The Nightmare Man captivated me from the very first chapter. Murders that are copied from a book are hardly a new thing to write about, but the way Markert writes it. Well, I was hooked and I found the story to be thrilling. The ending, well let's say that I want a sequel to this book because I feel that this is just the top of an iceberg...

Update: There is a sequel called The Mr. Lullaby and I can't wait to read it!

Let me be honest that I wasn't a prior reader of any piece of writing by Markert. However, this book caught my eye due to a rather decently designed cover, mysterious, to say the least. The title tickled my fancy as well.

"The Nightmare Man" by J.H. Markert is a chilling horror novel that masterfully illustrates the fine line between humanity and monstrosity. The story is set in the small town of New Haven, where the ominous Blackwood mansion, surrounded by creepy pines, looms atop a hill ... the perfect, though common setting for a horror story.

The protagonist, Ben Bookman, a bestselling novelist and heir to the Blackwood estate, spends a weekend at the ancestral home to finish writing his latest horror novel, "The Scarecrow". As the book's release approaches, the terrifying story within begins to unfold in real life.

Detective Mills arrives at the scene of a gruesome murder: a family butchered and bundled inside cocoons stitched from corn husks, eerily mirroring the opening of Bookman's latest novel. As the series of "Scarecrow crimes" continues to mirror the book, Ben quickly becomes the prime suspect.

Markert's writing style is taut and often cryptic and works well for a gory story in this genre. The plot's hammier excesses are easy to get through as it reaches its chilling climax. The book is a masterful, atmospheric horror novel that has deliciously terrifying shades akin to the legendary Exorcist.

I seriously read and/or review over 300 books annually, as part of my professional practice and "The Nightmare Man" scores high on my favorite reads of 2023, and fans of old-school horror, in my opinion should give this book a shot. It's a horror story with a mystery feel to it and a touch of a psychological thriller. This story making it a must-read for any horror genre enthusiast. Kudos Markert, I personally look forward to more chills, thrills, blood and gore from your pen.

DNF. The main character was abrasive and rude and I just could not get past that to continue reading.

I liked this one to start out with, especially the very creepy premise, but after a while it lost me. Too many characters and I just couldn't really care about any of them that much. The writing style just wasn't for me either. I think a lot of horror readers will like this one better than I did though!

This book had me from minute-one! Perfect horror book for the spooky season -- I know it came out in January but it's a great read for October. There are plenty of jaw-dropping moments to keep even avid horror readers intrigued, and I honestly didn't anticipate where the plot was going. It's a perfect blend of horror and magical realism, and Markert explains the lore behind mares in a way that holds the reader's attention while also not making it seem like the plot is taking a break for the sake of background information. Turning Mr. Dream and The Nightmare Man into actual people without them realizing it is just (chef's kiss). The only "hand-up" for me was towards the beginning -- before readers really understand what is going on -- there are so many outlandish bad guys that it feels like a spin-off of Batman and Arkham Asylum, which thankfully the author briefly acknowledges in the story. But once I fully grasped what was really going on, it all made sense and didn't come off as campy in the least bit. I thoroughly enjoyed this and shared so many scenes with my husband while I was reading it. Definitely a great horror read for us grown-ups who devoured R.L. Stine's Fear Street series when we were kids. Not for the faint of heart!

**Thank you, NetGalley and publishers, for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.**

While it turned out to be quite interesting, it was also messy and a bit convoluted. I'm not sure what made me accept this widget from the publisher but I did and then promptly avoided it. Decided I would read it during October. It was chilling and gruesome and a bit supernatural. But also a bit confusing. I liked the journal aspect. I probably won't seek out another Markert book though.

Ben Bookman, a bestselling horror author often compared to Stephen King, is the heir to the ominous Blackwood estate, a mansion steeped in chilling history. During a weekend stay at Blackwood, Ben embarks on and completes his latest book, “The Scarecrow.” However, the eerie twist comes when the events of the story begin to manifest in real life, starting with a gruesome crime scene that mirrors passages from Ben Bookman’s terrifying novel. This sinister turn of events spirals out of control as Ben finds himself a prime suspect in the unfolding horror.

In the realm of horror literature, this narrative stands out for its distinctive approach. The story boasts a plethora of characters, occasionally posing a challenge to navigate, especially given the complex web of familial relationships. Nevertheless, the effort invested in unravelling the characters’ connections is well worth it.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for sending a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

If you are looking for a spooky read this season then look no further! This read scared the daylights out of me! Granted, I don't read much horror, and I thought this would be more of a thriller and I guess it was but I just found the subject matter terrifying. I thought the character development was very well drawn out and cohesive to the story line. I will recommend this to my customers

Thank you to Netgalley and Crooked Lane Books for an early copy in exchange for an honest review.

This novel is a small town horror similar to old school Stephan King, and I would have to agree with that statement. It was very atmospheric and creepy. I ended up reading this book after the second one written: Mr. Lullaby to see if Mr. Lullaby was a kind of a sequel of sorts and I would have to disagree. The characters were all different yet the "theme" or plot was quite the same. Centering around mares and old school lore. I was able to keep myself invested though with all the different characters and storyline and I enjoyed this story so much that I was able to read it in just a few sittings. This was a highly recommended book for me.

Overall, a very solid and spooky novel. It did drag a bit in the middle but was creepy enough to keep me engrossed. I will say, there were some weirdly sexual aspects sprinkled in throughout this, and in my opinion they were unnecessary and just like "...alrighty then".

I am interested to see what this author does next, and look forward to reading more from them. This has the potential to be a series based on the ending of the book, so I’m curious as to if that’ll end up happening!

