The Nightmare Man is an entertaining horror novel that impressed me so positively that I was able to overlook a few weaknesses.

I liked the author's portrayal of Ben Bookman as the main character, whose plot suddenly becomes real and who therefore becomes the center of a murder investigation. His family history is a central element of the story and interested me, even though it became increasingly absurd.

The novel features an incredible number of characters. This naturally makes it easier to find someone I can warm to. Unfortunately, it also carries the risk that other characters might not interest me at all. That was unfortunately the case here.

Overall, I had a good time with the story—I just would have preferred to know more about the novel and its occult powers rather than the family history. I would have liked the author to focus on one aspect instead of cramming so many topics into a relatively short story.

My first experience of this authoru, and it defintly wont be my last. This title really hooks you from page one, and you wont want to put it down!

Scarecrow murders. Even the name draws forward so amny different horror stories or films that you're questioning what anyone could write to make it different. JH Markert so skillfully builds this story that you'll never compare it to any of those other "scarecrows". When an internationally famous author suddenly has copycat murders commited in his home town that match scenes from his newest book.....the one that hasn't been released yet....he's a natural suspect. More like a catalyst.
A mixed genre book that leans heavily on horror. Read it when you have no outside distractions, the story deserves you're attention. You'll thank me later.

I unfortunately did not read this book back in 2023 as I was in a hard place in my life and the content wasn't for me at the time.

This was an example of what a horror filled with thriller aspects should look like. I loved the way the MC used the scarecrow, which gave everything an unreal quality.

I was so invested but I am unsure if it was genuine interest or just confusion. It felt like this book wanted to be too many things at once? Like, was this a supernatural horror? a murder mystery? a play on some OG erotic horrors? I honestly don't know, and I just couldn't figure it out.

It just fell flat for me because I was too confused to be any other emotion.

Art is apparently imitating life as the events that happen in Ben Bookman’s newest release, The Scarecrow, start happening in real life. And Ben himself can’t really remember writing much of the book, only that he did it while he was in The Atrium, his grandfather’s “forbidden” room that’s full of thousands of books that have no words in them.

I haven’t really been reading horror the way I did in my younger years, but there was something about this story and the cover on the book that drew me in. It is quintessential horror, with the requisite amount of gore, as well as all the scare factors that keep you on the edge of your seat while reading. There were several times I had to put the book down, I guess I just don’t have the constitution for it like I used to.

This was one of the rare stories where I actually liked almost all of the characters. Ben was quite complex, and I really liked Mills and his daughter, Samantha. I wish we had gotten a bit more background on Blackwood Manor, the mystery of his missing brother and their grandfather, particularly since the events all seemed to start in the Atrium.

Overall, this was a book that creeped me out and gave me some good scares. Lots of twists and turns, and I know I’ll be thinking about it for a long time to come.

This was like two different stories in one, to me. It starts out one way — with the murders and the detectives and the mystery of Bookman’s lost weekend when he wrote the novel seemingly overnight — and ends in such a way that I wasn’t entirely sure I understood what was going on. Like, I don’t even know how to explain it? There was a house and rooms and little girls and what was up with that guy? The whole thing was bizarre and graphic, but also too convoluted for me.

Not gonna lie, this was kind of disappointing for me because the execution feels off. It reads like it wanted to be a supernatural horror epic but just couldn’t figure out how to do it in a way that wasn’t confusing.

Twisted and creep-tastic. We need more scarecrow horror! Get ready for some serious gooseflesh.
4 stars!

james NEVER misses. i’ve loved all the thrillers he’s ever came out with - they’re always complex, twisty and gripping - and this one was the same! the characters are always so cleverly created and appear at such convenient times… you can tell James plans this books comprehensively

A very exciting and original idea for a horror novel. I felt like I was reading an 80s paperback that you would find out a used bookstore.

The Nightmare Man is a delicious horror book.
J.H. Markert creates a world full of nightmares, magic, and horror. Ben Bookman has been writing horror books for years. But things turn dark when someone is perpetuating real-life murders that are the same as in his new book, The Scarecrow. At the center of the investigation is the writer himself who can't remember much of the weekend he wrote the book. Haunted by a history left by his grandfather, Ben learns that his family home may be at the center of the murders. So did Ben do it or is someone else trying to set him up?
The chapters switch between the detective investigating the case, Ben, and vignettes of the past. These past stories have no kind of timeline and it's hard to understand what goes where. (This is something Markert fixes in the next book.) The pacing is great, and the story is darkly imaginative but the ending is a little rushed. I imagine it's to add to the excitement but I didn't even have time to breathe.
But overall this is a solid novel.

Holy Sh¡t this one was terrifying. I'm not the biggest horror reader and I'm sure there are more terrifying reads out there, but this one scared me. I enjoyed this goosebump inducing scenes!

I found this book to be interesting enough to finish within a week. The twists and turns kept me turning the pages in search of answers. I do look forward to reading another of this author’s books on my TBR pile. Perfect mix of suspense & creepy.

Thanks to Netgalley & the publisher for the copy for review.

The Nightmare Man actually gave me nightmares. I love a good horror book and this one entered my top 5 as soon as I was done. Bravo.

The Nightmare Man hooked me on the cover alone. Scarecrows have always been creepy to me. The story started with a bang too. It could have been edited a little better there were a few slow parts especially at the beginning but overall it was a great, original horror story. I’ll definitely read the authors next book.

**Thanks to the author and publisher for the e-arc I received from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.**

This was an enjoyable, suspenseful read. I've seen a lot of criticism about unlikable characters but I think that may be part of the point of this book.

I have attempted to read this book three times now and have finally given up at the 70% mark. The first time I tried, I made it to 22% as it starts off really good, but then gets dull. The second time, I made it to 35% and just got so bored. The characters are all so unlikeable - especially the main character. There is so much dialogue and just repetitive description that it took a lot for me to get to 70% - even with eventually skimming paragraphs. This book had so much promise for me, and it does have a great creepy vibe, but it just fell short of what it could have been.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review. This is my first time reading this author, but I can see myself needing to pick up the rest of them based on this book alone. A truly enjoyable, suspenseful read. I couldn't get enough.

Well written, keeps you engaged up till the end. There is total tension while you wait to find out what happens at the end, and that is my kind of book! Murder, spooky, dark woods. Yup.