I thought this was a fantastic book. Being a huge Stephen King fan myself, I thought I'd give his son's book a try and was really pleasantly surprised. It left me freaked out for a while. This was very well written and I can't wait for his next book "Horns" to come out in February!

So far, it's a fun (read: evil) little spook-a-blast. ( )

So far, it's a fun (read: evil) little spook-a-blast. ( )

So far, it's a fun (read: evil) little spook-a-blast. ( )

Decent read. Thought there could have been more to the crescendo but a good, moderately fast read. ( )

My word . . . once I was in I was hooked and could not put the book down. This was a fantastic read. I did think that I knew where the plot was going and that I'd guessed all of the twists - but no! Clever Joe had plenty of surprises in store. A real breathtaking read and one that is going to live on my keepers shelves. I've already pre-ordered Joe's next book -which is titled Horns ( )

A fast paced, spine-tingling, suspenseful, paranormal thriller. I found myself on edge throughout reading this unsettling ghost tale.

The premise of the story, buying a ghost off of the internet, could easily have degenerated into something silly and unconvincing. But Joe Hill manages to weave action and supsense well.

I thoroughly enjoyed being scared by this novel. ( )

Neil Gaiman sold me this book.

Okay, not literally, but Neil's cover blurb was endorsement enough for me to take a chance on an author unknown to me or anyone whose book judgment I trust.

I was not disappointed.

Judas Coyne is a faded metal god in his mid-50s -- think Ozzie, but articulate and still in possession of his faculties -- who leads a quiet life in rural upstate New York with his beloved Rottweilers* and a series of live-in Goth girlfriends less than half his age, who he calls by their state of origin because he can't be bothered to remember their real names. Jude's an ass, frankly, when it comes to women.

(*I don't recall the breed of these dogs actually being identified, but I pictured them as Rotts while reading. It fits perfectly.)

Jude has accumulated a collection of the weird and the macabre over the years, and when he receives an email notice about a ghost -- or more accurately, a haunted funeral suit -- being auctioned on the internet, he can't resist, even though he's sure it's a hoax.

It's not a hoax.

The suit arrives and Jude's prior history of ass-hood to women returns to haunt him, for the ghost is Craddock, Florida's stepfather, and Florida is the girlfriend who committed suicide shortly after Jude sent her packing.

Soon Jude, his dogs, and his current girlfriend, Georgia, are on a desperate roadtrip south to rid themselves of Craddock and save their lives. Not coincidentally, they must also face their own demons and somehow make peace with their own pasts.

Joe Hill has written a heart-pounding thriller of a ghost story, absolutely gripping and nearly impossible to put down. Character development is virtually flawless and the story itself is fresh and original. Jude and Georgia are far more than rocker/Goth cliches: they have unplumbed depths to their souls, and unexpected strengths crucial to their survival. Craddock oozes a creeping malevolence, and his ever-growing influence over the minds and actions of Jude and Georgia is truly frightening and unpredictable. And the dogs...oh how I loved those dogs.

I don't read horror much these days. Joe Hill will go on the shortlist of horror authors to watch, though, right next to Neil Gaiman and Robert McCammon. He's in excellent company, and he deserves it. ( )

I mentioned when I started the RIP Challenge that I don't do horror. I can't watch it on TV and in movies. And I definitely can't read about it (I don't count anything with vampires because those just aren't scary to me). Still, I figured that to get into the spirit of the RIP Challenge itself, I needed to broaden my horizons and pick up something scary. Other bloggers mentioned Heart-Shaped Box, and it somehow found its way into my home.

It took me a while to read. Almost from the first page, I found that I literally had to put down the book after so many pages because I just couldn't take the tense or the dread anymore. I was never truly scared to the point where I double-checked all locks and windows and couldn't sleep well at night, but I approached the book each and every time with apprehension as I wondered what else was going to be thrown at the reader.

Mr. Hill tells one scary ghost story. Rather than making Jude and the other characters the caricatures that you so often find in horror films, the reader sympathizes with them and roots for them. They grow and develop beyond the aging rock star and his much younger fangirl girlfriend. There was a bit of a mystery to solve that, to me, was unexpected. In addition, there was just a touch of romance and love that was again unexpected and touching in its simplicity.

Combined together, it makes for a compelling story. Craddock is the perfect evil ghost. The fantasy is not overdone, but only adds to the overall story. While it isn't a genre that I would normally pick up without some prompting, I would not hesitate to pick up another book by Mr. Hill. For someone who doesn't like horror, this is the highest complement I can bestow.

