The opening to this horror novel is exceptionally good. It’s gripping, horrific and emotional, with the protagonist desperately trying to get home to his family after their home is invaded.
And then the story pace slows to a crawl as the hero wallows in alcohol fuelled self pity whilst some kind of haunting stuff happened.

FAITHLESS by Hunter Shea, In a word—WOW!

I have been a fan of Shea’s writing for a few years now, so it’s always an honor and a pleasure to receive an advance copy of any book in Shea’s catalog for review.

The storyline in FAITHLESS centers around Father Raul Figeuroa, his wife Bella, their two young children Abel and Lizzy, and the heinous act that destroys the family…

How does one bear witness—over the phone—to their entire family being brutally murdered and emerge from the other side unscathed?

You don’t.

When the weight of loss, grief, and maintaining a semblance of faith becomes too much for Father Figeuroa to endure, he decides to leave the priesthood to live in his Aunt Ida’s empty farmhouse in upstate New York, wherein he tries to numb his mind and body with alcohol and pills. As the reader, you soon wonder...

Are the voices and noises he hears in the house real, or only a figment of his inebriated stupor?

You will have to read the book and find out for yourselves. ;) I will say—My Heart!

Highly Recommend!

Thank you, NetGalley and Flame Tree Press, for providing me with an eARC of FAITHLESS at the request of an honest review.

Side Note: Please don’t view the delay of this review as a lack of interest, want, or respect on my part towards the author and publisher as I try to catch up on my vast to-be list.

Hold onto your hats, folks! This one is nuts!

Father Raul Figeuroa is on the phone with his wife when intruders break in and murder her and their children. Police have no leads, only being able to confirm that there were multiple assailants. Raul is lost, and decides to give up his church and move to his deceased Aunt Ida's house in the country. He slowly begins to drink and drug himself to death, making sure not to overdo it too much so he can suffer for not being present to save his family. But then strange things start to happen. He hears little footsteps running around upstairs and voices coming from the basement. Is the alcohol and drug combo causing him to hallucinate? Or are his dead wife and children haunting him? Raul's old friend, Felix, comes to visit when he learns of the tragedy that has befallen him. What Felix finds is a shell of a man. But is Raul losing his mind, or is something else going on in the old house?

What a total emotional roller coaster! You can't help but feel Raul's devastation and heartbreak. But when Felix arrives and subsequently leaves... things go nuts.

I can't say more without spoiling, but trust me when I say this tale is well worth the price of admission.

True rating is 3.5, but rounded up for Goodreads.

I was absolutely loving this book up until the last 50 pages or so. It was a portrait of what inexplicable tragedy and the grief that follows after can do to a person, laced with a possible supernatural presence. I enjoyed that story far, far more than the full-blown (and unfortunately stereotypical) religious possession-fest that it ended up being, topped off with what felt like an overly melodramatic and corny ending.

I realize this sounds harsh, so I do want to just say again how much I enjoyed the rest of the book. Even though I didn't like the ending, the rest of the book really was a fantastic read that had me hooked from the very start.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing a free copy in exchange for an honest review!

This was another one of those pleasant surprises! This was my first Hunter Shea read and I really enjoyed it. I could tell from the beginning it wasn't my usual style but I'm starting to feel my tastes are expanding a bit since last year. By the half way mark of this one I was hooked and reading whenever I got the chance. The few twists and turns along the way kept things interesting and I even got goosebumps a few times when reading. I really felt the author nailed the ending of this one! I even enjoyed the very end that had a feel like a movie clip that comes back on after the credits roll of a film. I found myself feeling for the main character, growing attached to some of the supporting characters and constantly guessing who is going to do what next!?

One phone call changed his entire life. His wife. His children. Gone in one act of extreme violence. His faith, his church, his one sanctuary is gone because what god could be so cruel? The only way to overcome his extreme grief is drinking himself to unconsciousness.

As a last ditch effort to regain a life he no longer cares about, Raul moves to a desolate cabin in the woods. But his family follows. Haunting him from within the walls. Sure he's going crazy an old childhood friend tries to show him that this is just a manifestation of his extreme pain over the loss of his family.

But the longer he stays at the cabin, the more he learns about a dark history and the voices may not just be inside his head.

This book oozes grief from every page. It's a painful read, but a great story with a twist I didn't see coming.

Thank you to FlameTree Press for and NetGalley for an ARC of this title.

Classic good versus evil story. There are horrifying and hard to imagine scenarios. Excellent horror story!

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the eGalley. All opinions are my own.

Shea has a knack for producing raw, emotionally driven horror with imperfect, broken characters. His novel Creature broke my heart with its flawed characters and poignant storytelling and Faithless is no different.

