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Book Review: The Deep by Alma Katsu

cover art for The Deep by Alma Katsu

The Deep by Alma Katsu

G.P. Putnam, 2020

ISBN-13: 978-0525537908

Available: Hardcover, paperback, Kindle edition, audiobook ( Bookshop.org | Amazon.com )

 

Those who enjoy historical horror devoured Alma Katsu’s The Hunger, which should have taken home the major awards last year, will take the plunge into The Deep, a cross-genre tale that is beautifully disturbing and might even top her previous novel. Perfect timing, as it’s up for top honors at the Stokers this year.

Whereas her last novel mined the ill-fated travels of the pioneers who traversed the Donner Pass, this one dives into the mystique of the Titanic, with a twist. The ship had a sister – the Britannic. This ship was retrofitted to be a hospital to be used during the war.

The story is told by Annie Hebley, a young woman who takes a job as a maid on the Titanic, alternating chapters between the time prior to the sinking and after the disaster. Annie meets the enigmatic Mark Fletcher, a father of a infant and husband to an even stranger character, Caroline, and finds her fate forever intertwined with theirs. As the chapters alternate between her time on both ships. Annie left her  home to see a strange one on the high seas, but is quickly drawn to Mark, who holds a dark secret.

When Annie takes a job on the Britannic after recovering from the sinking of the sister ship, her life turns from serving as a maid to serving as a nurse, where she learns the horrors of war firsthand. Her mind has yet to heal, though, a fact that rears its ugly head when she encounters a man in one of the beds of the wounded. She is convinced it is Mark. Yet, why won’t he admit it to her? Her sanity begins to further unravel as readers are treated to the unreliable narrator motif… or are they?

In the part of the story told prior to the sinking of the Titanic, horror soon creeps in as other passengers, the rich Madeline Astor and her husband, are convinced something sinister has boarded the ship with them – or was built into the hull of the Titanic. After a tragic death, the passengers sense this presence growing, something that Annie seeks to explain while attempting to help Mark and his daughter, who may be facing a much more heinous foe. By the time the ship hits the iceberg, Annie realizes the scope of the disaster matches her own cracking psyche.

The Britannic is supposedly built to be safer and sturdier than the predecessor. Lightning can’t strike twice, can it? Annie’s relentless quest to convince Mark of what truly happened spirals into the dark currents of the Atlantic as it seems the forces that plagued the first ship may have followed her there as well.

What sets this novel apart from other disaster stories is the research Katsu has imbued between the pages. She nails every detail of the period, the ship itself, and the events that occurred on both ships, in a manner that could be exhausting in lesser hands. Instead, The Deep envelops the reader in its setting and drags them down until the final page. Her characters breathe and bleed through the chapters in both stories here, with minor players carving out roles which further both the mystery and the horror.

Highly recommended as both a horror novel and a suspense tale that should widen Alma Katsu’s audience even further.

 

 

Reviewed by David Simms

Editor’s Note: The Deep is a nominee on the final ballot for this year’s Bram Stoker Award in the category of Superior Achievement in a Novel. 

 

Book Review: The Chill by Scott Carson

The Chill by Scott Carson

Atria/Emily Bestler Books, 2020

ISBN-13: 978-1982104597

Available: Hardcover, Kindle edition, audiobook, audio CD

 

When authors decide to try another genre, it can be a fun ride. The newest name to jump into the darkest end of the pool and go for broke with a horror novel is Scott Carson, better known as New York Times bestselling thriller writer Michael Kortya. Kortya wrote a few books with supernatural elements before going to pure thrillers, but as Scott Carson, he goes all out with a straight horror novel that vacillates between slow burn atmospheric dread and balls-out fights; a mix, perhaps, of Peter Struab and Michael Marshall Smith.

Far upstate in New York State, an old town exists– underwater. The residents who lived there lie drowned beneath the dam that was built to supply New York City with water through a series of tunnels. Those who built the reservoir at Galesburg over eighty years ago had the people leave, bought them out of their homes, and resettled them in Torrance (a Stephen King nod?).

Or so people were told.

Those who didn’t leave still dwell beneath the surface, and their time has come to reclaim their town, along with exacting a bit of revenge on the descendants of those who profited on their deaths.

