Artist Richard Bellamy has a good life going for him in the faux quaint town of Danvers. He's got a steady art teaching job at the local elementary school where his new wife Tamara works and a blooming relationship with his 5 year old stepson Elijah. When strange things start happening at the school, Richard begins to fear it's history repeating itself, echoes of his traumatic childhood reaching out to claim him.

Flipping between Richard's present day and the 1980s, <i>Whisper Down The Lane</i> juxtaposes the two narratives to reveal the childhood secrets Richard thought he'd buried with the unfolding horrors taking over his adult life. While the concept of having a satanic panic accuser's accusations come back to be thrown on him as an adult is interesting, the way this novel is structured undermines that story. Constantly going between two ongoing narratives kept tension from building properly. There were also a few cases where events that happened in one timeline spoiled something in the other one. It's hard to have two narratives that inform each other build suspense simultaneously. I think if this had been split into two novellas it would have worked better.

I wanted to love this, but the pacing was all over, the characters never feel fleshed out, and it suffers from a bad case of male myopia. Psychological horror is usually my thing, but this just didn't work.

When I saw this on Netgalley, I knew I had to have it. A book inspired by the Satanic Panic? Yes, please.

It started off really interesting and I was immediately into this story, but then it got pretty slow for about the next 40%.

About half way in, it got intense - and really quickly. The intensity didn’t let up until the end, so the last half was a super fast read.

It had all the trippiness (I think I just made up a word) of I’m Thinking of Ending Things by Iain Reid, but with a much better overall reasoning.

I thought the end had a bit too much explanation, but it was certainly not predictable in any way, shape, or form! I liked it!

Thanks to the publishers for sending me a copy of this in return for my honest review
I really enjoyed this book, as i have stated before I really enjoy multiple time chapters and this was no exception.

We start off with past chapters with a boy named Sean who lives a turbulant, troubled life with his mum just trying to make ends meet and look after him as best she can. Something bad happens at Seans school which has extremely harrowing consequences
Fast forward to the future and Sean is no longer and we meet Richard, he is an art school teacher just married and he is accused of the same thing as in the past with Sean and the teacher in his school.

This book is a rollercoaster and I coudnt work out the twist at all, it was well written and fast paced, i managed to read it in two sittings over two days. I really enjoyed it I just wanted a bit more - I wouldnt call this horror at all more a thriller with a few creepy parts thrown in but all in all i enjoyed it very much and would recommend to friends.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing a copy in exchange for an honest review! As a person who grew up during the time of the Satanic Panic of the '80's... I can truly appreciate the story.

The book does a good job of bouncing back to the past to provide more depth to the story that is unfolding in the present! Don't want to give any spoilers away but this book does a great job of exploring the power children can wield in destroying the lives of others when they deviate from the normal innocent, naïve child role we always want to associate with everyone that young.

Set in 1983 and 2013, in the earlier storyline a lonely child tells a tale of abuse and satanic rituals within his school (remember the infamous pre-school trials of that era?) and sets off a series of events he can’t escape. In the second storyline the events seem to be happening all over again, or are they? Interesting and captivating horror storyline that I think would have been better served to be a little more simple. There are some parts of the story that don’t help the narrative. Made me start thinking about the “talk shows” of the 1980’s where sensationalism thrived, much like social media today; also how the guise of religion righteousness is really religious terrorism.

Whisper Down the Lane was written by Clay McLeod Chapman. The book is published by Quirk Books (thanks for sending a copy for review).

SUMMARY: It was the early 80's, when a criminal case opened the floodgates of paranoia for both parents and children. A young boy, Sean, was pressured by his mother, police, and a physiatrist to spill his guts about the dark things that happened in his classroom. He draws disturbing images of the events and tells of satanic rituals that took place during class. The confession altered the lives of many individuals.

In 2013, a man named Richard believes his past is better off behind him and forgotten. Not a soul he comes in contact with knows of the horrible things he'd been a part of. However, history has a tendency to repeat itself. Events unravel in Richard's small town; familiar, unwanted memories rise up to haunt him. These events, if they rise up out of the shadows and into the light, will alter Richards life in the worst possible fashion.

CHARACTERS: With this story, I'm only going to mention one character, Richard. Richard is an art teacher at an elementary school. It seems he’s living his best life now; newly married, soon to be an adoptive father, and he has a great job. Richard is a good guy, full of love and dreams. When distant memories swell up within him, his grasp on reality gets fuzzy, and his sanity starts to slip away.

