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The Midnight Book Club #7
The Mailman
Be careful what you wish for.
Los Angeles, 1985. Never was the motto sex, drugs, and rock n' roll more apt than the scene on the legendary Sunset Strip with the arrival of the underground Hollywood glam bands.
While Mick Freeman, a record executive with a major label, works tirelessly to sign five toxic rockers whom he believes might flip the entire music world on its head, his wife, Jade, spends her days bored and alone at home, struggling with a midlife crisis that threatens to topple their twenty-year marriage.
And then she meets the new mailman. Young and handsome, he sweeps her off her feet—straight into a nightmare the likes of which she could never have imagined.
BookShots
- LIGHTNING-FAST STORIES BY JEREMY BATES
- Novels you can devour in a few hours
- Impossible to stop reading
- All original content from Jeremy Bates
"Thriller fans and readers of Stephen King, Joe Lansdale, and other masters of the art will find much to love in this highly recommended, action-packed read." - Midwest Book Review on Island of the Dolls
"Bates' approach to the story is surprisingly restrained, cultivating impressive frights in the unnerving environment...an understated horror story that will remind readers what chattering teeth sound like." - Kirkus Reviews on Suicide Forest
"Bates takes an intriguing premise to shocking lengths, revealing the outcome only in an epilogue. A graphically violent story with building suspense and a moral about where weaving such a web may lead." - Booklist on White Lies
"Jeremy Bates has written a great book that would make a great Hollywood screenplay." - Suspense Magazine on The Taste of Fear
"The Catacombs is easy to consume whole, like a shocking, but delicious, pint of ice cream, as Bates never shies away from the bad or the ugly. If you are looking for something to give you chills before you go to bed or make you think twice about turning off your light, then The Catacombs is the book for you." - San Francisco Book Review on The Catacombs
"This is one of those books that invites you to read it in one sitting." - Hellnotes on Suicide Forest
"The story culminates in a tense situation and a surprising yet satisfying ending...well written and an exciting thriller." - Suspense Magazine on White Lies
"Read this book. It will give you the major creeps. It's one of those that will make your skin crawl." - Scream Magazine on Island of the Dolls
"The Catacombs is a thrilling descent into the unknown, peeling back the dark layers like a rotting onion, tears running down your face as you try to climb your way out. A hypnotic story of buried truths, disfigured creatures, and lost histories told with an authoritative voice full of heart and insight." - Richard Thomas, Bram Stoker nominated author on The Catacombs
"Big on suspense...think of The Blair Witch Project with the exception being that this takes place in...a real haunted setting." - HorrorAddicts on Suicide Forest
"Here's an enjoyable book to lose yourself in. Jeremy Bates doesn't miss a trick, teasing and misleading, ratcheting up the tension as the heroine...loses traction on a slippery slope of deceptions." - Glenn Kleier, New York Times bestselling author on White Lies
"A horror story like none other...makes for a read that will delight horror fans who want their novels steeped in psychological suspense as well as action." - Midwest Book Review on The Catacombs
"Jeremy Bates has written a spellbinding horror story that steadily heightens in suspense until the tension of individuals in desperate straits reaches epic proportions, resulting in an explosive climax followed by a nerve-racking scene in the epilogue." - Bestsellersworld on Suicide Forest
Los Angeles, 1985. Never was the motto sex, drugs, and rock n' roll more apt than the scene on the legendary Sunset Strip with the arrival of the underground Hollywood glam bands.
While Mick Freeman, a record executive with a major label, works tirelessly to sign five toxic rockers whom he believes might flip the entire music world on its head, his wife, Jade, spends her days bored and alone at home, struggling with a midlife crisis that threatens to topple their twenty-year marriage.
And then she meets the new mailman. Young and handsome, he sweeps her off her feet—straight into a nightmare the likes of which she could never have imagined.
