To kick off April, I’m sharing another instalment of my Mini Review Mondays, the most recent of which was the other week.
In case you haven’t seen any of my previous posts, I do ‘mini’ reviews of books that I’ve previously read and am now ready to share my full thoughts about.
First up, I’d like to talk about The Angel of Indian Lake by Stephen Graham Jones. Thank you to Titan for sending me an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
It’s been four years in prison since Jade Daniels last saw her hometown of Proofrock, Idaho, the day she took the fall, protecting her friend Letha and her family from incrimination. Since then, her reputation, and the town, have changed dramatically. There’s a lot of unfinished business in Proofrock, from serial killer cultists to the rich trying to buy Western authenticity.
But there’s one aspect of Proofrock no one wants to confront…until Jade comes back to town. The curse of the Lake Witch is waiting, and now is the time for the final stand.
Publication Date: 26th March
TW: death, murder, gore, violence, body horror, injury detail, self-harm, substance abuse, suicidal ideation, animal harm, child death, sexual assault, paedophilia, sexual abuse, mass murder
My Thoughts:
The Angel of Indian Lake cements Stephen Graham Jones as a must read horror author for me. It brings an excellent horror trilogy to an explosive close with plenty of blood, death and meticulously crafted character development arcs.
My Heart a Chainsaw and The Only Good Indians introduced me to the dark, twisted narrative space inhabited by Stephen Graham Jones. I was beguiled admist the bloodshed, particuarly for the way he wove in explorations of trauma in a myriad of forms and wider social themes. The Indian Lake trilogy has been a barnstorm of horror with wonderfully wicked writing and complex characterisation. His style of writing just blends fact and fiction so well – it always feels like you are walking in these liminal spaces where anything is possible. This trilogy has been so meta in its celebration of the horror genre, particularly giving nods to cinematic giants, but also showing them as a form of escapism from the horror within our own lives. By this point, they are an expected formula for how the story will pan out with a knowing wink to the audience. However, Graham Jones constantly flips the script and upends expectations. He still hits the requisite notes of murder and mayhem though. This has never been a series to hold back and there are some gnarly massacre sequences in here. Blood-soaked does not describe the levels of carnage we have read. I always love the way Graham Jones makes these inventive and interesting to read, even as your stomach twists. It is deeply gory but it feels earned within the narrative, rather than just for cheap thrills. In particular, the opening sequence of this has real heart and a sense of tragedy to it.
The beating heart of this trilogy has been Jade Daniels – one of my favourite Final Girls of all time, even if she refused to see herself in that space. She’s been a snarky, smart and adaptive character that has such a prickly exterior, but secretly a heart of gold. The entire trilogy has focused on her confrontation of her own traumas, as well as dealing with the always escalating chaos around her. Her perception of the oncoming storm is partially shaped by being forced to survive the unimaginable and emerge on the other side. It is the paranoid glance over your shoulder for danger that informs your entire mindset. Jade’s life used to be controlled by monsters and her solace was looking to these supernatural wreckers of vengeance, a form of bloody catharsis. She now can look at her reliance on these and take her own place within the narrative. Without giving anything away, there were some sequences in here that truly hit home with my love for Jade and her journey over these books.
The Angel of Indian Lake is a fantastic and thrill-inducing conclusion to a horrifyingly good trilogy, but still keeps its eyes keenly on its central character and her narrative arc.
Next up, I’d like to talk about Day One by Abigail Dean. Thank you to HarperCollins for sending me an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
A village hall, a primary school play, a beautiful Lake District town. Into this idyllic scene steps a lone gunman whose actions set off a train of events that will have devastating consequences for the close-knit community of Stonesmere.
At the epicentre of the tragedy is Marty, daughter of the teacher who dies trying to protect her pupils. What did she see? How is she involved?
In the weeks and months following the killings, conspiracy theorists start questioning what happened. For outsider Trent Casey, the truther movement offers him a chance to step into the spotlight to expose the ‘sham’ of the killings.
Marty’s and Trent’s lives will become entwined as events spiral out of control. The true story is gradually revealed, but at what cost to those caught up in the maelstrom…
Publication Date: 28th March
TW: death, murder, child death, grief, school shooting, suicide, grooming, domestic abuse
My Thoughts:
Day One is an earth-shattering aftershock of a book. It is moving, messy and dealing with the ongoing reaches of a horror that sends shivers down your spine.
