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Shadow Puppets: Scarecrows of Minnow Ranch
When Dawn inherits her mother’s ranch, she only wants to embrace the peaceful tranquility of the country life. She might clean up the place, learn how to farm, and maybe even meet a hot young townie to help warm up her bed at night. Being on a secluded ranch sounds great…until nightfall. That’s when there’s movement in the cornfield, knocking on her front door, and glowing red eyes. It’s when the scarecrows come to life.
BE ADVISED: THIS BOOK IS FOR A MATURE AUDIENCE AND CONTAINS GRAPHIC SEX AND VIOLENCE
BE ADVISED: THIS BOOK IS FOR A MATURE AUDIENCE AND CONTAINS GRAPHIC SEX AND VIOLENCE
- GenresHorror
106 pages, Kindle Edition
Published November 6, 2016
8 people are currently reading
102 people want to read
About the author
Carver Pike
30 books332 followersMy name is Carver Pike. Since as far back as I can remember, I've been fascinated by everything horror. I'd sit cross-legged in front of the TV and watch The Texas Chainsaw Massacre while devouring a bowl of Kaboom cereal. I always wished the ghost at the end of each episode of Scooby-Doo wouldn't be just another man behind the mask. I wanted real ghastly ghouls, dastardly demons, and malevolent monsters.
At some point, I knew I couldn't sit back and keep watching this horror world from the stands. I wanted to be in the game. So, now I wield this virtual pen and sling ink onto this page with the hopes of someday being a major player. I want to create those worlds you visit, feed that fear that keeps you up late at night, and entertain you in ways only the greatest storytellers can.
Be advised, most of my books are very graphic in nature. Most contain strong violence, and some have very detailed sex scenes. I try to give you a warning in the book blurb.
Hopefully, we'll form a great author-reader relationship and you'll come to trust that Carver Pike will always keep you entertained.
Member of the HWA: Horror Writers Association
Participated in KillerCon2020
At some point, I knew I couldn't sit back and keep watching this horror world from the stands. I wanted to be in the game. So, now I wield this virtual pen and sling ink onto this page with the hopes of someday being a major player. I want to create those worlds you visit, feed that fear that keeps you up late at night, and entertain you in ways only the greatest storytellers can.
Be advised, most of my books are very graphic in nature. Most contain strong violence, and some have very detailed sex scenes. I try to give you a warning in the book blurb.
Hopefully, we'll form a great author-reader relationship and you'll come to trust that Carver Pike will always keep you entertained.
Member of the HWA: Horror Writers Association
Participated in KillerCon2020
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 44 reviews
November 23, 2020
The story started quite interesting with an old farm (Minnow Ranch) and the mentioning of scary scarecrows. But soon it developed into explicit depiction of sexual scenes around the main characters Dawn and Daisy. Don't get me wrong. Nothing against it. Here it simply was too much pounding and screwing for my liking. Some sex is always great in horror but this exceeded my idea. It was laughable without being funny. The author writes quite well but the book simply wasn't my cup of tea. Sorry. Great cover though!
February 26, 2025
I really disliked this book for a lot of reasons. First, I despised how oversexualized the female characters were. Now, even working with the premise that the special locket had this effect, Dawn was constantly thinking about ways to make herself look desirable, where to get laid, how well-endowed her ex-husband was, and the details if their intimacy, even before that was a factor. This is all as she’s arrived at her, now deceased, estranged and abusive mother’s house to clean it up. It made zero sense. And then the nonstop commentary on the way her nipples poked through shirts, brushed against the fabric of her shirts, and such, were so overbearing, that I almost didn’t finish the book. Then the insanely detailed sexual experiences and encounters, with some very odd wording and sometimes inaccurate physiological occurrences, taking up a good portion of this short, 100 page story, just made it all very uninteresting. Her older sister, Daisy, was also fairly sexual, too, but none of it came together. It felt like someone wanted to write some trashy erotica, but wouldn’t take then full plunge, so they tried to work in some random horror elements. And speaking of such…yes, this claimed to be a horror story? So we had some random scarecrow sightings throughout, with a very haphazard, slapped together explanation of their importance to the premise, at the very end. Of course, this included details of how a scarecrow’s male appendage looked. Because we all needed to know about that? And beyond that, the background on Daisy and Dawn’s mother, the townspeople, etc were all very underdeveloped, too. I really try not to leave such negative reviews, but there wasn’t anything redeeming here, aside from a somewhat decent writing quality. There was also an open ending too, which just added to how much I detested this book.
