By Amber Benson and Christopher Golden

Haverhill House Publishing, out now

When Rose’s beloved grandfather passes away, she discovers the hard way that you never really know anyone else…

First published by Subterranean over a decade ago, Benson and Golden’s novella is now available again. It’s a tautly written piece, set predominantly over the space of the few days between Rose’s grandfather’s death and his funeral as the former event seems to trigger some very weird occurrences in the locality. It’s linked – as Benson and Golden inform us in the preliminary “conversation” between them that prefaces the book – to an old folk tale that has its own inbuilt countdown, and the authors carefully build the tension so that even on a warm summer’s day, you can feel the goosebumps rising on your arm…

The writing style is down to earth and credibly puts the reader in the heads of the various townspeople – from Rose herself, as she puts the pieces together and finds they form a picture that she doesn’t want to accept, to her grandmother, whose reactions are at first puzzling but become increasingly clear, and Rose’s friends and acquaintances whose lives are affected. Given the nature of the antagonists, we don’t get much from their viewpoint (and in any case it’s arguable as to exactly who the antagonists in this piece are – one of its many strengths).

I wouldn’t in the least be surprised to hear of this being picked up for a TV movie: Benson and Golden have created a strong group of characters thrown into an unnatural situation.

Verdict: If you’re looking for a good horror tale that doesn’t descend into visceral violence, then seek this out. 8/10

Paul Simpson