And with that, I have officially completed the RIP Challenge IV. However, because I'm having so much fun reading spooky stories, I'm going to keep going and see how many of those on my TBR pile I can cross off while adding to my challenge tally! ( )

Deliciously scary. I told a plot summary around a campfire at the beach, and even that was enough to keep people from sleeping that night. ( )

Deliciously scary. I told a plot summary around a campfire at the beach, and even that was enough to keep people from sleeping that night. ( )

I’m a big fan of Stephen King so I wanted to check out something by his son, Joe Hill, to see how he compares. While dad’s works tend to be very dependent on toying with human psychology and the tension builds over time, Heart Shaped Box was simply a fun, old fashioned ghost story.

I don’t want to ruin the plot, but let’s say it’s been a long time since I had goosebumps while reading a book. The characters are a little off-center, which makes the book more interesting. The lead is a semi-retired “goth metal” rock star (I kept picturing Alice Cooper for some reason) that purchased a ghost on an auction site. It turns out the ghost isn’t of the “Casper” variety.

I have to admit that a few scenes were darker and more violent than I had expected. You hope the description is going to stop (and leave something for the imagination) but, nope, Hill keeps going. With only a few major releases under his belt, Hill is well on his way to picking up the torch for his father. This is great news for Stephen King fans because if he ever really retires, we’ll have a new place to get our fix. ( )

This was an excellent novel. My only suggestion would be to make it a longer story! This could have easily been a 500+ page novel. I also enjoyed the musical references (AC/DC, Jackson Browne, etc.) ( )

I was pleasantly surprised with Heart Shaped Box, if your like me with a lot of "ghost stories" I can usually foresee the ending in the first or second chapter. Not with heart shaped box I found it to be a refreshing work of fiction with just enough creepiness so it wasn't overdone. So if you enjoy things a little dark like me then you will definately enjoy this one. ( )

I had heard that this was one of the scariest books of the decade. What?? Never at any point during this book was I ever nervous, afraid, or anything at all. Not even disgusted, except for the dog's leg after it was hit by a car. I was pretty disappointed in this book. Not poorly written, but not at all what I was expecting. ( )

Good idea and welltold but frightened me so I had to give up reading.wamted tolike it and amsure if you like horror you will enjoy.Just not my cup of tea.Th rest of my book group liked it ( )

Every once in a while I find a book that is so delightfully creepy I'm torn between tossing it across the room in a frightened attempt to escape it and refusing to put it down until I finish it. Heart-Shaped Box by Joe Hill is just such a novel.

The story involves hard-edged, aging rock star Jude Coyne, with his macabre collection of trinkets and artifacts, who buys the haunted suit of a dead man off an internet auction site. Thinking only of the novelty of purchasing a ghost, Jude doesn't realize that the malicious spirit is more than just an online gimmick until the suit arrives at his doorstep in its titular Heart-Shaped Box. Jude must discover the dead man's identity and motives while confronting ghosts of his own past along the way.

Hill does a magnificent job of building the suspense in this book. The hairs on the back of my neck were raised every time the ghost made an appearance - with his Johnny Cash suit, black fedora and pendulum razor on a chain - and my pulse was pounding along with Jude's as the chilling story progressed. This is a great book for those that love ghost stories, but it just might leave readers peeking over their shoulders and cringing a little more at things that go bump in the night. ( )

When I start reading a book that gives me the shivers in broad daylight in a public library, I figure that I've got something worth taking home and finishing. Heart Shaped Box did not disappoint me after the initial goosebumps. The story was such a wild ride, I didn't want to stop (even to make supper!) until I'd reached the final destination on page 374. ( )

I don't think I'm giving anything away when I point out that Joe Hill is in fact the son of Stephen King, in fact knowing this when you start the book might help you as you go along put out of your mind the idea that perhaps Stephen is once again writing under a pseudonym. The style is very similar, as well it might be growing up with King's influence, and - don't get me wrong - it's not a bad thing neither. The characters are well rounded, believable (insofar as my knowledge of ageing heavy metal musicians with a penchant for ghostly and grisly memoribilia goes) and it is a well paced book with hardly any pasue in the action to make you question why you picked it up.
The premise is that a fifty-something heavy metal musician (Judas Coyne - in Hill's own words; 'morally adrift') buys a ghost in a haunted suit from the internet and from then on his problems never stop, the ghost has a hidden agenda directed squarely at Judas who has to try to work out not only how to stop it but also what it's grudge against him is. As Judas physically travels across America we journey through his life with him as he recalls all the events that could have caused this. Seeing as he makes Ozzy Osbourne look like a boy scout the list of potential suspects is vast indeed!
I gave this book 3 stars, I enjoyed reading it, I would recommend it but I cannot picture myself re-reading it, so it doesn't get the coveted fourth star .... having said that I have heard that the audio book is very impressive and creepy having won the 'Audie Award' in 2008, so I might have to give that a go ... ( )