April 3, 2023
SCARECROW SMUT!!!
May 2, 2021
What an ending!
Firstly, I highly recommend this one, TO THE APPROPRIATE AUDIENCE. I read the synopsis and nearly began reading this one multiple times. I am very happy I did. I had no idea what I was in for.
Pike provided very strong characters as usual, a very very interesting story line, and balled it all up into a creature feature/folk lore story, and I could NOT have enjoyed it more! I won't give any spoilers but there is a very familiar name in this book, to any fans of Carver's other works!
I would love to see a sequel to this as there are just SO many ways this could evolve!
Firstly, I highly recommend this one, TO THE APPROPRIATE AUDIENCE. I read the synopsis and nearly began reading this one multiple times. I am very happy I did. I had no idea what I was in for.
Pike provided very strong characters as usual, a very very interesting story line, and balled it all up into a creature feature/folk lore story, and I could NOT have enjoyed it more! I won't give any spoilers but there is a very familiar name in this book, to any fans of Carver's other works!
I would love to see a sequel to this as there are just SO many ways this could evolve!
July 24, 2021
Fantastic stand alone story, with a nod to Diablo Snuff! Loved the Easter egg. The story was well written. The main characters were well developed. The scary WFT baddies were awesome. Loved this Halloweenish tale of killer scarecrows.
June 9, 2021
Oh Carver, you were my first author friend on Facebook over a year ago and it took me ages to read your books and now I'm yours forever. Shadow Puppets is the third story of his I have now read. And I loved it. It had me from the first page, the description and the building of suspense were superb. I stupidly started it on the bus to work so I had to put it down but then as soon as I finished I picked it right up and couldn't put it down until I zoomed through it. I don't know what story it kind of reminded me of, I'm racking my brains to think, but still, even if it was inspired by another it was an awesome read. I honestly loved it. You deserve all the success and more, as you are one of the nicest, hardworking guys AND a darn good storyteller. A true giant in the making. Five solid stars.
June 16, 2022
Creepy scarecrows, sexy times... what could go wrong? Another fun story from Carver Pike!
April 6, 2023
This is some real fucking scarecrows - on several levels 😏
April 9, 2023
Can I say SMOKING and super creative!!! This book went from hot and sexy to holy shit in no time. The concept of this book had me shocked towards the end. It was very well thought out and when all the pieces fell together they fell together nicely. I thought I did have it figured out but boy was I WRONG! This is my second book from Carver Pike and it will not be my last. He had a nice flow with his writing that makes his book easy to read and follow!
November 30, 2020
4.5 stars
Carver Pikes crazy dirty imagination has done it again and I loved it!.
I doubt I'll ever look at scarecrows again without thinking of this book.
It's horror, it's erotic, it's evil, it's great!.
Carver Pikes crazy dirty imagination has done it again and I loved it!.
I doubt I'll ever look at scarecrows again without thinking of this book.
It's horror, it's erotic, it's evil, it's great!.
November 18, 2016
*clears throat*
Ok, where to start?! In one sentence...Carver Pike will turn you upside down and inside out!
This book rates right up there on my top ten short story favorites! Pike has the astounding ability to pull every emotion imaginable out of his reader in one short read! Exhilaration, heat, excitement, apprehension, sadness, and a peek out from under your blanket with one eye closed kind of horror! Your heart will be racing and your mind will be left churning for days after. When I reached the climatic ending I felt like I had just gotten off of the weirdest (but most wonderful!) roller coaster ride of my life! I actually had to sit and digest this story for a day before I wrote this review because I was at such a loss for words.
Ive been a long time fan of this author and unashamedly admit im a junkie when it comes to his mystery/suspense/horror reads. Im addicted! Someone please call Book Hookers Anonymous!!
