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The Maddening
An “expert weaver of suspense” (Fresh Fiction) crafts this terrifying novel that is “scary from first to last page” (Dean Koontz).
Stacey Oberman made the worst mistake of her life when she followed the garage mechanic’s advice and turned off the main highway. When her car breaks down in a rainstorm, she and her five-year-old daughter seek refuge in a nearby farmhouse—only to become “playmates” in a violent whirlpool of unrelenting terror.
“Neiderman’s forte has always been his intricate, suspenseful stories.” —Booklist
Stacey Oberman made the worst mistake of her life when she followed the garage mechanic’s advice and turned off the main highway. When her car breaks down in a rainstorm, she and her five-year-old daughter seek refuge in a nearby farmhouse—only to become “playmates” in a violent whirlpool of unrelenting terror.
“Neiderman’s forte has always been his intricate, suspenseful stories.” —Booklist
288 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1987
76 people are currently reading
772 people want to read
About the author
Andrew Neiderman
74 books394 followersAndrew Neiderman is the author of over 44 thrillers, including six of which have been translated onto film, including the big hit, 'The Devil's Advocate', a story in which he also wrote a libretto for the music-stage adaptation. One of his novels, Tender Loving Care, has been adapted into a CD-Rom interactive movie.
Andrew Neiderman became the ghostwriter for V.C. Andrews following her death in 1986. He was the screenwriter for Rain, a film based on a series of books under Andrews name. Between the novels written under her name and his own, he has published over 100 novels.
Andrew Neiderman became the ghostwriter for V.C. Andrews following her death in 1986. He was the screenwriter for Rain, a film based on a series of books under Andrews name. Between the novels written under her name and his own, he has published over 100 novels.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews
October 30, 2009
the rating is actually for the book cover. my favorite ever - i couldnt believe it wasnt on here... when i was a wee girl - i loved this book. its probably terrible, but its a book i would "visit" at the supermarket turny-racks because i loved the expression on that girls face. and then i bought it. and read it. that girl is not a good friend.
February 10, 2023
Maybe Neiderman and I are just not a good fit. The Maddening or Playmates as it was originally titled, is a riff on the city folks take a wrong turn in the country and run into rednecks trope. This was first published in 1987, and then made into a movie staring Burt Reynolds of all people in 1994; maybe this trope had not been done to death by then, but it is definitely past the sell date today. Stacy and her little girl Tami leave NYC and are off to meet her husband up in the Catskills for a fun weekend (he is working up there on a project) and decide to take a shortcut. Bad move...
The cliché factor is high, the scares are few and predictable. Neiderman does manage to build up some decent tension here, but this was marred by the 'paint by the numbers' feel to it. Several of my GR friends really liked this one, so YMMV. 2 limp stars.
The cliché factor is high, the scares are few and predictable. Neiderman does manage to build up some decent tension here, but this was marred by the 'paint by the numbers' feel to it. Several of my GR friends really liked this one, so YMMV. 2 limp stars.
November 17, 2017
I read this book so long ago, and yet I STILL remember many of the scenes as if I'd just read them again! It certainly made a powerful impression.
June 7, 2022
Stacey Oberman and her five year old daughter, Tami are taking a short road trip upstate to spend the weekend with her husband - stuck on a work site. After being advised of a shortcut by a local, Stacey turns off the main highway, but shortly after, her car breaks down. They come to the first house they see for help.
Unfortunately for Stacey and Tami, that house belongs to the Thompson's - a strange, lonely family of husband, wife and daughter. Immediately the wife, Irene seems horribly confused and begins calling the newcomers by other names; the daughter, Shirley, touched in the head, demands to play with a very reluctant Tami, while the husband, Gerald believes the mother and daughter duo were brought to their house by fate.
Irene almost instantly locks Stacey in an upstairs room, while forcing Tami to play with her Shirley. Gerald notes the house "already seems happier," and believes Tami the perfect new playmate for not only his daughter, but wife as well - who has been terribly lonely and confused since the death of her son.