Heart Shaped Box is a ghost story. It's born from a fresh and cutting-edge angle and never stops from the first page to the finale. Hill creates a great sense of foreboding terror and the ghost in question is both memorable and deeply malevolent. Tension arises from well fleshed out and realistic characterisation, which also allows Hill to pull some emotional kidney punches. Original horror is a treat, and Heart Shaped Box is certainly original and is also well crafted too. A story which will remain in your thoughts for some time after you put it down. Recommended. ( )

Joe Hill is the most promising new horror writer on the horizon. His first book, published to date only in the United Kingdom but due here in October, was a collection of short stories called 20th Century Ghosts. It was a revelation: quirky, brilliant and scary. I gave it a rave review when I first read it, and I still return to those stories every now and then just to take pleasure in seeing how Hill pulls it off.

Hill's first novel, and his first U.S. publication, is Heart-Shaped Box, and it fulfills the promise of those short stories. It contains enough change-ups, chases, oddities and horrific images to keep any seasoned horror reader in goosebumps. Far more accomplished than most first novels, Heart-Shaped Box is the best kind of scary pleasure.

Hill's hero -- or his antihero, depending on how you look at it -- is Judas Coyne, an aging death-metal rocker. He has modeled himself around his stage persona, it seems, posing as a foul-mouthed son of a bitch who takes advantage of the pretty and totally messed up young women who are attracted to his music. Just to add some spice, he has the repulsive hobby of collecting grotesqueries: the skull of a peasant who had been trepanned in the sixteenth century to let demons out, a noose used to hang a man in the nineteenth century, even a genuine snuff film. His hobby makes him the perfect mark when an email from an auction site offers a ghost for sale. He immediately snatches it up, without a thought as to what owning a ghost would actually mean. But then, he assumes it's really nothing more than a dead man's suit with an odd reputation.

Jude is surprised, then, to find that the idea of donning the suit, or seeing his live-in Goth girl (called Georgia because that's the state she's from) in it, deeply repulses him. He's taken aback at his own disgust, as he's made a living out of the disgusting for 30 years. But revulsion is only the beginning.

It turns out that Jude really has bought a ghost. A real, live, dead ghost. And the ghost is malevolent, seeking revenge for the death of someone Jude once knew. That someone loved him, and he rejected her, and the ghost is angry. Soon Jude is running for his life, trying to outrun the ghost by tracking it to its source, while he and Georgia accumulate both physical and psychic injuries. And he's running, too, from his own childhood, his own adulthood, his own sins. The tale begins to twist under one's eyes like a snake, shiny and dangerous, very possibly sufficient to keep the reader awake at night. Or at least until the last page is turned.

Heart-Shaped Box does not contain much of the wild experimentation and newness that characterized 20th Century Ghosts. This is not a fault in the novel, however. To the contrary, it is refreshing to read a good, solid ghost story. It is thrilling to follow this roller coaster, one with unexpected drops and odd, wild turns. The writing is crisp and clean, the characters sharply delineated. Clear your calendar for a day to read this one -- and do so with the lights on.

I should note what is now an open secret: Joe Hill is the son of Stephen King. I only mention this to say that Hill is not King, but his own man. While one can see the influence of the father on the son, it is no more than one would expect King to have had on any writer entering the horror field after growing up on King's novels. This book is entirely Joe Hill's. And it's good. ( )

An aging rocker and a known collector of the morbid and grotesque, Judas Coyne can't pass up bidding on a ghost and his funeral suit that his assistant shows to him on an online auction site. His winning bid on the randomly found item (that just so happens to be a ghost) turns out not to be so random. The seller and the ghost have every intention of getting into Jude's home for the sole purpose of haunting him to death.

This was quite the ghost story. It was one I had trouble putting down. The visuals that Joe Hill presents are truly frightening. The scribbled over eyes of the dead really freaked me out. Hill definitely has some of the horror writing talent of his dad, Stephen King. The reason behind the haunting is surprising and horrible.

An absolutely scary, under the covers, with all the lights on read.

This one is now getting passed on to my Stephen King loving friend. I can't wait to get her reaction to it, see if she likes it just as much. ( )

I really enjoyed this novel about an aging rock star Judas Coyne (who is supposedly contemporary to Ossie Osborn), who has 2 dogs called Angus and Bon (hahaha). Coyne is a collector of the magical, the strange and the macabre, so when a ghost is offered for purchase on the internet, he buys it, along with the dead man's suit. When the suit arrives, it become plain that there is indeed a ghost and that he has a particular vendetta against Coyne. ( )

Great airport read! Fans of ghost stories will enjoy this story of Jude Coyne, aging rock star who adds a ghost to his collection of the macabre. Of course, the ghost comes with an agenda of his own.... ( )

When I read this, I didn't even realize Joe Hill was Stephen King's son. Really good book. ( )