Muse

by Leland James

The enclosed was transcribed from ten mini-cassette tapes that were recovered from the offices of Boston attorney William J. Latch following his disappearance on June 19, 2014.

These tapes are part of the evidentiary record in the civil case of Latch V. Weymouth Life & Casualty.

William J. Latch was declared dead by the State of Massachusetts in April 2015 after Magistrate Gavin FitzGerald reviewed these tapes, privately, in his chambers. Weymouth Life & Casualty was therein ordered to release Latch's survivor's benefits to his children.

Latch's body has never been found.

His client, Michael Hadley, also remains missing...

Genres: Horror, Fantasy, Fiction, Novella

77 pages, Paperback

First published May 14, 2019

About the author

Leland James is the winner of the Aesthetica Creative Writing Award and the Conclave Character Prize in fiction. In addition to fiction, Leland has published poetry worldwide, authoring eight poetry collection and five children’s books in verse, garnering over a dozen international prizes and awards including nomination for a Pushcart Prize. His writing style is described by Don Williams, Editor Emeritus of New Millennium Writings as “mystical yet earthbound.” Leland lives in a cabin in the woods in northern Michigan with his wife of over fifty years, his “first reader” and invaluable critic. He cuts his own firewood and shovels a small mountain of snow each year. A champion of both tradition and innovation in the arts, he travels widely to libraries and schools, delivering instructional and entertaining readings of his own and other’s creative work. MarkTwain and Dostoevsky are his favorite authors.
https://lelandjames.com/

Reviews

[karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

NOW AVAILABLE!!

tekeli-li!!

blah blah well-worn review-intro boilerplate about how i don’t like lovecraft &yadda, which explanation i seem to have had to whip out a LOT in the past year or so, as lovecraft and lovecraftian themes have been popping up more and more in the books of my ‘can’t miss’ authors (Mira Grant, Paul Tremblay, Nick Cutter, Edgar Cantero, etc), and while i would ordinarily, automatically, love anything these people write, my lovecraft allergy means that the best i can do, in these situations, is forgive them their slips into ‘not for me’ territory. which is very benevolent of me, indeed.

so, this. i love James Renner, but i got this ARC about a week after reading In the Shadow of Spindrift House, so my beloved-author-forgiveness reserves were running low, and i wasn’t too keen on diving right back into the dreadful, tentacle-infested waters of lovecraft’s legacy, so i admit - i was apprehensive; braced for dismay.

but thank a million elder gods, renner approached this lovecraft business a little differently. he doesn't mimic lovecraft’s, “ooOOOooo scary things are certainly afoot here, readers! things simply too scary to describe!! soooo ineffable. fill in the blanks yourself but make sure it's sooooo spooooky, okay? imma go write something super-racist now k thx bye.”

instead, he uses lovecraft (and poe) as anchoring elements - as ‘writers who existed’ instead of ‘writers whose style i will try on for a bit here,’ and he doesn’t make you do any of the BYOS* work of creating atmosphere or supplying the horror elements which is, after all, the ‘you had one job’ raison d'être of the horror writer. he also, i believe, never once uses the words “ineffable” or “ichor.”

renner’s spin on the lovecraft-go-round is a dark-ass supernatural detective thriller speculating about the source of inspiration for two of america’s gloomiest, murkiest writers; a narrative shaped as the found, transcribed, audio confession/will/warning of michael hadley — a private investigator in the great state of maine. (hi, daddy!!)

and o’, it is a bloody, and clever and slick-noir journey through a criminal underbelly of east coast gangsters and cultists and amorous boy scout leaders and ambitious teenage novelists and it is creepy and rewarding and HIGHLY EFFABLE. like, 'we are all effed-able.'

finally, a lovecraft i could love.



pim?


*bring your own spooooooooky

************************************

okay, so this novella is "lovecraftian" in the same way that a badass horror/detective play that used lovecraft as a table in some of its acts would be considered "lovecraftian."

ain't nothing ineffable here.



review to come!

************************************

i guess a new law was passed that said every book i pick up from now on must be lovecraft-related. REPEAL, PLEASE!

************************************

i got an arc, but if YOU want a fancy copy with HOT FOIL STAMPING*, you can preorder it here:

https://www.cemeterydance.com/muse.html

only 750 copies will be made, so get your ass over there!!



* i do not know what hot foil stamping is, but it sounds sexy.


come to my blog!

