The Crymost by Dean H Wild

I have been a fan of Blood Bound Books for a while, and I was lucky enough to nab an ARC of their new novel by Dean H Wild earlier this year.

The Crymost is a small town horror, revolving around Mick Logan, teacher turned handyman with a tragic past, and his best friend Harry Kroener, who has recently been diagnosed with cancer. Running away from a horrible situation with a student, Mick and his wife hoped to find a peaceful life in the picturesque small town of Knoll, but this wouldn’t be a horror novel if things turned out as Mick wanted.

Mysterious lights are turning the sky green at night, bright flashes coming from the Crymost – an old flooded quarry where the people of Knoll offer keepsakes of their loved ones to help them grieve – and an ancient evil is waking up.

Will Mick, Harry and a small group of friends be able to stop it before it devours Knoll?

The author captures the feel of a small town very well, with its peaceful routine and easy going familiarity, as well as its less savoury aspects and lingering secrets. I particularly loved the idea of the Crymost. It was the one part of the book that completely captivated me, and I wish that the author had done more with it.

The Crymost moves at a good pace, has lots of creepy preternatural things going on, and sticks to the rules as set out in the narrative. I think fans of Stephen King will particularly like this tale of ordinary folk battling evil on their home turf.

What kept me from awarding The Crymost a higher score was that the plot covered familiar ground, and I just couldn’t get into the characters. I didn’t believe Mick and his wife were in their 30s. I think the author had all the ingredients for something new and terrifying, and I think it is a shame that he didn’t exploit this posibility further. All in all, I enjoyed The Crymost, and I would read another book by this author.

I award The Crymost…

Click here to buy The Crymost on Amazon.