I really liked this book. It delivers two kinds of horror: the cosmic Lovecraftian kind and the human terror of aging and mortality. Jerry makes for a great protagonist. I genuinely cared about his survival and his connection with Katherine. I also enjoyed Lisa (Katherine's duaughter) as a character as well. I would have similar reactions to her in the same situation!

That said, the synopsis gives away more than it should. The story definitely had moments that filled me with dread but the ending ended up being a little too predictable.

It’s still a solid read - especially if you want horror that doesn't have the usual “young final girl” formula and instead focuses on an older generation.

I believe Darcy Coates is known more for haunted house stories but this is book is more horror thriller. And going that route was a choice. The story was super predicatable early on. I was hoping there was a twist but nope. Ended right where I knew it would end. The main character has a few moments of clarity but every other time, she was just annoying and made bad decisions. Everyone else was mainly murder fodder. The writing isn't bad but the structure was not great. Some of the ultra short chapters ended with forced cliffhangers whose resolutions were a toss up between important knowledge or pointless moments. I honestly questioned if the book was satire. It feels like a lot of the story could have been cut out. The narrator did a great job at making each character distinct though. This isn't the worst thriller that I've read but it is the most predictable so far.