BookShots
- LIGHTNING-FAST STORIES BY JEREMY BATES
- Novels you can devour in a few hours
- Impossible to stop reading
- All original content from Jeremy Bates
"Thriller fans and readers of Stephen King, Joe Lansdale, and other masters of the art will find much to love in this highly recommended, action-packed read." - Midwest Book Review on Island of the Dolls
"Bates' approach to the story is surprisingly restrained, cultivating impressive frights in the unnerving environment...an understated horror story that will remind readers what chattering teeth sound like." - Kirkus Reviews on Suicide Forest
"Bates takes an intriguing premise to shocking lengths, revealing the outcome only in an epilogue. A graphically violent story with building suspense and a moral about where weaving such a web may lead." - Booklist on White Lies
"Jeremy Bates has written a great book that would make a great Hollywood screenplay." - Suspense Magazine on The Taste of Fear
"The Catacombs is easy to consume whole, like a shocking, but delicious, pint of ice cream, as Bates never shies away from the bad or the ugly. If you are looking for something to give you chills before you go to bed or make you think twice about turning off your light, then The Catacombs is the book for you." - San Francisco Book Review on The Catacombs
"This is one of those books that invites you to read it in one sitting." - Hellnotes on Suicide Forest
"The story culminates in a tense situation and a surprising yet satisfying ending...well written and an exciting thriller." - Suspense Magazine on White Lies
"Read this book. It will give you the major creeps. It's one of those that will make your skin crawl." - Scream Magazine on Island of the Dolls
"The Catacombs is a thrilling descent into the unknown, peeling back the dark layers like a rotting onion, tears running down your face as you try to climb your way out. A hypnotic story of buried truths, disfigured creatures, and lost histories told with an authoritative voice full of heart and insight." - Richard Thomas, Bram Stoker nominated author on The Catacombs
"Big on suspense...think of The Blair Witch Project with the exception being that this takes place in...a real haunted setting." - HorrorAddicts on Suicide Forest
"Here's an enjoyable book to lose yourself in. Jeremy Bates doesn't miss a trick, teasing and misleading, ratcheting up the tension as the heroine...loses traction on a slippery slope of deceptions." - Glenn Kleier, New York Times bestselling author on White Lies
"A horror story like none other...makes for a read that will delight horror fans who want their novels steeped in psychological suspense as well as action." - Midwest Book Review on The Catacombs
"Jeremy Bates has written a spellbinding horror story that steadily heightens in suspense until the tension of individuals in desperate straits reaches epic proportions, resulting in an explosive climax followed by a nerve-racking scene in the epilogue." - Bestsellersworld on Suicide Forest
127 pages, Kindle Edition
Published August 11, 2017
About the author
Jeremy Bates
47 books1,869 followersUSA 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
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
Ratings & Reviews
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Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews
August 18, 2017
Don't waste your time.
At the beginning, author gave away the ending, by the books suggestions.
Be happy with what you have, as long as you're not being abused and have everything you need.
At the beginning, author gave away the ending, by the books suggestions.
Be happy with what you have, as long as you're not being abused and have everything you need.
October 31, 2025
She’s got it bad; a depressing marriage and the life of a housewife are not what she envisioned for herself. A hot new mailman unexpectedly introduces himself to her, sparks fly, and one thing leads to another. Now she’s tormented, confused and not sure how to handle these new feelings; part of her wishes this was simply a hit-it-and-quit-it situation—it’s not, not even close.
Fatal Attraction turned up to 11. I liked all of the 80s/90s music references throughout this, and it was a quick read. This is not something I normally pick up, and it took some twists I did not expect—recommended; it was a fun read.
Fatal Attraction turned up to 11. I liked all of the 80s/90s music references throughout this, and it was a quick read. This is not something I normally pick up, and it took some twists I did not expect—recommended; it was a fun read.
January 26, 2023
Jesus what a story.
I felt in a mood for a story from Jeremy Bates, who’s books I do enjoy a lot. This time I decided to pick up a short story as a quick “snack” and boy, it did not let up even for a moment. The big reveal felt like a kick to the face and I don’t mean it in a good way, the twist made me sick to my stomach but that’s why we read horror, right? Well, all in all this story is definitely packing a punch and I have to rate it 5 just because it’s been a long time since a horror story made me feel so… horrible.
Good job, as always.
I felt in a mood for a story from Jeremy Bates, who’s books I do enjoy a lot. This time I decided to pick up a short story as a quick “snack” and boy, it did not let up even for a moment. The big reveal felt like a kick to the face and I don’t mean it in a good way, the twist made me sick to my stomach but that’s why we read horror, right? Well, all in all this story is definitely packing a punch and I have to rate it 5 just because it’s been a long time since a horror story made me feel so… horrible.