[Sadie Hartmann · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was lucky enough to receive a signed, review copy of MUSE by James Renner. This book will be available as a signed, limited edition hardcover this May from Cemetery Dance.

I did a little digging around on James Renner since this is my first time encountering his work. I was impressed when I learned that James is best known as a prolific, true-crime journalist.
After reading MUSE, a sleek horror novella, I believe Mr. Renner's journalism skills and background in true-crime serves to enhance his storytelling ability. This was a captivating read from the very beginning.
The synopsis is deliciously vague--something about some tape recordings and a double missing person's case--the possibility is that we, the readers, will read the transcriptions of said tapes and learn the story behind the disappearances.
Oooo, sounds fun, right?
It was.
I'm taking into consideration that this is one of the earliest reviews of this story and I don't want to give away any exciting reader discoveries (and there are plenty!).
I will recommend that fans of Hardboiled, Crime-Noir should pick this up.
Fans of classic horror fiction should pick this up (see the antique box on the cover with the menacing tentacle? *nodding my head* your suspicions are correct! Shhhh...)
Also, do you just love a sarcastic, witty, foul-mouthed, racist detective that finds himself in the worst possible situations and you absolutely love watching how in the hell he will manage to get himself out of sticky situations? You do? Me too! I would *love* for Renner to do more of these kinds of stories.
He has a keen handle on dialog and language that made me feel like I was watching an old black & white movie where everyone is wearing trench coats and fedoras. I was constantly snickering at the "take no shit" attitude and the wise-assery from our protagonist.
Love, love, that.
Lastly, the story. For being just over 100 pages, this was an expansive storyline--covering many locations and introducing a big cast of memorable characters. I had so much fun reading this story and I honestly think that most horror fans would enjoy this one too--I can't wait to have some discussions about this book so hit me up on social media if you've read it!

[mark monday · Rating 3 out of 5]

review

the book is different things: episodic horror-road trip; dark urban fantasy that uses Greek mythology as a corpse light; and psychological portrait of how we process pain. it all blends well together and is surprisingly smooth going down. the episodes vary from weird to gross to ominous to ruminative, and each of the episodes are well-accomplished. there was a bit too much angst for me at times, and it dithered a bit here and there, but overall this is an emotionally resonant tale with polished prose and a very original threat at its heart. tense but not particularly scary; overall an absorbing read that gave me food for thought.


musings on Muse

this novella provided some interesting insights into how the author - a writer of fiction and true crime investigations (and my Goodreads friend) - views the creative process:

"A growing compulsion inside me shuts out my other senses and overwhelms me. The compulsion to translate this act of horror into a story for... consumption by other human beings. Isn't that it? Isn't that what drives the monster and us and makes us her kindred? We go into the world and gather events, gather experiences, gather information and then we tell others our stories, the stories of our lives so that we can come to some understanding. Eating life and spitting out, shitting out meaning. And in the end is it anything more than shit? Why do we we want to share that awfulness? Why make other people feel what we feel? Isn't that a kind of perversion? It is, Bill. It is perverse. We wallow in our own filth and we have this need to pull others into it just so we can look into their eyes and ask, How does it feel?"

yikes! well I guess each of us has our own kind of muse. but reading this book and recalling my experiences of the other two books I've read by Renner, as well as my knowledge of his nonfiction and the things that have driven him as a writer, investigator, and human being... it makes perfect sense. for many writers, the act of writing itself is a dark thing, an exorcism and an excoriation. I've felt that myself, sometimes, in my own writing process. although honestly I think I am both sunnier and more shallow than Renner, so for me the process of writing is mainly one that comes from a place of positive excitement and often done with a feeling of delight - less "shitting" I guess, and more "making a delicious meal that I'd like to share with friends" and I have seen it literalized in all three works that I've read by the author. writing seems like an absolutely necessary activity for him to purge himself of his demons. all writers share who they are in their writing, on some level, maybe on a subconscious level, or as subtext. there is no such secrecy with this writer. who Renner is, how he feels about the creative process, how he feels about the effects created by writers and how their work impacts readers... he lays it all out, in the open. there is something admirable about that nakedness, his willingness to show vulnerability as an author and as a human, whether or not I agree with his perspective. Renner's honesty about himself may be disagreeable, but it is brave as well. and fascinating!


synopsis

there is a monster in a box. it takes your memories and turns them into stories. we each have our own little monster in a box, of course. but unfortunately for the characters in Muse, their little monster is a really, really, really hungry one.