Faithless starts with anxiety-fueled adrenaline as Father Raul Figeuroa drives home one rainy night only to hear his family cry out as they are attacked and killed. He makes it home minutes too late. The police have no leads and the loss sends Raul reeling. He retreats to his late aunt's farm where he spent time growing up, truly hoping to drink himself stupid. And he does.

After the first few pages, Faithless loses its momentum but I wouldn't expect any novel to hold such a frenetic pace. It's a slow burn as we cycle through the anguish and heartbreak that Raul experiences, even as he tries to drown his sorrows. Shea has created this character that your heart can't help but bleed for as he mourns his family. The loss is so profound that his faith, which has carried him for so long, suddenly can't be maintained. It's a thought that any person grieving might think: Why does God let these things happen? Only Raul's loss has completely ripped away his faith and in turn, his sense of self. It's heartbreaking and raw and Shea leaves us drifting away completely with Raul, unsure of his faith and his sanity.

Strange things start happening in the house. He hears the voice of his wife coming through the vents and the laughter and footsteps of his children overhead. Is it just the grief or is he truly haunted by the restless spirits of his family? The appearance of his old friend Felix can't even shock Raul out of his stupor, though Felix offers what the police can't—a possible unmasking and potential retribution. Felix at least breaths some life into the story during a long period of drinking, pill-popping, and wallowing. He leaves the farm to go find answers and it's a much-needed break from the stagnation at the farm.

Then we truly go down the rabbit hole. This ending is so far-fetched I can't even. It's gory and action-packed but it's out there. Ghosts, cults, attack cats. The eschewing of predestination being more powerful than the battle of good vs. evil. I don't know where I expected Faithless to go, but this was not it. I loved the setup but not the follow-through. Oh, and Bruiser. Always have to love the cat.

What this book has:

The most brutal, gut-wrenching, heart-breaking opening chapter I think I've ever read.

An exploration of grief.

A haunted house and a haunted man.

A crisis of faith.

A horrifying twist.

A final scene which makes this slow crawl of a story suddenly burst forth in flames and kaleidoscopic colors, going completely over the top in a 1980s special effects kind of way, which somehow manages to be kind of cheesy while simultaneously giving the reader goosebumps and maybe bringing a tear or two to the eye.

I haven't read all of Hunter Shea's works but I have thoroughly enjoyed - in a twisted horror-loving way - everything I have read so far.

I really wanted to like this book. I just couldn't find it in me to root for the main character. I felt like the writing was very repetitious as well and the book just did not hold my interest. This is the first book I have read by this author and this review is solely my own opinion.

I am a member of the American Library Association Reading List Award Committee. This title was suggested for the 2022 list. It was not nominated for the award. The complete list of winners and shortlisted titles is at <a href="https://rusaupdate.org/2022/01/readers-advisory-announce-2022-reading-list-years-best-in-genre-fiction-for-adult-readers/">

Disturbing and haunting, Reverend Figeuroa hears of the deaths of his family over the phone, during a violent storm. Unable to reach or help them, their deaths prey on him and he withdraws from society. The fear is well written here, and will remain with you long after finishing this well written novel.

A solid horror story that I read in one setting. I thoroughly enjoyed it. Tales of religion, demons, and the like have always been a favorite trope for me and this one is definitely up there with my favorites.

4 Stars!



Any time there is a new Hunter Shea novel, it becomes an immediate must read for me. Every since I first discovered him and his brand of borderline extreme horror, I have done everything I can to read his new books as soon as I can and am working on catching up on the ones I missed. Faithless and its wicked cover promised more of the same scares I have come to expect from Shea and I was happy to have a review copy to dig into.



Father Raul Figeuroa had the life he had dreamed about. After overcoming the sins of a youth lost to crime, he had found the perfect wife and had the perfect family. He was well-liked by his congregation and everything seemed to be going his way. Then came that rainy night. As he spoke to his wife on the phone while trying to navigate traffic, he heard someone invade their home and murder his family. Not only did he lose the ones he loved, he also lost all faith in life and God. He withdrew from the priesthood and from life in general, retreated to a country home owned by his deceased aunt, and made his only goal forgetting about his sorrow through alcohol until death finally came to claim him too.



Peace does not come that easily. The house seems to be haunted by his family and strange things keep happening that keep him from numbing his pain. All is almost lost when an old friend recently out of prison, Felix, finds him and works to clean him out. It becomes clear that the only way Raul may ever pull out of the ruin his life had become was through revenge. Felix begins to look into the murder of his family and the investigation turns into a much darker place than either man had thought possible. What evil from the past had come to claim Raul and his family for its own? As the secrets unravel, it appears as if that evil will not rest until it claims Raul as well. Will the two friends be able to hold off the darkness and escape with their lives?



