Title: The Dead of Winter
Author: Chris Priestley
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Publication date: October 2010
Hardback: 218 pages
Source: Won
Rating: 9/10
Summary:
Michael Vyner recalls a terrible story, one that happened to him. One that would be unbelievable if it weren't true!
Michael's parents are dead and he imagines that he will stay with the kindly lawyer, executor of his parents' will . . . Until he is invited to spend Christmas with his guardian in a large and desolate country house. His arrival on the first night suggests something is not quite right when he sees a woman out in the frozen mists, standing alone in the marshes. But little can prepare him for the solitude of the house itself as he is kept from his guardian and finds himself spending the Christmas holiday wandering the silent corridors of the house seeking distraction. But lonely doesn't mean alone, as Michael soon realises that the house and its grounds harbour many secrets, dead and alive, and Michael is set the task of unravelling some of the darkest secrets of all. A nail-biting story of hauntings and terror by the master of the genre, Chris Priestley.
Michael's parents are dead and he imagines that he will stay with the kindly lawyer, executor of his parents' will . . . Until he is invited to spend Christmas with his guardian in a large and desolate country house. His arrival on the first night suggests something is not quite right when he sees a woman out in the frozen mists, standing alone in the marshes. But little can prepare him for the solitude of the house itself as he is kept from his guardian and finds himself spending the Christmas holiday wandering the silent corridors of the house seeking distraction. But lonely doesn't mean alone, as Michael soon realises that the house and its grounds harbour many secrets, dead and alive, and Michael is set the task of unravelling some of the darkest secrets of all. A nail-biting story of hauntings and terror by the master of the genre, Chris Priestley.
My thoughts:
What surprised me most with this book was the writing style of Chris Priestley. As soon as I started to read the first page I was engrossed. It has this really nice fluidity to it and reading it made me feel really relaxed like I was actually listening to the story being told.
The story itself was really great. It was a really creepy read beginning, middle and end. It's definitely not a read for everyone since it has no other elements like a little love story or anything of the sort - only a little mystery as to what's haunting the new house Michael (the protagonist) is staying at after the death of his mother.
I loved how creepy this read really was. It had my heart racing the whole way through and I read it entirely in one sitting just because the suspense was killing me!
The characters were really great too. I felt that I didn't really get to know them very well but it didn't take anything away from how much I enjoyed the book since its focus was mostly on Michael and his story.
Overall it's definitely a very quick and easy read for someone who fancies a little scare now and again.
Chris Priestley:
Challenges this book counts towards:
Happy reading everyone!
3 comments:
This looks so creepy. I will definitely read this one. And I love the cover...
Oh I love a good dose of creepy! Great review, I'll be keeping my eye out for this one ;)
Definitely an easy read - I finished this one in an afternoon! We need more books like this one around, classic horror is rare.
Under The Mountain
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