But I shake my head and seriously am blown away every time I read his next work. He has such an amazing gift for words, incredible imagination for story line, and the articulate ability to mate the two into a beautiful artistic masterpiece! I have incredible faith and hope that one day he will receive the true recognition he deserves for his incredible talent!
So, stop reading my review and go one click this ride! I promise gou won't regret it! GO! Now!! And enjoy!
Ok, where to start?! In one sentence...Carver Pike will turn you upside down and inside out!
This book rates right up there on my top ten short story favorites! Pike has the astounding ability to pull every emotion imaginable out of his reader in one short read! Exhilaration, heat, excitement, apprehension, sadness, and a peek out from under your blanket with one eye closed kind of horror! Your heart will be racing and your mind will be left churning for days after. When I reached the climatic ending I felt like I had just gotten off of the weirdest (but most wonderful!) roller coaster ride of my life! I actually had to sit and digest this story for a day before I wrote this review because I was at such a loss for words.
Ive been a long time fan of this author and unashamedly admit im a junkie when it comes to his mystery/suspense/horror reads. Im addicted! Someone please call Book Hookers Anonymous!!
But I shake my head and seriously am blown away every time I read his next work. He has such an amazing gift for words, incredible imagination for story line, and the articulate ability to mate the two into a beautiful artistic masterpiece! I have incredible faith and hope that one day he will receive the true recognition he deserves for his incredible talent!
So, stop reading my review and go one click this ride! I promise gou won't regret it! GO! Now!! And enjoy!
June 1, 2022
Cornfields play a prominent role in a lot of horror plots (I bet you can name several), but I have not run across one quite like this. Being a big X-Files fan, the initial visual I got was the large, rundown farmhouse from the episode Home (Season 4, ep. 2, air date 10/11/96) situated on an overgrown property surrounded by tall fields. This creepy backdrop is the perfect setting for the terrifying story of Minnow Ranch that has been inherited by sisters Dawn and Daisy. The sisters are meeting up at the house to decide what they should do with the property. Dawn arrives several days before her sister and, becoming restless, decides to get dressed up for a night on the town. Her hope is to flirt and maybe find someone to take home for the night. Before she heads out, however, a spectacularly built male specimen shows up on her doorstep, and Dawn finds she will not need to leave after all. She becomes obsessed by her sexual encounters with the mysterious Anders and is only interrupted by the arrival of her sister. Daisy recognizes that something sinister is going on and vows to save Dawn. In the process, she discovers a horrifying family history that involves the scarecrows living in the cornfields. WARNING: sexually explicit, violence
November 15, 2016
This is one of the hardest books I have ever had to review as to do it justice I really don't know what words to use as this book was one of the best books I have read in a long time!!!
The story centres around a women called Dawn who returns to the ranch she grew up in after her mother's death but after only being in the ranch for a short time things are not quite as they seem and when the appearance of a strange man called Anders things really start to heat up and I really mean heat up!!! As the sexual chemistry between these two is totally off the Richter scale but sometimes in life men are not always what they seem and with the arrival of her younger sister Daisy and her boyfriend Matt and his friend Harvey things take a turn for the worst and what unravels next is beyond scary and this author leads us into a chilling and totally spellbinding journey that you have to read to truly understand what I mean
So please do not hesitate and read this talented authors book Which i wish I could have given 100 stars as I throughly enjoyed it
The story centres around a women called Dawn who returns to the ranch she grew up in after her mother's death but after only being in the ranch for a short time things are not quite as they seem and when the appearance of a strange man called Anders things really start to heat up and I really mean heat up!!! As the sexual chemistry between these two is totally off the Richter scale but sometimes in life men are not always what they seem and with the arrival of her younger sister Daisy and her boyfriend Matt and his friend Harvey things take a turn for the worst and what unravels next is beyond scary and this author leads us into a chilling and totally spellbinding journey that you have to read to truly understand what I mean
So please do not hesitate and read this talented authors book Which i wish I could have given 100 stars as I throughly enjoyed it
November 17, 2016
When I started this book my ADHD was kicking my butt and I was having a hard time focusing on this book. But when I finally was able to buckle down and read it I was able to enjoy it. This book won't rank into my favorites, but it is a book I am sure horror fans will love to read. This is defiantly a book that will cause you to do a double take and make sure the scarecrows aren't moving around. This book finished on a cliffhanger that left me wondering what will happen next.
