This horror novel is guaranteed to send shivers up your spine! It's a very unique horror story that pulled me in right from the beginning. I enjoyed the characters and it definitely had some great twists. Overall, recommended to horror fans!

Ben Bookman has finished writing his novel, “The Scarecrow” at his ancestral home. On the eve of his book’s release, a terrible story begins to unfold in life. Detective Mills arrives at the gruesome scene of an accident that seems to reflect Bookman’s new book. When there is another murder of a family that reflects the first murder, he and his daughter — a rookie detective Samantha Blue, is determined to find the link to the book and the killer. Detective Mills wants to solve these murders before the book ends. Ben does become the prime suspect of the killings. Why? Ben decides to dig into Blackwood’s history. He discovers that he might had release something that was trapped. If so, it won’t stop killing regardless of his book. What will Ben do?

The author has written a spooky and suspenseful mystery. This is a creepy book to read. There are many twists and turns in the novel that intrigued me and kept my desire to know what would happen next. It’s a good horror novel.

Thank you Netgalley and Publisher for this Arc!

Wow! This is a terrifying read! It covered all the main points for horror. There may have been some parts that I didn't completely love but overall this was a great scare!

Gripping, thrilling, absolute page turner. I had the benefit of a quick road trip and read this in two sittings there and back, I could NOT put it down.

When Books Become Dangerous

One thing I enjoy about horror is that good writers can take familiar concepts and tweak them into new and original experiences. The Nightmare Man is one of these novels. In it, a bestselling horror author has a life-changing encounter with a disturbed fan. Stephen King, for example, has written at least four different books with this premise.

J. H. Markert has seasoned this book with a perfect blend of creepy and tragic ingredients: disappearances and bizarre killings occur in a usually sleepy town; a hidden supernatural legacy is revealed; family skeletons and marital problems add texture to complete a fresh, savory, and satisfying horror entree.

I cared about what happened to the characters, even though it's apparent from the start that Ben, the author, is struggling with far more than writer's block. I easily identified with Amanda, his wife, who's trying to hold their growing family together, even as her husband's involvement with developing events threaten to derail her own career. Things don't add up, and Ben, Amanda, and daughter, Brianna, don't realize the danger centered around Grandpa Robert's strange old house.

Whatever dysfunctions Amanda and Ben have, the relationship between Chief Givens and his daughter, Detective Blue, has been even more deeply damaged. Markert has used sensitivity to explain the widening gulf that hampers their ability to solve this inexplicable and gruesome crime wave. Lack of communication and dependability endangers them both and the resulting suspense got my adrenaline pumping.

The Nightmare Man is frightening, gory, and has a number of triggers that are meant for the mature reader. There's plenty of action and I couldn't guess what lay in store for the main characters. I believe horror fans will love it.

I do thank J. H. Markert, Crooked Lane Books, and NetGalley for a free advance reader's copy, but I'm under no obligation to temper my review. The Nightmare Man is a terrific read and I enthusiastically recommend it.

Benjamin Bookman has become a sensational horror fiction writer. As a popular author, Ben is always on tour for his books. At a recent book signing event, a customer walks up to Ben and mutters, “You stole my nightmare…This is on you…” The customer then pulls out his gun aims the barrel under his chin and shoots himself in the head. And so begins the terrifying tale of The Nightmare Man. Well, not so terrifying…

The Nightmare Man starts out with a bang and a hook to match. But the story really fails to launch. I was hoping for an unputdownable, horrifying read that would keep me up all night. Unfortunately, it just ended up as a lukewarm read that could have used more “oomph.”

The story unfolds between past and present. However, I didn’t quite see the point of using some of the past narratives as it didn’t make much sense within the whole scheme of things. I kept wondering why they were included in the first place, as it just made for a disjointed read.

The premise of a fictional horror story becoming real has promise. It’s just that the execution didn’t quite make it. I seem to think that the narrative would have played out better if the science fiction and fantasy elements were left out. The focus could have been centralized on the gruesome murders and the sick perpetrators that executed them — tying them to an evil doctor that somehow brainwashed them into the monsters that they’ve become.

There were a number of characters. But in the horror genre, they don’t need to be well developed as much. It’s the slash factor that counts. However, I did find that the interchange in character names did get a bit confusing.

Not the best horror novel that I’ve read, but the author has promise being that I managed to finish the book. I look forward to reading more of this author’s work as his horror prowess grows. Two promising stars.

I received a digital ARC from Crooked Lane Books through NetGalley. The review herein is completely my own and contains my honest thoughts and opinions.