OVERALL THOUGHTS: This book... is intense! While reading this book, I felt physically ill, I felt anger, I had goosebumps, I felt paranoia, and I felt joy! Chapman absolutely blew me away with this story from beginning to end. The story alternates between two timelines, 1983 & 2013. It's extremely easy to follow.

The characters, setting, and descriptions are written so well. the author did a fantastic job with the characters thoughts, expressing the hopes, fears and everything else going on the characters head, was very clear; making the characters feel like real people. The dialogue is great, the actions and reactions of the characters are organic, nothing felt forced or cheesy.

The setting was described perfectly. I feel like I’ve been to the town described in the book. Now that I'm a father of three kids, the things that happen in this book are an all new layer of horror. The book raised my anxiety, I legitimately felt horrified by this story. The end of the book just about blew my socks off, it's soooo good! I can't wait to see what Chapman has in store for his next book.

Do I recommend you purchase Whisper Down the Lane by Clay McLeod Chapman? I most certainly do!

RATING: I give this novel an A+, I was very pleased with this intense horror novel!

Whisper Down the Lane was a quick and easy read that depicts how one small lie can ruin the lives of many and haunt you for the rest of your life while bring us back to the Satanic Panic days of the 1980's

Told in two different timelines, Richard, a teacher who is trying to live his life. He has no past but wants a future with his new wife and stepson. Sean is a child who one day tells a white lie about his teacher that eventually spirals out of control. As the story progresses you learn that Richard is not who he says he is and his past life catches up to him. Someone needs to pay for Sean's lies and it looks like Richard is the target. As the lies spiral out of control, the truth will soon come out no matter what the cost.

Clay McLeod Chapman tells a fun story that is inspired by the McMartin preschool trials and the Satanic Panic of the 80's. Whisper down the lane is worth a read for those who enjoy a good ole fashioned satanic cult, lies, and revenge!

I really wanted to like this book; I really did. The premise sounded promising. It wasn't scary. The only really scary thing about it was the description of the class pet and the pet cat that were murdered. I won't even go into it.
I was a child of the 80s. I remember the whole Satanic Panic thing; but that was more about cults. Not Smurfs or Lucky Charms cereal. This story focuses on a traumatized man who's fighting his own demons. And you can figure out pretty quickly who's messing with him. In fact, you can kind of figure out the end as well.

*Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for this e-ARC.*

Actual rating: 3.5 stars

I'd say this leans more towards thriller than horror, but it was quite enjoyable! I found it really interesting to learn more about the Satanic Panic. The book is definitely uncomfortable to read at times because the subject matter deals with accusations of abuse and satanic rituals, but I really wanted to keep reading to find out what was going on. I really liked seeing the connections between the two timelines, though some of these were immediately obvious. Both timelines were equally enjoyable for me! I did guess the overall reveal of what was happening, but I did have several theories throughout the book. I liked that some of these mysteries kept me guessing!

Going back to the tough subject matter, we do have these accusations going on as well as having kids say what they think their parents want to hear. Some of these do have consequences! I think this was a really interesting exploration of the topic though. There are obviously content warnings for the mentioned accusations, as well as animal death.

In terms of the characters, I did like Richard. He's trying to be a good stepfather and teacher, and he has to deal with some tough situations. Sean was a cute kid. I definitely felt bad for him because he's trying to do what he thinks people want, but this rapidly gets out of control in a way he didn't intend.

Overall, I had a good time with this! I'd recommend it, especially if you want to learn more about the Satanic Panic.

I received a copy of this for review from the publisher via NetGalley - thank you! All opinions are my own.

My video review can be seen on my channel (around minutes 12:22-14:27 of this video): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tXwRVfqA9Ns

Loosely based on the Satanic Panic of the 80s, this story alternates between the tales of Sean in 1983 and Richard in 2013. Richard has a past that slowly creeps up on him. Sean is in kindergarten and accuses his teachers of abuse brought on by satanic cult behavior. Slowly the stories intertwine.

After going through a small reading slump, I found a book I could not put down. This is a great read for those of us who are fascinated by the Satanic Panic, and felt aftershocks of that (my husband's parents thought Pokemon were Satanic). This sent me down a Wikipedia rabbit hole when I was done. I think it really does a great job of portraying how things like this can easily get out of hand, and how impressionable kids are. Clay McLeod Chapman excels at eerie and had me wondering who I could trust!

