Author Mark Hobson turns his writing talents to the Horror genre, with the release of his new novel ‘Dweller Under the Roots,’ blending crime and horror fiction. The main protagonist, Lee Harris, goes into hiding following a robbery that goes badly and with the police hot on their tail, Lee is advised by his cronies to lay low, in a safe house tucked away in a forest. Whilst this may have seemed an ideal location to disappear and let the dust settle, it is a shame that neither Lee nor his accomplices did their homework about the cottage’s dark and malevolent past. Soon the police are the least of Lee’s worries as he fears for his life and his sanity.
The Author has created an interesting and engaging plot that moves forward at a steady pace, keeping readers turning the pages and intrigued as to who or what the presence is and what it wants. There is a slow build of atmosphere and tension as the supernatural events begin to escalate and become more sinister with each passing day.
As I read further into the story, I found myself questioning certain characters without being fully sure of why, only that there was something off about them. It wasn’t until the twist arrived at the end that I understood my initial reader’s reaction, which was a positive sign of being completely immersed in the story and of strong character development by the author. There was a sense of suspicion throughout, leaving me feeling that not everything or everyone was as they seemed and something more was about to reveal itself.
The whole premise of the story itself and the build up of tension and fear as the supernatural elements were introduced were overall well written and I enjoyed… but, I did feel that something was missing which left me wanting more and not completely satisfied. It wasn’t the who, or what, or even how, but more about the why, that I felt lacked something. Simple revenge just didn’t seem to be enough, especially in view of the ending, and so personally I would have loved the author to have created and shared a little more depth and complexity around this supernatural being and its true motivation, that for me as a fan of horror and the supernatural would truly have cemented the whole reader experience from beginning to end.
Overall I did enjoy and therefore award 4.5 stars.
