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It is the last night before Tanglewood Memorial closes for good, and MRI technician Mike Hughes arrives for his final shift at the hospital. Between the bare-bones staff and the fact that all the patients have already been moved to the new facility, Mike is prepared for a quiet night.All that changes when a special patient arrives, complete with a five-man police the infamous serial killer Frank Snow has been brought in for a brain MRI. As if that's not enough, Mike's wife Sarah decides to drop in unexpectedly, along with their young son, Eli. Then Snow unexpectedly breaks free, cuts the power, and locks the doors. Now he's loose in the old, dark hospital, hunting its last occupants one by one, and escape seems to be the furthest thing from his mind.
256 pages, Paperback
First published October 16, 2007
17 people are currently reading
291 people want to read
About the author
Joe Schreiber
25 books323 followersJoe Schreiber was born in Michigan but spent his formative years in Alaska, Wyoming and northern California. Until recently, he has never lived in the same address for longer than a year. Before settling in Hershey he lived in New York, Boston, Martha’s Vineyard, Chicago, Los Angeles, Portland (OR), and Philadelphia. Becoming a parent forced him to consider a career with more reliable income, and he got a job as an MRI tech at Hershey Medical Center. Joe is married and has two children. He is the author of Chasing The Dead, Eat The Dark, and his newest tale of terror; No Doors, No Windows, which went on sale the same day as STAR WARS: DEATH TROOPERS. You can find him on the web at his blog ScaryParent.Blogspot.Com and on Suvudu.Com, where he is an occasional horror columnist.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 53 reviews
February 26, 2016
This book is described as "dark, chilling and scary." It is all those things.
What starts off as a confrontational visit by Sarah Hughes and her young son Eli to Tanglewood Memorial Hospital, her husband Mike's work place (she has found a love note and a receipt for a diamond bracelet in his pocket), turns into a night of abject terror. Murderous psychopath Frank Snow, who is scheduled for an emergency brain scan at Tanglewood on its final night of operation, manages to escape. And so begins a truly terrifying game of hide-and-seek.
I could not stop listening to this book. It is fantastic on audio, and I am sure just as good in print.
If it is at all possible for a thriller/horror novel to be delicious - this is it!
What starts off as a confrontational visit by Sarah Hughes and her young son Eli to Tanglewood Memorial Hospital, her husband Mike's work place (she has found a love note and a receipt for a diamond bracelet in his pocket), turns into a night of abject terror. Murderous psychopath Frank Snow, who is scheduled for an emergency brain scan at Tanglewood on its final night of operation, manages to escape. And so begins a truly terrifying game of hide-and-seek.
I could not stop listening to this book. It is fantastic on audio, and I am sure just as good in print.
If it is at all possible for a thriller/horror novel to be delicious - this is it!
November 1, 2014
Joe Schreiber's atmospheric, claustrophobic, and achluophobic novel "Eat The Dark" is the equivalent of a brief, fun popcorn horror movie. It works well to read in total darkness and total silence, save for a booklight, and maybe even in one sitting. It gets down to business right away, and there is little wasted effort on any of the pages right to the very end.
All the set pieces and main characters in this story just scream out to be used as elements of horror: a hospital on its last night of operation, a skeleton crew of staff, a wife and young son coming to visit... and, of course, the authorities bringing in a serial killer for tests and treatment. Inject a little implied supernatural occurrence, plunge the hospital into total darkness, and you've got yourself a whiz-bang scary story. Everything that could go wrong, does, and as usual, Schreiber is so great at capturing each and every moment.
There are some genuinely creepy moments in this story, especially as it relates to Eli, the young boy in the story. Frank Snow, a notorious serial killer, exploits and manipulates this kid to the point where you feel his parents absolute sense of dread, but you cringe as a reader unsure of what might happen Eli. There are just little things, like a repeating recorder, that also unsettling in the scope of this tale, that probably wouldn't be otherwise. Again, I have to chalk it up to Schreiber knowing how to use his environment to convey just what he wants the reader to experience.
It's Hallowe'en and I wanted a good scary story on this day. This book by one of my favorite authors fit that bill. "Eat The Dark" is, to me, a classic short horror story (it's 192 pages, so, not actually a short story, but a short novel). It won't appeal to everyone, but I liked the pacing and the psychology of it, and I truly wanted to find out what would happen with Eli, Mike, Jolie, and of course, the bizarre Frank Snow. Happy Hallowe'en!
