The Cold Room

by Jeffrey Caine

Genres: Horror

Mass Market Paperback

Published February 12, 1978

About the author

Jeffrey Caine (born 1944) is a British writer and actor.

Reviews

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this in high school, if this is the same book. Growing up in small town Oklahoma, the video store there used to have really off-beat movies which is how I saw the movie version of this book. This story is really imaginative, haunting, and original. I love the stories historical fiction with a mix of fantasy.

[TC · Rating 5 out of 5]

My fave book since young. Reading it, you'll never know it was a first book. The complex structure, etc. A very good psychological thriller.

[Hector Camposano · Rating 4 out of 5]

Possessions, hauntings, rats in the wall. It was a little hard to get through starting, but you really have to get into the head of the protagonist during the first quarter in order to enjoy the remainder of the ride.

“It's hard to say without sounding all sort of true-blue and goody-goody, but if you hate a system it's no good just saying how rotten it is even if it's someone else's system and you don't have to live in it. You ought to help do something about it_ change it, or if you can't change it, undermine it. I do hate the way people have to live here. I suppose I just want to help someone get away from it, and you happened to turn up. Sort of. I haven't thought it out properly yet.”

[Zach Johnson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Blind-bought from the wonderful Bucket O' Blood Books in Chicago on a tour of the Midwest. More a psychological, "is the protagonist crazy or are people out to get her" thriller than a horror, though the ending starts to enter that territory. Kind of a slog to get there, though, with an aggressively unlikable main character and a rather confusing plot that doesn't come to a satisfying enough conclusion.

Found at Bucket O Blood Books in Chicago.