Creepers

This is one of the best books I’ve ever read and I will recommend it at the top of my lungs to anyone that will listen, literally forever. This book had me glued to the pages the whole way through, I think I may have forgotten how to breath at times, there’s so much suspense and twists and turns, the atmosphere and scenes are set so well it’s like your experiencing everything with them, there’s so much going on and it goes from super fun exploration to horrifying nightmare before you can put the book down. I will never be able to listen to “moon river” to fall asleep to again

I've always been fascinated by the idea of breaking into and exploring abandoned buildings. I can still remember the thrill I got poking about in what we used to call 'the haunted house' (an abandoned Victorian at the end of the block). So this book was a spine tingling treat. It reeled me in and held me close until the very conclusion. There was a sense of claustrophobic urgency as the story progressed and I was unable to put it down. While a little bit 'different' as far as the horror genre is concerned, there was plenty of horrific to go around.

Quick read and quite enjoyable.

am a great Morrell fan. He always has a good story to tell and, while he could never be accused of creating deathless prose, he keeps you turning those pages. The story takes places over less than 24 hours, and concerns the actions of “ creepers ”, or urban explorers, as they “infiltrate” a hotel which has been deserted and locked tight for over 30 years.

Frank Balenger joins Professor Robert Conklin and his group as they creep through drains into the once-great Paragon Hotel. The expedition is planned with military precision, so nothing should go wrong ... go wrong ... go wrong. The mutant albino scavengers they encounter in the sewers are soon the least of their problems. They discover the real danger comes from the fact that show more they are not alone ... show less

There are books with a premise with such a hook that as soon as you read the synopsis, you have to read the book. Creepers was like that for me. A group of urban explorers ("creepers") check out the abandoned Paragon luxury hotel that is facing the wrecking ball. Before you can say "plot twist" they discover they are not alone.

This is my first David Morrell novel. I was very impressed with his writing. The man sure knows how to craft a page turner. He didn't skimp on the descriptive details (which is one problem I have with many thriller novels), but the story never bogs down because of it.

The creepers were fairly flat with the exception of Balenger, who was nicely fleshed out and real. Here was a hero who didn't have all the answer and show more feared for his safety in a realistic way. Balenger is a guy who gets through using his wits and training.

The other characters weren't bad, there just wasn't much there. Then again, you aren't reading Creepers for a deeper insight into the human psyche, so the characters worked well.

Where the book really excels is the atmosphere. The opening scenes in run down and abandoned Asbury Park (which seems to have undergone a lot of renovation since the book was published three years ago) to the descriptions of the Paragon Hotel, this book just oozes creepiness. Even if nothing outright bad had happened the checkered history of the Paragon and its agoraphobic owner make for a great haunted house setting.

The book is broken up into sections of one hour each, which worked to keep me in the mindset that all of this was happening over one adrenaline charged evening. Often I'd be ready to put the book down for the night and see that the next 'hour' was only a short chapter or two away and I would have to keep reading.

I did have some issues with the book, though they were fairly minor. Towards the end of the book the author maybe piled on one plot twist too many which really started to push my suspension of disbelief. Also a group of characters are introduced at one point that probably didn't need to be there. I'd say more but I don't want to spoil the sense of discovery for those that haven't read the book.

Overall, Creepers is a fun roller coaster ride through a dark and spooky place. Like all roller coasters there are bumps along the way, excitement and screams and spots where you'd swear the ride was going off the tracks, but in the end you'll be glad you took the ride. show less

Not entirely sure what enticed me to read this one. I think I thought it was horror. It was not; I would call it suspense/thriller. There were a few too many plot twists for my liking. At some points it felt like a teen scream (well, college-aged scream) movie. And the villain reveal and the ending sort of had a Scooby Doo feel...except with slightly more violence. This really isn't something I would normally read, but I dunno, I suppose it's good to read something different every once in a while.

Creepers are self-styled, amateur urban archeologists. They illegally break into shuttered buildings, photographing and recording the detritus and ephemera of ages past, presumably to record a piece of forgotten history before it is lost forever to the wrecking ball. But, when five such creepers ascend from drainage pipes into The Paragon Hotel, they find they are not alone.

I am a Morrell fan and will probably be more generous with this book than others might. The premise of the book suggests wonderful possibilities on which it doesn’t quite deliver. The book seems just a little light, diving into some characters’ back story furiously while never scratching the surface on others’. The twists of the plot are interesting but show more aren’t explored completely, delivering a thrilling ride without any pause to the story flashing by. I don’t know if a ruthless editor got to the book or if Morell just shortcut through a good idea. Either way, I hoped for more than I got.

On the plus side, there are several genuinely creepy moments in the book. And Morrell is a master at the thrill.

Bottom Line: A satisfying thrill without as much substance as the premise suggests. show less

For me, Creepers started as a book I absolutely could not put down. I think a big part of it is that I like urban exploration of abandoned places and Morrell's descriptive writing put me right there with the characters in the Paragon Hotel. Toward the middle, however, when the three hooligans show up it started to turn to a more typical thriller. Then when they were suddenly no longer the baddest guys in the room, it got almost worse. Not to say the book was bad, because it wasn't. It was just rather mediocre after a while. There were some interesting bits and I think what the other reviews say is true, the characterization was a little on the weak side. The plot was engaging enough and it ended fine, though I wish the beginning didn't show more start with the end. It would have started fine with the meeting at the motel. Either way, I rate this book 4/4 though it isn't likely I will read it again. show less