Scott Thomas (10)

The start of the book sets the stage, and the readers expectations, for the remainder of the story. "The smell of death permeates the house, but it's only a dead bird". Sadie didn't need any more death in her life, so Kris quicky removes it...but it stills feels like an omen. It's not long before Kris starts seeing shadows where there shouldn’t be any, and Sadie now has an imaginary friend that might not be quiet so imaginary. Then, there are those horrible memories of the summer of 1988, show more when Kris’s mother was dying of cancer in that very same house. Kris has never come to terms with her mother’s death, and each moment seems to have been waiting until now to turn into something dark and unearthly that’s just been waiting for Kris to return. This is a slow burn story that is guaranteed to stay with you long after the book is closed as the author's ability to build a scene is profoundly effective. As the summer goes on and Kris keeps pushing back the cobwebs from the house and from her memories, the horrible truth that has followed her for nearly 30 years comes crawling up to the surface and it just may be connected to the multiple disappearances of young girls that has plagued the town for many years. This is not a top vacation spot as you soon learn. There are lots of things to digest and think about here, and Scott Thomas just keeps moving them around, showing you that while it was a good thought...it was the wrong thought...try again. As the story continues it becomes even more chilling. It becomes almost more than just a horror story, and you can bet your bottom dollar that it diffidently that! It's also a devastating and masterful portrayal of grief and guilt wrapped in frights that are both shocking and glimpses of things seen just out of the corner of the eye but have disappeared when you try to take a second look. I hope this author has plans for a second book. show less

“They were human minds set into paper, and Sebastian loved every single one of them, even the ones he found disposable.”

I picked this one up by pure chance, desperate to find a horror or thriller to keep the will to live while writing on my academic paper... and I'm sure glad I did. The plot was a concept I couldn't miss, giving me flashbacks to House on Haunted Hill that I was too scared to finish watching years ago. I figured this would make up for it.

I'm slightly torn when it comes to show more the characters; they are both different and stereotypical in some strange way. I enjoyed them together, but never really felt attached to them one-on-one... other than Sebastian as he interested me.. possibly because his story felt like the least explored one. He is also gay (spoiler alert!) and I'm biased like that. But like I said, the best parts of the book were definitely ones where the main characters interacted as a group, working as a contrast to each other. But even so, the plot itself was refreshing in a way that made me feel like it was okay if the characters felt a bit bland... sure, a haunted house is far from new but... this haunted house still managed to be new. Not just in the way it interacted with the characters and the story but Thomas' descriptions of the house truly got me as well. A lot of haunted houses make you go "yeah, nope" but I kept finding myself intrigued with the house on Kill Creek. That's how they get ya, isn't it? show less

Well damn. That was a letdown.

When I saw this come out, I was so freaking excited, because [b:Kill Creek|34065268|Kill Creek|Scott Thomas|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1490250721l/34065268._SX50_.jpg|55075669] was one of my top three horror reads the year I read it, and working in a bookstore, it's still a novel I constantly and consistently recommend.

Unfortunately, I won't be doing the same with this one.

This book takes far, far, far, far, far too show more long to get going. Thomas starts with some description, then promptly loses the plot for most of the first half of the book while he details every...single...tiny...unimportant...boring-ass...thing that happens...aside from the horror. Seriously, as someone else quoted, he doesn't let you know someone brushed their teeth, he takes you through the whole routine. He mentions that someone brought non-perishables to the summer home, and had to pick up some perishables. And then tells you exactly which ones she selected. You're given precise menu orders when they go out to eat.

It's dull. It serves no purpose. It's not necessary to the plot at all. And, to be honest, it felt like a lot of padding on what proves to be a fairly light story that likely should have been either a short story, or a novella at most.

Along the way, you get to meet an assortment of assholes who live in the town (only one of which transcends his assholery), before you meet a couple of nice ones. Then Thomas subjects the reader to untold pages of house cleaning, because, you know, that's always interesting. Seriously, in the first third, there was one tight little paragraph where there was a beautiful mother/daughter bonding moment that...of course...didn't get the super-detailed effect, then we were right back in the mire.

It takes a solid half of the novel for the central storyline to even begin to kick in and, unfortunately, while I was not quite past caring yet, he unfolded it so damn slowly that I got there. I got to the point where I truly did not give a flying rat's ass about what was happening, who it was happening to, or where it would end up.

Truth be told, I initially gave this a 3-star rating, but as I relive the story here, I'm dropping it to a 2-star.

I can't believe this is the same guy that created Kill Creek. This is not good. show less

Bravo, Mr. Thomas. Bravo.

I had really high hopes for this novel right from the get-go. It was a cool premise, and seemed to be getting good reviews. So, when I started it, my initial mantra was, don't fuck it up, Thomas. Don't let it suck.

When it didn't suck, there was a point when the mantra changed to, don't just rip off The Shining.

When that came out all right, then it was just, bring it home, baby. Just land this thing.

I'll be goddamned if the author didn't pull it all off. Excellent show more writing. Excellent characters, especially the five main ones--the four authors, and Wainright. The author could have gone the easy route and just stolen four authors from the real world, but instead, he took some recognizable characteristics, but made the four authors his own.

But the star of the book, of course, is the house at Kill Creek. Thomas did a fantastic job if making it a character all its own, and a malevolent entity as well.

Yes, there were times the book was reminiscent of The Shining but, to be fair, what haunted house story worth a damn isn't going to be? It's the haunted house story that sits at the apex, and even with that, you can see how King's classic is also reminiscent of those that came before it. Jackson's Hill House. Matheson's Hell House.

Overall, this was just a blast to read, a lot of fun, and, though it's still early in the year, it's my pick for best horror novel read of 2018. I sincerely doubt anything will beat it. show less