Meanwhile, Stacey's husband, David is frantically searching for his wife and daughter, quickly getting detective Chicky Ross involved. Unable to sit around and wait, he stops at the same mechanic shop his wife did, the worker providing David with the same route he gave Stacey. David begins driving down that side road, talking to all the neighbors - the first one, telling him that his story sounded familiar, and in fact two years ago, there was another mother and daughter gone missing in the exact same area...
Can David find his wife and daughter in time, or will they be the Thompson's "playmates" forever?
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This is my first Andrew Neiderman book and I really liked it; I can't wait to read more now. Straight-to-the-point, nothing confusing and convoluted, just a very quick and entertaining read.
Unfortunately for Stacey and Tami, that house belongs to the Thompson's - a strange, lonely family of husband, wife and daughter. Immediately the wife, Irene seems horribly confused and begins calling the newcomers by other names; the daughter, Shirley, touched in the head, demands to play with a very reluctant Tami, while the husband, Gerald believes the mother and daughter duo were brought to their house by fate.
Irene almost instantly locks Stacey in an upstairs room, while forcing Tami to play with her Shirley. Gerald notes the house "already seems happier," and believes Tami the perfect new playmate for not only his daughter, but wife as well - who has been terribly lonely and confused since the death of her son.
Meanwhile, Stacey's husband, David is frantically searching for his wife and daughter, quickly getting detective Chicky Ross involved. Unable to sit around and wait, he stops at the same mechanic shop his wife did, the worker providing David with the same route he gave Stacey. David begins driving down that side road, talking to all the neighbors - the first one, telling him that his story sounded familiar, and in fact two years ago, there was another mother and daughter gone missing in the exact same area...
Can David find his wife and daughter in time, or will they be the Thompson's "playmates" forever?
------------------
This is my first Andrew Neiderman book and I really liked it; I can't wait to read more now. Straight-to-the-point, nothing confusing and convoluted, just a very quick and entertaining read.
June 7, 2015
When will people learn not to take the creepy backwoods road as a shortcut? WHEN!
October 7, 2019
Not my favorite from Neiderman. Going by the unsettling cover and road-trip-gone-wrong setup, I expected Playmates to be at very least chilling, but I would categorize this as more of a thriller. Its pull lies more in the drive to escape and the synchronicity of slow moving rescue than in the captivity itself.
The detached narration as well as the split up into more than three perspectives spread the tension a little thin and only the male characters are given solid character development. Stacey and Tami, the actual victims in the thick of the mess only seem to exist to panic or ride the tide of floundering hope, whereas David, Gerald and even Chicky have substantial character arcs, backstories and memories that tie to who they are as people. It's a minor complaint, but I would have appreciated more balance there. By the end the only significant thing I know about Stacey, outside of her obvious maternal instincts, is that she regrets ever doubting her husband's "cold, logical nature" or going by his word to stay on the main highway. What a heroine.
The detached narration as well as the split up into more than three perspectives spread the tension a little thin and only the male characters are given solid character development. Stacey and Tami, the actual victims in the thick of the mess only seem to exist to panic or ride the tide of floundering hope, whereas David, Gerald and even Chicky have substantial character arcs, backstories and memories that tie to who they are as people. It's a minor complaint, but I would have appreciated more balance there. By the end the only significant thing I know about Stacey, outside of her obvious maternal instincts, is that she regrets ever doubting her husband's "cold, logical nature" or going by his word to stay on the main highway. What a heroine.
January 17, 2021
The less traveled road...
No spoilers: Stacey Oberman and her daughter Tami are on their way to the Catskills to meet up with Stacey's husband David...
The car overheats and Stacey pulls into a small town service station. The attendant misdiagnosed the car's problem and gave Stacey directions to a shortcut...
...a less traveled road through some isolated farmland...
When the car overheats again, Stacey is forced to ask the resident farmer for help. The farmer, his wife and daughter take the two Obermans as their prisoners...
They are about to meet the doorway to the dead and its residents: Arthur, Marlene and Donna...
4 1/2 stars for this psychological thriller. The story was fairly mundane until you get to the 60% mark. The story becomes edge-of-your-seat suspenseful at that point. There were some good characters introduced including a Columbo-like detective with an old car like TV's Columbo.
