P. D. Alleva

Dark, brooding, and deeply atmospheric, The Sleepy Hollow Incident is a supernatural gothic tale that sinks its claws in from the first page and doesn’t let go. P.D. Alleva masterfully blends elements of horror and romance in this haunting opener to a four-part saga, offering readers a chilling look at love and sacrifice.

Set in Sleepy Hollow, the story follows a romance novelist named Marc who strikes a bargain with the Man in Black to save the love of his life from certain death. What show more begins as an act of devotion soon descends into horror as a series of gruesome events erupts across town.

What makes The Sleepy Hollow Incident stand out is its emotional resonance and the layered, slow-burning tension that builds toward something far more epic. After reading, you’ll be left with one question: how far would you go for someone who gave up everything for you? show less

Horror is not horror unless it is psychological. I've found many horror novels that are nothing more than gore dressed up with one-dimensional characters. I have--since I started reading horror--looked for those books which have dynamic characters, both protagonist and antagonist. There haven't been many, of late. Nothing is black and white, and the devil is in the details.

Golem by P.D. Alleva is one such book that brought me back to those days where getting into a book was diving into the show more psychology of the characters and, by extension, myself. It starts off with a mystery and as the pages unfold, so too does the plot. High society artist Alena suffers a mental collapse which leads her to set fire to her family's hotel. A rookie detective complete with a nice fedora, is given the assignment of finding the missing daughter of a District Attorney.

These two story lines merge, and soon John, our detective, doesn't know if the story Alena told him has any bit of truth in it. Still, he persists, haunted by Alena's tale of the titular character. That character, Golem, is himself a well-rounded one. He could have been nothing more than evil, a copy of a million other villains out there, but I got the sense that Alleva wanted to give him more depth.

I recommend that fans of horror—especially psychological horror—pick up Golem by P.D Alleva. It is a riveting book without a dull moment. There is gore, sex, and violence, but that's not all the book is. It is an examination of what brings people to madness and what lengths they will go to in order to free themselves from their personal demons. There is allegory in this book, and I'm sure fans of classic horror will enjoy it as much as I did. show less

This opened with a dark and chilling scene, and the horror only continues to unfold from there, so buckle up, because this is a dark and wild ride. You do need to read book one, a lot of important groundwork is laid in it, but I promise it’s worth it! This can get a bit gorey, just a heads-up before diving in, but it just adds to the overall darkness and creepy factor of the series. That said, this installment finds Marc in deeper with the demons, and Lori drawn back to Sleepy Hollow, show more while still tangled up in more mundane concerns of this world. Watching the psychological horror aspect of Marc starting to unravel a bit not only kept me hooked but was definitely causing more chills than the cooler temperatures. The story has excellent pacing, and I cannot wait to dive into book three. Perfect for horror lovers! show less

Alleva has quickly become one of my favorite horror authors - right up there with Stephen King as a master of chills. This didn't disappoint, and I cannot wait to dive into book two! You dive right into a dark and gruesome scene, and the tension keeps up right through until the end of book one. The descriptions are vivid without being overly graphic or gorey, still getting the idea across. I was fascinated by the dark romance side of the story, that was interwoven with the main plot. The show more juxtaposition of the idea of soulmates with this tug of war with evil things lurking in the background and using Marc and Lori as pawns in some cosmic game just built the tension up dramatically. I'm curious to see how this further unfolds as the story progresses in the later books (and parts)! show less