The bones were there, the synopsis was STRONG. The delivery was disjointed and lacking, the only good part was the climax but the "big reveal" was a let down. I found myself pushing through to finish this one, and it was not what I was hoping.

This book was absolutely incredible! I had no clue what direction it was going to take.

There’s a lot of amazing character development with a ton of scares.

Wow!

Wow! The Nightmare Man by JH Markert got my attention! Detective Mills and his daughter Samantha, also a detective, are tasked with solving some really unusual murders. A family has been murdered and hung inside man-made cocoons inside their barn something about the same as familiar. It’s because the same thing happened in local author Ben Bookman’s latest murder mystery!
The chapters alternate between Detective Mills’ and Ben’s point of view. We lear a lot about Ben’s childhood and his previous connection with Detective Mills. Throw in a creepy old mansion and a disturbing childhood and you’ve got a great thriller. This book was very scary, and I loved it! I will definitely be reading more books by this author. Thank you Net Galley, and the publisher for the advanced copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

I feel quite ambivalent about this book. The well known trope of a writer's story becoming reality was well handled and I found some of the characters believable and the book well written. However, I felt the large number of characters and shifting timeline was quite confusing. Also, from a personal perspective, I find the closer to reality a horror story is the more unnerving it becomes and (without giving spoilers) I couldn't buy into the premise of the origin of the nightmares so didn't find it scary.
thank you to netgalley and crooked lane books for an advance copy of this book

What a fantastic, nightmarish journey. The worldbuilding was immersive, the characters believable and enthralling, and it evoked happy memories of experiencing In the Mouth of Madness (a movie) for the first time. When fictional nightmares become real, worlds collide and you don't know which way to turn.

This is a must-have for any horror bookshelf.

Thank you. NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books, for the opportunity to read an advance reading copy.

"She looked up throught stringy hair and spotted Ben. Her eyes were dark. In her fingers was a tooth she'd just extracted from the slain officers mouth. She gave Ben another second's thought and the dug into the man's open mouth for another. Because that's what Tooth Fairies do. "

The Nightmare Man is a classic small town horror story with great worldbuilding, intriguing storyline, and a large cast of characters. I can definitely see why it is compared to the books Stephen King. I am definitely going to buy a physical copy of thid book when it's released!

Ben Bookman writes books based on nightmares, both his own and those of other people. But when people starts dying with an eerie similarity to Ben's newly published books, the detective duo Samantha Blue and her dad Mills is determined to find the link between these murders and his book. The premise of nightmares coming to live is something I really enjoyed, I found the Bad Cop and the Tooth Fairy especially creepy.

The first half of the book read pretty slow for me, I was pretty confused with all of the different names of all the characters, but I enjoyed the world building and getting to know all the characters. I loved all the villains at the asylum, it gave me some Arkham Asylum vibes! In the second half the pace picks up a bit as we focus more on the plot and the overall storyline. It read more as a thriller as a horror, but I had a really fun time reading it, and its a 4,5 stars from me!

Thank you to the publisher, the author and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC! I will post this review on Instagram and Amazon closer to the release date in January.

There was a lot that I really liked about this book. I liked the character development that took place - Blue and her dad Mills are two detectives working a series of creepy and disturbing cases. Their relationship is complicated, but adds a nice dynamic to the overall story.

The general concept of nightmares being released (and similarly, captured in a book) is intriguing. Not so far-fetched that it seems unimaginable, but unique enough to grab hold and be interesting.

The tie-in between multiple nightmares running rampant gets a bit confusing, even a bit chaotic at times.

The story concludes well, and leaves the option for a sequel (which I would definitely read!)

Small town horror with a large cast of intertwining characters. Markert delivers a sense of dread through the atmosphere as the characters begin to connect the murders and pieces of the past. I enjoyed the exploration of nightmare folklore and I think this could make a really interesting American Horror Style style tv show. The prose and structure felt unfocused at times, especially changing from character to character. Many also had single syllable names which made them harder to keep track of. Interesting, but didn't absolutely grab me. The climax felt a little lackluster with the final reveal but I did enjoys these chapters more once everything came together.

4.5⭐️ this was Freddy Krueger meets folklore meets Supernatural (the tv show).

The beginning of the book had a lot going on and a lot of names thrown out which left me a bit confused as to where the book was going, however it was so well done! I absolutely devoured and enjoyed this book!

Thank you to Netgalley & Crooked Lane Books for the advance copy.

A masterful, atmospheric horror novel that has delicious/terrifying shades of The Silence of the Lambs and The Exorcist. It's one of my favourite reads of the year.