Great if you are interested in the Satanic Panic and love a good dual narrative thriller

Big recommend. Using the Satanic Panic of the 80s as a backdrop, Chapman shows us what happens when lies are allowed to fester, even after decades.

Richard has been running from his past for a long time, But the past is persistent, and when it resurfaces in Richard's life, all hell breaks loose. But is it deserved?

This one's a lot of fun. Chapman has crafted a really tense, well-paced horror thriller. It's got a ton of twists, some terrific scares, and a surprisingly emotional ending that lands. This one should be at the top of the list for horror fans this spring

With astute commentary about truth and the “satanic panic” from the ‘80s, this thriller invites the reader to enjoy the ride from intriguing beginning to the stinger of an ending.

While I was definitely interested to read WHISPER DOWN THE LANE, ultimately I found myself a bit disappointed in it. There were certainly things that I liked about it! It does a thorough dressing down of Satanic Panic, and shows how manipulative and attention hungry adults convinced children to lie, therein destroying the lives of innocent people. I'm pretty certain that this book wants to make the reader mad, and let me assure you, I was livid. Chapman draws some parallels between the Satanic Panic back then to modern day conspiracy garbage like Qanon and School Shooting Truthers. It also afforded some grace to the mother character, which I wasn't expecting but thought was a good direction to go. Richard/Sean's mother isn't likable, but it doesn't show her as a two dimensional true believer either, rather she is shown to be a stressed and anxious single mother who's own neuroses are projected onto her son, who then tells terrible lies thinking that it will please her. I thought the exploration of the emotional fallout she experiences was realistic. But the problem for me is that the same grace isn't given to Richard/Sean. Instead of really hammering home that as a five year old he was also a victim and that the adults who fueled him were to blame, this felt more like a morality tale of a liar getting just desserts. And that didn't sit right with me. Throw in the fact that I figured out the mystery early on, and that the red herrings that were there felt underexplored, and I was let down over all.

It could be that the topic strikes too much of a nerve for me, but I was kind of underwhelmed by WHISPER DOWN THE LANE. That said, it felt like a good fictional exploration of a really awful and upsetting topic.

If you remember the McMartin Playschool / Satanic Ritual trials of the 1980s this book will resonate. I not only remember them, but was asked to have my fingerprints taken at my first school (and every other school, not to mention a search of the sex offenders registry) as a result. Alternating between newly married art teacher Richard now and bullied/abused Sean in the 1980s, we have the story of how the panic over ritual abuse and satanic practices in classroom easily spiraled out of control mixed with how that kind of fear never quite goes away. Lives get ruined, families fall apart, and the truth can be difficult to tease out (particularly when dealing with young, eager to please, children).

eARC provided by publisher via Netgalley.

Whisper Down the Lane: A Novel
By Clay Chapman
2021

EBook version. I received this book as a gift from Quirk Books.
Based on true happenings in the early 1980s, this book is split into two point of views: Sean, a 5 year old child in 1983, and Richard, the same child 30 years later. Over the past 30 years, Richard has suppressed the memories of what happened as a child, but they are all coming back now since it looks like history is repeating itself.

The book takes a serious look at how the children and their memories were manipulated by parents, police, therapists, and other adults during the "Satanic Panic" of the 80s. I was impressed with how the author addressed the issues in the book and how the book kept me, the reader, on the edge of my seat while reading. For once, I did not correctly guess the ending early on.

4 stars.

What a wild ride from start to finish! McLeod Chapman really captures the feelings of fear and paranoia from the Satanic Panic period in history. I loved the way this was told, jumping back and forth between the main character as an adult and as a child. The descriptions of the people, places, and mood were absolutely superb. I felt a physical rush from following along as the story unraveled, slowly at first, then full-steam-ahead to the end.

Richard Bellamy has moved his livelihood to the small town of Danvers. There he begins his kindergarten art teacher job as well as his new role of husband and step-father to wife Tamara and step-son Elijah. However, when Richard’s childhood torments begin gradually emerging, accusations of the most heinous crimes begin to surface from the past, linking itself to present day occurrences and beyond. Could history have begun to repeat itself, or is it a disturbing masquerade of sinister intentions?

