Anathema

by Kristopher Rufty

Hunter Jensen always dreamed of a big family house in the country. Thanks to the success of his latest novel, he’s finally able to make his dreams a reality in the tranquil town of Hargrave, North Carolina. Life is beautiful until his daughter Crystal tells him about the girl who lives in her closet. Her imaginary friendship is only the first of many disconcerting events that threaten to fracture his dream of country living into a nightmare straight out of his novels.

Does an invisible girl truly conjure the sobs that haunt the hallways at night? Is she to blame for the bizarre noises in the darkness? Or has his daughter’s vivid imagination simply crept into his own?

As Hunter seeks to uncover the secrets long buried in the town’s shadows, he begins to fear a force more sinister than anything he’s ever imagined is drawing him and his family toward their demise.

Genres: Horror, Fiction

339 pages, Hardcover

Published June 5, 2018

About the author

Kristopher Rufty lives in North Carolina with his three children and pets. He’s written over twenty novels, including ALL WILL DIE, THE DEVOURED AND THE DEAD, DESOLATION, THE LURKERS and PILLOWFACE. When he’s not spending time with his family or writing, he’s obsessing over gardening and growing food.

His short story DARLA'S PROBLEM was included in the Splatterpunk Publications anthology FIGHTING BACK, which won the Splatterpunk award for best anthology. THE DEVOURED AND THE DEAD was nominated for a Splatterpunk award.

He can be found on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. For more about Kristopher Rufty, please visit: www.kristopherrufty.com

Reviews

[Jonathan Janz · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've been a fan of Kristopher Rufty since his first book, and though I've enjoyed all of his novels, ANATHEMA is his best and most spine-tingling tale yet. Reminiscent of the novels of Ruby Jean Jensen and imbued with a vintage eighties ghost story vibe, this book is eerie, surprising, and engrossing. It also made me feel like I did when I watched THE CONJURING, which is extremely high praise, given how much I loved that film. Highly recommended!

[Karl]

This hardcover edition is numbered 14 of 52 numbered copies and is signed by Kristopher Rufty .

[OutlawPoet · Rating 4 out of 5]

Okay, I can't give this a full five stars. There was one hugely illogical scene that completely pulled me out of the book as I struggled to contemplate the physical feats of one particular seven year old.

However...

Getting past that, this book completely surprised me! It was immensely chilling and so full of surprises.

I very smugly thought I knew exactly what was going on and who did what. Nope. I may have figured out one little detail but everything else shocked me!

Not too gory, though some tough scenes - especially involving children. Chock full of surprises and a very good read.

[Jason Nickey · Rating 4 out of 5]

A different side of Rufty. Unlike other books I've read from KR, this one is more of a spooky slow burn thriller. The usual brutal violence is toned down and is replaced by atmosphere. While I did enjoy this one, it was a little slower paced than I usually like. That's the only thing keeping me from giving it 5 stars.

[Bob · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well written creepy-ass suspense novel about an old house with a violent past and a ghostly girl in the closet and buried secrets author Hunter Jensen has to unearth, before they destroy his family. Very highly recommended.

[Noigeloverlord · Rating 5 out of 5]

Anathema = Awesome!

Rufty gets another 5 star. Fantastic characters that you end up feeling the Horror they are going through. I recommend this book highly.

[Irene lees · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great plot

I was hooked from page 1!completely absorbing storyline .one of the most exciting books I have read in a while

[Richard K. Wilson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is very reminiscent of Ruby Jean Jensen's work...there is even a Ruby in the book.

When the book starts the youngest daughter of a struggling horror writer tells him that there is a little girl by the name of Ruby who lives inside her closet....he thinks that one of his tales is starting to come true and haunt him.

This book was so on the same line as a Ruby Jean Jensen book that I loved; "Dolly" that at times it almost was stupid. However the ending did not go where I thought it was going to go....I thought I was going to be surprised and I wasn't.

Would still recommed this to anyone just starting to read horror as it is not really terrifyingly scary.
3.5

[Felicia · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book is a DNF for me. It had a promising premise and I was looking forward to the story, but I couldn’t get past the way the author wrote about the bodies of teenage girls. While I did not finish the book, I fail to see how such attention to the breasts of teenagers was relevant to the overall story. It left me feeling gross.

[Dale Robertson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another enjoyable Rufty novel. A few twists in this tale of a family who move into a new house. Little do they know about the horrid history the house has. Well written mystery with a few red herrings along the way. One part, involving Crystal, appeared to be very unrealistic in terms of what happens in that chapter, but apart from that, it was a good read.

[Siobhan D · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one creepy suspense book. Hunter Jensen bought his dreamed family house in the country. Thanks to the success of his latest novel, But he soon realises that he needs to learn about an this old house and its violent past . With a ghostly girl in the closet . Listen in the day light