Good job, as always.
May 20, 2025
I didn’t hate it, but also didn’t enjoy it overall that much? But still had fun listening? 😂
January 30, 2020
Something new, refreshing and unexpected from Jeremy Bates? Yes! Already a fan of his horror stories (check out the novels in the World’s Scariest Places series!) now I am a fan of his thrillers, too. The Mailman is an addictive mixture of dangerous, toxic rock and a surprising family drama. Don’t judge the book by the beginning (which I also like) because the end will reward you!
Want to Read
February 23, 2022🎁 FREE on Amazon today (2/23/2022)! 🎁
January 12, 2021
LA, mid 80s. Sun, fun and a booming culture of glitz and glut. Even the mailmen are hot. Or at least the one that attracts attention the restless music exec’s wife. Oh Jade, don’t you know…one night of passion and a lifetime of regret. Well, anyway, she’s about to learn. Quick and mindless sort of thriller with a message that reads something like beware Greek tragedy quoting mailmen that, in fact, does play out very much like a Greek tragedy. Very much on the same level, quality wise, as the other entries in this series. The author’s world’s scariest places series looks much more intriguing, but these are much shorter. And do pretty much what they are supposed to, provide mild brief diversions.
August 17, 2017
Never disappoints me!
Jeremy Bates is one of my absolute favorite authors. His twists always surprise me and I can't wait for more!
Jeremy Bates is one of my absolute favorite authors. His twists always surprise me and I can't wait for more!
April 28, 2019
At first I thought this was just another wife is bored so she has an affair book but HOLY!!! It is not! Twisted doesn't even begin to describe this... read it!
August 25, 2017
Short but awesome read. Did NOT see that coming!
October 8, 2017
Good easy read
Great from the first page, especially the unexpected turn for the worse. A real page turner. A great holiday read.
Great from the first page, especially the unexpected turn for the worse. A real page turner. A great holiday read.
July 5, 2020
Jade and Mick Freeman have been married for seventeen years. They’ve had their ups and downs. But lately, she’s been feeling depressed. She’s been unhappy since they moved to Los Angeles from New York.
Mick is an Arts & Recording executive at Chrysalis Records, a British label that has signed big names. He’s planning to sign a new group called The Tempest to the label. If all goes well, he’d be bringing in megabucks.
Jade on the other hand is tired of playing the doting wife, and her monotonous lifestyle isn’t helping either. To keep herself busy she decides to do some weeding in her backyard. At the same time, she’s contemplating if she still loves her husband. How could she not, she ponders, after all the time they’ve spent together.
Just then she sights the mailman standing before her mailbox. He’s young, early twenties and has a movie star looks, she notes. He says good morning and she replies before he continues down the sidewalk.
Jade and Mick’s sex life has been nonexistent. They have sex twice a year. Mick is always swamped at work and whenever he comes back home she’d be asleep. These days they make do with a quick handjob. They can’t have kids either; she got pregnant at eighteen and gave her baby up for adoption, a decision she regrets to this day.
Tired of her mundane life, she starts having erotic fantasies about the mailman she met the other day. She imagines meeting him dressed in a sheer nightie and nothing else...
Then she runs into him at a diner where she stopped to have lunch after doing some grocery shopping. What are the odds? They have no available seats at the diner so Jade invites him to join her and he accepts. He introduces himself as Ronnie, an aspiring actor who delivers mail to pay the bills. They chat some more, she offers to drive him home; they talk about cooking on the way, one thing leads to another and next thing she finds herself in Ronnie’s apartment, ostensibly to pick up a yellow curry recipe. 🙄 Of course, they end up having sex.
A week or so later Jade runs into Ronnie at a club where she went with her husband. His record label was promoting the Tempest, the band he represents. But Ronnie starts acting strangely and threatens to expose their affair to Mick. Why the sudden change in Ronnie’s personality?
Then the flowing week she receives an envelope in her mail, unaddressed and unstamped shattering her once peaceful life.
Sick, twisted, highly recommend.
Mick is an Arts & Recording executive at Chrysalis Records, a British label that has signed big names. He’s planning to sign a new group called The Tempest to the label. If all goes well, he’d be bringing in megabucks.