No spoilers: Stacey Oberman and her daughter Tami are on their way to the Catskills to meet up with Stacey's husband David...
The car overheats and Stacey pulls into a small town service station. The attendant misdiagnosed the car's problem and gave Stacey directions to a shortcut...
...a less traveled road through some isolated farmland...
When the car overheats again, Stacey is forced to ask the resident farmer for help. The farmer, his wife and daughter take the two Obermans as their prisoners...
They are about to meet the doorway to the dead and its residents: Arthur, Marlene and Donna...
4 1/2 stars for this psychological thriller. The story was fairly mundane until you get to the 60% mark. The story becomes edge-of-your-seat suspenseful at that point. There were some good characters introduced including a Columbo-like detective with an old car like TV's Columbo.
December 4, 2018
I have never felt such a sense of dread in a book. Neiderman just knows how to get in my head. This book was beautifully written in the sense that it unconsciously made you part of the game
I was on the last page and I was still antsy!
Quick fire words to describe this book:
💀Ominous
🐢Slow burn
👀Page Turner
I was on the last page and I was still antsy!
Quick fire words to describe this book:
💀Ominous
🐢Slow burn
👀Page Turner
March 12, 2024
This book is creepy and disturbing and full of terror in the best possible way. Originally written in the 1980’s, I believe, under the title Playmates, it has al the best elements of an old horror story—no cell phones, no GPS, and lots of insane people! I can’t wait to read more by this author!
May 23, 2025
Not bad, but not great either. I had already seen and enjoyed the movie made from this novel, which was called The Maddening (starring Burt Reynolds and Angie Dickinson giving very campy performances), so I was curious about the source material. This was my first time reading Andrew Neiderman and while his writing is not exceptional by any means, his prose does have a propulsion that keeps you turning the pages. I was also impressed by how psychological it was, how he delved into the minds of all the characters. The villains are not completely evil — yes, they do terrible things, but Neiderman gives them enough depth to make them a little bit sympathetic in a way. They are damaged people who have dealt with their own abuse and trauma and you can see why they behave the way they do. That said, I thought the story, while a little creepy, wasn’t as horrific as it could have been. The book would have been more effective with less pages and more thrills. Still, I enjoyed it and wouldn’t mind reading another book by this author.
March 9, 2023
“It’s no good to have only yourself, Gerald. Loneliness is the worst thing. It makes you…it makes you shrivel up inside."
What started out as a simple two hour drive through New York would lead a mother (Stacey) and daughter (Tami) directly into the grasp of a psycho. When her husband David Oberman convinced the two to make the drive to a resort near him job for a relaxing weekend, they never would of imagined the terrors that would shortly unravel. When their vehicle begins overheating on the freeway, they stop off as a small garage for a simple repair that would turn out to be botched. While they waited for the work to be completed, they were told of a shortcut to the Catskills, by taking Willow Road it would have off an hour from their venture times. Gleeful at the opportunity to surprise her husband by arriving earlier than anticipated, the two loaded back up and began the descent deep into the woods and far into an isolation. Halfway through their car begins smoking forcing the two to pull over and begin walking towards a house in search of aid and a telephone. Stumbling upon the farmhouse of Irene and Gerald Thompson was a terrible twist of fate. With his wife Irene seeming to mistake them as Marlene and Donna; the mother and daughter who disappeared two years previously. Convinced they simply returned after being away, she tries to pick back up where they left off as Tami is left to the hands of Shirley; the ren year old daughter with a violent and cruel streak inside. Nude and chained by the ankle to a bed upstairs, Stacey was powerless to save her daughter from her own abuse. As she was pricked with pins, yanked by a leash and collar, painted on and forced to play a game where her hand was facing a butcher knife, Tami could do little but shrink away inside to try and handle the torment. Meanwhile, David is out hunting for his missing wife and child, much to the annoyance of Chicky Ross; the police officer assigned to work the missing persons case. As David begins getting closer to the truth, it lead him straight into Gerald's hands as he was brutally tossed down a fifteen foot well and left to perish. With his wife fighting her way through from the inside, he used every ounce he had to climb the well with a broken leg to make advancements onto the house where he knew they were. As mother and father come together, poor Tami was left at the hands of Irene and Shirley who were determined to let her meet Arther. Arther was the first born, a boy with countless health problems and practically born to die from the start. When his father smothered him with a pillow, he kept the body along long enough to decay to bear skeletal ruins before burying the body at the base of the well. On top of that corpse lied deceased mother and daughter Marlene and Donna. As Shirley makes the tumble to her death in the well, Chicky shoots Gerald in the chest killing him. With the story wrapping up, it ends with David and Stacey on a vacation a year later with their daughter where the wounds of their ordeal still show in their untrusting natures.