Back in Torrance, Chief Steve Ellsworth keeps a lid on everything– all except for his son, Aaron, who has returned from a failed stint in the Coast Guard as an ace swimmer and diver. Now plagued by an addiction to drugs and alcohol, he meanders through the town evading rehab and responsibility. All of that changes one fateful evening when he decides to swim in the Chillewaukee reservoir, known to locals as the Chill, to battle the current and prove himself one more time.

An odd photographer, Mick Fleming, a man with a long lineage in the area, emerges from nowhere to discuss the history of the town, the dam, and nothing much at all. Afterwards, Aaron accidentally kills the dam inspector with a bottle toss, only to see Fleming walk out of the woods as if nothing had ever happened. Chief Ellsworth, environmental officer Gillian Mathers, and others witness the event, are convinced Aaron’s lost to substance abuse, and take him home. This act sets the story into motion, as Fleming learns of his role in the town’s revenge, while Gillian’s father, working in the tunnels beneath the Big Apple, begins to see the ghosts of those who perished during the construction of the century-old system.

The histories of the main players unfold with an artful touch as the dread and suspense build towards a conclusion that might be inevitable. Like the best horror writers, Carson knows the characters are the key to a solid story. He builds each of them, every one flawed and fragile. Watching them both crumble and strengthen is a treat. This is what makes The Chill an ultimate success. Its unique premise, coupled with one of the most talented writers publishing today, results in an entertaining book that will likely keep readers of both genres happy. Recommended.

 

Reviewed by David Simms

 

Book Review: Whispers in the Dark by Laurel Hightower

Whispers in the Dark by Laurel Hightower

Journalstone/Trepidatio Publishing, 2018

ISBN: 978-1-947654-61-7

Available: paperback, Kindle edition

 

Rose McFarland has had a convoluted life.   Growing up, she was often tormented by the Whispers, voices that only she could hear, and sometimes see.   Her parents felt she was a child of the Devil, and made her childhood a living hell, often locking her in the basement for days at a time.  When their house burns down, with only Rose and her mother surviving, her mother dumps her in a psychiatric hospital and forgets about her.  The Whispers eventually stop, and Rose is released, determined to avoid her mother forever, and make her own way in the world.

Fast forward roughly 15 years: Rose is a sniper for a S.W.A.T. team, and divorced with two kids, although she maintains an excellent relationship with her ex-husband for the sake of the kids.   Suddenly, she’s confronted with two problems: the Whispers return, this time to torment her 4 year old son Tommy; and her latest sniper victim turns out to be a half-brother she never knew about, who also doesn’t want to stay dead.  The two unrelated problems later tie into a larger plot concerning the fate of humanity, and whether Rose and the few people she trusts can help her son and save humankind.  Giving away any more of the plot would spoil the book: this is one where you don’t want to know about it until you read it.

Whispers in the Dark is a classic mystery/thriller, where every element of the plot and character development is done to just the right level.  The plot itself is done perfectly: it’s a relatively complex set of ideas, but the author never gives away more than is needed, giving you just enough hints and clues to keep you reading into the next chapter…and the next…and the next… until you find yourself at the end, asking where those 300 pages went.  It’s a testament to Hightower’s skill that the plot doesn’t scream at you to keep going, it…whispers, pulling you gradually from chapter to chapter to find out what’s going to happen.  The mystery isn’t an easy one to figure out, either: most readers will probably not guess the totality of the plot until the end.  Thankfully, Hightower avoids the cliché of throwing in a cliffhanger at the end of every chapter, and then switching character perspectives, as some authors are prone to do.   There are some good chills in the book also: all the parts involving people going into basements are genuinely eerie.  It’s enough to make going to bed at night with the lights off just a little bit more difficult.

The strength of the characters is worth noting also.  None of them are one-dimensional: they are all cut from shades of gray and seem completely realistic.  Rose herself is a great example. She shoots people for a living, swigs beer with the guys, indulges in occasional flings, and has a foul mouth.  But she also sings her kids to sleep, and loves to cook breakfast for them whenever she can.  The secondary characters (especially her ex, Sam) are done just as well: they all seem like actual people, not caricatures.  You’ll find yourself caring for all the protagonists in the book and rooting for them.

Overall, Whispers in the Dark is a perfectly done mystery/ghost story, and one you won’t want to miss.  Keep an eye on this author; she’s one to watch in the future. Highly recommended.

Contains: violence, profanity.

 

Reviewed by Murray Samuelson