Jade on the other hand is tired of playing the doting wife, and her monotonous lifestyle isn’t helping either. To keep herself busy she decides to do some weeding in her backyard. At the same time, she’s contemplating if she still loves her husband. How could she not, she ponders, after all the time they’ve spent together.
Just then she sights the mailman standing before her mailbox. He’s young, early twenties and has a movie star looks, she notes. He says good morning and she replies before he continues down the sidewalk.
Jade and Mick’s sex life has been nonexistent. They have sex twice a year. Mick is always swamped at work and whenever he comes back home she’d be asleep. These days they make do with a quick handjob. They can’t have kids either; she got pregnant at eighteen and gave her baby up for adoption, a decision she regrets to this day.
Tired of her mundane life, she starts having erotic fantasies about the mailman she met the other day. She imagines meeting him dressed in a sheer nightie and nothing else...
Then she runs into him at a diner where she stopped to have lunch after doing some grocery shopping. What are the odds? They have no available seats at the diner so Jade invites him to join her and he accepts. He introduces himself as Ronnie, an aspiring actor who delivers mail to pay the bills. They chat some more, she offers to drive him home; they talk about cooking on the way, one thing leads to another and next thing she finds herself in Ronnie’s apartment, ostensibly to pick up a yellow curry recipe. 🙄 Of course, they end up having sex.
A week or so later Jade runs into Ronnie at a club where she went with her husband. His record label was promoting the Tempest, the band he represents. But Ronnie starts acting strangely and threatens to expose their affair to Mick. Why the sudden change in Ronnie’s personality?
Then the flowing week she receives an envelope in her mail, unaddressed and unstamped shattering her once peaceful life.
Sick, twisted, highly recommend.
May 6, 2021
Jeremy Bates spins a particularly unsettling tale with The Mailman, introducing us to a mid-1980s Los Angeles and focusing tightly on the listless, unsatisfying life of a record executive's housewife.
On the surface, Mick and Jade Freeman appear to have it all, including a particularly bright future ahead of them as Mick is on the verge of signing a heavy metal band that's being billed as the next Mötley Crüe...if he can only keep them from imploding before they record their debut album. Everything is not as perfect as it seems.
Jade isn't sure whether she even loves Mick anymore and she's haunted by her infertility and the memory of the one child they'd had and given up for adoption decades earlier.
Like a cliché, this is when the stunningly handsome mailman appears at Jade's door...and again at her table while she's having lunch by herself in a busy restaurant. Unlike the cliché, things get truly dark and disturbing from there.
This story is a fine example to display why one should not cheat on their significant other...albeit a pretty extreme example.
With a twist straight out of Oldboy, whether we're talking about the manga or either of the movie adaptations, it's hard to walk away from this story feeling clean.
Jenna Green's narration is excellent, capturing the UK accent of the frontman, and bringing the characters to life in the audiobook edition of this novella.
On the surface, Mick and Jade Freeman appear to have it all, including a particularly bright future ahead of them as Mick is on the verge of signing a heavy metal band that's being billed as the next Mötley Crüe...if he can only keep them from imploding before they record their debut album. Everything is not as perfect as it seems.
Jade isn't sure whether she even loves Mick anymore and she's haunted by her infertility and the memory of the one child they'd had and given up for adoption decades earlier.
Like a cliché, this is when the stunningly handsome mailman appears at Jade's door...and again at her table while she's having lunch by herself in a busy restaurant. Unlike the cliché, things get truly dark and disturbing from there.
This story is a fine example to display why one should not cheat on their significant other...albeit a pretty extreme example.
With a twist straight out of Oldboy, whether we're talking about the manga or either of the movie adaptations, it's hard to walk away from this story feeling clean.
Jenna Green's narration is excellent, capturing the UK accent of the frontman, and bringing the characters to life in the audiobook edition of this novella.
January 13, 2019
Somewhat Meaningless
In the beginning, I was intrigued by this book. The more I read, the less interesting it became because everything became far too obvious far too quickly. It was almost as if this book was written in a rush. There's a slow burn in the beginning, but an unsatisfying race to the finish. You end up not really caring about the characters because you don't get to know them well, so what happens to them feels irrelevant. There's a mythological tie in, but it's completely explained in the book, so the reader doesn't have the enjoyment of putting it together themselves. I'd give this one a pass.
