Harper goes looking for his missing sister Willow on Clifford Island.
There is something strange with Clifford Island and the locals will do anything to keep it a secret. ( )

Wonderful debut novel. I look forward to reading more books by Juliano in the future. ( )

Dead Eleven had an intriguing concept, a cover page that looked interesting, and since I am always attracted to a book that involves the lure of 1980's and 1990's nostalgia, this certainly had a lot of elements that I like in a horror novel. And as I was given both a copy of the audiobook and a kindle edition, I both listened to it and read it at the same time. I will honestly say that I preferred the audiobook version as it was read by a large cast of narrators, all of whom did a fantastic job.

Harper travels to Clifford Island to look for his missing sister, Willow, who disappeared several weeks back. They were not on the best of terms, but she was his sibling and he had this feeling that something was terribly wrong. The plot was unique and interesting, but the execution was the weakest part of this book. I don't mind slow-burn mysteries, but this took a really long time to get going with a conclusion that didn't really pay off in the end. I didn't personally find this book to be scary or frightening, just really weird. There were several themes explored in this story, one of them being grief, and while I thought the author did a credible job exploring these themes, that exploration actually took away from the suspense / tension in the story as it went on and on, almost to the point of boredom. I did like how the author used different writing techniques to tell the story, but I like it when I see an author explore different things in order to enhance the story and this was something that was well done.

The story was also told from multiple POV, and the author used mixed media in a rather interesting way, including letters, audio recordings, news articles, letters, videos, and so on, to further the story in a fun and different way. It almost had the feel of lost footage novels without being a lost-footage book. And I like those kinds of books so this was right up my alley.

I did enjoy the characters and thought they were interesting. However, for a book that's almost 450 pages long, I would have liked a bit more development regarding the characters and a bit more struggle dealing with the things they were going through and having to accept what was happening. And having this big network of people all over the world watching everyone's every move and ensuring that the things about Clifford Island stay secret seemed a little over the top to me.

Verdict
Dead Eleven definitely had some great elements to it, but the story took way too long to really get going focusing on things that took away from the tension / suspense of the story. I don't mind a slow-burn, but this was too slow-burn for me. There were quite a few themes that were explored in this book that were well done, but because there was so much repetition of these themes, they actually interfered with the horror elements in this book. There were a lot of elements in this book that I did like that I would definitely read another book by this author in the future. ( )

Losing a loved one can be all consuming, how far would you go to just hold on to anything that reminded you of your lost loved one? I loved this book, the haunting nature and pain in our hearts after losing someone we love is a feeling many ghost stories fail to fully capture. I enjoyed this book and wish I didn't know about the pain the characters wish to suppress by somehow simultaneously keeping it alive and fresh everyday. Sometimes the things we do just doesn't make any sense. I love that Juliano wove an entertaining story that both expresses this feeling and acknowledges how truly horrifying it is.

Dead Eleven is Jimmy Juliano's debut novel.

I liked the premise of the book. Clifford Island is an insular, small island in Wisconsin that seems to be stuck in 1994. Willow Stone thinks the island holds clues, and maybe answers as to the death of her son. But something about Clifford Island is wrong...very, very wrong.

Juliano keeps the reader guessing as to what that wrong is - and what's up with the throwback to the 90's. I loved the world building of the island, the town and it's residents.

Willow's sleuthing gives credence to her suspicions. But it also marks her as a problem. When she disappears, her brother Harper comes to the island to find her.

The second part of the book introduces an alternative reason for the actions, patterns and rituals of the residents that would explain much. But is it reality or conjecture? Or madness? The next part ramps up on the way to the final answers. Juliano often touches on grief in Dead Eleven.

I know I've been a bit obtuse, but I'm trying to not provide spoilers! A strong debut and an interesting take on horror. I did find some of the same ideas to be a bit repetitive. And I found myself looking for a bit more 'action'. But overall, an interesting debut

And as always - stay out of the basement. (And A&E have picked up rights already!) ( )