Carver Pike's book will leave you scared and biting your nails. This book is dark and might not be suitable for all readers, please consider this your warning.
XOXO, Zara
I received this book in exchange for an honest review.
Carver Pike's book will leave you scared and biting your nails. This book is dark and might not be suitable for all readers, please consider this your warning.
XOXO, Zara
I received this book in exchange for an honest review.
March 29, 2020
Shadow Puppets: Scarecrows of Minnow Ranch by Carver Pike is described by the author as Erotic Horror. But let me break that down for you:
Erotic: this book contains graphic sex and sexuality, some of which may be deemed outside the norm.
Horror: this book is Extreme Horror.
The story is horrifying. It starts out scary, creepy, full of tension; jumps right into it and takes you with it. Shadow Puppets takes the horror premise of cornfields and scarecrows to a whole other level of oh-my-god! With unique plot twists and an unimaginable back story. The creepy, hair-raising foreshadowing makes it maddeningly compelling.
Fans of Carver Pike’s Diablo Snuff books should read this if they haven’t already.
Fans of extreme horror will love this fast-paced and gripping tale.
Erotic: this book contains graphic sex and sexuality, some of which may be deemed outside the norm.
Horror: this book is Extreme Horror.
The story is horrifying. It starts out scary, creepy, full of tension; jumps right into it and takes you with it. Shadow Puppets takes the horror premise of cornfields and scarecrows to a whole other level of oh-my-god! With unique plot twists and an unimaginable back story. The creepy, hair-raising foreshadowing makes it maddeningly compelling.
Fans of Carver Pike’s Diablo Snuff books should read this if they haven’t already.
Fans of extreme horror will love this fast-paced and gripping tale.
November 7, 2016
Deliciously dark
Oh this book! It's dark, it's sexy, it's scary, it's everything that makes a great read great! When a horror story makes me look over my shoulder to check for the bump in the night it's first rate. Carver Pike can write no doubt about that, but his ability to bring the story to life is a skill that not many have. He makes you feel like you're part of the story. In there with the characters fighting for your sanity and your very life. Bravo for scaring this horror loving girl! This story is beyond sexy! Nothing better then a hot erotic horror story late at night. I couldn't put this book down, I was pulled in from the first page.
Oh this book! It's dark, it's sexy, it's scary, it's everything that makes a great read great! When a horror story makes me look over my shoulder to check for the bump in the night it's first rate. Carver Pike can write no doubt about that, but his ability to bring the story to life is a skill that not many have. He makes you feel like you're part of the story. In there with the characters fighting for your sanity and your very life. Bravo for scaring this horror loving girl! This story is beyond sexy! Nothing better then a hot erotic horror story late at night. I couldn't put this book down, I was pulled in from the first page.
November 9, 2016
The perfect place to stay.
Carver Pike once again takes us on a trip to Scareyville with his latest offering Shadow Puppets: Scarecrows of Minnow Ranch. Two sisters inherit the family home. It's idyllic.....the perfect place to unwind.....in the middle of nowhere surrounded by corn fields.....just perfect. Add a tall, dark, handsome stranger to the mix and you are soon on a journey to a place you really don't want to go. Yes all is not that as it seems at Minnow Ranch. If you where thinking of booking a Farm Stay this year you might want to cancel it, you never know what's in those corn fields.
Carver Pike once again takes us on a trip to Scareyville with his latest offering Shadow Puppets: Scarecrows of Minnow Ranch. Two sisters inherit the family home. It's idyllic.....the perfect place to unwind.....in the middle of nowhere surrounded by corn fields.....just perfect. Add a tall, dark, handsome stranger to the mix and you are soon on a journey to a place you really don't want to go. Yes all is not that as it seems at Minnow Ranch. If you where thinking of booking a Farm Stay this year you might want to cancel it, you never know what's in those corn fields.