In the beginning, I was intrigued by this book. The more I read, the less interesting it became because everything became far too obvious far too quickly. It was almost as if this book was written in a rush. There's a slow burn in the beginning, but an unsatisfying race to the finish. You end up not really caring about the characters because you don't get to know them well, so what happens to them feels irrelevant. There's a mythological tie in, but it's completely explained in the book, so the reader doesn't have the enjoyment of putting it together themselves. I'd give this one a pass.
May 25, 2020
The only part of this book was the surprise at the ending. The first part was more about a music promoter Mick her husband was hardly ever home. Jade was a depressed wife most of the time. They hardly had sex anymore. One night she spotted the neighbors having their little sex thing. Next she get involved with the mailman and ends up having sex with him.. . Then it starts out getting better.to the ending.
April 26, 2018
Wow... not what I was expecting!
I knew it was going to be about a mailman, and was going to be scary, but I was not expecting that! Jeremy sure knows how to take a story off in a completely different direction leaving you with your mouth hanging open. That's what makes a great story teller.
I knew it was going to be about a mailman, and was going to be scary, but I was not expecting that! Jeremy sure knows how to take a story off in a completely different direction leaving you with your mouth hanging open. That's what makes a great story teller.
December 22, 2022
No words
I literally have no words.
I did not expect the twists and turns this book too after the affair. When I tell you reality reflects art which refect reality is true , this book ptoves it.
You never know ALL the consequences of your action but even if the possibility is pain to another DO NOT DO IT!!!!!
I literally have no words.
I did not expect the twists and turns this book too after the affair. When I tell you reality reflects art which refect reality is true , this book ptoves it.
You never know ALL the consequences of your action but even if the possibility is pain to another DO NOT DO IT!!!!!
June 16, 2018
Wow, this fellow knows how to write suspense. I finished it in one sitting, although it was way past my bedtime. Then I had trouble falling asleep. I immediately purchased three more of this author's books. I only hope Mr. Bates' writing pace can keep up with my nocturnal reading obsession.
August 22, 2017
Amazing Read
My biggest problem was that I wish it were longer. Another amazing story by Mr. Bates. I can't wait for his next effirt.
My biggest problem was that I wish it were longer. Another amazing story by Mr. Bates. I can't wait for his next effirt.
February 11, 2020
Good story! You will be surprised when you find out who the "Mailman" actually is. Kept me interested to the last page . More please!
July 5, 2020
Dark Thriller
Jeremy Bates doesn't disappoint in this dark thriller. Great characters and rich descriptions add to a fantastic a and twisted plot.
Jeremy Bates doesn't disappoint in this dark thriller. Great characters and rich descriptions add to a fantastic a and twisted plot.
April 17, 2021
Wow. I'll definitely be reading more of this author's work.
November 16, 2021
A depressed, lonely, married woman (18 years) succumbs to sleeping with the mailman. This one mistake becomes the nightmare of her life.
April 9, 2022
Short book by Jeremy Bates but quite a twist! Very good book!
September 15, 2023
Didn't like the ending..no closure on what happened to lead singer
March 6, 2025
Different
Interesting read, I really love Bates' work! This was a different kind of story that threw me a little because I didn't know what to expect. Very good short story.
Interesting read, I really love Bates' work! This was a different kind of story that threw me a little because I didn't know what to expect. Very good short story.
July 23, 2025
2.5
wtf did I read? that twist was so gross and definitely a TW. did not like this book at all once the twist hit. my least favorite book in this series by far.
wtf did I read? that twist was so gross and definitely a TW. did not like this book at all once the twist hit. my least favorite book in this series by far.
November 18, 2018
I had a pretty good idea where this book was headed in the beginning, but then Bates surprised me and added another twist that I definitely did not see coming. This was a terrific page turner.
January 18, 2020
Stay away from the mail!
This was a very strange story. It started out okay but got very strange around the middle of the book. I !I've all of Jeremy Bates books ,but I was not to fond of this one.
This was a very strange story. It started out okay but got very strange around the middle of the book. I !I've all of Jeremy Bates books ,but I was not to fond of this one.
Read
January 19, 2018 very good, weird but fast read, would recommend
Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews