Rest in Peace

by Jack MacLane, J. Maclane

Danny West knew that something was wrong from the first day his folks moved into the rundown house next to the creepy graveyard. The neighborhood kids would never come over to play. At night, he saw weird shadows prowling around the crumbling tombstones and heard strange gurgling sounds. But his parents wouldn't listen to him. They said he has a good imagination...

Then bad things started to happen. Terrible gruesome things that even scared his dad. There was something in the graveyard. Something that no kid could ever have imagined. Something that should have been left alone to...Rest In Peace.

Genres: Horror

319 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 1990

About the author

A pseudonym used by Bill Crider.

Reviews

[Evans Light · Rating 2 out of 5]

Gave this one a full hundred pages to grab me and it completely failed to do so.
Combine an unsuspenseful setup with annoyingly gee-whiz protagonist, throw in the premise of Richard Laymon's THE WOODS ARE DARK but without the riotous insanity, or Ketchum's OFF SEASON minus the intensity, and you've got this book.
Released at the tail-end of the 80s horror tsunami, this book does little to stand out from the pack, offering nothing that other books haven't already done better.

[Karl]

Bill Crider (July 28, 1941 – February 12, 2018)

Published under the pseudonym "Jack MacLane")

"Keepers of the Beast" (Zebra, 1988)
"Goodnight, Moom" (Zebra, 1989)
"Blood Dreams" (Zebra, 1989)
"Rest in Peace" (Zebra, 1990)
"Just before Dark" (Zebra, 1990)

[DJMikeG · Rating 4 out of 5]

This isn't fine lit by any stretch of the imagination, but it is a fast moving horror novel that pulls you in. Jack MacLane is the pseudonym for mystery and western writer Bill Crider. Crider is a friend and collaborator of Joe R. Lansdale, so when I found this book in a thrift store recently, I thought I'd give it a try. Its a fun read for horror fans. It does what it sets out to do, shock ya and scare ya and not much more. Its a good old fashioned Texas meat and potatoes, blood and guts horror novel. Its vaguely similar to "The Woods Are Dark" by Richard Laymon, but its much better than that book. I'll definitely be checking out more MacLane/Crider.

[Daniel Volpe · Rating 4 out of 5]

A decent splatterpunk book. Had it moments of gore and sex, which if you've ever read splatterpunk you know it's a staple. Pretty cliche, but it was written over 20 years ago. Not a bad read for the horror enthusiast who likes a little extra gore.

[Wayne · Rating 5 out of 5]

A down on his luck man finds out that he has inherited a large house in a very rural part of Texas. Since he's living with his wife and two kids in a small trailer, he jumps at the chance to move. Once there, he has the feeling that the whole town has a secret, and the secret has to do with his house.

This was a really great book. It has pretty much all the key points I look for in a horror book. Fast pace. Sex, violence and unintentional humor. Feels like a solid grade B horror movie. The creatures are described in a way that had me thinking of that old cartoon, "Captain Caveman" except with huge claws and teeth. This is a real winner.

[Christine · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was nothing like I thought it would be. From the description on the back, I thought it would be supernatural or something. Really, the whole book was about this generations old feud between two families.
Everyone in town knew what the Harps were really like - kind of a backwoods family living by their own rules, killing and robbing travelers passing through to make a living. None of the townsfolk dared to try to stop them. As long as the Harps didn't bother them, they looked the other way. Until Jeremiah West moved to town. He confronted the Harps, resulting in death.
The second half of the book takes place about a hundred years later, when a new West family moves to town, and the Harps vow to kill them for what happened to their ancestors.
I really would have enjoyed it much more if it had been like it sounded from the back. I gave it 4 stars because the writing was good and I did enjoy the story anyways.

[Jamie · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is one of the late lamented Zebra Horror line. When the West family moves to Springville, they move entirely too close to an old graveyard for son Danny's liking. No other children want to come to his house to play and at night there are inexplicable noises and sightings of things that are indescribable.
While this was a fairly fun reading experience it is NOT great literature, so be warned. This one could be popular with fans of Richard Laymon with it's violence, rapine and pillaging it is very similar to his body of work.

[Olivia Starks · Rating 5 out of 5]

loved it, great story excellent story telling, and the end was amazing. 5* overall loved it

[Brian G Berry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent story, fantastic writing, quick, brutal, bloody. Enjoyed the characters, the setting, all in all, 5/5. 🤟💀🤟

[Egghead · Rating 4 out of 5]

dad buys family
underground cannibal house
and decides to stay