 5]

Short But Still Good

I love the way this guy writes.
Each short novel in this is really good.
Anything this guy writes is good.
Usually when I'm reading a collection I find a couple of stories I like more then the rest. This is the exception to that rule. I have yet to have any issues with any of the books I've read so far.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dark Hearts: A collection of short novels

Similar to his Bad People novel. All of the stories kept my interest. I would love to meet Jeremy Bates in person. He'd definitely be top of my list when someone asks me who I'd like to have dinner with for a couple of hours.

[Doug · Rating 5 out of 5]

Creepy twists

In really enjoyed these novellas. Very reminiscent of the working Joe Hill. Easy to get into and grabs you right away.

[Brandy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quite the Page Turner

Really good - I love short stories that don’t just drag on. Nice to have a change in plot in 1 book. I liked all the stories!

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice stories

[Celeste · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first two stories were awesome. The third one was okay and the fourth one was better. I love how the author leaves me with the unexpected ending. Sometimes non-supernatural books are scarier.

[Claire · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this book for free from the author in exchange for an honest review.

Four stories for the price of one. An wonderful read.

Black Canyon
Young Brian is such a sympathetic character, from the very beginning you feel sorry for this kid whose parents seem to be such idiots. Especially his father. The story is riveting. You just know something terrible is going to happen, and then you have to keep reading to see what happens next. And wow! What a finale!
I'm not sure the very last chapter was needed at all. It seems to wrap everything up, but it could have finished just as nicely on the twist.

Rewind
I struggled with one a little. Not because it's not well written, but I think it was a little sci-fi for my tastes. While the mystery did keep me interested, the reveal seemed a little stilted to me. I think this would have been a wonderful concept for a full size novel, where things didn't need to move along quite so fast.
That said, it was still a good read, and let's face it - in every book of short stories, there's always going to be one you don't relate to.

Run
Such a simple concept brought to grim reality. This one manages to make you feel pity and injustice for the bad guy, as well as for his luckless victims.
Fast paced and gritty, this is well worth reading.

Neighbors
Loved it. What a marvelous story-teller. I had an idea where this one was going, and then - BAM! - a different direction completely. I don't want to spoil anything, so I'll just say, beware of your neighbors. You just never know.


All in all, I enjoyed this book. 'Black Canyon' and 'Neighbors' were by far my favourite, but all of them were well written and engrossing.

Jeremy Bates is the new master of twist endings!

[Brooke · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's not often I give a 5 star review...but this book of short stories definitely deserved it! The title of this collection of short stories fits perfectly! I was fully engrossed in each story, up late into the night reading because I just couldn't put it down! Jeremy grabs you right from the get go of each of these stories and has you flying through the pages to find out what happens next! This happens to be the first book I've read by Jeremy Bates and I can't wait to read more! I was given a free copy of this book by the author and said I would leave an honest review...I downloaded the book to my phone, read the first amazing story in it and decided to finish my library book first so I could return it. However, Jeremy's first story clung in my brain and I finally put down the library book because I had to finish reading Dark Hearts! It was just that good! I highly recommend it!

[Craig · Rating 4 out of 5]

*free ebook copy received from author in exchange for an honest review*

I must say that each of the four short stories in this book were quite entertaining. I enjoyed the twists in each of them. Each of the stories felt unique to me. Sure they were classic horror/psychological thriller stories, yet Bates was able to make them his own.

The only reason I didn't give this book a five star rating was that some of the characters felt a bit stereotyped to me. Overall I would still recommend Dark Hearts to all fans of Horror stories, especially those with a slant towards the psychological thriller side as opposed to monster driven horror. I think they will certainly enjoy these stories.

[Linda Appelbaum · Rating 4 out of 5]

WOW. Scary and disturbing...this book contains 4 short horror stories, each finely crafted to terrorize the reader and keep you engaged and wondering how the story will end. I found sleeping to be not so peaceful after reading, but it sure was fun to be scared! Each story has a good ending but it also leaves the reader thinking....and feeling slightly anxious and disturbed. I think I will try more of his books.

[Janice · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this digital download from the author for an honest review.

This book was very unexpected. The different stories would start very interesting and then all of a sudden, wow! Didn't see that coming. I enjoyed the unexpected twists in the individual stories. i couldn't wait to read the next story. Would recommend this book and will definitely read further books from this author.

[Jeannette · Rating 4 out of 5]

In compliance with FTC guidelines, I received the book for free through Goodreads First Reads.

I have no idea why this book took so long to arrive but I am glad it did. I thought I could read the stories when I didn't have time for a longer book but found that I had to read it cover to cover as the stories were that good.

[Julia · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received this book from the author in digital format.

You can tell, reading these stories what the author's influences are. Unfortunately the 4th story is just a little too "Norman Bates" to be truly original.

[Vicki Hennie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Received a free digital download through goodreads. just got to some chilling stuff in the early chapters of this book but i have to admit im hooked, has my heart racing as im quite a scaredy cat, but still left wanting to read more.

[Laurie · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was good. Each short story had its own feel, and all were equally creepy. Several times I thought the author was rambling, when it was actually the beginning of a well coiled ending.
Torn between 3-4 stars, simply because the middles drooped a but.
All in all a satisfying read.

[Debbi Lathrop · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome twist

Never a dull moment or lag. The stories are so well written and executed. couldn't put it down till the end then sad it was over!

[Diana Brewster · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting book, four tales of terror with unexpected surprise endings.

[Mark Smith-briggs]

Read for judging. Rating to come.

[Jennifer-Eve Workman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Working on review... will update!