Wolfsbane

Mortlake #1

by David Longhorn

When savage death stalks the British countryside, there’s only one man to call…In the aftermath of a vicious attack, Tara Pride, a young American student, doesn’t know where to turn. Terrified and distraught over the death of her friend, she’s convinced this is more than just wild dogs or rabid animals. So she reaches out to the one man who might believe her—paranormal investigator and Cambridge professor, Marcus Mortlake.At first glance, Mortlake seems an unlikely candidate to battle the supernatural considering his eccentric character. But despite his curmudgeonly exterior, Mortlake has faced evil beyond imagination, and put his life on the line countless times to defend humanity.Now, Mortlake and Tara find themselves facing a deadly Rupert Gonfallon, a wealthy and sadistic Lord, who owns the land where the attack took place. And Mortlake is certain Rupert is connected to a string of bloody murders.But the truth is even more dangerous than the professor suspects. A pack of savage killers lurks within the Lord’s estate harboring a sinister agenda. Infecting themselves with an ancient curse to gain power and strength, these ravenous beasts claim the dark forests as their territory.Now, their infection is spreading. And unless Mortlake can stop them, the countryside will run red with the blood of fresh prey…

Genres: Horror

177 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 8, 2021

Reviews

[Zain · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wolf Monsters!

David Longhorn is a great writer and he is also scary. I didn’t think that Wolfsbane: Supernatural Suspense with Scary and Horrifying Monsters would be a good horror story, but it is.

The book starts with a scene that is knocked out of the ball park. It is very scary and exciting and extremely terrifying.

People are mowed down by these monsters. They have been killed by the evil creatures of this story. And it happens throughout the book. I’m frightened and scared.

Four stars. ✨✨✨✨

[Arnis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tara Praida, amerikāņu studente Lielbritānijā, kā jau jebkurš 21.gadsimtā dzīvojošs un racionāli domājošs cilvēks pieskaita sevi pie tiem, kuri pārdabiskajam un paranormālajai pasaulei un tās dažādajiem mošķiem netic un izbauda tās šausmu uzdzenošos efektus vien filmās vai cita veida medijos. Tas viss gan mainās, kad neapdomīgi kopā ar tautieti Džošu vēlā vakarā atrod sevi pārgājienā vēl nesasnieguši drošu naktsmītni, ko cerot labot, Tara iesaka saīsināt ceļu, ejot cauri privātam un turklāt vēl ar žogu norobežotai privātteritorijai. Tikai tīra nejaušība paglābj Taru no tikpat plosoši letāla likteņa no vilkašu ķetnām un asajiem zobiem, kādu tas piemeklē Džoša tēlu.

https://poseidons99.com/2025/10/18/da...

[gordon musgrave · Rating 1 out of 5]

Boring

Expected horror but it wasn't,just another mystery book!! Sure there was werewolfs but by the time they got to that part all of the suspense was gone,plus it was not about the professor at all!!

[Laurie · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first in the Mortlake series (of which I read the 3rd one first…doh), this book, while interesting and suitably creepy, has some of the faults that all ‘origin issues’ do. The characters are new, undeveloped, and their abilities have to be explained, we’re being introduced to how the magic of this world works, and it’s shorter than the following books. But I felt Mortlake was well done, as was Tara- we get an extremely intense introduction to her.

We meet Tara as she is on a hike with her boyfriend. Lost, hungry, and wet with rain, when they come to a fence they decide to climb it as they feel it’ll be a shortcut. They are attacked, though, by creatures that Tara cannot recognize. Her boyfriend falls to the creatures, but Tara gets away, with no memory of how. In the ado surrounding her hospital stay and police questioning, someone slips her a business card with “Mortlake” on it. An internet search shows he’s a professor of myth and legend at Cambridge, with a side line in investigation of paranormal evenets. As an astrophysicist, Tara doesn’t put much faith in the paranormal. But between some things that happened when she was a teen, and the fact that the ‘wolves’ that killed her boyfriend didn’t look like normal wolves, she gives Mortlake a call.

Mortlake accepts her plea for help willingly- he’s already been looking into it. He swiftly pulls his helpers together and I’ll not give anymore or the whole thing will be spoiled. Suffice it to say that their skills, paranormal and physical, mesh into a unit that can face most things. I like that no one person- not even Mortlake- knows or does everything. It takes a village, I guess, to fight the paranormal.

Pretty good for number one in a series; I’ll give it four stars.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hop on board. Here is the first of a promised six in a brand new series from Scare Street. In this one, we have a wealthy British lord with a twisted desire to experience the ultimate hunt, as a werewolf. He's found a way to turn and brings a few of his equally twisted and wealthy buddies into the game. Their big mistake is in attacking a young couple who were hiking near the estate. She survives the attack and goes on a vendetta to stop the killings. Teaming up with a professor at her school, the pair begin the hunt.
Tara and the prof are a new team of monster hunters. I don't know if future books in this series will have them hunting down different monsters or more werewolves but it doesn't matter. It's all good. I can't wait for the next offering.

[Icy_Space_Cobwebs Join the Penguin Resistance! · Rating 5 out of 5]

WOLFSBANE is the newest well-crafted Supernatural thriller from David Longhorn, author of the excellent ROCKWOOD ASYLUM Series and many other titles. WOLFSBANE is highly motivating as we switch viewpoints between victims, survivors, investigators.
The plebeian attitude toward the lazy (and in this event, predatory) upper classes delivers a really tasty spin as various individuals get to snark on the wealthy. Tons of unending suspense highly ratcheted keeps readers engrossed and entertained.

[Mrs V · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not typical Scare Street but worth a read.

This is certainly different from the books I've had from Scare Street, Ron Ripley being my favourite.

The storyline isn't original by any means but I did grow to like the way the main characters are developing. The epilogue gave a tantalising tease of new characters thus giving plenty of scope for future instalments so I'll definitely give the next book a try.

[Terry and dog · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh boy, another interesting story from David Longhorn. I haven't read a book of his that I didn't like. This one was werewolves, with a descent and pretty simple story, and had really good characters that I assume will be carried forward into the rest of the series. Good fast read, I will be moving on to the next one soon.

[Rebecca Hill · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ohh, the beginning of this series is FABULOUS! Tara, a young student, is not sure how things could go so wrong, but they did. With the death of her boyfriend, she is not sure who to turn to. Help comes in the form of a professor, and together, they are on the hunt for the strange creatures and the people behind the attack.

Get ready for a new type of horror!

[Carolyn Evans · Rating 5 out of 5]

Werewolves of England

An interesting read, this takes a different look at lycanthropy. I enjoyed the plot, which was horrific and action packed, as well as the protaganists, which are an interesting group.

[Sue · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another awesome read from David Longhorn!

[Gary · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good read.

I enjoyed this book. I found the characters believable, the plot intriguing. Lots of action to hold your interest. A very good read on a cold winters night.

[Dorothy Pitts · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great Book!

This has really been a book I could not put down. Read it all in one sitting! Great story with lots of action!