Patrick Lacey

I'll be seeing you.That's the note left behind for Ivy Longwood when infamous killer Tucker Ashton murders her boyfriend. Several years later, after Tucker vanishes from his jail cell, Ivy travels to Ashton's hometown of Marlowe, Massachusetts. Not for closure or therapy. She's being called there. Steered by forces beyond her control. What she'll find is not the quiet suburban town Marlowe once was. It's something new. Something dark. Something that answers the question: Where did Tucker Ashton go?

Where Stars Won't Shine

Becca Futrell

I'll be seeing you.
Not to be dramatic, but Where Stars Won't Shine has officially become one of my favorite horror novels?!@#! I've seen a bit of hype on this Patrick Lacey book (see: Cameron's YouTube video, Emily's Review & Mindi's Review), so I had to pick up Where Stars Won't Shine & see what was up, and WOW I'M SO GLAD THAT I DID.

Where Stars Won't Shine features a couple of my favorite horror sub-genres; hauntings/ hallucinations/weird unexplainable things (okay, maybe that's most horror, lemme have my moment anyway) & serial killers/slashers. I'm gonna be real with ya, ghouls, this book is the total package. 

Tucker Ashton was a brutal sonnuva gun; he'd film himself killing his victims in the most gruesome way & toss it onto a forum for snuff films. Years later, Ashton vanishes from his cell & four people find themselves at Hotel Marlowe, a place much darker than it once was, to find out where Tucker Ashton really went. 

In the first few pages, I found myself nervous about the several characters introduced & having to keep track of who’s who, but that fear instantly vanished. In only 190 pages, Patrick Lacey manages to make each character stand out. All carry their own personalities & all have different reasons as to why they arrived in Marlowe.

Throughout reading, I found myself saying out loud, "wow, this is so good," -- at this point, my cat probably understands how much I enjoyed this book & wishes I would stop talking to her about it. Also, it's worth noting that I had 0 idea how this was going to end, which kept me wanting to turn those pages. I didn't find Where Stars Won't Shine predictable whatsoever. 

As Emily states in her review (see link above), I too, found it to be reminiscent of The Shining. In fact, that's one of the things I noticed while reading & am so glad that she brought it up in her review! 

I have absolutely no complaints on Where Stars Won't Shine, it was amazing from beginning to end. Although I personally didn't find myself quivering in my boots, I can definitely see this book scaring others; there are a lot of amazing qualities & horror-ific visuals within these pages. Where Stars Won't Shine is one of those books that inspires me to write my own horror, so thank you for that, Patrick Lacey! I can't wait to read more Lacey novels & more from Grindhouse Press!

Where Stars Won't Shine

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