“You just wait till tomorrow, Sooey-face. You just wait,” she hissed.
What started out as a simple two hour drive through New York would lead a mother (Stacey) and daughter (Tami) directly into the grasp of a psycho. When her husband David Oberman convinced the two to make the drive to a resort near him job for a relaxing weekend, they never would of imagined the terrors that would shortly unravel. When their vehicle begins overheating on the freeway, they stop off as a small garage for a simple repair that would turn out to be botched. While they waited for the work to be completed, they were told of a shortcut to the Catskills, by taking Willow Road it would have off an hour from their venture times. Gleeful at the opportunity to surprise her husband by arriving earlier than anticipated, the two loaded back up and began the descent deep into the woods and far into an isolation. Halfway through their car begins smoking forcing the two to pull over and begin walking towards a house in search of aid and a telephone. Stumbling upon the farmhouse of Irene and Gerald Thompson was a terrible twist of fate. With his wife Irene seeming to mistake them as Marlene and Donna; the mother and daughter who disappeared two years previously. Convinced they simply returned after being away, she tries to pick back up where they left off as Tami is left to the hands of Shirley; the ren year old daughter with a violent and cruel streak inside. Nude and chained by the ankle to a bed upstairs, Stacey was powerless to save her daughter from her own abuse. As she was pricked with pins, yanked by a leash and collar, painted on and forced to play a game where her hand was facing a butcher knife, Tami could do little but shrink away inside to try and handle the torment. Meanwhile, David is out hunting for his missing wife and child, much to the annoyance of Chicky Ross; the police officer assigned to work the missing persons case. As David begins getting closer to the truth, it lead him straight into Gerald's hands as he was brutally tossed down a fifteen foot well and left to perish. With his wife fighting her way through from the inside, he used every ounce he had to climb the well with a broken leg to make advancements onto the house where he knew they were. As mother and father come together, poor Tami was left at the hands of Irene and Shirley who were determined to let her meet Arther. Arther was the first born, a boy with countless health problems and practically born to die from the start. When his father smothered him with a pillow, he kept the body along long enough to decay to bear skeletal ruins before burying the body at the base of the well. On top of that corpse lied deceased mother and daughter Marlene and Donna. As Shirley makes the tumble to her death in the well, Chicky shoots Gerald in the chest killing him. With the story wrapping up, it ends with David and Stacey on a vacation a year later with their daughter where the wounds of their ordeal still show in their untrusting natures.
“You just wait till tomorrow, Sooey-face. You just wait,” she hissed.
May 12, 2023
So just finished reading it.. and on a scale of 1 to 10 one being garbage 10 being must read.. I'd say it's probably a four and a half it's not bad but it's not great it's hard to give review without spoiling anything so I won't I'll just say at times it's very enjoyable.. at times it drags on a little bit.. and at times it can be really annoying in the usual way when you think they're gonna get away of course something always prevents them from doing so.. yeah those kinds of scenarios.. the story is from 5 different perspectives at times.. Stacey Gerald and the daughter they are interesting and keep you interested but the other perspectives chicky the father kind of drag on a little bit and don't really offer much you might get bored.. I mean Andrew Neiderman is consider a master of suspense but sometimes in this book the suspense is more annoying than suspense.. I mean at times he tries to build suspense but it does come across brother annoying at times which use other see what's going to happen it just gets a little irritating at times.. but yeah.. it can drag on a little bit.. I mean it's one of those books where during certain chapters you could flick a few pages ahead and not lose anything or feel lost as it at times drags on a little.. but perhaps the most annoying part of the book is where they build up to a cliffhanger and then it goes back before the cliffhanger and then they tell you how the cliffhanger came to be it kind of gets annoying.. it's not all the time it happens but it does happen from time.. I just got annoyed with it.. overall I won't lie it's not a bad book if you find it cheap is worth getting.. it's worth it read.. but I wouldn't go out of my way to track it down.. it's a good read.. definitely not one of Andrew's best but again it's not bad book..