All the set pieces and main characters in this story just scream out to be used as elements of horror: a hospital on its last night of operation, a skeleton crew of staff, a wife and young son coming to visit... and, of course, the authorities bringing in a serial killer for tests and treatment. Inject a little implied supernatural occurrence, plunge the hospital into total darkness, and you've got yourself a whiz-bang scary story. Everything that could go wrong, does, and as usual, Schreiber is so great at capturing each and every moment.
There are some genuinely creepy moments in this story, especially as it relates to Eli, the young boy in the story. Frank Snow, a notorious serial killer, exploits and manipulates this kid to the point where you feel his parents absolute sense of dread, but you cringe as a reader unsure of what might happen Eli. There are just little things, like a repeating recorder, that also unsettling in the scope of this tale, that probably wouldn't be otherwise. Again, I have to chalk it up to Schreiber knowing how to use his environment to convey just what he wants the reader to experience.
It's Hallowe'en and I wanted a good scary story on this day. This book by one of my favorite authors fit that bill. "Eat The Dark" is, to me, a classic short horror story (it's 192 pages, so, not actually a short story, but a short novel). It won't appeal to everyone, but I liked the pacing and the psychology of it, and I truly wanted to find out what would happen with Eli, Mike, Jolie, and of course, the bizarre Frank Snow. Happy Hallowe'en!
September 14, 2016
What can I say. It was fine I guess? I was in the mood for some horror, and I guess that's what I got. It's basically a direct-to-video B slasher movie that attempts a more character oriented story but fails mostly at that. It was entertaining enough that the audiobook kept me awake in early morning gym sessions, but writing this review a couple weeks later, I'm struggling to even remember what happened in it, which is NOT common for me. The main character (Hero? Not remotely. Protagonist? Technically?) was a jerk who did not get the redemption his arc was desperately begging for. Every other character was some forgettable variation on a horror archetype, and the plot was so by the numbers that it even had the "family drives away from night of bloody horror, ready to start a new life together after sharing trauma, but a few days later, the monster's back--DUM DUM DUUUUUUHHHHHHNNNN!!!" ending that I ended up feeling kind of stupid for actually sitting through, because there was no reason to even fully describe it. Schreiber could literally have just written that sarcastic sentence and it would have done just as well.
That review was a lot longer than the book deserved. I feel dumb.
That review was a lot longer than the book deserved. I feel dumb.
November 22, 2017
Tanglewood Memorial Hospital is closing, but on the last night, a special patient is brought in for an MRI - Frank Snow, the famed serial killer. Mike, his coworker Jolie, Dr. Walker, and guard Steve Calhoun are supposed to be there; Mike's wife Sarah and his son Eli are not. When Snow escapes, they find themselves part of one of Snow's deadly games. They all have a choice, and if they make the wrong one, Snow will kill them. And Snow isn't exactly human...
This would have been a bad situation even if Snow was fully human. I pretty much knew as soon as Sarah and Eli showed up that . I liked Jolie's personality, I just wish she hadn't been cast into the role of temptress with Sarah as the righteous wife. I also wish that more of the story had focused on Frank Snow, maybe about his former crimes, especially given his relationship to Dr. Walker and Dr. Walker's knowledge of Frank's history. But, great pacing and I loved the setting.
This would have been a bad situation even if Snow was fully human. I pretty much knew as soon as Sarah and Eli showed up that . I liked Jolie's personality, I just wish she hadn't been cast into the role of temptress with Sarah as the righteous wife. I also wish that more of the story had focused on Frank Snow, maybe about his former crimes, especially given his relationship to Dr. Walker and Dr. Walker's knowledge of Frank's history. But, great pacing and I loved the setting.
January 3, 2015
I read Joe Schreiber's first book and found it quite suspenseful. He has a wonderful ability of mixing the idea of human and inhuman evil. This book for some reason seemed a little slow at first, but it had a wonderfully sinister end. All in all, a nice read. But not nearly as good as his first.