Shea kicks off the novel with his normal high intensity mix of violence and action. The opening was thrilling and drew me right into the story. Then he pulled something that is a bit out of character: he took his foot off the gas and allowed emotion to simmer through the novel. There is a lot of time taken up with Raul's downward spiral away from his faith and sanity and the novel really did drag at points but not too badly. It was more unexpected than anything as Shea let the tension build and let the reader try to figure out what is happening to Raul. Whether it is ghosts, the alcohol, or something else, the haunting of the house is a bit suspicious from the outset and grows more so as the story rolls along. This was unlike anything that I had read from Shea in the past.



In his normal fashion, however, Shea ramps things up at the end and puts a terrifying twist to the story that is hard to see coming. The conclusion of the tale is explosive and bleak with Shea pulling no punches as the body count piles up. This novel is very different from Shea's other works but it has many of the same elements as well. There is a humanity to this novel that sometimes does not come through in his other works as it is a longer novel that takes time to simmer and develop. This may not appeal to some of his fans who have come to expect quick-hitting monster action from his works but he handles it well. Not perfectly as the story does drag a little bit in the middle but it does show his growth as an author and that there may be much better things on the horizon. Faithless is a bit of a different novel than expected when I started the book but delivers in the end. Fans of Shea should not hesitate to pick up this novel. It was not his best to date but it definitely left me satisfied and curious as to what he may have up his sleeve next.



I would like to thank Flame Tree Press and NetGalley for this review copy. Faithless is available now.

Pain and loss have always been great fodder for horror stories and this one is no exception. Hunter Shea pulled on my heartstrings so hard they snapped like the strings on a ravaged guitar.

Father Luis Figueroa is stuck on the side of the road and on the phone with his wife, when their home is invaded. He listens as strangers attack his family. Raul abandons his dead vehicle and runs home, only to find his house surrounded by police. His family is gone. His faith is gone. And that's just the start of the story. Will Raul be able to get through this tragedy? You'll have to read this to find out!

I thought I was immune to all the feels where Hunter Shea is concerned-after reading CREATURE, I thought there was no way for him to get to me again. I was wrong. So very, very wrong. I felt what Raul was feeling, I was there, in his head. The loss of his faith, the loss of his will to live, I felt it all. But it wasn't only Raul. His friend Felix also carved out a special place in my heart. The bad guy who needs to redeem himself-needs to accomplish one great "right" to balance out all of his little wrongs. I loved these men.

I haven't spoken too much about the plot because I don't want to ruin it, but there were some genuinely scary portions in this book. I'm talking "maybe I shouldn't read this in my dark house all alone" type scares. I don't scare easy, but I was tense the entire time Raul was under attack. (Again, you'll have to read this to find out!)

I'll just wrap this up by saying that this book was marvelous. It has all the things lovers of dark fiction enjoy: grief, horror, scares, redemption, darkness and light. FAITHLESS is a prime example of modern day horror at its best and Hunter Shea shines as one of the best horror authors out there. Don't miss this one!

My highest recommendation!

*I received an e-ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for my honest feedback. This is it!*

My reading journey was interrupted by some health issues which is why it took me so long to read this but I did like this story although it seemed a bit too long.

FAITHLESS, by Hunter Shea, is not one of his cryptid features. Rather, this is a brutal, emotional, and haunting story that will not let your mind rest after you turn that final page. It's one that lingers, causing you to second guess everything you once thought.

Father Raul Figeuroa, an Episcopalian priest, is driving home in a downpour. He puts the speakerphone on to hear his wife Bella, and children Axel and Lizzy, in an attempt to calm his panicked nerves. When the sound of violent breaking, screaming, and crying come through over the phone, he rushes home on foot--only to find the scene of anyone's worst nightmare.... His entire family slaughtered. (Not a spoiler, just the setting for the book).

Raul is lost after this, leaving the parish to go to the country property left to him by his Aunt Ida. His faith in shambles, he begins to hear the voices of his dead family around him.

This is a character study in the best (worst?) possible sense. We see first hand how his mind begins to deteriorate with the help of alcohol and anti-anxiety medications. He exists, but barely so. You can't help but feel his raw pain, loss, and question the meaning of everything in this novel.

And then, things get bad .

To say any more would ruin the tale--this is one you need to experience for yourself, through Raul's eyes. A haunting, horrific novel that you won't forget....

(Love the Bruiser! ;) )

Recommended!

I am a huge Hunter Shea fan but there does come along a book now and then that I am just not a huge fan of and I am afraid this one was one of them.

Father Raul, a episcopal priest, was on his way home from a nearby parish when he calls his wife and while talking to her he hears someone break into their home and murder his family while he was driving home. I am sure like a lot of people he has a hard time dealing with this, and quits being a priest and gets drunk a lot. He decides to move to his aunt’s house because he inherited after she died.

While at his aunts home he drinks a lot and pops a lot of pills. He is on anxiety and depression medicine that your are not suppose to mix with alcohol but he doesn’t really care. It’s just him and he is grieving and wondering why this happened. A cat seems to want to befriend him even if he doesn’t want it around.