May 17, 2024
Horror paperbacks from the good old days. Ah, the good old days before a certain coffee table book was published that resulted in hordes of greedy speculators descending upon used bookstores and clearing the horror paperback racks of anything that had a lurid cover, leaving only V.C. Andrews, Dean Koontz and Stephen King books in their wake. Anything left was then charged outrageous prices by booksellers cashing in on buyers willing to shell out a small fortune for spine cracked paperbacks by Ruby Jean Jensen and William W. Johnstone. Listen to me gripe! I sound like a curmudgeon. I like that coffee table book that will go unnamed too. But dang, it really ruined things for us old connoisseurs of disrespectable paperbacks. But just so you know, I had my copy of
long before it was ever revealed to the rest of those fresh-faced Facebookers and Youtubers digging recklessly through those old books from Hell. Beat ya to that one, gang!
So here's the thing about these old paperbacks from you-know-where. Most of them are not really very good. Like direct-to-video horror movies from the olden days, you have to wade through a lot of dreck to find that treasure. I know from experience. Which takes me back to this paperback. It's okay. It's a competent, decently written, page-turner suspense novel. It's not a horror novel. There's nothing supernatural going on. The cover can remotely be linked to the story inside but it's a stretch. It's a decent "wrong turn in the country" kind of novel. I have no idea what sellers on ebay are asking for it. I would imagine too much. If you see it for cheap, go for it. If not, then don't worry about skipping it and saving your bucks for something better.
long before it was ever revealed to the rest of those fresh-faced Facebookers and Youtubers digging recklessly through those old books from Hell. Beat ya to that one, gang! So here's the thing about these old paperbacks from you-know-where. Most of them are not really very good. Like direct-to-video horror movies from the olden days, you have to wade through a lot of dreck to find that treasure. I know from experience. Which takes me back to this paperback. It's okay. It's a competent, decently written, page-turner suspense novel. It's not a horror novel. There's nothing supernatural going on. The cover can remotely be linked to the story inside but it's a stretch. It's a decent "wrong turn in the country" kind of novel. I have no idea what sellers on ebay are asking for it. I would imagine too much. If you see it for cheap, go for it. If not, then don't worry about skipping it and saving your bucks for something better.
June 8, 2020
‘The ghosts of his family lived within its walls. Every creak at night At night was the moan of some ancestors spirit.’
This is not a paranormal read, but it is spotted with dingy elements that eliminate the lackluster traits. When Stacy Oberman and her daughter, Tami, make a wrong turn on a New York country road, they immediately suffer the wrath of a maniacally unhinged farmer. His family shares his deranged mentality, and there is some strange occurrences between the captors and victims.
The rest of the plot crisscrosses between Stacy’s husband, David, and a quirky but dependable detective, Chicky Ross, as they both try to uncover her disappearance. The jumbling investigation and yearning for David’s wife nearly destroyed this; the disturbing in between parts dealing with Stacy and her daughter are the parts that startled me.
There are some other low-quality points with ‘The Maddening,’ but Andrew Niederman quickly smartens things in this taut, unruly horror novel. For fans of his V.C. Andrews ghostwritten works, I really recommend this, as it has a strong gothic feel.
This is not a paranormal read, but it is spotted with dingy elements that eliminate the lackluster traits. When Stacy Oberman and her daughter, Tami, make a wrong turn on a New York country road, they immediately suffer the wrath of a maniacally unhinged farmer. His family shares his deranged mentality, and there is some strange occurrences between the captors and victims.