November 4, 2017
This is apparently a horror or something but it's just a weird, convoluted mess of a book. Snow is no Hannibal Lecter. And I'm just glad it was only 200 pages.
July 13, 2018
Two stars but only because it was a quick read and did hold my attention to the end. Two stars because I read up to the end and still am not sure what exactly happened in this book. The premise of the story is strong - albeit weird for only an MRI staff to be the only crew working in a closing hospital - but the writing was so convoluted I found myself rereading passage just to try and figure out what was happening, and that didn't even help. You never learn exactly what happened that night although it's hinted at but never really clear. Just did not enjoy this book as much as I expected I would.
July 2, 2019
A very dark tale, puns intended. The thriller truly is a scary idea. It is difficult to summarize or review without wanting to give out the twisted ending(s) for the story and the characters. I enjoyed the POV and narrative writing style. Letting us see the actions and hear the characters thoughts added a larger level of suspense and horror to the story.
However, I believe the entire epilogue could have been better or just left out. The epilogue made the whole book seem more of a contrite horror movie manuscript instead of a good book. If you haven't read the book yet, just stop before the epilogue and enjoy the book's story.
However, I believe the entire epilogue could have been better or just left out. The epilogue made the whole book seem more of a contrite horror movie manuscript instead of a good book. If you haven't read the book yet, just stop before the epilogue and enjoy the book's story.
October 10, 2019
Though a bit predictable in one aspect of the plot and too coincidental in another, this book really was generally overall enjoyable. It was a good trashy horror novel that delivered the right amount of ick-factor without ever being too gory. Every time I thought I would have to turn it off (audio - while eating breakfast on the way to school), the situation was tastefully resolved. Which counts for much in horror.
March 4, 2017
This is a "real-time" story that describes the incidents of an evening at work over a time frame of about six hours. The novel gallops madly from one horrible occurrence to another as a vicious madman stalks the innocent through hospital corridors. The story is one of the better examples of horror novels that have been my pleasure to read over recent years.
November 15, 2017
Pretty good book about a serial killer terrorizing a hospital. Loved the feel of this story and the supernatural elements were great. The story line was a little lackluster though. It's one of those who you can tell who's going to live and who's going to die.
January 15, 2023
I saw the mixed reviews for this after I'd already downloaded it so gave it a chance anyway. Glad i did. Great read. Spooky. Actually has you racing through to see what happens next. Fantastic horror.
July 16, 2018
Don't, just don't. Once again a bum steer from the Stoker Awards nominee list.
December 4, 2019
It was a little bit confusing but overall enjoyable.
Read
June 20, 2022DNF
October 10, 2024
Extremely fast-paced and creepy. Not Stephen King-caliber writing, but definitely held my attention!
April 21, 2023
I am so confused as to why this book has such a low rating. It was fantastic! So much action packed into such a short book. It was truly scary, and had me on the edge of my seat the entire time. And the shuttered, closed down hospital was the PERFECT creepy setting.
March 16, 2017
Drags you in right from the first page!!
March 8, 2008
Horror has to have one of the lowest quality to junk ratios in all of genre fiction. While mysteries writers manage to nod to their pulp origins while remaining intelligent, horror writers tend to wallow in excess in escalating attempts to overwhelm jaded readers. So when you find someone like Joe Schreiber who writes horror novels well, it is worth getting excited.
His first novel, Chasing the Dead, was a solid horror/suspense hybrid that set Schrieber up to be one of the leading lights in genuinely scary horror writing. His second novel, Eat the Dark, fulfills the promise of the first.
The set-up is a tad pedestrian. Frank Snow, a jailed serial killer so vile that characters shudder upon hearing his name, needs a MRI and is being brought into a hospital due to close the next day. As it is understaffed, only a few police medical personnel and their families , including MRI tech Mike Hughes, are there that night. No prizes for guessing what happens.
Schrieber gets away with this because his plot is well constructed, his characters are realistically flawed and he provides just the right amount of information. Most horror (or even mystery, thriller and scifi) plots hide a major secret and then hit the reader with a big reveal, which is often a let down. Schrieber slowly (Ok, as slow as you can in a 200 page novel) ladles out developments, with enough information to keep the suspense building. Frank Snow treats his victims in a peculiar way, hunting some and testing others.
