Wow. I love this story. The voice, the characters, the mood. All of it pulled me in and never let go. As soon as I started reading Crawford’s story I couldn’t stop until I was finished. The writing is so vivid, the characters so real and different from each other.

I love reading stories with horror elements as long as the story also delivers on character. I was hesitant about what could be developed over the course of such a short novella (about 40 pages). Not all the characters were likable, far from it, but all four story threads are fascinating and fast-paced.

Beware—this is a horrifying story. I felt all of the horror elements really contributed to the story. One of the characters cusses a lot and talks in sexually explicit ways a few times. I felt it was appropriate to his character-building and such an interesting contrast to the other male characters who were written very differently, but I wanted to mention it since not everyone would feel the same way. It worked for me.

This is horror at its finest—tense, with a feeling of dread that never slows down. Crawford does such a good job here, the story will linger with you for days. ( )

The Winds of Patwin County is a horror story filled with creepy, atmospheric storytelling. It follows four interweaving and finally interlocking tales, denoted by the four directions: North, South, East, and West.

Crawford paces the reveals nicely in this novella, where characters are seldom exactly who they seem to be. A couple searches for a missing mother, two men follow an unearthly beauty with persuasive powers, and a man seeks to understand his frail and distant wife.

There's an undercurrent of dread throughout the entire tale, and some spots of dark humor.

If you like: horror, supernatural elements, a smattering of gruesomeness, intriguing characters with nuanced pasts and relationships ( )