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The Patience of a Dead Man by Michael ClarkSeries: The Patience of a Dead Man #1
Published by Michael Clark Books on April 15, 2019
Pages: 386
Amazon UK, Amazon US,
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Also by this author: Dead Woman Scorned, Anger is an Acid
He just spent everything on a house in disrepair, but he didn’t know someone was waiting inside.
Tim Russell just put his last dollar on a handyman’s dream; a quaint but dilapidated farmhouse in New Hampshire.
Newly single after a messy divorce, his plan is to live in the house as he restores it for resale.
To his horror, as soon as the papers are signed and his work starts, ghosts begin to appear.
A bone-white little boy.
A woman covered in flies.
Tim can’t afford to leave and lose it all, so he turns to his real estate agent Holly Burns to help him decide whether he has any shot at solving his haunted problem.
Can they solve the mystery before he loses his investment…or maybe his life?
✮ My Review ✮
Woah there. I have finished this book in the blazing sunshine and I have chills! The ending is so blinking unsettling I actually can’t wait for the next one to find out what happens next!
The story is told through journals, first-person experiences, dreams, third persons and from the view of the entity. The story starts off seemingly slow, as we have to build up the life of Tim and how he becomes the owner of this amazing dream house. Shame it doesn’t last too long, now when I say slow, we are talking 15% before it all goes fricking mental! And when I say mental I mean you have to read this in the sunshine and even then I was still looking over my shoulder at my house and *gulp* the cellar.
From the opening pages, I am so full of dread, you know that we are going to have a haunted house but what you don’t know at that time, is the story behind the haunting. You don’t know how much malice there is from the entity, and you don’t know the story behind it all.
We are teased the different information and the years between Tim’s experiences and the journals. Part of me would love to be in that house and experience it for what it is. Footsteps, water puddles, candles lit up in the turrets, seeing the ghosts that Tim does…BUT and it’s a big BUT I think I might stay away from that farmhouse.
One of the scariest bits for me is when Tim’s girls stay with him and he shares the bedroom with them, I was holding my breath as I was reading! It was so intense as you just did not know what was going to happen and if everyone would make it there it unscathed. I am not even going to lie, I was holding my breath and I was panicking. This was truly terrifying and I wanted to hide behind a cushion and close the book. (Still bloody loved it!)
I freaking loved this book, my favourite genre ever is horror and ghosties and this is just what I needed. It has everything that goes bump in the night, literally, the sightings, the discovery of why and then we end. Well that ending, if ever there was a time to run from the house, well it’s now! I wouldn’t take a trip there! But then a part of me really wants to visit!
Michael has written a story which will suck you in and I defy you not to get creeped out. He ramps up the tension from the get-go, and it’s too late by then to walk away. This book is perfect for anyone who loves this genre, or just wants to be scared. This is most definitely the sort of book I would love to see on the big screen. Set in the 70s, a time before the mobile phone, all add to the isolation of this property. It’s in the middle of nowhere, 23 acres of land, isolation defo adds to the tension. No neighbours nearby to hear you scream, or help when you see something coming at you, that should be dead, wielding a blood-soaked hatchett. Just a normal day no? As I say perfect, no mobile phones to call for help nor to take instant photos. Cut off from the world with only a landline, which at times hinders you especially when you are in hiding watching an “anniversary” play out and “she” does not take too kindly to being interrupted. I am not telling you who, what or why because that was the fun learning all of this while watching Tim and Holly experience it, reading Annette’s journals and being “helped” by someone, is that someone good or bad?
We are left with foreboding and more questions at the end…If anything it’s just made me want book 2!
Until next time xxx
Check out what has been said on tour so far –
Read and Rated says:- The writing style was enchanting and very atmospheric – it was easy to picture the scenes being described and I am glad that I wasn’t reading this story on my own, in an old house, on a dark winters night…
Books Behind the Title says:- Boy oh boy if its supernatural haunted house thriller you are looking for then this book is what you need right now. While it uses the familiar plot line of a haunted house in the middle of nowhere it twists it about and adds depth and character to what could have just been a generic horror story. It’s pages are brimming with suspense, they tease you with glimpses of the unknown that you don’t want to believe is true.
Scarlett Readz and Runz says:- This is a debut novel, the first of a trilogy and it is one of the best novels of the year for me. In general, I am not a reader of horror but it was so well done. A perfect mix of mystery and heart in your throat moments, it can easily be read and enjoyed by frighty cats and horror connoisseurs alike. The atmosphere is what makes this novel tick so much. Really incredible. Kudos to an amazing book.
Cheekypee Reads and Reviews says:- To say I loved it is an understatement.. it’s a brilliant read and I need to read book two ASAP.
I’m so glad I stepped out of my comfort zone to read this. It was so so good
On the Shelf reviews says :- The patience of a dead man was a fantastically spooky and enthralling read! It has the right balance of scary and creepy with that air of mystery too. I love a haunted house story and I really enjoyed reading Micheal Clark’s different slant on the old horror trope…The patience of a dead man is a spine tingling ghost story that will both spook and entertain you in equal measure.
Thanks to Emma at Damppebbles for the tour invite and the author for a copy of the book in return for my honest and unbiased review
Reading this book contributed to these challenges:
damppebbles says
Amazing review! Thanks so much x
Zoé says
Thanks lovely, phew xx
nickimags @ The Secret Library Book Blog says
OOh sounds too creepy for me! xx
Zoé says
It is incredibly creepy…but I love that ?
Kelly says
Wowsers! Added it to the list, brilliant review, Zoé!
Zoé says
You will love it Kelly! I have book 2 on my kindle ready to read! Eek ?