The tested people are confronted with many of their secrets. Like characters in a Stephen King novel, these characters cheat on their spouses, drink too much and are happy to do bad to make a buck or two. While these make the story seem more real, like Lost, the backgrounds tie back into the story.
Finally and this is perhaps most important, Schrieber provides just enough information to either scare or intrigues the reader. We never really learn what Snow did to his victims, Mike just recalls "grainy newspaper photos of a remote barn with black stained ropes and chains on the floor, notes, piles of clothes and sneakers in corner." There is a reference of sorts to Blair Witch, another movie that is parsimonious with the detail. Later, as the story becomes increasingly strange, Schrieber also evokes dread by balancing what he says and doesn't say.
I'm looking forward to what he does next and I hope other writers are paying attention.
His first novel, Chasing the Dead, was a solid horror/suspense hybrid that set Schrieber up to be one of the leading lights in genuinely scary horror writing. His second novel, Eat the Dark, fulfills the promise of the first.
The set-up is a tad pedestrian. Frank Snow, a jailed serial killer so vile that characters shudder upon hearing his name, needs a MRI and is being brought into a hospital due to close the next day. As it is understaffed, only a few police medical personnel and their families , including MRI tech Mike Hughes, are there that night. No prizes for guessing what happens.
Schrieber gets away with this because his plot is well constructed, his characters are realistically flawed and he provides just the right amount of information. Most horror (or even mystery, thriller and scifi) plots hide a major secret and then hit the reader with a big reveal, which is often a let down. Schrieber slowly (Ok, as slow as you can in a 200 page novel) ladles out developments, with enough information to keep the suspense building. Frank Snow treats his victims in a peculiar way, hunting some and testing others.
The tested people are confronted with many of their secrets. Like characters in a Stephen King novel, these characters cheat on their spouses, drink too much and are happy to do bad to make a buck or two. While these make the story seem more real, like Lost, the backgrounds tie back into the story.
Finally and this is perhaps most important, Schrieber provides just enough information to either scare or intrigues the reader. We never really learn what Snow did to his victims, Mike just recalls "grainy newspaper photos of a remote barn with black stained ropes and chains on the floor, notes, piles of clothes and sneakers in corner." There is a reference of sorts to Blair Witch, another movie that is parsimonious with the detail. Later, as the story becomes increasingly strange, Schrieber also evokes dread by balancing what he says and doesn't say.
I'm looking forward to what he does next and I hope other writers are paying attention.
October 4, 2012
I'm rather mixed over this book. I liked it, but not enough to where I can entirely rationalize giving it four stars.
Part of what both helped and hindered the book was the narration by Renee Raudman. I had remembered hearing a review of the audiobook that said that the almost entirely male cast didn't do her many favors and they're correct. Raudman does a decent enough job with the male voices to where you won't really mind this, but I can't help but wonder what it would've been like if they'd managed to get someone like Michael Kramer to voice it. Her voicing of the young Eli was slightly irritating at times. Where she really shines is towards the end when the action starts heating up and the moments get more tense. That's where her narrating is spot on and I couldn't help but think "OK, now I see where she's perfect for this".
The story itself is decent. It's a good setting and a cool idea for a book. You do have to put a lot of suspension of disbelief on the line at times, but most of the problems I had with the book were eventually explained away in one way or another. The ones that weren't I didn't have that big of an issue with, such as why the MRI department staff were the only ones in the hospital. It's pulp horror, so some concessions have to be made. My only big problem with the book was that I wished that the twist at the ending had been explored just slightly more. I won't elaborate, as it'd be semi-spoilerish but I did want to know just a little more here.
It's just that while I enjoyed this and see where it would make for a great horror movie, I just wasn't overwhelmed by this. When the book is good, it's good. When the book isn't, it's just sort of meh. It's neither a stellar example of the genre, nor a subpar one, if that makes any sense. It's better than much of the other fare out there and definitely entertaining enough to where I'll pick up Schreiber's other stuff, but I just didn't get into this as much as I wanted. I think it's partially because this so neatly straddles two different horror genres that I kind of didn't know how to feel about this at the end.
Horror fans will probably want to add this to their TBR pile for Halloween. It's one that I definitely recommend picking up, but it's not something that you'd need to stampede out and get.
