Out of all the cruel things that have happened in this short story, the one that breaks my heart is what happened to Dante. I mean, really? Did the dog really have to die??? He was just defending his humans from those despicable creatures! This hundred twenty-six page read is filled to the brim with suspense, mystery, thrills, chills and a hearty dose of sorrow. I got so much more than I bargained for.

A bunch of thanks to NetGalley and Silver Shamrock Publishing for this free ARC.
I made this review of my own accord, with no monetary compensation whatsoever from those mentioned above and/or the rightful owners of this ARC.

An easy read which was pretty fast paced towards the end. Once she started accepting something just wasn’t quite right Janet ploughed headfirst into what can only be described as a living nightmare. Really enjoyed this short book and will look out for more from this author.

I went into this having been really lucky to get this on NetGalley because the story sounded ace and the cover was really cool.
The story is a really quite creepy story that was easy to read, somewhat easy to follow and a really enjoyable read.

We follow Janet, who's pregnant, but having visions of a boy in a red jacket. She goes back to her hometown and to her toxic parents to try and get closure so she can move on with her life.

There was a lot of mystery in the story, which blew my mind a bit when it was uncovered. It was scary in some parts but not extreme horror, more eerie and dramatic.

The only few downfalls I have that, had they not had these, Coffin Shadows would have been a perfect read.
I'd like to have uncovered more of the downfall in the relationship with her parents. Something comes to light, which would have added to the horror-ness of it all if there was more.
The ending was quite sudden, not that it was a bad ending just felt like it was over before I knew it.
And there were some parts of it that wrte a little confusing, how the narrative went back and forth between what happened vs. what didn't.

Other than that, I actually quite enjoyed it. Thanks again NetGalley and Silver Shamrock Publishing!

I loved this twisted tale of horror-ish delights. It’s eerie and creepy and had me hooked immediately. At first I wasn’t sure where the story was going which was good because I couldn’t put it down and finished the book in one day. :)
Coffin Shadows is an extremely engaging and rewarding read. I’ll make sure to keep an eye on what the two authors will come up next.

This book cover is absolutely stunning. “Coffin Shadows” is the second one designed by Kealan Patrick Burke that I have come across. His bookcover art is becoming a favorite of mine.


“Coffin Shadows”, a horror novella about an expecting second grade teacher named Janet. She keeps having visions of a boy wearing a red jacket, which tends to disturb her daily life. At some point, her doctor tells Janet to go to her parent’s to get some answers regarding her past. Janet was not expecting what she found and unfolded in her hometown. I appreciated that the author held onto these and reveled them slowly. They were almost like breadcrumbs that kept me invested in the story.


“Coffin Shadows” had a fairly slow pacing and buildup of the story. I could not predict where the story was going and was pleasantly surprised at the direction the story took. The story did feel a bit rushed at the end. The pacing at the end really did not sync with the rest of the novella. I felt if it was a little longer than more care could have been put into the ending.

In regards to the characters, I felt they could have been developed a little bit more. The reader gets enough of a snapshot of the characters in order to move the story along. They easily could have been more complex.

The compelling mystery in this novella can easily get the reader carried away in the story. It is easily a binge worthy story with the right amount of creepiness for a short horror novella.

Kick ass cover, and a collaborative effort between two authors who are frighteningly forthright when it comes to a telling horror story. Imagine you’re an elementary school teacher showing up to school for another stale day in the the classroom when a cadaverous 12-year old boy joins your fellow students...

Rating: 3.5/5 stars

“Coffin Shadows” is an eerie thriller, with a dash of horror. Overall, I enjoyed it, even though it felt short, somewhat rushed, and not fully fleshed out. The beginning was a bit slow to pique my interest because it felt like just any other generic supernatural thriller: a troubled woman seeing ghosts. However, as I read on and learned more about the protagonist’s life story, I became emotionally attached to her, wanting her to succeed and fight her demons. About a third of the way through the novel, unexpected elements were introduced that made it stand out as a unique plot, and I was hooked from there on out.

While the novel is categorized as horror, I would not necessarily classify it exclusively as such. It definitely includes some traditional horror elements, that I will not mention as to avoid spoilers, but it is not really scary at all. I wish that the authors had taken those elements and included them more in the plot, perhaps fleshing them out more with descriptions, to make the atmosphere of the novel fit the horror genre better.

Another criticism is that some of the best scenes, including the climax, felt rushed. What could have been some of the scariest, bone-chilling moments, were instead glossed over by an overused literary device: having the main character black out and forget what had just happened. I wish the reader could have been there with the protagonist while those critical scenes were happening, instead of hearing it from a secondary character after the fact. Perhaps adding some chapters from another character’s point of view would have avoided this, and filled in the plot holes.

Overall, “Coffin Shadows” is a quick and creepy read, with a few unexpected twists, despite lacking in horror and thorough plot development.