The rest of the plot crisscrosses between Stacy’s husband, David, and a quirky but dependable detective, Chicky Ross, as they both try to uncover her disappearance. The jumbling investigation and yearning for David’s wife nearly destroyed this; the disturbing in between parts dealing with Stacy and her daughter are the parts that startled me.
There are some other low-quality points with ‘The Maddening,’ but Andrew Niederman quickly smartens things in this taut, unruly horror novel. For fans of his V.C. Andrews ghostwritten works, I really recommend this, as it has a strong gothic feel.
November 10, 2025
Heart pounding!
This was so good! I love a book that makes me feel the pain and fear of the characters. And it helps knowing that this is based in my neck of the woods too lol. David wasn't a weak man, he actually cared a lot but just failed to see how quickly his life can change outside of his routine life. Stacey wasn't selfish at all, she was just pampered and spoiled in life and this gave her a taste of the very real monsters lurking amongst us. Poor baby girl Tami, she was the bravest of them all! And Sooey, thank the stars, moon, and the sun for the imaginations of children to keep them comforted when the monsters in the dark come to life. This was a fantastic read and kept me company while I'm recovering from my own foot fracture.
This was so good! I love a book that makes me feel the pain and fear of the characters. And it helps knowing that this is based in my neck of the woods too lol. David wasn't a weak man, he actually cared a lot but just failed to see how quickly his life can change outside of his routine life. Stacey wasn't selfish at all, she was just pampered and spoiled in life and this gave her a taste of the very real monsters lurking amongst us. Poor baby girl Tami, she was the bravest of them all! And Sooey, thank the stars, moon, and the sun for the imaginations of children to keep them comforted when the monsters in the dark come to life. This was a fantastic read and kept me company while I'm recovering from my own foot fracture.
July 20, 2025
I didn’t like the tropes in this story, poor city folks fall victim to backwoods’ rednecks, whose history of abuse have left them mentally unstable and disconnected from reality or decency.
The author is an okay storyteller with a way of pacing the plot for maximum suspense, moving from POV to POV without pause, though the time overlaps got a bit annoying. The beginning of the story, the inciting incident did pull me in, and I felt for the loving family in the story, who fell victim to the locals, but Neiderman does do a bit of bait and switch making you think Stacey is going to somehow be the heroine in the story only to have her husband pop in near the end, along with the only decent detective in the state. So, don’t worry ladies, a couple of men are coming to save the day!
What, you’ve been victimized and reduced to your gender? It’s okay; you can work on all your flaws in therapy, if you don’t succumb to the frail housewife, her low IQ daughter, and the predator husband.
The author is an okay storyteller with a way of pacing the plot for maximum suspense, moving from POV to POV without pause, though the time overlaps got a bit annoying. The beginning of the story, the inciting incident did pull me in, and I felt for the loving family in the story, who fell victim to the locals, but Neiderman does do a bit of bait and switch making you think Stacey is going to somehow be the heroine in the story only to have her husband pop in near the end, along with the only decent detective in the state. So, don’t worry ladies, a couple of men are coming to save the day!
What, you’ve been victimized and reduced to your gender? It’s okay; you can work on all your flaws in therapy, if you don’t succumb to the frail housewife, her low IQ daughter, and the predator husband.
May 11, 2020
There were some glaring errors in my copy that may have influenced my opinion of the writing. For instance, the first tray Irene brought to Stacey had what "appeared to be plain water" but then Stacey says she should drink the juice. Also, Chicky is referred to as Carl in the narrative at one point. The story itself was horrifying in that mad people create more mad people and come from mad people.
March 31, 2024
Stacey and her 5 year old daughter Tami are going to meet David for the weekend. He is working on a project and has been away from home so they are looking forward to having a weekend together. On the way, Stacey has car trouble on a rural road and goes to a house for help. What they find is not help.
This was a predictable story of a woman on a lonely road with her daughter. Creepy characters and the rush to save the pair. It was a good read.