[Craig · Rating 4 out of 5]

Muse is a good Lovecraftian short novel told in epistolary form (well, transcribed cassette tapes, but close enough) mostly set in 1960 and narrated by a more-than-somewhat unlikable private eye who's been hired to steal a box that contains Lovecraft's (and Poe's, prior to that) muse by a young aspiring horror writer. It's a mostly predictable tale but has a few fun borderline-bizarre riffs such as wondering if this is all just a fiction being typed by an unnamed writer in Akron, and a long and improbable interlude featuring Wolfa Goofa with the green teeth, familiar to old J. Geils Band fans. There's a troubling presence of a pedophile, but overall I thought it was a worthwhile addition to an already overcrowded genre niche.

[Chris Berko · Rating 5 out of 5]

Two of the best books I've ever read, The Man From Primrose Lane and The Great Forgetting, were written by James Renner. Those are triumphs of imagination, emotion, and storytelling. They will bend your mind, twist your perceptions of reality, and entertain the shit out of you all at the same time. Muse continues that tradition.

It starts off pretty much straight forward: ex-cop current private dick gets hired to do something that may be just a little bit below the level of legality. Horror and madness ensue until no one is safe. There's also some sideways slipping and ambiguity thrown in at the end that made me question what was really going on and who was actually telling the story, that sort of reminded me of some of the best parts of those other two books I've read by Mr. Renner, that feeling I get where I'm not really sure where things are going but I have complete confidence that the author does.

James Renner knows how to tell a story. If you want to read something wholly original, with characters you can't help but care about, pick up some of the fiction he has written, I have yet to be disappointed and my expectations have always been surpassed.

[Kate Victoria RescueandReading · Rating 4 out of 5]

Journey with a private investigator as he is tasked with obtaining and transporting a mysterious wooden box.

A box that is more than its parts, that holds a deadly secret, that opens the PI to a world of eldritch horrors and blood soaked rooms of carnage.

I enjoyed the found footage style of these tapes, but would’ve liked to hear more from Latch’s perspective. The journey with Michael is tense and fraught with obstacles (cults, mobsters, Lovecraftian scholars, etc) and keeps readers engaged in the story. A great read overall!

Thank you to Cemetery Dance & the author for a copy!

[Aaron B · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good tale, well-told. Beautiful Cemetery Dance edition with excellent cover art by Elderlemon Design.

09/02/2024: Read the Cemetery Dance Paperback Club edition as a second read from 2020. The new edition is excellent and the story is imaginative and compelling with a highly satisfying ending. Bonuses for folks who've enjoyed Bullfinch's Mythology. Best wishes.

[Snakes · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one was good. Lovecraft, Poe, noir detective, and horror wrapped into a juicy nugget. Shows that a novel doesn’t need to be 700 pages to be well-developed and interesting. I’m getting the feeling that Renner is kind of like Anne Billson. A hidden gem.

[Deborah · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first of this type of book that i have read in years! Extremely entertaining, a bit vulgar (but not for this sailor) and I had the fantabulous opportunity to listen to its narration which was superbly done by Peter Bekrot. A short-ish horrific story of the Lovecraft style.

[Brandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great blend of mystery, horror and sci-fi! One of my top picks for 2019 for sure.


**I helped James with the early version of this 7 yrs ago. It wasn't quite finished back then and I only remembered a little bit of the story.

[Milt Theo · Rating 5 out of 5]

James Renner's 'Muse' is a magnificent novella of Lovecraft Noir, dipping into the master's life in order to bring out an absolutely riveting tale of monsters, mythology, and psychological suspense - a true gem of disturbing, even gory, supernatural horror! The premise sounds deceptively simple -a former cop, now private detective is hired to steal a mysterious box found among Lovecraft's objects after his death. Little does he now that the box involves Poe, trips to Antarctica, and a tiny bit of the Cthulhu mythos, by way of Ancient Greek mythology. By the time he, and we the readers, realize the complexity of the case he's been thrown into, it's far too late: the spiritual and physical carnage has begun. The story belongs to the epistolary horror genre: it's the trascription of certain cassette tapes sent by the detective to his war pal and attorney, for reasons explained in the book. 'Muse' has lots of self-referential moments, since the plot refers almost constantly to the aspiration of a young writer to become a famous horror author; in fact, this is the promise of the box - but at what cost? The detective discovers exactly what it takes -the imagery of getting super-inspired to write the perfect story with no paper and pen around was quite unsettling- while going on a sort of road trip to bring the box to its intended destination. On the way, a huge cast of bizarre characters appears, turning the novella into a weird series of sometimes disturbing, sometimes passionate, other times criminal situations. This could have easily transformed into a doorstopper of a book, somewhat like Gaiman's American Gods - but Renner takes it as an opportunity to gift his readers with some incredible prose and compelling characterization, as well as show his love for horror! Highly recommended!