*I received a complimentary copy of this book on NetGalley and have provided an honest review.*

Janet, newly pregnant, begins to see a 12 year old boy in a red hooded coat in odd places. Peeking at her from behind a tree, inside the coat closet at school, under the wheels of a passing car. Needless to say, this freaks Janet out. After over a decade Janet decides to head back to her hometown to see what connection these visions may have with her past trauma and her current life. Things get stranger from there. You never know what's really going on behind picket fences and small town smiles.
This was an enjoyable read and the boy in the red hoody was a great creepy element. He kind of reminded me of the classic horror film "Don't Look Now". Great visual. #netgalley #CoffinShadows

I received a copy from Netgalley and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I found this in the Read Now section of Netgalley. I liked the cover, the concept sounded good, and it had some positive reviews, so I thought, let's give it a shot.
I'm glad I did. This was an engaging, well-paced horror-ish short with a very satisfying ending. The writing was solid, the characters were realistic (even though the subject matter was most definitely not), and the outlandish twist 3/4 of the way through was actually pretty great (and it didn't come out of nowhere, which I appreciate- the author set it up well).
I want to reiterate how satisfying the ending is, unlike a lot of horror stories, which rely on sort of vague, mean-spirited endings. I was pleasantly surprised.

I received a copy of this novel through net galley in exchange for an honest review.

Normally I have seen this book popping up on my social media for a little bit now, and at first I felt like it might be something that yes I would read but I was afraid I wouldn’t enjoy it.

I didn’t 100% enjoy this novel. That isn’t on the authors, or on the atmosphere of the story... it was on the Main character and my inability to really connect with her.

I can’t quite pinpoint my reasoning for it... maybe I felt a lack of depth... maybe I couldn’t relate to her story... but there was something that just pushed me to not enjoy her.

I continued to read though and ultimately the story is fantastic minus my least favorite character.

I guarantee that anyone else will most likely fall in love with Janet, she just wasn’t my cup of tea.

That being said... pick this book up and prove me wrong!

Amazing story. Well developed characters that are in a twisted engrossing thriller. Highly recommended. Super suspense that comes to a satisfying end! Highly recommended . A true roller coaster thrill ride

This novel was quite intriguing and pulled me in, within the first chapter. I wanted to find answers as much as Janet wanted too. I was not prepared for the answers I received as I read this suspenseful novel. The storyline was well developed and did not leave me wondering too much about what was going on with Janet and her family. The end was quite disturbing and I am not sure how I would have dealt it’s finding out the truth. A great read for supernatural suspense readers.

This was a well-paced tale blending supernatural elements with human monsters.

Janet Martlee, pregnant and uncertain of her future plans regarding herself or her fiance, is encouraged to travel home for answers and possible closure in the death, over a decade ago, of an infant son. The discovery of an abandoned house on her parent's property reveals long-buried memories which simultaneously expose secrets and serve to broaden the mystery and it's scope, seeming now to include the whole town. With the passing of each day, she remembers why she fled so abruptly in the first place, with no intention of looking back.

I will search out more work by both Glen Krisch and Mark Steensland, who have collaborated to craft a solid spooky story.
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/7583916-jon">View all my reviews</a>

I really enjoyed this book. I've read Glen Krisch before, but not Mark Steensland. I was glad to get a chance to read, and it didn't disappoint. Despite being short, this book had everything to enjoy. Highly recommend. Sometimes you have to go home to face the horrors that you have forgotten. "The treasure you seek is in the cave you fear to enter."

Coffin shadows by Glen Krisch.
This was a very good short read. I liked Brian and Janet. Looking forward to reading more from this author. 5*.

With a striking cover and an ominous sounding plot, this seemed like a good midnight read. I must say the quality of this publisher’s output (specifically their line of these scary novellas) hasn’t been wowing really, it tends to be consistently on the average, vey occasionally going above and sometimes below that level. This one is, once again, well in the average territory. The writing is good, but the plotting essentially recycles the traditional genre scenarios with a twist you can predict from a good distance away. But having that been said, it’s a perfectly fine read, it’s entertaining and goes by quickly.
A young woman goes back to the small town she dramatically fled as a teen to confront her parents and find out the truth about the deadly circumstances leading up to her leaving. And of course, there’s evil there, it’s a small town, it’s a genre novel, what’d you expect, apple pies? So the trick is to just figure out what kind of evil is she dealing with. Is it of a natural of supernatural variety. To be fair, the former so often more effective than the latter, for the things people do to each other are devastating and terrifying (as the news so likes to remind us), so for a fictional refresher on those themes, there’s this novella.
And there you have it. A reasonably entertaining if not especially memorable quick read of backward small towns and backwardly dangerous small towners. Thanks Netgalley.

Janet Martlee, until recently, has been a happy woman. She's living with a man she adores, has a great teaching job.

She also has secrets... secrets that are coming back to haunt her.

A young boy keeps appearing, even in her school classroom. He wears a red sweatshirt and he is clearly dead... but she doesn't believe in ghosts. So who is he? And why is he only appearing to her?

Fearing for her sanity, she makes an appointment with her psychiatrist who urges her to go back to her hometown. She needs to confront her parents to answer the questions she never asked ... what happened to her? Her memories are almost gone from that time in her life.

Doing what was recommended, she faces her parents. Dad is in the hospital, but Mom seems to be hesitant to talk to her. What she explains just doesn't make sense. And she learns that a 12-year-boy is missing. Is this the boy in the red sweatshirt she keeps seeing?

They say the truth can set you free ... but it can also place you in a dark web of lies.. threatening your very existence.

This is a short read, less than 200 pages. The mystery/suspense starts on the very first page and holds a steady pace until the very surprising conclusion. The solidly drawn characters swirl in the midst of twists and turns that kept me riveted to each and every page.

Many thanks to the authors / Silver Shamrock Publishing / IBPA / Netgalley for the digital copy of this occult fiction. Read and reviewed voluntarily, opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.

I enjoyed this book. I wish there was a little more to it. It's unusual and scary. #CoffinShadows #NetGalley