Life seems to be going pretty well for Janet. She's in a good relationship, has a stable job, and a best friend who would do anything for her. All would be perfectly rosy if not for the parts of her past she can not remember and the sudden appearance of what looks like the corpse of a 12 year old boy that is watching and stalking her. Her therapist tells her she must return home, to her parents from whom she has been estranged for years, in order to seek out the truth of what happened to her baby. The therapist believes that confronting her past will rid her of these visions of a dead child. This was a fast paced, chilling read in which some secrets are horrifying but uncovering them can be deadly.

I received a complimentary copy for review. ( )

After Janet becomes pregnant, she starts seeing a dead boy in a red hoodie. Is it the ghost of the baby she had when she was seventeen, conjured by her hormones going crazy? Or is it a reminder of a forgotten past she left behind when she fled her family after the tragic death of her baby and her own accident? To find the truth, and thus some sort of closure, Janet travels back home, only to find her father in hospital. When she and her mother start preparing the family estate for sale, Janet discovers an old family secret which also triggers the recurrence of some long buried very dark memories. Soon, the shocking truth puts her in deadly danger. Will she be able to flee from home once again?

What began as a ghost story soon turned into a much darker nightmare I never would have expected. It's hard to describe, but to me this gripping novella felt like a full-blown novel, with a very elaborate plot and well-drawn characters. Recently, I've come across a couple of author collaboration projects, and this story is another successful result of the combined imaginative forces of two great voices in horror.

(thanks to netgalley, the author, and the publisher for a copy of the book, all opinions are my own) ( )

Coffin Shadows
by Glen Krisch & Mark Steensland
This is a book I requested from NetGalley and the review is all my own opinion.
This book had me hooked right away! Janet is a teacher and a few weeks pregnant. She is seeing a dead boy everywhere. It's effecting her life and messing with her job and health. She goes to her mental health doctor to discuss this. Janet had lost a baby 12 years prior but can't remember what happened. She had blocked off those memories and has no clue how the baby died or how she ended up in the hospital without a scratch. The doctor believes her seeing a 12 year old boy and her son died 12 years ago that she needs to go home and find answers. (She had left home from the hospital and never has been back.)
She doesn't want to lost touch with reality so she goes home. Memories start returning. Clues start emerging. She soon finds out more than what's good for her health.
This is a real nail biter! Lots of tension, suspense, and terrifying scenes, not with any paranormal activity but with human evil activities! Great plot, well developed characters, and great build up to the end! I could not stop reading! Loved it! Terrifyingly good! ( )