Part of what both helped and hindered the book was the narration by Renee Raudman. I had remembered hearing a review of the audiobook that said that the almost entirely male cast didn't do her many favors and they're correct. Raudman does a decent enough job with the male voices to where you won't really mind this, but I can't help but wonder what it would've been like if they'd managed to get someone like Michael Kramer to voice it. Her voicing of the young Eli was slightly irritating at times. Where she really shines is towards the end when the action starts heating up and the moments get more tense. That's where her narrating is spot on and I couldn't help but think "OK, now I see where she's perfect for this".
The story itself is decent. It's a good setting and a cool idea for a book. You do have to put a lot of suspension of disbelief on the line at times, but most of the problems I had with the book were eventually explained away in one way or another. The ones that weren't I didn't have that big of an issue with, such as why the MRI department staff were the only ones in the hospital. It's pulp horror, so some concessions have to be made. My only big problem with the book was that I wished that the twist at the ending had been explored just slightly more. I won't elaborate, as it'd be semi-spoilerish but I did want to know just a little more here.
It's just that while I enjoyed this and see where it would make for a great horror movie, I just wasn't overwhelmed by this. When the book is good, it's good. When the book isn't, it's just sort of meh. It's neither a stellar example of the genre, nor a subpar one, if that makes any sense. It's better than much of the other fare out there and definitely entertaining enough to where I'll pick up Schreiber's other stuff, but I just didn't get into this as much as I wanted. I think it's partially because this so neatly straddles two different horror genres that I kind of didn't know how to feel about this at the end.
Horror fans will probably want to add this to their TBR pile for Halloween. It's one that I definitely recommend picking up, but it's not something that you'd need to stampede out and get.
January 5, 2014
EAT THE DARK is an intensely rich and deeply satisfying survival horror.
Serial killer Frank Snow is transported to Tanglewood Memorial Hospital for an emergency brain scan. Accompanied by a police escort and a handful of hospital staff for the MRI he finds himself in the bowels of a near fully evacuated hospital as Tanglewood officially closes its doors with Snow, the last patient.
MRI Technician Mike Hughes is on hand to assist Tanglewoods last and most famous patient undergo the final form of healthcare provided at the decommissioned facility. He’s soon visited by his wife and young son who show unexpectedly – it’s a surprise that could end in tears and bloodshed as Snow escapes the shackles that so tentatively corrupted his free will allowing him to once more bathe in the blood of his victims in the darkened halls of Tanglewood.
Terror at every turn, heart pounding suspense in every chapter, fear and violence omnipresent throughout – EAT THE DARK is a great fast paced supernatural/survival horror.
Author Joe Schreiber encapsulates all that consists of nightmares – ghosts, serial killers, claustrophobia, thick dark, and the unexplained, into a tightly wound bundle of madness. Despite having read EAT THE DARK previously, I still couldn’t turn the pages fast enough.
Serial killer Frank Snow is transported to Tanglewood Memorial Hospital for an emergency brain scan. Accompanied by a police escort and a handful of hospital staff for the MRI he finds himself in the bowels of a near fully evacuated hospital as Tanglewood officially closes its doors with Snow, the last patient.
MRI Technician Mike Hughes is on hand to assist Tanglewoods last and most famous patient undergo the final form of healthcare provided at the decommissioned facility. He’s soon visited by his wife and young son who show unexpectedly – it’s a surprise that could end in tears and bloodshed as Snow escapes the shackles that so tentatively corrupted his free will allowing him to once more bathe in the blood of his victims in the darkened halls of Tanglewood.
Terror at every turn, heart pounding suspense in every chapter, fear and violence omnipresent throughout – EAT THE DARK is a great fast paced supernatural/survival horror.
Author Joe Schreiber encapsulates all that consists of nightmares – ghosts, serial killers, claustrophobia, thick dark, and the unexplained, into a tightly wound bundle of madness. Despite having read EAT THE DARK previously, I still couldn’t turn the pages fast enough.