If you liked Goosebumps as a kid this book is your jam!
The Nightmare Man by J.H. Market Pub date 1.10.2023 is basically an adult goosebumps tale with a little book-within-a-book action.

Ben Bookman(seriously, that's his name) has written his latest bestselling horror novel following a town haunted by nightmares come to life when suddenly killings begin happening exactly like he described in his book. Father & daughter detectives are on the case and also trying to solve the mystery of the town's history of missing children. There's a lot going on in here and it gets a little campy, but I love that in a horror book! And the Scarecrow killer actually creeped me out! The descriptions of the handstitched corn husk cocoons to hang his prey in just had me shooketh.

Parts of the Nightmare Man scared me and I loved it so much I restricted myself to only reading it at night for maximum creep factor.
I really hope there's a sequel in the works!!

The Nightmare Man, by J. H. Markert

Short Take: Like Stephen King said, “Books are a uniquely portable magic.”

(*I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.*)

Hello Duckies, and welcome to my least favorite time of year! We’re pretty much out of Halloween candy, and although I got an extra hour of sleep last weekend, I can’t tell you how much I hate the afternoon darkness. The leaves are off the trees, and it’s been raining a miserable cold gray rain for the last two days, which only makes everything worse. So I was more than a little delighted when the book I chose from Netgalley, pretty much at random, turned out to be a darn good one.

There’s a very simple premise to The Nightmare Man - bestselling author Ben Bookman’s latest horror novel is about to be released, which should be an exciting time, but there’s one teensy little problem. I mean, other than the fact that Ben doesn’t really remember writing the book, or that he wrote it at his uncle’s creepy mansion, or that he may have done some pretty awful things while he was there. No, the real issue with Ben’s new book is that the gruesome murders in the story are actually happening, dismemberments and all.

Duckies, I’m not going to lie to you (have I ever? Maybe don’t answer that). The whole “writer’s book comes to life” has been done a lot. Like a lot-a lot. So in order for a story to grab me by the jibblies, it has to bring something very new and different to the table, and oh, my beloved nerdlings, Mr. Markert has succeeded and then some.

The Nightmare Man almost reads like a fairy tale, with a delicious mystery at its core, but it’s also a story of troubled marriages, addiction, the myriad ways that parents damage their children, and a strange mansion that I’d love to explore. Even though some of the characters feel a little cliche (aging cop with a drinking problem who is estranged from his adult offspring? SHOCKER), there’s enough heart and twists to keep me reading late into the night.

The Nerd’s Rating: FOUR HAPPY NEURONS (and some leftover Halloween candy, I could swear there’s a few more peanut butter cups hiding around here somewhere…)

Before anything, I’d like to thank Netgalley, for granting me an eARC in exchange of an honest review.

I wanted to read this book for the spooky season, sadly adulting got in the way of my plans. That being said, I LOVED THIS BOOK. Regardless of the season and time when you read it, it’s genuinely creepy.

I’m more into the scifi kind of horror but this book blew me away. It exceeded my expectations.

When I started reading it felt like something I’ve already read. The setting starts out not being super original: Murders are being committed in the exact same way they were committed in a book. That premise alone seems the be rehashed over and over. Bu that let that deceive you. The murders and setting are creepy enough to keep you reading, then, the story takes on a path that sets the plot apart from all the other similar books.

You get several different POVs that enhance the reading experience: you read from the police perspective, the author of the books and we even got some flashbacks.
I would actually watch an adaptation of this story, a movie or miniseries would be amazing!

From the start, it read like a horror classic which is why I would recommend this one to anyone wanting to get into the genre cause the plot starts being kind a generic but the story evolves into something unique and the writing style is easy to follow through.
If you are a genre vet this might seem like a rehashed premise but you might want to stick till the end for all the twists and turns.

Really surprised by this book and I’m eager to read what J.H. Markert writes next.

Imagine you've written a horror novel and it is coming true! Someone is committing murders the exact way they are described in your book. I would say how neat is that but that just sounds bad. But as far as the plot of the story it was really great.

The main male character last name was Bookman. Since he was an author I thought it was clever but it was so much more than a name.

Homemade cocoons? Nightmares? Possession? What more could you want??

The added relationship between Ben (main male character) and his wife Amanda added more of a personal touch to the book. Maybe that's not the best way to describe what I'm trying to say. I'm writing this at 1 am. Cut me some slack lol

The ending did feel a bit rushed but that could just be my personal preference

I'm honestly sad I have this as an eARC and not a paper copy because I'd love up re-read it next October! It's on my to buy list next year when it's released.

**will be posting a review on IG closer to release date.