[Shannon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sometimes I thought I heard something shift inside the ironwood chest. Like a baby adjusting itself in a womb.

In 1960, a private eye is hired to steal a chest for a girl who wants to be a writer. The chest belonged to H.P. Lovecraft, and the PI figures it's a piece of cake for three large: scope out the building where a professor keeps a Lovecraft archive, wait till he's gone home for the night, break in, and easy peasy lemon squeezy.

It's not lemon squeezy. Not at all. And it isn't an old manuscript in that chest like he thinks. There's something else in there. Something moving. Something that seems to be getting into his dreams...

The novella is presented as a transcript of audio tapes recorded by the PI almost fifty years later. It works so well. The language, the narrative voice, the way the dialogue is presented. All of it sings. The book could have easily just been the action, the gore, the mounting tension of what exactly hides in that chest, but then it hits another level - we're reading someone writing down another man's words, relating a story, and soon he gets into the nature of story-telling, of what it means to take a memory of a real event and turn it into entertainment. Is that what we're reading, too? And how does this all tie back in to Lovecraft, and Poe before him? This recursive loop through stories - dreams - memories - reality - perception - becomes as much a part of the narrative as the monster in the box.

There’s a monster in us all of course. We’re all boxes of skin with a little evil inside. That’s the secret. Right? We’re all monsters pretending to be asleep.

[Ali O · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very unique and interesting horror/thriller story! I have a bit of mixed feelings about this book, but overall I did really enjoy it! It definitely sucked me in the further into the book I got. The premise is a pretty neat one and the story played out very well.
I think I wasn’t as fond of the story being told from the transcription of cassette tapes and would have just enjoyed this more as a regular story being written. It’s definitely a wild ride that this detective has to go through, while trying to get some money and deliver this “special” box.

Thank you to Cemetery Dance Publications for an e-copy of this interesting book!!

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ok, I had so much fun with this book. I’ve been trying lately not to read too much about the synopsis of a book and just going in blind, and it’s been really working for me!

This is the first of any fiction by James Renner I’ve read and I have to say I’m very impressed. The Lovecraft of it all was so cool and fascinating. I admit I’ve never read any Lovecraft and this actually made me want to finally dive into it.

This story was so much fun and I was so eager to see where it was going to take me in the end and it did not disappoint. I hope I never come across that ironwood box….

[Kevin · Rating 5 out of 5]

A perfectly-crafted Lovecraftian, noir epic that is both immensely entertaining and thought-provoking without trying too hard. A meta look into the crafting of a mythology that plays with the boundaries of a genre-bending take on an Odyssey-like literary journey. Read this!!

[Bob · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent Lovecraftian novella. PI Michael Hadley is paid to steal a small chest from Lovecraft's lawyer only to find that it contains a creature capable of sucking out one's most hidden memories. Nicely written. I hope to read more from James Renner. Highly recommended.

[Rebecca · Rating 5 out of 5]

I could not put this book down. It is a new favorite.

[Jenni Hurd · Rating 4 out of 5]

What price would you pay for fame. What would you pay for your life? Your sanity?

A man is hired to do a job. A simple item retrieval turns into a fight for his life and his mind.

[Bill Mangione-smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Originally reviewed here: https://www.scifiandscary.com/muse-by...

I had been looking forward to reading this story since I pre-ordered from the original printing, but plans have a funny way of going sideways. I don’t have a TBR pile but rather shelf, and if you take into account the Kindle titles waiting, well, it’s easy to lose track of what you really want to read.

When I said I wanted to do some reviewing for Sci-Fi and Scary, and Lilyn said there was more need for SF than horror, I suggested two time-travel novels that were also on my shelf calling out to me. The first result was a long slog for a short book. The second reading was abandoned, just not worth the time. So now I sit here with Muse to think on.

I really like a lot about James Renner’s work. “The Man From Primrose Lane” was terrific fun. “The Great Forgetting”, not so much, but it had interesting ideas going for it. Muse is now far and away my favorite Renner work. Thanks for breaking my losing streak, James.

