“Kill Creek” by Scott Thomas is Delightfully Scary – Book Review

Kill Creek is Scott Thomas’ debut novel and he does an amazing job of using the ‘haunted house’ story to deliver something that’s exciting and delightfully scary.

A review copy of Kill Creek was provided to me by Inkshares. The opinions are my own.

I love reading horror stories. Also, as an author myself, I understand that evoking the feelings of horror through words isn’t always easy. That’s why I was quite impressed by Scott Thomas’ Kill Creek as he took me on a journey to a haunted house that has lasting effects on the main characters.

Here’s the official synopsis:

At the end of a dark prairie road, nearly forgotten in the Kansas countryside, is the Finch House. For years it has remained empty, overgrown, abandoned. Soon the door will be opened for the first time in decades. But something is waiting, lurking in the shadows, anxious to meet its new guests…

When best-selling horror author Sam McGarver is invited to spend Halloween night in one of the country’s most infamous haunted houses, he reluctantly agrees. At least he won’t be alone; joining him are three other masters of the macabre, writers who have helped shape modern horror. But what begins as a simple publicity stunt will become a fight for survival. The entity they have awakened will follow them, torment them, threatening to make them a part of the bloody legacy of Kill Creek.

I really enjoyed the premise of the story. Instead of using teenagers or similar characters stumble upon a haunted house, Kill Creek makes use of professional horror novelists and makes them come face-to-face with their fears.

We have best-selling author Sam McGarver, the main character whose work can be described as gothic horror. Then there is  Daniel Slaughter who happens to write horror stories where his fictional characters find power in faith. Sebastian Cole is the oldest author who has influenced the works of others in the genre. The fourth author is T.R. Moore. Her work is more slasher and torture porn. All of them have been given backstories that help you understand why they write the kind of stories they do. The authors are invited to the haunted Finch House by their interview host for a Haloween Special.

In most haunted house stories, things happen as soon as the characters enter the premises and we wait to see who survives and if there are supposed to be any survivors at all. Scott Thomas brings his characters to the haunted house but interesting things begin to happen after they leave. Each author experiences writer’s block and they have something poking at their psyche to return to the Finch House.

The house itself is a character in the story and I love it. There’s a bricked up room and the authors have to find out what’s behind it. I know it’s a bad idea but I really liked the line in the book talking about how one tends to ignore the horror even if it’s happening around them. Also, the Finch House will continue to invite the characters back no matter how far they try to run. I’ve kept my review free of major spoilers to allow you to experience the creepiness on your own. There are horror cliches thrown in but it’s still an enjoyable story.

One thing about Kill Creek which I think might not be enjoyed by certain readers is the use of too many similies. They don’t necessarily take away from the flow, but I can understand if they feel like too much for a single book.

Kill Creek by Scott Thomas is currently available from wherever books are sold. Feel free to share your thoughts with us.

Author: Farid-ul-Haq

Farid has a Double Masters in Psychology and Biotechnology as well as an M.Phil in Molecular Genetics. He is the author of numerous books including Missing in Somerville, and The Game Master of Somerville. He gives us insight into comics, books, TV shows, anime/manga, video games, and movies.

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