I've been reviewing horror titles from Crooked Lane Books lately but their primary focus seems to be on mysteries. This novel does a pretty good job of fitting into both genres, much of it unfolding as a serial killer story or rather a pair of them; one in the past and a connected one in the present, but a growing set of horror elements lends it a new feel. This is going to be an interesting review to write because I enjoyed the novel and I didn't see the twists coming but something's telling me that I shouldn't like it as much as I did. It's like there are problems here but I can't see them. Let's see if putting my thoughts down on virtual paper catches anything.

The first serial killer story has to do with Father Silence. That case is solved, Leland Patterson and Burt Lobell catching Jeff Pritchard in his House of Horrors in Twisted Tree, Kentucky, with enough evidence to put him on death row. That was seventeen years ago and we join the story as his time runs out. He's going to be executed at midnight. There's also no doubt that he did it. This isn't one of those serial killer stories where the real serial killer is still out there and he starts killing again as soon as his fall guy is dead. It's also not enough of a horror novel to bring Pritchard back from beyond the grave through cursed electricity or some such nonsense. Pritchard is definitely Father Silence and he's soon dead.

However, the second one does begin when he's executed. Having not said a single word over those seventeen years on death row, he whispers to the warden moments before he dies and that turns out to be a cryptic message: "Beware the one who got away." Sure enough, the deaths begin that night, starting with one of the cops who put him away and the other following shortly after. This is telling because Patterson and Lobell don't live in the same state, so the former is murdered in his cabin in Montana but the latter back east in Kentucky, suggesting multiple killers, even though a man calling himself the Outcast claims responsibility for both. What's more, the sole survivor of Father Silence's House of Horrors, Noah Nichols, escaped broken inside and is currently locked up in an asylum.

Connected murders across state lines means that the FBI are involved but we never really focus on their investigation. Instead, we primarily follow three investigators, a pair of which are Montana cops and the third a psychologist. The former two are Tess Claiborne and Danny Gomes, partners at the Missoula PD; the latter is Justin Claiborne, Tess's currently estranged husband and Danny's best friend. Crucially, Tess is also Leland Patterson's daughter who always planned to follow in his footsteps and absolutely did so. They moved to Montana after Father Silence and she's been a cop there all her working life.

So far so good. This is all good setup for a new serial killer story to unfold in the shadow of an old one, investigated by a woman with a very personal connection to everything and without much in the way of evidence to start with. The Outcast has called her on the phone, so they have his voice. They also have his prints from Patterson's cabin, but they don't match anyone because he doesn't exist in the system. And the only substantial clue points to a man who couldn't possibly have done it, given that he's a patient/prisoner and there's no way that he got out for ten minutes, let alone enough time to travel to two different states on a murder spree and then return unnoticed.

There are a string of potential catches, but none of them bite because Markert is a writer capable enough to avoid clichés even when he sets them up. Tess has kicked Justin out because he cheated on her, the drama only emphasised by him being best friends with her partner. Justin helped Tess to buck an addiction to pain pills, which is promptly an issue again now she's dealing with so much stress. And, of course, according to pretty much every policy out there, Tess is far too connected to this case to have any business investigating it but, hey, that's where the drama comes in. Another note is that Tess has a good memory but there's a point in her life she simply can't recall and it's a pivotal one that's starting to come back as she revisits old haunts. All these could easily have been problems, even major ones, in lesser hands but none of them are here.

Thus far, everything has counted as serial killer crime thriller. It's complex but never confusing. It's dramatic without ever overdoing it. And it's mysterious because we don't know enough yet and we can't be sure what Markert has told us thus far will be important. However, when Tess, Justin and Danny fly to Kentucky, things start shifting into horror territory. Twisted Tree now boasts a cult in the Lost Children of Silence who worship Pritchard and his dark deeds. Lisa Buchanon, a lady who's living in Pritchard's old house, the House of Horrors, believes that it's talking to her. And Noah has a lot more people in his head than just the one that we expect.

There's a lot I haven't mentioned because there's a lot still to come and you should both read this and pay attention while you do so. This isn't a simple tale of good guys and bad guys. There are an awful lot of characters here who think they're one or present as one who are actually the other, in both directions. Markert does a good job at keeping us on the hop and, while it was always clear a revelation was going to arrive when Tess's lost memory clears up, I hadn't figured much of this out at all. And, while my brain is still screaming at me to notice some plothole or other, I'm not seeing one and this review hasn't brought one to light.

So this is another strong novel from Crooked Lane, one that agreeably hops genre boundaries. It doesn't appear to be part of a series, as other Crooked Lane like 'The Nightmare Man' and 'Mister Lullaby' don't seem to have any connections and stand alone just as this does. However, I noticed a book by James Markert, who's the same author, that's also set in Twisted Tree, Kentucky, with its focus on the Old Sam distillery that produces the bourbon Tess likes so much here. It's 'The Angels' Share' and it's labelled as Christian historical fiction rather than serial killer crime horror, so it's a strange crossover. Maybe it's just a strong enough location to put to multiple uses. I don't believe it's real though there are Twisted Tree businesses in Kentucky. Hey, maybe I'll see it again soon. ~~ Hal C F Astell