Every year after Labor Day weekend, even though the calendar still says summer for a few more glorious weeks, my mind starts to think about fall and what's next. Reading at the beach has been great, but soon the air will be cooler and pumpkin picking, corn mazes, and haunted houses will be the focus here on Long Island. That means Halloween is coming(I didn't really see costumes in Costco in August, did I) and scary books and movies will soon take center stage.
The Toy Thief by D.W. Gillespie seemed like the perfect way to shift from my summer psychological thriller book pile to some fall horror. The main character Jack is an adult now, who shares her terrifying encounters with 'The Toy Thief'. Jack is 9 years old and lives with her older brother Andy and their widowed father. One night, Jack has a sleepover, and a video camera is left running. When Jack reviews the recording, she sees an unknown hand snatch a toy and depart for parts unknown. Jack shows the video to her brother, who believes Jack has created this herself to trick him and he destroys the tape. With no proof, Jack decides to investigate and discover who and/or what crept into the house. No spoilers here, so if you like creepy horror stories, you will want to read this one.
The author did a terrific job creating a childhood monster that managed to transport me back to a time when I believed that evil things lived in my closet. It is also a story about innocence, family and being brave enough to confront your fears and demons. A well- written and engaging tale that I read at home(and alone) that had me wondering if I was hearing 'house noises' or if I had something The Toy Thief wanted.
I received an e ARC from Flame Tree Press through NetGalley. This is the first book I read by D.W. Gillespie and it won't be my last.

I started this book before I even meant to. I merely opened it to see how long it was and then couldn't put it down. The story is told through Jack's point of view. Now a grown woman, she recounts a horrific summer from her youth, and the way it shaped her life and the life of her older brother.
Jack and Andy hated and loved each other with the intensity that only siblings can share. Their father, loving them fiercely, but just not up to the task of being a single parent after the tragic loss of his wife, often leaves them without guidance. Into this working class family dynamic creeps "The Toy Thief" as Jack dubs the menacing entity that invades their home. If only toys were all that it wanted to steal! This was my first time reading anything by D.W. Gillespie. It won't be my last. This is my favorite type of horror. The kind that serves up characters I can actually care about, and fills me with an ever increasing sense of dread as I worry over what may happen to them next.

ADVANCE REVIEW COPY

I was so excited to see THE TOY THIEF as an option for me to read. It's exactly the type of book that I'm going to snap up and run with. I was prepared to love it.

Coming of age horror stories about girls are few and far between; I looked forward to finally reading the girls POV rather than the boys. Add that to what should have been a terrifying storyline and THIEF should have been a kick-ass novella. It was not. Instead of reading this in one or two sittings, I kept putting it aside. It took me about a week to finish this short book.

Why, you ask? Well, the passages that should have been nightmarish and goosebumpy, were bland and ho-hum. The writing - especially the last half - was jumpy and confusing. There were plot twists that were necessary to the story that I found completely unbelievable. In spite of all that, I liked the idea of the story and that's why I finished it and gave it three stars. It was ok, but I wanted it to be so much more.

Ever wonder where all your childhood toys got off to? Look no further than this book, it has the answers you seek. This is a spine-chillingly creepy story about two young siblings and their toys. From the cover to the writing, THE TOY THIEF lives up to the hype.

Jack is nine years old and lives with her father and her brother Andy. The two are total opposites. Her mother passed away during childbirth. The story opens on a sleepover with nine-year-old Jack and her close friend. While putting on a pretend show, the two girls leave a video camera running, and when Jack replays the tape the next day, she sees her friend's toy being snatched off the end table and out the back door by a swift, nearly unseen hand. That's when Jack goes digging for answers. She finds more than she bargained for.

THE TOY THIEF is an unnerving tale that stays fresh with the disjointed or unconnected narrative of Jack. The storyline is intense, making for one helluva emotional read. Family bonds and loyalty are tested. D.W. Gillespie rips out your heart and stomps it into the ground. This book wrecked me. I haven't bawled over a book in a long time, but this one made me ugly cry.

The vivid scenes take me back to my childhood. The pages melt away and I was right there with Jack and Andy. D.W. Gillespie's writing makes for a quick read. I dig his writing style. The story starts out strong and ends on a high note.

THE TOY THIEF is creepy. The dread sinks in early and you have a feeling something horrifying is about to happen. That incredible ending slays. I will be reading this one again. THE TOY THIEF has the nostalgia and empathy. It carries a lot of weight, too.

HIGHLY RECOMMEND!

Pretty frightening tale about a really creepy monster from the main character Jack's past. Jack is a great narrator. She is tough as nails and I feel for her. Her mother died when she was in labor with her and all she has is her brother and her father. The story begins with Jack taking us back to a horrible thing that happened to Jack when she was younger. I liked the writing. I highly recommend to the YA world.

Scary stories used to be a majority of my literary diet. Anyone raised on proper European undisneyfied fairy tales would understand that. Tastes change and mine eventually started veering toward a variety of genres, although always favoring the dark undertones, but every now and again I revisit the old favorite to see if the passion can be rekindled. This book didn’t just rekindle it, it started a freaking fire. The author took the well known premise of young kids and their childhood monsters (actually, technically an adult looking back on their early years when something terrible occurred, usually featuring a monster of some sorts and they had to fight it themselves while adults remains completely ignorant of the goings on) and did such an exemplar job with it. So here the kids are 9 year old girl named Jack and her teenage brother. The adult is their loving but busy single father. And the monster is the Toy Thief, a singularly haunting creation, someone who actually does physically steal toys, but metaphorically it’s what the toys represent, innocence, love, joy…all the good things life starts out with. The story is narrated by an adult Jack, who’s become tough as nails (almost offputtingly so at times combined with a notably high self esteem), but as a kid she was smart, brave and very able. With her brother’s assistance she was the sort of kid who’d fight her monsters and stand a good chance of winning. And so fight they did. Sounds like a familiar story, give or take a monster, doesn’t it. But what makes this one stand out is the quality of writing…Gillespie goes into all the dark corners and drags out all the things that hide there, preventing you from sleeping soundly at night. And emotionally it hits all the right notes too, making for a perfectly engaging read. The creature is rendered vividly, terrifyingly so, and the writing is genre appropriately atmospheric, dark and eerie. This works on just about every single level. Notable exception being (avoid this sentence prior to reading the book) the fingers thing being laid on the brother….really? two kids smart and crafty enough to dispose of a body and kill a demon can’t come up with a semi plausible story of two dismembered fingers? Particularly with father’s garage and all the tools there on premises? That one was tough to buy. Ok, you can continue reading now. Other than that one questionable plot turn, this was great. A very enjoyable read. You can zoom out and grand picture this as a meditation on the nature/nurture concept or zoom in and get absorbed by all the frights. Good books give you options like that, make you think while entertaining you all the way. And this is from a new publisher, Flame Tree Press (very appropriately titled for my kindle/fire analogy), arriving this September and going by the quality of this initial introduction, a very welcome addition to the scene. The book was well edited, included a brief interview with the author and an almost entirely uncheesy cover. With a toy robot even. Actually also this was a terrific introduction to a new (to me) author. The kind of introduction that sends you looking for all his other books. Great read, a dark fairy tale for adults who appreciate that sort of thing. Recommended for all genre fans. Thanks Netgalley.