This was a predictable story of a woman on a lonely road with her daughter. Creepy characters and the rush to save the pair. It was a good read.
November 2, 2018
The Maddening by Andrew Neiderman
Excellent story. Scary, yet you don't want to put it down. A mother and child disappear and they weren't the first ones. Read about their struggle to live and the father desperately searching for them. And try to keep from turning around every little while to check behind you. Is someone there?
Excellent story. Scary, yet you don't want to put it down. A mother and child disappear and they weren't the first ones. Read about their struggle to live and the father desperately searching for them. And try to keep from turning around every little while to check behind you. Is someone there?
October 1, 2019
This book has a unique way of switching between different character perspectives and backing up in time slightly to tell a scene from another person's point of view. It wasn't mind-blowingly good but the fact that I looked forward every day to my next burst of reading time to move along in the story tells me it's a pretty good, enjoyable story and that's what matters.
December 21, 2020
A real page-turner !
When David Oberman's wife and daughter don't show up at the hotel where he is waiting, he ys out to find out what has happened to them. He has no.idea of the horror tha have disappeared into. This book is excellent. The characters are well-drawn a nd believable and the storyline is scary and suspenseful. My first book.by this author. Not my last !
When David Oberman's wife and daughter don't show up at the hotel where he is waiting, he ys out to find out what has happened to them. He has no.idea of the horror tha have disappeared into. This book is excellent. The characters are well-drawn a nd believable and the storyline is scary and suspenseful. My first book.by this author. Not my last !
August 7, 2022
Another great summer read.
I've chosen some very good books this summer. This is my first book by Andrew Neiderman. Needless to say, I'll be reading more of his writing. This was one that was difficult to put down.
I've chosen some very good books this summer. This is my first book by Andrew Neiderman. Needless to say, I'll be reading more of his writing. This was one that was difficult to put down.
November 11, 2018
Much better than the film.
April 14, 2019
Good book
I enjoyed the characters the book is well written and terrifying . I might never travel alone again especially in the forest
I enjoyed the characters the book is well written and terrifying . I might never travel alone again especially in the forest
June 13, 2019
Yet another great thriller demonstrating Andrew Neiderman’s talent as an adept writer of suspense fiction.
January 15, 2022
great!!
Best book I’ve read in a long time. First time for me with this author but it won’t be last.
Best book I’ve read in a long time. First time for me with this author but it won’t be last.
August 28, 2022
Stopped reading after the gratuitous use of "retarded", and double checking it wasn't written in the 80's.
October 26, 2023
My first true horror book. And I was not disappointed! The author does an incredible job at building suspense and creating a horrific tale. I was on the edge of my seat the whole book!
July 26, 2025
Gerald a freak
May 1, 2021
I am exhausted! It took me about 2 months to finish this book. Sometimes I couldn’t read more than a chapter and I had to leave it alone for a couple of days to digest what I’ve read.
It was painful to pick it back up after a break. I couldn’t go back to where the characters were. I would feel like I myself was in that story being tormented by those crazy people. It’s very real and it definitely can affect the reader.
This book is insane. I don’t recommend it to anybody. You must be mentally fit to read this. I got interested in this book because of the movie “The Maddening (1995)” which was based on this novel. I really enjoyed the movie although it wasn’t very popular back in the 90s. Little I knew that the movie was nothing compared to this novel.
Overall it was a great experience, literature and structure were impeccable. I can’t give less the 5 stars to this masterpiece. Can’t wait to read more of Andrew’s stuff.
It was painful to pick it back up after a break. I couldn’t go back to where the characters were. I would feel like I myself was in that story being tormented by those crazy people. It’s very real and it definitely can affect the reader.
This book is insane. I don’t recommend it to anybody. You must be mentally fit to read this. I got interested in this book because of the movie “The Maddening (1995)” which was based on this novel. I really enjoyed the movie although it wasn’t very popular back in the 90s. Little I knew that the movie was nothing compared to this novel.
Overall it was a great experience, literature and structure were impeccable. I can’t give less the 5 stars to this masterpiece. Can’t wait to read more of Andrew’s stuff.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews