The Torment

by Anthony Hains

For a small-town sheriff, Lacey Nelson has encountered more than her fair share of unexplained deaths. The locals attribute their unusually high murder rate to the Torment, a curse that began with a massacre on Somers Mountain over a hundred years ago. Not a fan of ghost stories, Lacey seeks out rational explanations for each case that crosses her desk—until the day a meth-addicted troublemaker shows up, begging her deputies to protect him from his nine-year-old son.

The incident sets off a chain of increasingly bizarre events. While Lacey confronts the possibility that an unthinkable evil has resurfaced, Deputy Jared Strickler searches for clues that may lead back to an unresolved episode that left him with scars on his leg and a hole in his memory. The answers they seek come from an unexpected source. But will they be enough to keep the Torment from pursuing another innocent victim?

Genres: Horror

87 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 10, 2018

About the author

Anthony Hains is a professor emeritus of counseling psychology with a specialization in pediatric psychology. He retired in May 2018 after thirty-one years at the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee. He is the author of a number of horror novels including Nightshade’s Requiem, Sleep in the Dust of the Earth, and The Disembodied. Anthony lives with his wife in Whitefish Bay, Wisconsin. They have one daughter.

Reviews

[Melanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Warning this book contains triggers rape

I'm always a little worried about certain elements when embarking on short stories and novellas, particularly those of character development and structure. Many writers seem to throw in an extra character as a plot device (the moment that character appears you know they're only there to die/provide info for the protagonist etc), or there's a sudden flashback to explain the current narrative. Neither of these were the case with Hains' 'The Torment'.

Hains uses 'flashbacks' most of the way through the story to continue the narrative, but he does this in such a natural and fluid way that not only does it make for a gripping read, it actually helps to build characters. The main character, Lacey, is a small town Sherrif living and working very much in the here-and-now. There is no need for her to consider past events while dealing with the current situation, because that simply is not part of her character. As events unfold, she is forced to return to the past to piece together what's happening now.

Sounds like the blurb of an English murder mystery? It's not.

This is a horror, don't be fooled by the initial murder mystery feel. And just when I felt it was going a bit twee and teen fantasy realm...he upped the ante and grossed me out. Suffice to say, there is plenty of horror in this.

My only problem with it..? One of the characters has autism, and while I know Hains himself has a degree in pediatric psychology, some of this character's behaviors were way off for a young person with high-functioning autism. This is about the third book I've read where the person with 'special abilities' turns out to be autistic. As someone who spent over ten years working almost exclusively with young people on the spectrum, I had a lot of trouble suspending disbelief when said character shows a whole bunch of 'traits' and behaviors that would exclude him from the autistic diagnosis.

Even with that little bug-bear in mind, I thoroughly enjoyed this and will be looking out for more of Hains' work.

[Wesley Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Anthony Hains’ writing improves centerfold. His depictions are unparallel to other authors. His storylines and expertly crafted.

A small-town sheriff by the name of Lacey Nelson, who has seen her fair share of deaths, both normal and unexplainable. The locals in town think that the high murder rate is due to The Torment. The Torment is a curse that began with a massacre over a hundred years ago on Somers Mountain. Lacey doesn’t buy into this nonsense. She is a scientific and factual person and sheriff. She seeks out truthful reasons for the multiple deaths. Each and every case she gets given goes through her thorough vetting process, searching for rational explanations rather than Hocus Pocus silliness.
That is, until a drug-addicted troublemaker shows up, begging to be kept safe from his son of nine.

The character development of Lacey Nelson is spectacular. She wasn’t so much a character as a person. She embodies the realist in us, always identifying rational explanations and shaking off the faintest sniff of delusional thinking spawned from group hysteria and small-town conformity.

Add this to your to-read list asap! Shock, horror, mystery, and adventure ensue!

[Marissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Torment is a novella that begins as a mystery, but rapidly evolves into a horror story. Interested readers should be aware that the book doesn't contain rape. The story follows Lacey, a small town sheriff who is dealing the recent of a series of unexplained deaths. These deaths have another layer of mystery to them in that the bodies seem to disappear without a trace. The townsfolk use the Torment, an urban legend that stemmed from a horrific massacre in the woods surrounding the town, as an explanation for what is happening. Lacey, being the logical former school teacher turned sheriff, doesn't believe in urban myths. As she digs, she eventually uncovers secrets of the town and its legacy of occult horrors. I was pleasantly surprised by how much the author was able to fit into a book this size. I felt it was a tad slow to start, but overall, a well developed story. Lacy's character development was a bit lacking. Her reaction to the seedy occult under layer of the town was a bit blase. The author did a phenomenal job with the horror/occult aspects of the story. Great portrayal of an imagined gory underworld of torture and demonic presence. I recommend for all the horror fans out there.

[Danielle Branson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really wanted to love this book. It has the makings of a great story. It’s creative and original, and the author is excellent at creating mood. I had to put it down a few times because I worried it would give me nightmares if I read it before bed!
However, it’s not a complete book. It’s the beginning of a book, and then the end of a book. It’s missing a real middle.
The mystery is introduced, but there’s no subsequent funding of clues or building of suspense. And then suddenly you’re at the climax. The lack of building and background render the big reveal extremely ineffective. One of the most important characters to the climax is introduced only a few pages before.

