Perhaps the lid of a Ouija Board should have the warning, "Beware all who enter here." Beneath the Dark was a cautionary tale of dappling in things to reach "the other side". It turns our, there's the other side, and then the middle side-so to speak and the "below" and nothing from below is ever, ever supposed to reach our plane. The things from below aren't souls or demons, but worse. Now someone on the island has dabbled and little by little a crack has formed and a strain has risen to the human plan to torment the living and search for the one who let it in. The creepy description of this thing from below was nailed home to me by the description, "it was never human, but if it could smile-it would".
Fortunately, a few humans figure out what is happening and find the means to fight back. You have to read the book to find out if, and how, successful this was. Finally, there is the last lesson....even smart people can be so stupid and you want to grab a certain character by the collar and say "did you learn nothing, you idiot?"

A great book. I had been in a bit of a slump and missed that "Oh, boy, I get to get up and read my book" feeling. This book brought that back for me.
Thank you #netgalley for the ARC of #BeneathTheDark and to #IanBlackhouse for the great storytelling.

I decided not long ago take advantage of @netgalley and apply for some Advanced Reader Copies. My focus was on lesser-known or first-time authors in genres I typically enjoy. That's how I came across this novel, Beneath the Dark by Ian Backhouse.

The blurb read as a detective novel with a paranormal twist which immediately piqued my interest. I just wish I could have enjoyed this book more. For me there were just some fundamental issues with the author's writing style that I found difficult to overlook.

Likes: For the most part, I enjoyed the first 1/2-2/3 of this novel. It was very Stephen King-esque in it's character development and depictions of the supernatural without feeling like a cheap knock-off. I also loved the 'big bad' of this story. It's so easy these days for novels involving the paranormal to feel cliche and unimaginative, but this author managed to create something that felt quite fresh. While I do think the way the characters overcame this evil seemed a bit easy, and a little cheap considering the circumstances, there was a twist in the second last chapter that I did not expect and made up a little for the disappointment I felt in the climax.

Dislikes: Being an ARC, there are certain issues I have with this novel which I am more than happy to overlook, e.g. spelling and punctuation errors, Kyle suddenly becoming Kylie, etc. What I couldn't get past was the way the author structured some of his writing. At times the sentences felt too long and convoluted, like the author was trying to tell me he's a good writer rather than show me. The choice of phrasing was also confusing in some places, e.g. a 'Scenes of Crime Investigator' as opposed to a 'Crime Scene Investigator'. Things like this ruin the flow of the story for me and drag me out of my reading experience in a way that I find quite jarring. If it only happened once or twice I probably wouldn't think anything of it, but it just seemed to happen over and over again.

Those negatives aside, I did enjoy the story. If you like paranormal thrillers by lesser-known authors I would still recommend this. I just think there needs to be a lot more editing done before the release on March 29.

This book was dark, captivating and had me jumping at shadows! Even as the pieces come together, you are still left questioning what is ‘real’ and what is not. If you like psychological thrillers with a paranormal twist, this book is a must on your reading list.

Though Jon and paranormal investigator Ed Thorn, and occult expert Dina Melnyk are the threads that move the plot forward, the story is told through many other perspectives as well. The reader sees the attacks from the victims’ perspectives and each episode plays on the doubts and fears of that individual. They are poignant and masterfully blur the lines of reality in absolutely terrifying ways. Jon, Ed, and Dina’s perspectives are interspersed between these and other snippets from various townsfolk. Despite the constant jumping around, Backhouse manages to tell a bone chilling and cohesive story that will keep you guessing.

It is clear that the heart of the storytelling is in different characters’ experiences with both the islands and the entity. The way the story unfolds is intriguing and clever; however, it also makes it take longer for things to start coming together. In addition, some of Jon’s and Ed’s sections seem flat compared to others. These are both minor complaints and did not taint my overall enjoyment of the story.

Overall, this psychological/paranormal thriller was an unexpected delight to read. Though it is clear that there is a paranormal entity involved, this story does touch on mental health. Additionally, some characters experience serious injury that is graphically described.

Special thanks to NetGalley for providing this ARC!

Any story that begins with a man pissing himself in terror, you know is going to be remarkable.

Officer Jon Pearce is a one-man police force guarding a tiny tourist town scattered over a pair of islands off the coast of England. When citizens of the town fall victim to strange attacks he’s joined by Ed Thorn, a (sceptic) paranormal investigator with a top rate in disproving paranormal claims. Joined by a handful of locals and an occult researcher friend of Ed’s, they must figure out what is plaguing the town and how to stop it.

Backhouse is generous with his words, painting stark museums and lush libraries with his descriptions. He has a tremendous ability to create eerie scenarios and controls the pace with a deft hand. Every time I began to feel things were moving a bit slowly, I’d get walloped by something more intense and immediate. His ability to blend everyday life with paranormal activity lends an overall sense of realness to the story – there is no overblown fantasy.

“Beneath the Dark” is a character-driven, psychological horror. I hate to compare authors to Other authors but the way he sets up his characters and focuses his chapters reminds me a lot of Stephen King. This is not to say their writing styles are alike At All – just that I’m getting the same well-rounded satisfaction from the various perspectives. This is great storytelling. The diction-lover in me adores his word choices. “Suddenly and environment that had felt so clement and benign became so sullied by a simple change in lighting, sending a small shiver down her spine.” I did find the climax/ending it a little lacking in intensity, but it seemed very appropriate to the overall atmosphere of the book (and I loved it anyway).

More suspenseful and eerie than frightening, I would recommend this book to fans of paranormal thrillers
(I received a free copy of this through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review)

I was sent an advance readers’ copy of Beneath the Dark by @ibhorrorauthor in exchange for an honest review. Beneath the Dark is a supernatural thriller set in late summer 1996 on a historic island. On this island, strange phenomena have been occurring. A few residents of the island are being harmed by things they cannot explain, or feel they have imagined. These events occurred in a museum, library, beach, and church. There is also a pattern of a mysterious rot with an odor showing up mere moments after these peculiar attacks. This novel is told from multiple points of view from the citizens of the island teaming up to find out who or what is the source of these happenings and what the being’s plan ultimately is. They are composed of a team of police, business owners, respected citizens, clergy and paranormal investigators. I really admired the author’s attention to the detail, especially when noting geography and architecture. The story is also very fast-paced with a turn of events. I was on the edge of my seat! No spoilers- but I liked the ending! I also really admire the contrast in the cover art. It definitely reminds me of a gateway to an abyss! #Beneaththedark will be released via @cranthorpemillner in March of 2022. I give Beneath the Dark 4.5/5 stars!

Could not put it down! I read this book pretty much straight through from beginning to end (literally- even whilst walking my dogs!) I am a big fan of psychological thrillers, and so when I read the summary, I was all in- and Backhouse did not disappoint,. The character development was superb; and so while the reader (very much like the characters) found the events unbelievable, they were all extremely relatable., and most, save one, were sympathetic individuals whom I found myself connecting with. So it was tremendous mix of we've all been there every day occurrences and this absolutely could not happen in a million years scenarios. In essence, this novel brings us to the brink of our greatest fears on so many levels. Also I rather enjoyed this author's writing style- quite clever. I will be reading as much as I can by this author moving forward.