Horror Books > M Horror Books > D

Advantages: A gripping read, a great introduction to Dean Koontz
Disadvantages: In my opinion it's overly graphic when dealing with the childrens fate

...Marty Stillwater, Koontz' hero in Mr Murder, coped. He coped admirably. Marty IS Mr Murder, a crime fiction writer from California. He's a very successful author, appearing in one of Americas biggest celebrity magazines who were the very people to give him this unwanted nickname. He lives with his psychologist wife and two young daughters, all is well in the Stillwater household. Until Marty finds himself having blackouts. He can't remember anything ...
...believe Marty, they remember the Mr Murder nickname and a bizarre photograph of Marty in the magazine looking like a freak from hell and dismiss the whole episode as a publicity stunt thought up by an author who has a new book out soon. The Stillwater family are on their own. The rest of Mr Murder is a fast paced chase through counties and states across America, Marty takes his family and does the only thing he can in the circumstances. He runs. ... Read review

Advantages: suspenseful, well written
Disadvantages: weak ending, sequel

“Mischief” tells the tale of Jim Hook, a young adolescent trying to find his way. From Jim’s perspective, he is little more than a shadow of his older brother, and Jim’s worship of him plays a large part in his motivations in life. When his brother dies in a car wreck, Jim tries to honor his memory by being the best he can be. Enrolled in the same prep academy as his late mentor, Jim’s story takes flight. Harrow is ...
...mansion, renovated over the years with numerous additions to the building. Once, it was a residence. Today, it is a school. It has always been haunted. Jim is a normal kid, and Clegg brings him to life. He’s got a girlfriend, he works hard, and he makes the usual teenager mistakes. When Jim falls in with the Cadaver Society, his life takes a sharp turn. The Cadavers are a secret society within the walls of Harrow; they seem to be average pranksters… ... Read review

Advantages: An excellent & imaginative story
Disadvantages: Waiting for the next book

As a children's story this is some seriously dark writing and may not be suitable of younger readers, but for adults it's an exceptionally good read. The heroine of the story, Candy, finds herself pulled into a parallel world by a strange sea, a world that consists of 25 islands. 24 islands represent a particular hour of the day with the 25th a dark place of murder and madness. This initial volume sees Candy's travels around a selection of these ...
...trying to stay out of arms reach of the dark servants of the Lord of the 25th hour. This is a place where friend and foe are never what they seem and many are out for the capture of Candy. The illustrations included in this book give it an extra and enjoyably warped depth. Clive Barkers visual take on his fantasy world is one where even the good-guys can be seen as ugly monstrosities. You'll definitely want to read the next instalment. ... Read review

Advantages: Easy to read, hard to put down, gripping, thrilling
Disadvantages: None

...he must face the demon Lord Loss. I am probably being vague here, but I do not want to give much more away as that will spoil it for readers. At 200 or so pages this is just right. I feel there is far too much padding in adult books at the moment. And reading Lord Loss has made me feel surprised just at how good kids' fiction is. I have read the Harry Potter books, like most adults, but it did not cross my mind to read other works written for children. ...
...is quite graphic. There are no holds barred here and the author gets away with a lot of stuff. Death, blood, gore… But it is written with tongue in cheek - and with plenty of sick humour that did surprise me. The style is straight to the point. And very well written at that! Darren Shan is English born, real surname O'Shaughnessy. His first book, 'Ayuamarca,' was published in 1999, but did not sell well. This was an adult work, and it is his subsequent ... Read review

Advantages: Good cliffhanger ending for the next and last book. Very thrilling!
Disadvantages: A little too short, wanted more action!

...written by Anthony Horowitz, is the fourth installment of the "Power of Five", 5 book series about 5 children who have the power to save the world from evil creatures called "The Old Ones". The book starts before "Nightrise" ends, but from the point of view of Scarlett Adams, the protaganist and the fifth gatekeeper. There is a brief review of all 4 previous books incase the reader cannot remember or has missed a book out in the series, which I ...
...It starts off straight into the action as a 13 year old Scarlett almost gets hit by a van whilst not looking when crossing a road. She is saved by a mysterious chinese man who disappears before she can thank him for his actions. The book then moves 2 years into the future and Scarlett is on a school trip when she passes through a door and travels to a monastary in the Ukraine, where she is imprisoned. Scarlett then meets Father Gregory, a terrifyingly ... Read review