November 7, 2016
No one can write horror the way Carver Pike does. This book had everything I need in book in order to be completely enthralled in it. The storyline was suspenseful and spot on. The characters were developed as well as complex which complimented the storyline. And most importantly, the book scared me and I will never go outside to the cornfield behind my house in the dark again. Well done Carver Pike!!!
November 9, 2016
This is my confession: Whoa. Talk about a bit of a mind bender. I am new to Carver Pike and his -less dark and sinister- alter ego, but I believe that after reading Shadow Puppets, that will change. At one point in the story, I felt it go a bit sideways, but when a secondary character shows up, some things are explained and the story is put back to rights. A definite perfect mix of both horror and erotica that will make anyone weary of a cornfield.
November 8, 2016
Scarey
Scared,sexy I bet you didn't know you could read a book hiding behind a pillow... Only this author could get me to read a book like this. I can't begin to imagine what goes on in your mind. You blow me away is there any kind of book you can't write??? Absolutely incredible a must read..... Scared the $h!t out of me......
Scared,sexy I bet you didn't know you could read a book hiding behind a pillow... Only this author could get me to read a book like this. I can't begin to imagine what goes on in your mind. You blow me away is there any kind of book you can't write??? Absolutely incredible a must read..... Scared the $h!t out of me......
November 13, 2016
Must read !!!
I love this book!!! I think I just might be scared of a scarecrow now. This story is written with the right amount of horror that it leaves you wanting more. If you love horror then I highly recommend reading this book and I look forward to reading the next book that this author writes.
I love this book!!! I think I just might be scared of a scarecrow now. This story is written with the right amount of horror that it leaves you wanting more. If you love horror then I highly recommend reading this book and I look forward to reading the next book that this author writes.
June 9, 2021
Pike is a Great in the making
This is now the third book of Carver Pike’s I’ve read and with each one he draws me more and more into his web. His storytelling is awesome, his use of language superb. I felt like I was at Minnow Ranch. I could picture it despite never being in a cornfield myself! I’m from a small town in Australia. Damn, I won’t look at scarecrows the same again!
This is now the third book of Carver Pike’s I’ve read and with each one he draws me more and more into his web. His storytelling is awesome, his use of language superb. I felt like I was at Minnow Ranch. I could picture it despite never being in a cornfield myself! I’m from a small town in Australia. Damn, I won’t look at scarecrows the same again!
November 17, 2016
Wow this was so creepy and so damn good!!!
I don't know where your thoughts to write a book such as this come from but I freaking loved this book! Add something different to your reading library... This erotic horror is a must read!
I don't know where your thoughts to write a book such as this come from but I freaking loved this book! Add something different to your reading library... This erotic horror is a must read!
July 8, 2020
Wild ride
I hate scarecrows with a bloody passion!! That’s why I picked this book as my first Carver Pike book. It was a good read, and now I have more ammo to fuel my scarecrow hatred!
I hate scarecrows with a bloody passion!! That’s why I picked this book as my first Carver Pike book. It was a good read, and now I have more ammo to fuel my scarecrow hatred!
August 24, 2019
I loved it! Scary, erotic, suspenseful, I couldn’t stop reading!
May 3, 2020
Holy catballs Batman!!!!
Carved did it again! Had me on the edge of my seat...again!! This one was wicked, evil and pure Carved Pike! Must read!
Carved did it again! Had me on the edge of my seat...again!! This one was wicked, evil and pure Carved Pike! Must read!
July 24, 2020
This was a fun, quick book with some legitimately scary scenes.
September 24, 2020
This is definitely his most f-up tale I’ve read so far. I hate scarecrows and now I’m gonna have nightmares! Thank you for the sleepless nights, Carver
May 30, 2021
If you aren't scared of scarecrows now, you will be after reading this book!!
April 21, 2023
There needs to be more Scarecrow stories. Luckily Carver stepped up and not only brought back the scarecrow, but made it sexy as well
Displaying 1 - 30 of 44 reviews