I finished reading book number 11 for the year. ‘The Long View’ by Mark Hurst is great horror material – spooky, gory, grisly, discomforting & gripping. Had this novel been a little shorter, I might have binge-read it in a day.
The plot follows Sophie, an asocial teenager that can see the dead and even talk to them, just like her mom. The author weaves an interesting tale of what happens between the living & the dead, with a serial killer thrown in the mix. What serves as perfect background is the fact that Sophie’s father runs a funeral service, complete with a mortuary at their home.
I said the book was discomforting because there’s some brutal bullying that isn’t very comfortable to read. There is also some graphic violence that kind of comes with horror territory, so is absolutely justified. I felt knots in my stomach as I read some of the horrible stuff the protagonist has to endure. All I am trying to say is that “The Long View’ is not for the faint-hearted. But if you are a horror enthusiast, you will probably love the book.
I have read the author’s previous work “The Nasties”, and “The Long View” is way more intense, with detailed descriptions that give you a clear vision of the author’s imagination. The descriptions are so vivid that the story plays like a movie in your head. The book will probably spook you a bit if you read it alone at night post one am.
I felt like the climax was slightly long drawn, but it wraps up quite neatly, with a witty little twist at the end. It’s a 5/5 from me. The book is available on Kindle Unlimited, so if you are looking for something creepy, grab a copy.