I did not realize I was signing up for a book filled with the minute details of cars and motorcycles. Not for me.

A very creepy vibe, but I also got very confused on and off throughout this tale.

The ending was ok, but I’m not a huge fan of cliffhangers… maybe there’s a sequel in the works?

I wasn’t a fan of the characters, either their attitudes/actions threw me off, or they weren’t very well developed.

DNF - I think this would be a story that I might better enjoy via a different medium so I might come back & try at another time.

I really wanted to like this book, it sounds so good, but unfortunately I didn't. The writing style wasn't for me.

*Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for my honest review*

A horror book that is more creepy than scary, but it works! I would probably put it in the category of mystery!

The Keepers just didn't work for me. I wanted to love it, but I found myself mostly ambivalent toward it.

Thank you to NetGalley and the published for providing an ARC. This review contains my honest, unbiased opinion.

The town of Titicut is hiding a dark secret, relating to the massacre of the original native inhabitants of that New England location in the early 1600s by the zealous religious leaders of those who settled there from Europe. A secret organization, the Keepers, created as a result of that event, controls every aspect of the town, and doesn’t welcome outsiders, like the reporter, Don Williams, who comes to Titicut to investigate a disappearance that occurred ten years earlier. His arrival to town coincides with strange goings on related to the supposed monster that lives in the area.

As horror novels go, this one didn’t impress me. I didn’t find myself drawn into the story, nor was I creeped out by its events. For me, the characters were superficial, and not fleshed out. The two lead females in the book were written as stereotyped bimbos, which to me was offensive. An OK effort, but I just wanted to finish the book. As per recent horror novels, this book has its fair share of brutal killings, but the graphic descriptions are mercifully short.

My thanks to Black Rose Writing and to Netgalley for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest opinion.

Small town America meets Xfiles

The Keepers is set in a small town in Massachusetts in the 1980s, based around a local legend of creepy spectors and missing people. The chief of police and deputies run the town with an iron fist, as well as serving as the town’s elders, they terrorize the local population with a single-minded sense of their own particular justice.
The novel reminds me a lot of Stephen King’s work, due to the supernatural aspect set in a Maine town, however, I don’t feel that the author has the same writing style. For starters, a lot of emphasis was placed on types of cars and local dialect so much so that I had no idea what the author was talking about and had to look information up. I also thought the novel had a lot of plot holes, while I understand that this is not a standalone novel, the basic premise just didn’t make sense, and left me feeling completely baffled, while overemphasis was placed on amateur dialogue and people dying everywhere.
While I love Stephen King, I just don’t think that this book is for me, I struggled through a lot of the book, and couldn’t wait to get to the end.

This was a really enjoyable read that was infused with historical aspects and theological aspects which I found really interesting. I also liked the archeological aspects of this book which added extra layers to it. I didn't know what to expect from this book but I really enjoyed it.

The Keepers by Tan Van Huizen was received directly from the publisher and I chose to review it. I had never read this author's work before but I must say I like his writing style. This style is straight to the punch, very little inane dialogue that drags on for pages, and it kept me reading with no skimming. Skimming is a surefire way to cost points when I review. This book is apparently the first in a series, I did not know that until I finished the book, which DID NOT leave a cliffhanger for the next book. As always, I will not delve into the plot of the book except townsfolk protect beings (or are they protecting the townsfolk), rituals, dark woods, etc, you get the basics. If you, or someone you buy gifts for, likes that short description, give this book a read.

4 Stars

First of all I would like to thank Netgalley and the publishers for providing me with an early copy of this book in return for an honest review.

The novel tells the story of a small town in the US, where mysterious things have been happening for 300+ plus years, starting with an event resulting from the first settlers' masscare of the native population. The book follows the story of the town in more modern times, as a series of seemingly unrelated events cause the centuries' old mystery to start to unravel. Worth noting the book is a first in a series, so doesn't really have closure at the end of this particular instalment.

In my mind, the book is a hybrid of sorts between the Auctioneer, some of the small-town America novels by Stephen King (Desperation perhaps?), and a noir crime thriller. What I liked about the book was the characterisation of the all-powerful police chief and his deputies, and the terror they instil in the local population. This is very much reminiscent of the Auctioneer, and is probably the most powerful part of the book (having no supernatural aspect, in fact). The characters overall were varied, interesting, and diverse, with the large cast reminding me of some of King's work, naturally. The step by step unravelling of the mystery was built a bit like a thriller, but frankly did it rather badly - some deus ex machina moments, and many logical leaps that frankly make no sense (especially as the gradual disclosure of the mystery happens when the author decides to tell the reader more, vs in organically natural moments along the story).

There were several things I disliked, and on top of all of it is probably the writing - it's very shallow, and the dialogues are clunky. The conversations feel contrived, and the relationships underpinning them are never fully explored, with much remaining unclear. Some of the characters in this context are really not credible, especially the group of teenagers (or perhaps I've not teenagers like this). The other thing I found hard was the pacing. During the first half of the book very little happens and it's very difficult to get through. Then things accelerate too quickly, with the last 10-15% including mayhem, deaths, action sequences, etc. Finally, and while a small peeve, I found the chapter headings to be confusing and unrelated to anything. Either have them make proper sense, or drop them altogether.

All in all, it's better than Stephen Graham Jones (but what isn't....), but it feels unpolished and patchy. It's a bit like an average meal cooked with some high quality ingredients, but really not leaving a good impression overall.

Such a good book. I really did love this book. I am a lover of archaeology, history and theology. This book encompassed all of those and more. I stayed interested the entire time. I would love to use the book in my classes and think my students would absolutely love reading it and researching a great many of the topics contained there in. 5 stars! Great job!

This book wasn't for me. I didn't find it interesting enough to keep my attention. The characters were written horrible. I just couldn't finish.

Sorry but I just couldn't get into it. I felt like it was trying harder to be an 80s teen movie than it was a horror. Nearly 30% in and nothings happened except two teen girls being token "hooches" and 2 teen boys being token arseholes.

Very slow, not for me sorry.

346 pages

1 star

To begin with, chief of police Elias Hicks is a major loser. The way he treated his young son really made me angry. I could barely go on after that. In addition to that, the two major female leads are airheaded sl**s. In fact, I struggled to find anyone in the little town worth my time.

The premise of the book is a good one, however, and I so looked forward to reading this book. However, the amateurish writing got to me rather quickly, especially with the unlikable characters.

I will not be reading another novel by this author.

I want to thank NetGalley and Black Rose Writing for forwarding to me a copy of this book for me to read and review. The opinions expressed here are solely my own.

This book had so much promise but unfortunately for me it did not deliver. A very slow burner and as adult horror it left me cold..The two main characters were portrayed as bimbos and I found this very offensive. I did not enjoy this book and was glad to finish it.
Many thanks to Netgalley and
the publisher for the ARC in return for giving an honest review.

Strange things are happening in the New England town of Titicut. Reporter Don Williams finds himself in the middle of uncovering the town’s secrets that dates back to its founding settlement era of the 1600s.

Overall I’m giving this book 3 stars. I enjoyed the premise and it was a quick read. Even though it is tagged as horror, I think this book would also interest people who enjoy the mystery genre. I want to thank NetGalley for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest review.