Set in the 1980s, author Clay McLeod Chapman delves into the horror behind the term “satanic panic” that was so well known within this time period. His fusion of past and present ping pong back and forth with tense, abhorrent subject matter. Having a vessel to guide satanic ritualistic undertones throughout the storyline, Chapman proclaims an evil and combines it with unimaginable coercive accusations. While treading on explosive and edgy topics, the central characters suffer because of hidden implications that are slowly revealed. What happens if you believe in a lie so much it comes true, even if the voice happens to be coming from an innocent kindergartener?

To be the intended target of such a terrible accusation is scary enough, but when it involves children, that fear doubles. This is where the reader will experience how a narrative can become a fountain of false testimony and how evil can be perceived and misconstrued into something that it’s not.

Chapman is a maestro at building grim suspense to the point of unimaginable consequences, proving genuine horror dwells in the world we live in today. Potential psychological damage may not come from a source one expects. It could very well come from authoritative figures such as teachers, preachers, and political leaders.

The reading audience will attend activities such as midnight masses, grave robbing, and satanic orgies involving cannibalism. Introductions will be made to personalities in all their distorted glory; in particular Mr. Stitch, Mr. Yucky, and The Bad Snatcher. These hidden truths and unconventional personas are explored in Whisper Down The Lane, with a plot that subverts expectations.

Readers, be prepared to play a deranged version of the children’s game, Whisper Down The Lane. Hearing classroom whispers of welcoming Devil’s disciples and Satan worshippers to come out and play along with their demented games, will eventually lead to a “damned if you do, damned if you don’t” life lesson. A very strong recommendation to read this one. Enjoy the façade.
(originally posted at mysteryandsuspense.com)

This book is based on real events that took place in the 1980's. Satanic rituals, child abuse-- a teacher is accused of this by Sean, a five year old, one of his students. The more Sean and his classmates are questioned, the more bizarre this becomes. More teachers are charged. I thought that Sean was very easily manipulated by the adults in his life.
Years later, Richard, a teacher, newly married with a stepson, is accused the same way Sean, accused his teacher.
But why? Richard hasn't done anything--or has he?
It was an interesting read. I liked it. I would give it a 3 out of 5.
Thank you to Netgally and the publisher for allowing me to read this book.

As a young child, Sean told a lie about his teacher, saying what he believed his mother wanted to hear, and that lie spiraled into something much bigger; something detrimental for the targeted teacher.

Thirty years later, Sean is a boy who no longer exists.

But Richard exists and Richard is a man who doesn’t want to remember his past. He doesn’t want to think about the consequences of his choice. But it doesn’t matter what Richard wants. Somebody else wants to make sure he never forgets.

Let’s talk about cute animals first - get that out of the way - because I don’t want you to hate me if I haven’t sufficiently warned you prior to getting you invested in a book that I thought was spectacular. Horror authors - they definitely know how to probe at their readers’ emotions - and I guess I understand why they do what they do sometimes. But I don’t like it. And I know a lot of you won’t like it. So, fair warning: This is a captivating story, but there are two brutally descriptive animal deaths in the book. It’s upsetting. Very, very upsetting.

Okay, so are you still with me? Are you ready to read about how much I loved this book? Good!

I, as a kid growing up in the eighties, with parents who considered Halloween and Friday the 13th to be excellent family movie options, was wholly unaware of the fact that there were other parents burning Cabbage Patch Kids and viewing marshmallows in kids’ cereals as anything other than sweet deliciousness. In short, I was oblivious to this thing called the Satanic Panic. I’d heard some rumors about The Smurfs, but that wasn’t until adulthood. I just… didn’t know.

Whisper Down the Lane weaves that concept into something more. The author creates a situation that involves both mass hysteria and the far-reaching consequences of a lie. In terms of horror, this is relatively tame, aside from the aforementioned animal deaths, but it does give the reader a lot of unsettling notions to consider.

I found this story to be fast-paced and meaningful, with undying relevance in its message. It’s very sad, too, when the impact of one fib is fully understood. The book ultimately challenges the reader with a question: Who is the actual monster of this story?

As long as you can stomach the animal scenes, you may find yourself enjoying this as much as I did. It embraced some of the psychological themes I love exploring and I fully believe that the positives outweigh everything else. This was a clever way to communicate a vital message about human vulnerability. We are often inclined to believe that we are not easily influenced and that may be one of the most dangerous beliefs that we possess.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for my digital review copy. I also was fortunate to receive a physical ARC from a friend. All opinions are my own.