The Nightmare Man is an absolutely thrilling read! Relatable characters, intriguing settings, a solid story, and a wealth of mysteries. Markert puts the reader in the middle of things right from the start, pacing the tale brilliantly, allowing glimpses of the whole picture only when it suits him. This makes for a terrific horror novel, bringing the reader into the story bit by bit, providing a deeply satisfying feeling of discovery.

A creepy mansion, conjoined with a mysterious asylum, which we don’t see until later in the story, haunts the background, as the story develops layer by layer. In a smart and no-nonsense way, we are introduced to Detective Mills and his daughter, Samantha (Blue), on the one hand, and the Nightmare Man himself, the horror author Ben Bookman, on the other. The narrative revolves around the issue of family: the father-daughter relationship, marital problems, family secrets, the strength of past sins, and a haunting family legacy. Once this has been set up, the supernatural element transforms everything into the most disturbing, suspenseful, and extraordinarily creative horror tale I’ve seen in a long while! This is the kind of book every horror fan longs for!

The main premise (the reality of nightmares and their impact in the case of children) is original, extremely well-done, and never derails the emotional baggage characterizing the twists and turns of the Bookman family’s story.

In addition, the writing is pure joy: fresh, intelligent, sharp, and direct, constantly urging the reader to turn the page and see how it all pans out.

Special thanks to Crooked Lane Books, the author and NetGalley for an advance reader's copy.

This is the best kind of horror novel. It is haunting and many times gory, but the solid storyline is intricate and absorbing. Oh yes, there are definitely nightmares here. The premise is a doctor can take nightmares away from children and they will no longer have them. However, he captures the nightmares in a book. When the book is opened for a certain short period of times the nightmare contained in the book can escape and become real. There are those who have nightmares and a few who can take nightmares away. There is a creepy, old mansion with an even creepier asylum on the grounds to set the atmosphere.

There are some really good characters here. I most liked Detective Mills and his daughter, Samantha. I ended up sometimes liking Ben Bookman, the horror author, but not always. I really liked Ben's daughter though. There are a lot of characters to keep up with, so I have to admit to sometimes getting a little mixed up. The history of the nightmares and how they are passed was really interesting.

I recommend this to anyone who likes scary stories and can handle some chaotic gore. It gets gross sometimes. The story is a good one!

Thanks to Crooked Lane Bpoks through Netgalley for an advance copy. This book will be published on January 10, 2023.

The Nightmare Man hit the perfect level of horror and mystery for me and has made me look at nightmares in a whole new way, It was a slow-burn horror, all the murders and nightmares build on themselves until all that's left is the answer that seems impossible but is also the only thing that makes any sense at all.

This story is multilayered, and the characters were so real feeling it sucked in from the first page, the deeper I got into the story the faster I wanted to finish to see how everything was going to end. I loved the family dynamics and how everything was connected, The scenes at Blackwood were some of the creepiest and my favorite.

All the horrors inside have me a little worried about what I will be dreaming about tonight. It doesn't help that I live in the country with lots of farms that grow corn, and have scarecrows... I'll definitely be keeping an eye on them.

Bravo J.H. Markert! As your first horror novel, this book is a big win! I’ve been strapped to find a book I consider “perfect.” One that fits the level of horror, thriller, and mystery I desire, with beautifully descriptive writing, that keeps you hooked from the moment you pick it up. I consider this a perfectly written book!

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.