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Book Review: White Flight by Peter O’ Keefe

 

cover art for White Flight by Peter O'Keefe

White Flight by Peter O’Keefe

Uncomfortably Dark Horror, 2025

ISBN-13: 9798268263374

Available: Paperback, Kindle edition

Buy: Bookshop.org |  Amazon.com

 

 

Willow and Joel Ward are struggling with the recent murder of their Black adopted daughter, Diamond. When she became a teenager, they decided to move out of the suburbs and into a predominantly Black neighborhood. This was supposed to open opportunities for their child, make her more comfortable in her own skin, and allow her the chance to live within her community. While their desires are outwardly noble, their past actions and internal voices show something else. Are they really doing it to help their daughter, or show that they are the right kind of white people? Willow especially begins facing her motives when teenage Diamond comes home from school, learning new terms like white privilege, leaving a sign on her door denying white people entry, and still feeling alienated by her peers because of her circumstances. After a heated argument, Diamond is gunned down by the police. Now, the couple has put their house on the market and are getting ready to leave the neighborhood.

 

However, their problems are just beginning. Since they moved in, strange things have happened in the house. For instance, dropped objects roll on the floor in unpredictable directions. This is nothing compared to what is coming. Between the unknown parties banging on the front door, the rumbling of an unseen train nearby, and the house changing, the Wards and the officer they have called to the scene are in for a night of terror they won’t soon forget. As the couple inches closer to getting some answers, the house decides it has had enough.

 

There is so much tension in this book, I could not put it down. The Wards as a couple are difficult to sympathize with, as their motives are questioned by the reader, and they are both in denial about so many things, not just the treatment of their daughter. Willow is an outwardly supportive mother, but overcompensates frequently, at the risk of overshadowing her daughter’s identity. Joel, who grew up close to their new neighborhood, frequently demonstrates his own racial bias. I constantly asked myself if they adopted Diamond for the right reasons. The police are insensitive and have clear racial bias. Is it wrong of me to cheer on the house at times? Perhaps, but when the adult characters in the story consistently fail Diamond, in life and death, it is difficult to think of them as trustworthy and capable.

 

I would recommend this book for readers wanting a haunted house story with themes of systemic racism, social commentary, and familial struggle, such as The Spite House by Johnny Compton, Model Home by River Solomon, and Out There Screaming: An Anthology of New Black Horror edited by Jordan Peele. Highly recommended

 

 

Reviewed by Lizzy Walker

Posted on August 26, 2026 by , Reply

Book Review: The Devouring Light by Kat Ellis

Cover art for The Devouring Light by Kat Ellis

The Devouring Light by Kat Ellis

Harper Collins, 2025

ISBN: 9780063355248

Available: Paperback, Kindle edition

Buy: Bookshop.org | Amazon.com

 

 

Another entry in the growing field of horror/thrillers for the YA crowd, The Devouring Light does it right. It’s a good read for the young ‘uns, (this one would be about junior high to early high school level) but it’s also plenty of fun for adults. In other words, for parents that want books they could read and actually have fun TALKING about with their kids, this would be a good choice. It’s what you want– a good plot, quick pacing, and lightweight enough that it can work with the short attention spans of kids today.

 

Despite being an adult herself, author Ellis has a good grasp on how to write younger characters, as the book’s protagonists are ones that kids can easily relate to. Here, they are constantly relying on their phones (until they have little choice), concerned about their social media feeds, worrying about what to post next, etc. The book is about a group of five young wannabe rock stars (well, four, and one who actually is one) riding the tour bus to their next show. The bus gets waylaid and crashes, and the characters find themselves taking shelter in a house in a swamp called the Light, which is one of those urban legends that everyone has heard of, yet of course no one has any first hand experience with. The story is written in the present tense, which seems to be one that again, younger readers prefer (older grouches like me have a tougher time with that format). It does seem to work for the story, though.