Much like “This is How You Lose the Time War”, Muse is very self-aware. It is a story told in a very colloquial manner from a first person’s point of view, exactly like “At the Mountains of Madness”. Aspects of that story play into this one quite a bit. A number of historical figures and events come into the narrative. At one point the narrator refers to “A story within a story within a story in a room of mirror until I lose myself.” This is a horror-filled book about creativity and storytelling and compulsion, not metaphorical but literal.

There were just a few editing issues that hooked me and should have been polished out. Nothing major, but an offer for $20k turns into an offer for $3k in about two paragraphs. And the story revolves around the North East with Portland, Maine getting mentioned a lot, but just as Portland. Given a very early reference to Oregon that was just needlessly confusing. But at the same time, this was supposed to be transcribed cassette tapes, so maybe I should just chalk both of those up to an old man’s memory not being very good.

This would be a 5-star recommendation but for two reasons. The first is it just feels like those should be flawless works. Muse is wonderful, but perhaps not at that level. The second is the appearance of a real-world character that just seemed like Renner was goofing too much. If you know what I mean, and if you read Muse you will. But I’ll leave the name out so that you can enjoy the appearance when he pops up like a wolf on the hunt.

Muse currently has three reviews on Amazon, all 5 stars. It should have many more. It’s possible that when I go back and cross-post this review down the road I’ll give it a bump up so that the scoring is unanimous. Highly recommended.

[Danielle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ever wonder how authors get their ideas? I know that seems to be an absolute favorite question for authors (said sarcastically). Well, this novella seeks to answer that question.
This is a detective story - set in the past, with a "hard-boiled" PI, gangsters, a cult, and gore - lots of gore. As it is a novella, I will not go into any specifics. I knew nothing going into this story, and I would not like to ruin any surprises.
While I did enjoy the ride, this novella will never be a favorite of mine.
I did like the references to some very well-known authors and their well-known works.
I also respected, but didn't particularly enjoy, the way that this author described writing and fiction in general. It seems a rather bleak way of looking at the world. And maybe that is why I didn't love the story. It is very dark, very hopeless in some ways. It made everything seem pointless.
Of course, for a novella to leave me with such a heavy, dark feeling, it's gotta be pretty effective, right? Yes - this novella is effective and I do recommend that horror lovers read it, as I am sure that many would love it.

[John Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5/4

I enjoyed the premise of the book, it is fairly well written and paced.

However, some things did not add up (spoilers).

The person that hires him to get this box is a 14 year old girl. A child gives him $3k to find a box that she has meticulously researched and determined to be some kind of magic muse. Mind you, this is set in the 1960's well before the internets. So this child supposedly has the smarts and resources to not only research this specific thing, but also pool together the money even though the family is poor and living in a shack.

The first time he lifts the box the he states that "The whole thing weighs roughly forty stones I'd say. And while that's not much for an average man to carry...." This man is in the U.S. so I have no idea why he is measuring weight in stones. Moreover, 40 stones is equal to 560 pounds, far more than the average man can carry.

The lawyer "guarding" the Lovecraft estate has gone to great lengths to conceal the box and keep it from the girl and our protagonist, but only for a 2pgs. After that he just hands over the box seemingly happy to wash his hands with it.

Calliope, the Muse is angry after our protagonist tries to kill it, but instead of killing him, she searches his brain for the worst most disgusting macabre memory it can eat. It finds a memory of him and his fellow soldier killing and torturing a German solider after discovering a concentration camp during WWII. Really, that is the worst time the author could have thought of?

And maybe the most glaring oversight the author made... After hyping up this God and describing what a killing machine it was, it was damn near killed by a fast moving child molester. The author describes the "wolf in a scoutmasters uniform" as if he is otherworldly and supernatural rather than just a man. For centuries maybe millennia, this God has existed and thrived, only to be almost killed by a child predator named Gil.

[Nancy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is more a novella, a short novel. It is about a private detective who is hired by a young woman to seek out a mysterious treasure chest type of box. The box is said to have been owned by HP Lovecraft and possibly even Edgar Allen Poe, but what is inside it is anyone's guess. The young woman believes that the contents of the treasure chest may help with her writing career and that is why she hires the detective.