I enjoyed it enough that I would love if the author rewrote it. A “directors cut” version, if you will, full of background and character building. I would thoroughly enjoy reading it!

[Karen ⚜Mess⚜ · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was provided with a complimentary copy of this book so I could give an honest review.

Intense and bizzare. This novella packed a big punch.

Some mighty weird things are happening in a small town near Somers Mountain. Sheriff Lacey Nelson finds out just how weird her town is when a tweaked out father shows up at the Sheriff's Office with his creepy wet kid. Queue in the Twilight Zone music.

I absolutely loved the way Anthony Hains told this story. The perfect mixture of present and past. Anthony Hains knew when to flip the scenery to keep my attention. What started off as bizzare turned into a campfire horror story.

Top stars from me! Absolutely worth a second read.

[Sam Harper · Rating 4 out of 5]

Received a complimentary copy of this novel through Voracious Readers Only in exchange for honest review.
Thoroughly enjoyed this great horror/ghost story, although bit slow to start it soon grabbed you by the throat and dragged you along to its conclusion. All the characters are well written, but especially loved the main character, a widow who has a change of career late in life to follow her late husbands role as Sheriff of a small community and also the slightly “different” young man Laz who suffers from autism. His character complete with special gifts was handled with sensitivity and made him a hero.
A good summer read and will be on the look out for more by this author.

[J.E. Friend · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wasn’t sure if I was going to enjoy this story. It began with a tremendous amount of over used descriptives. But quickly levelled out to an appropriate mix of dialogue, descriptions and story line. It was an interesting mystery/horror story with an unusual story line. The characters were well fleshed out, making the reader care about each of them.
I received a copy of this story through Voracious Readers in exchange for my unbiased review.

[Josette Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really good book about the place we know as “hell”. To know that a portal is in a cabin in the woods is quite disturbing. I was glad to see there are guardians around to keep demons from escaping and entering our world.

[Margot Frye · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Voracious Readers Only. This book is a variation of The Walking Dead. There are some good elements but the book is more of a cliche than an original story. If a reader enjoys a horror story with little imagination, read this book.

[Natalie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received a free copy of this via ePub version to give it an honest and fair review, which is what I will be doing.


Quite frankly, I’ll be picking up the other books by this author! An absolute rollercoaster of suspense, wonder, intrigue and a lurking sense of the paranormal throughout. The characters were well presented, well thought out and had the perfect amount of depth for their individual roles. Lacey is, in terms of a main character, quirky in a good way. She’s wonderfully innocent whilst simultaneously being very self aware (at least she thought she was until the events of the book!) Her relationship with the fellow townspeople and her husband was given with the correct touch of compassion and feeling so that it doesn’t overwhelm or bore the reader.

The scenery itself is luxurious in its descriptions; the mountains and surrounding areas are wonderfully clear in my own minds eye and, yet again, this author provides this detail without all of the dribble description that some authors fall into.

I didn’t anticipate the horror aspect of the book that happened at the end regarding The Torment, but the description was enough to make my mouth downturn in disgust as I read on with morbid curiosity, and I thoroughly enjoyed every moment.

This book was a perfect mix of everything, and the level of language and length of the book itself means that it is accessible to YA through to Adult in terms of target audience.

I was so excited to read the book that I put another down and finished this one whilst at work; utterly unputdownable and deliciously suspenseful and heart pounding! I would recommend this book!

[Christine Kempton · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received this book from Voracious Readers for an honest review. I have seen this concept before. Hoever, this book was well written and it was creepy enough that I had to not read it at night. It was well paced and inovative enough to keep you interested and reading. I really enjoy that the author kept to the story and didn't feel the need to fill the book with unnecessary fluff. It was the story with enough background to keep you informed and enough mystery to keep it interesting. I liked the different aspect the story was told from - Jared to Lacey to Laz. I do admit I found Laz's part of the story the most interesting. Laz's story had me wondering where she was right up til the end.

[Katie · Rating 3 out of 5]

First, I received a free copy of this from the author via Voracious Readers.

This story moves pretty quickly. The writing style isn't bad, but there could be more variation in sentence structure. What I liked most about the book is the peek into this weird, paranormal thing going on. What I disliked most about the book is that it was just a peek, and it feels like more of a set-up for a series rather than a stand-alone book. I think it could have been condensed into a good short story.

[Terry Skinner · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this story... but, just as I got interested, it ended. It introduced too many characters that were ambiguous in ways that caused them to blend together. The characters, plot, and story concept had great potential as a longer novel, but left me still trying to figure out who was who and surprised that it just ended abruptly.

[Jill · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received a free copy to provide a review.
The book definitely hooked my attention from the beginning and took me on a twisty turn-y thrill ride from start to finish!

I love the culty vibe you get surrounding The Kingdom!

Definitely a fun read, so glad I got a copy!