Creepy, atmospheric and well written horror story that I have been needing to read for a long time! Thank you for the opportunity to read it.

What a whirlwind. The title made me think of other things and this definitely got the inspiration going for me for the WIP I’m doing. 4 star attraction.

Thank you to NetGalley, J.H. Markert and Crooked Lane Book for the free e-book in exchange for an honest review.

I wasn’t sure how this was going to go but the cover is amazing and the synopsis sounded good, so I decided to try. Man, am I ever glad I did. I loved this creepy, dark and suspenseful novel. I read it in two sittings and was totally annoyed to have to put it down. I can’t wait to read more from this author.

All books deserve a second chance. I've always thought that before, but now I'm really sure of it.

I first started reading this book in the summer of last year, but I only got to 7% before putting it down. It was only the other day, a full year and some, that I decided to pick it up again. And boy, am I happy with that decision.

First of all, this was very easy to read. It flowed well, and I rarely felt lost, even though there was like a bazillion plotlines happening all at the same time. The characters also felt real, alive. Sometimes they talked too similarly to each other, but that was fine. I loved reading about their backstories. And I enjoyed their interactions with each other. That's mainly why I had a lot of fun with this book. I wasn't just looking forward to the ending – I was looking forward to the next scene, the next dialogue, the next secret to uncover.

The moment the main killer got revealed was when it all started going downhill for me. All of a sudden, it seemed like the author just wanted to get things over with. To reveal everything at the same time. The next chapters became twist after twist after twist – so many that although it was great at first, eventually, it just became predictable that there was going to be a twist. And another one after that, for sure.

By the time I got to the ending, the book was merely a 3.5 for me. But I'm still giving it a solid 4 because at some point, like before the 50% mark, I was even contemplating giving it a 5. So overall, I did like the book. I enjoyed it. And I certainly don't regret reading it. But knowing now what the last 30% holds... sorry to say, but The Nightmare Man failed to hold me tight.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

The cover is what grabbed me. I knew that this was going to be an intensely horror/thriller. I listened to the Audio and you really have to listen. There is a lot going on and many characters, combining ordinary nightmares to a grotesque outcome. If you are a fan of horror, I highly recommend this book.

Did not finish at 31%
Even if I didn’t know beforehand I could’ve easily picked up that this was written by a man. It’s the way he talks about everything, how he narrated through the main character’s eye. Though I dnfed this it did help me to see what I like and don’t like in adult thriller/horror novels. The fact that this had nearly nothing of what I like – says a lot, I think. I have this author’s new arc as well so I hope it’s better.

The main character was an edgy cop and I watch a lot of crime shows – I watched a lot of CSI as a kid, rewatch the older seasons of Criminal Minds because I love them. So I understand the whole ‘edgy cop’ vibe that writers like to go for (even though it’s much overdone and therefore very stereotypical). Markert didn’t write it well. Tried too hard to make the Dectective Mills edgy. I just skim read when he spoke about something that I knew would make him more edgy – because I didn’t care!

The other main character was a writer and I actually preferred when the chapter focused on Mills instead of the author. Nothing really wrong with how Ben Bookman was written, I just didn’t like him at all.

The horror aspect was okay – I didn’t understand any of it, unfortunately. The plot was very confusing and was another reason for me to dnf. Even when I skipped ahead and read around I still didn’t understand anything. Actually, in my opinion, it read like it went on downhill in terms of quality. I was sad because in the beginning it felt a bit like Sinister and I love that movie so I wanted to see that type of thing here.

Ben Bookman is a successful novelist. On the eve of his newest release, "The Scarecrow," some really bizarre things begin to happen. People have been brutally murdered and more deaths are to come, suspiciously in a similar manner to the deaths in the book. Is Ben some sort of crazed murderer? Could there be a deranged super fan out there killing people???



This book is EXCELLENT! If you have the opportunity to listen to this as an audiobook...DO IT! I read this book as well as listened to it, I personally preferred the audio. There are ALOT of characters, as well as a bit of back and forth between present and past, so it's pretty easy to get lost.

This whole book is one hell of a twisty ride. It has the perfect balance of spooky. If you're looking for extreme horror, this will most likely not satisfy your need for gore, BUT it does have a few decently gruesome scenes. It also has a nice amount of "WTF, just happened moments"

Grab your own copy today and find out just what's happening in the town, but be careful what you dream because it just might kill you.

As always, thank you to the publisher and netgalley for providing me a copy in exchange for an honest review

This was my first read of 2023 and it was the best book I could have possibly started the year with. I devoured this story. I still have vivid images of the cocoons stuck in my head. I will probably reread this book every year. I enjoyed the POVs, the horror atmosphere, the twists and turns. I truly cannot wait to see what the author comes up with next.

I was so excited to read this and enjoyed it for the most part. The writing was completely atmospheric and I found myself creeped out at times. There’s a part that happens 60-65% of the way in, though, that really just took me out of the story. I just didn’t find it necessary.

Aside from that, I enjoyed the story but found the pacing to be inconsistent. There were a lot of character and some side stories that really did not add much to the whole. Some actually creepy parts with some cheesy horror. I had fun reading this and look forward to checking out more from the author.

This was a novel where the author had a lot of really good ideas for the plot but wasn't quite able to execute them well, for me. The initial premise of a series of murders following the plot of a novel is very much just the initial premise. There is an awful lot more going on here, which makes the opening part of the novel quite confusing. It takes a while to get a hold of things and you are never quite sure who to trust. I thought that some of the reveals felt a bit obvious and sometimes contrived and overall, while I did definitely enjoy the book and will be picking up the author's work in future, I just found the narrative to be a bit disjointed throughout.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review.