Then he starts hearing things, voices, thumps, giggles and he starts to believe that he is hearing his family. So he drinks some more and pops more pills and so forth. This happens a lot then his old friend Felix shows up one day out of the blue, a friend he actually thought was dead. Felix got the information for where he was from Raul’s inlaws as he had heard what happened while he was in jail. He can tell that Raul is very messed up and stays with him a while and is kind of freaked out by how his friend is acting. He offers to go find those who killed his friends family.

Once he leaves to go see what he can find out that is when the book takes a bit of a turn into what seems like a totally different book.

So it starts out pretty interesting and I get that Raul is falling apart and grieving but it gets real boring real quick for me when I have to read over and over about him drinking and popping pills. It makes him a very unreliable narrator and you don’t know if he is hearing things or if it’s just his drunken state of mind and I don’t like that. And then for it to go for page and page. It wasn’t till about 60% into the book when Felix leaves to find things out that it starts to get interesting. I very much enjoyed the 40% or so of the book when things just ramp up and go but by then I was so tired of the book. It had a great ending but it was only enough to bump the rating from 2 to 3 stars. If the whole book would have been as cool as that last part it would have gotten a higher rating.

I felt bad for Raul but as a character I wasn’t his biggest fan. I liked his friend Felix better and thought it was pretty cool of him to go and try to find those who killed his friends family. I also really liked the cat!! I kept wondering about that cat through the whole thing as it seemed strange and the cat is a big part of the book. 🙂

I do think there are people that will enjoy this way more than I did so I would say if you think it sound good give it a try.

Father Raul Figeuroa is driving home, talking to his wife on the phone, when intruders break into his home and murders her and their two children. There is no physical evidence and no leads as to who could have commited the crime or why. Raul loses his faith, and moves into his late Aunt's farmhouse to drink himself into a stupor. Soon he starts hearing strange noises, and even the voices of his late family calling to him. When an old friend from his past turns up, things start getting stranger and stranger.

What a thrill ride this book was! It kept me guessing up to the very last moment. Each time I thought I understood what was going on, I was led in a different direction. I was kept on the edge of my seat throughout the reading of this book. I'd definitely recommend it for those who enjoy a creepy book!

Thanks to Flame Tree Press for sending me an eARC of this book via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review

A Nightmare Of A Book (In The Best Way!

Father Raul Figueroa, an Episcopalian priest is driving home in a blinding rainstorm one night and while having a conversation with his wife and children on speakerphone (Bluetooth), he suddenly hears a thunderous crash and his children are screaming and his wife is pleading (with who) and Father Raul is praying, begging God for their safety and then then the phone goes silent. Raul is numb, more than devastated, his grief is beyond words and his faith is lost, he is lost. Raul decides to move into his beloved, deceased Aunt Ida's house where he spent every summer as a boy growing up since it is secluded out in the country completely isolated from just about everyone. Raul plans to slowly drink and drug (prescription) himself to death so he may join his family wherever they might be in the netherworld but he never expected he would find himself being haunted by unseen intruders. Raul doesn't believe in ghosts but he continually finds himself being terrorized, so he just keeps drinking his mind and body into oblivion most of the time until unfortunately it only makes his hauntings worsn. Is Raul really being haunted by ghostly entities or are are they delusional demons of his almost completely, demented mind?

One day an old friend (Felix) from his prior priesthood days who Raul thought was long dead shows up out of the blue determined to help and save his friend from whatever is taking place in this house and to find out who savagely murdered Raul's family and why. Felix had seen and dealt with just about every thug or killer in his unsavory past but he never dreamed he would be caught up in something so obsurely evil that he could not wrap his head around the facts but he is determined not to give up while also putting his own life in danger and do everything humanly possible to save Raul's life and hopefully his soul.

This was a story of a battle between good and evil. The first chapter was an unexpected jaw-dropper and continuously builds slowly and spookily yet consistently until the halfway point of the book and then BAM! There was non-stop action and all kinds of a creepy spookfest that I didn't see coming. There were some excellent, unforeseeable twists that are terrifyingly unimaginable and made to work because they are derived only from the wildly creative and talented mind of horror writer "Hunter Shea". Be prepared for many horrifying and hard to imagine scenarios that will play out until the very end the book. I highly recommend this story to all horror readers and anyone who wants to read about your worst nightmare coming true!

I want to thank the publisher "Flame Tree Press" who continue to publish wonderful horror books and also Netgalley for the opportunity to read this scary novel and any thoughts and opinions expressed are unbiased and mine alone!

I have given this frightening novel a rating of 4 1/2 HORRIFYINGLY DELICIOUS 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌠 STARS!!I

Author: Hunter Shea
Publisher: Flame Tree Press
Publishing Date: October 26, 2021