 

So… they are stuck in the house, with no contact with the outside world, and weird things happen. Eventually the mystery of the house starts to unfold, complete with nice, straightforward plot devices that don’t need to rely on a gory mess: some creaking sounds, weird footprints appearing, creepy mannequins, and so forth. Nothing really new, but it’s stuff that still works well, so why try to reinvent the wheel? The story’s narrative is nicely intercut throughout, with chapters that consist of police interview transcripts and transcripts of recovered video footage that do a nice job of providing the backstory for the plot. Splitting the narrative into different formats will work well with today’s young readers, the variety keeps it from being uniform. Again, it’s about appealing to your target audience. There’s enough depth to the characters, and enough happening that the younger crowd should easily stay interested in this to the end, and it will work for adults too. The characters do occasionally demonstrate a lack of deductive reasoning that adult readers will consider foolish, but it doesn’t detract from the quality of the story. The ending is a nice wrap up, that ends with a good bang, and it is a rather clever way of stopping the house from devouring all the characters. Chances are, the majority of readers won’t guess it, and that’s what you want in a mystery.

 

Bottom line here: it’s good for all ages, starting with junior high school aged readers, and is certainly a good choice for parents and teachers trying to find some way to keep kids off their phones, even if it’s only a few short hours. Recommended.

 

 

 

Reviewed by Murray Samuelson

 

 

Posted on December 28, 2025 by , Reply

Book Review: Somewhere Quiet, Full of Light by Henry Corrigan

 

cover art for Somewhere Quiet, Full of Light by Henry Corrigan

Somewhere Quiet, Full of Light by Henry Corrigan

Slashic Horror Press, 2025

ISBN: 9781763725607

Available: Paperback, Kindle edition

Buy:   Bookshop.org |  Amazon.com

 

Somewhere Quiet, Full of Light will probably get categorized as just another haunted house tale, but it is a good deal more. The reader watches a strong family unit disintegrate, due to the influence of a house with its own abilities and desires. It’s a smartly written tale that shows that Corrigan is an author to watch. He creates real tension throughout, while using very simple elements. Corrigan realizes that real scares often come not from fear of the supernatural, but from what people fear in each other– and themselves. This is a story that will stick with you long after the final page is turned.

 

The plot itself is simple enough: Mike and Joe Tillman want to move their two young kids away from the city, but have limited funds. They buy a fixer-upper in a remote location, planning to turn it into their dream home, but the house has other ideas. 

 

Corrigan is very adept at building tension without going over the top. No shrieking banshees or flying body parts with buckets of blood are needed: he keeps it straightforward. That’s very difficult to do, and it works beautifully. Just an occasional shadowy figure, a creak in the house here, a movement there…small stuff, but due to Corrigan’s writing style, very effective and unsettling. The story isn’t about creating big scares (although the ending is a real banger) but instead creates a constant feeling of dread that lingers throughout the pages.

 

Right when the family first arrives at the house, you’ll feel that something is distinctly off with the whole situation, but it won’t be shown to you in any obvious way. Throughout the entire book, the suspense level increases like a tightly-wound string, that finally snaps in the last few pages. Writing suspense and keeping it constant is not an easy task, but Corrigan does it with ease.

 

The house itself plays a large role in the story, and that gives the book a decidedly different flavor. It’s like a living, breathing entity, and a number of chapters are written from the perspective of the house itself. You’ll feel its pain as it goes through renovations, and its joy at seeing parts of itself repaired. When the house has to move something by itself, be it a floorboard or panel, it feels like an immersive experience. It’s another of the reasons the book is a cut above the rest.

Bottom line: just read this one: you won’t be disappointed. Hopefully, the author will write a full length novel at some point. As good as this story was, at just 150 pages I wanted more. Definitely a case of a great story that most readers would have wanted to continue longer. Most certainly recommended!

 

 

Reviewed by Murray Samuelson

Posted on November 6, 2025 by , Reply
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