This is a very tightly woven story about the power of a good (or bad, as the case may be) story. The starting premise of the story, of a treasure chest once owned by HP Lovecraft that may or may not have been left at Antarctica is at least partly based on actual historical facts. The author then uses that premise as a jumping off point for a supernatural monster. The plot moves along quickly and doesn't get bogged down. There were tons of Stephen King references scattered throughout the book, including a character getting trapped in a Christine-like car, a very famous author attending the University of Maine at Orono, kids playing in the Barrens from "It" and a character living on Flagg street (Randall Flagg being a Stephen King character). There is a good deal of graphically depicted violence throughout the book. There are one or two references to sex and one or two references to beer or other alcoholic beverages; there is no illicit drug use. This is not for readers who have weak stomachs or are easily triggered. If you're like me and like a good scary story, this is an excellent read. Takeli-li!

[Jeff · Rating 3 out of 5]

James Renner is a great writer and an amazing storyteller; I guess my only issue (and what would've given it another star) is if there was more exposition.

"Muse" follows Michael Hadley's tape-recorded last will and testament. In the synopsis of this book, it says that these tapes were vital in the case of Latch V Weymouth Life & Casualty. It says why this was involved in the story, but I don't think it was necessary at all. The story is 99% about Hadley's last few years with a mysterious box/chest that is said to be the mysterious inspiration behind the works of Edgar Allen Poe and H.P. Lovecraft. As Hadley is hired to ascertain this box, he soon learns that there is something strange and dangerous that is in his possession and will possibly be the death of him.

My biggest issue with this "book" or the transcription of ten cassette tapes is that it sounds nothing like it is something recorded from a verbal recorder. I think James Renner should've ditched this gimmick of the tape recordings and just written it like a normal book. The story is solid and very entertaining; the only thing he would've needed to fix would be the filler between places. Hadley literally jumps from place to place, which would make sense if it was cassettes, but that's the ONLY thing he uses in the recorded tape gimmick.

For my rating, the book is going to get a B-, because I think that Renner needs to do one of two things: change it to where it's a regular book or use more devices to make the recording thing believable.

[Mikepottz · Rating 3 out of 5]

An investigator gets a job to steal a box from H.P Lovecraft. They are a writer and think it will give them inspiration. Yes Lovecraft, the man who wrote about the necronomicon, the satanic Bible. The investigator finds the box in a cellar. As he is climbing the stairs the owner catch him in the act. The owners wife hates the box, it keeps her awake, it sings to her. A German man offers to pay large amounts of money. As he tries to open the box, the room is painted red with sticky blood, his intestines hanging from the ceiling fan and his head is on the dresser. The investigator wakes to see the bloody murder and takes the box. More limbs ripped off. Don't open the box. The creature tears a wife beater in half. The legs still wearing his jeans. Tentacles sucking brain, bone and blood, the loud sound like sucking gunk through a straw. A signed copy of this strange story.

[Zorak · Rating 5 out of 5]

short and sweet, creepy, great writing. great character. he isn’t a good person at all but that’s part of why he’s so great. honestly i got into this on accident because i had received it as an ARC from the bookstore i work at, and the paper felt nice, which is a huge part of my book enjoyment. also i really loved how the book was *about* lovecraft, and not trying to *be* him. plus it was pretty creepy. yep. easy five stars from me.

[paganfrogs_bookshelf · Rating 5 out of 5]

The cover image for this book hooked me at first sight. A creepy green tentacle rising up from an ancient wooden chest. The story, which was very well written, focuses on a 50 something jaded P.I. gets paid to track down an old chest that was used in a photo with H.P. Lovecraft.
WHATS IN THE BOX? Well if you really want to know, then I suggest you should read the book to find out!

[Amanda Elizabeth Myers · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was weird but in a good way. It’s written by way of found audio cassettes and it works out well. For only being around 130 pages, it’s very detailed but it’s not fluff. The details are needed. I did enjoy it but it did take me a little bit longer to get into the story. Once I did, I had to finish it.

[Horror Haus Books · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is such a dark horror novella that deals with some interesting topics. I really liked the tie in between H. P. Lovecraft, Edgar Allen Poe, and the deep dive into Greek mythology, old gods and monsters. I also enjoyed the detective/crime aspect of this story and how it’s told from these “recovered cassette tapes”. It definitely has a found footage feel to it.

[Craig · Rating 2 out of 5]

I’m not a big fan of found footage fiction, so this was already a slog. The main character is friends with a pedophile, which is a major sticking point. The “Wikipedia” section on Lovecraft masquerading as dialogue was also not so fun. Read THE MAN FROM PRIMROSE LANE instead.

[Jennifer]

Pim?