I loved Girl A and as soon as I heard the premise for Day One, I knew I needed to request this title. This was such a claustrophobic read – the type that slithers under your skin and just stays there. Unfortunately the type of incident is one ripped from the headlines but it is such a devastating one – one of the worst horrors we can imagine. The impact it has on the local community is staggering. Stonesmere will forever be changed by this and Dean’s exploration of this, intertwined with the media fascination and the sinister community of the ‘truthers’, is fascinating and deeply moving at the same time. There is a lot of focus on the idea of forgiveness and the ripple effects of a single bad decision, but the heart of the book is always with the senselessness of violence and the wreckage of grief.
Dean’s writing is just incredibly captivating and reads like your favourite thriller TV series brought to the page. I really liked the detail of how the shooter was rarely named – he is characterised in certain narrative sections, but he isn’t given the spotlight. Instead the focus is on the shockwaves sent through a small community and how these ripple out into broader political conversations. The threads Dean explores here are timely and heart-pounding, with a creeping sense of dread and horror throughout. At the same time, we sit in the ambiguities and explore why people might react the way they do. It is a complicated scenario with little answers to give. We get to build these fraught relationships with these three-dimensional and fraught characters as they stagger through some of the worst times of their lives. Grief is messy and grief in a microscope of public attention is an unforgiving, relentless experience.
Day One is a complex, devastating and emotionally arresting look at the fallout of a tragedy on the local community and people involved. Dean holds no punches back.
Finally, I’d like to delve into Clickbait by L. C. North. Thank you to Transworld for sending me an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
For over a decade, the Lancasters were celebrity royalty, with millions tuning in every week to watch their reality show, Living with the Lancasters.
But then an old video emerges of one of their legendary parties. Suddenly, they’re in the spotlight for all the wrong reasons: witnesses swore they’d seen missing teenager Bradley Wilcox leaving the Lancaster family home on the night of the party, but the video tells a different story
Now true crime investigator and YouTuber Tom Isaac is on the case. He’s determined to find out what really happened to Bradley – he just needs to read between the Lancasters’ lies . . .
Because when the cameras are always rolling, it won’t be long until someone cracks.
Publication Date: 11th April
TW: death, murder, sexism, sexual harassment, abuse, death of a parent, grief, suicide, body shaming, emotional abuse, gaslighting, manipulation, stalking, threats, eating disorders
My Thoughts:
Clickbait steps into the world of true crime, exploring our fascination with celebrity culture in a twisty narrative that left me speechless.
Thrillers are always more interesting to me when told in unexpected ways. So far, I’ve enjoyed North’s work and Clickbait continues this winning streak with me. I adore a multi-media narrative and this was used to excellent effect here, focusing on how narratives can be twisted and manipulated. We see YouTube videos, episode excerpts and social media comments in a hybrid narrative that feels like you’re getting sucked into a true crime show. It has this incredibly meta sense to it – adding yet another layer of narrative manipulation. Everything in this story hinges on that narrative that the public decides to follow – from aesthetics to personalities and much more. North has crafted such a devious tale of deception and lies, spun in this gossamer thread of fame and glamour. It is particularly prevalent in the age of child social media stars, providing a timely look at fame and its ramifications.
This was a truly brilliant thriller. It is addictive reading, keeping you glued to its pages. North has sprinkled in twists that just create such an impact and totlly redirect the story from where you may have thought it was going. No spoilers will be shared here, but the ending is a complete jaw-dropper too. At the same time, this has a lot of meaningful things to say. In particular, there is a parallel that can be drawn here for the dehumanisation of people caught up in the public eye and how they are reduced to entertainment for the masses. We see this in the caricaturish celebrity figures, but it also applies to the true crime case involved. It is reduced to snappy headlines and expected plot beats in a structure we are familiar with – removing the emotion, the heart and the humanity of it all. North contradictingly explores this and its reversal – how these images can be distorted to hide the truth beneath a false image.
Clickbait is a book that takes hold of you and won’t let you escape its nefarious clutches until you finally arrive at the bitter truth.
A Short Book Lover 
4 thoughts on “Mini Review Monday #142”