May 20, 2011
Now I really did like this one it just seemed a bit off at the end. So let's start at the beginning. You have all of the elements of a great story, creepy old hospital in the middle of nowhere that is being closed down, a skeleton staff at the hospital, a sudden visit by the police bringing in a serial killer for an MRI and a sudden last minute visit of the wife and child of a staffer. Can you see where this would make for a real creepy story? OK so what happened? Well I will not spoil it but the end just seemed kind of like a last minute splash of paint that an artist has thrown at a canvas. Does this make this a bad book? Not by any stretch of the means. However I know Joe's writing, having read several of his books, and he does have better novels to choose from in my opinion. Is this the right one for you? I do not know. Give it a shot and find out. Being under 200 pages it should be quite painless.
July 30, 2015
Feels like reading the script of what could be a more than passable B movie.
The horror story is there, but the writing skill is not.
The author just doesn't have the skill of a King or Lovecraft to imbue the book with the creepy-factor that makes for good horror. The tricks he tries to employ are more suitable for the big screen. Without creepy music or sound effects or the visual startle of bad-guy-flashing-into-frame-from-no-where the book just doesn't work (reading "then he jumped out of no where" doesn't have the same effect). All I could think the entire time is "they could probably make that work..in the movie."
The horror story is there, but the writing skill is not.
The author just doesn't have the skill of a King or Lovecraft to imbue the book with the creepy-factor that makes for good horror. The tricks he tries to employ are more suitable for the big screen. Without creepy music or sound effects or the visual startle of bad-guy-flashing-into-frame-from-no-where the book just doesn't work (reading "then he jumped out of no where" doesn't have the same effect). All I could think the entire time is "they could probably make that work..in the movie."
October 2, 2009
I'm stealing someone else's words when I say that Joe Schreiber reminds me of early Stephen King, you know, when he was SCARY! Schreiber has the talent of tapping into our deepest childhood fears and releasing them to crawl all over our skin as we tear through his fast paced adrenaline ride of a story. I have only two complaints: one is that I wish the books were longer because I don't want them to end, and two that here are times that the extra character in the scene seems to disappear. I can't wait for the next Schreiber book(s) to come out!
October 2, 2009
I'm stealing someone else's words when I say that Joe Schreiber reminds me of early Stephen King, you know, when he was SCARY! Schreiber has the talent of tapping into our deepest childhood fears and releasing them to crawl all over our skin as we tear through his fast paced adrenaline ride of a story. I have only two complaints: one is that I wish the books were longer because I don't want them to end, and two that here are times that the extra character in the scene seems to disappear. I can't wait for the next Schreiber book(s) to come out!
May 24, 2013
Audiobook
Great start grabbed my attention fast had me holding my breath- as I sometimes do at moments of great suspense and pending near death scenes-
Wonderful descriptive writing... But suddenly, towards what I thought was the end, it went in entirely different direction. A direction I tried to follow but alas could not.... What kind of psycho gives 'get out of death Free' passes?!
Maybe I didn't stay long enough in the book but It felt more like a "This is Why I Hate Cheaters" infomercial than a psycho thriller.
Great start grabbed my attention fast had me holding my breath- as I sometimes do at moments of great suspense and pending near death scenes-
Wonderful descriptive writing... But suddenly, towards what I thought was the end, it went in entirely different direction. A direction I tried to follow but alas could not.... What kind of psycho gives 'get out of death Free' passes?!
Maybe I didn't stay long enough in the book but It felt more like a "This is Why I Hate Cheaters" infomercial than a psycho thriller.
May 31, 2008
This book was simply magnificent. Joe is an excellent plotter and pacer. This book packs a significant psychological wallop. Children in peril, a marriage on the rocks, a seemingly unstoppable villain, and a well placed shocking revelations are all just some of things that make this book a titillating treat.
April 29, 2009
Absolutely one of the best horror suspense novels I have read in a long time. Frank Snow is a deliciously evil character. Schrieber writes vividly with short compact chapters that moves the action along. The author has the ability to bludgeon you with such great lines as "a spray of spikey laughter..." Good times!
August 26, 2009
Was an "OK" book...my boyfriend and I listened to it on the way down to Myrtle Beach...went in and out of paying attention because it really wasn't as riveting as I perceived it to be. There were parts that caught my interest…but all-in-all I would have to say it was just…ok. We didn’t even finish it and I don’t care to find out what happened…if that explains anything.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 53 reviews