If you love books filled will horror, mystery, suspense, and thrills, I highly suggest you read this book. J.H. Markert brings you into a story that is so wild and twisted. I've never read a story like this one, and I loved it. All these characters are haunted by nightmares at some point in their lives, and after seeking professional help from Robert Bookman they all go away. Where did they go, though? Why are the gruesome murders occurring are just like the nightmares? Why are the murderers copying the characters from Ben Bookman's stories? Those are just a few of the questions you'll ask as you read along, but there will be many more questions with answers that are extremely shocking. When I tell you I was glued to this book, I'm not exaggerating. Once you get pulled into this story, it is hard to put down. It's packed full of wonderful characters, unbelievable horror, and family secrets that go back generations. I just can't get over how brilliantly this was written. I really can't recommend this book enough.

RATING:: 4 stars

Thanks to #netgalley and #crookedlanebooks for my advanced readers copy in exchange for an honest review!

I am always on the lookout for new horror authors who give me the same thrills as SK and Dean Koontz, so I snatched this one up when it came up on Netgalley!

This was a dark and gritty horror that takes the reader on a wild ride in which for most of the book you haven’t a clue what is going on.

Ben is a successful horror author who is in a bookshop signing his latest book when a man approaches him and accuses him of stealing his nightmare. Then, in front of everyone, he pulls out a gun and shoots himself.
At the same time, the local police are called to a barn in the middle of a cornfield in Crooked Tree, where an entire family is found slaughtered and hung in cocoon-like traps made of corn leaves. This is exactly the same scene that takes place in Ben's latest bestseller.
And so the show begins.

I absolutely loved the concept of being able to capture nightmares or being possessed by them!

I found so many elements in this book that I love about a horror novel. We have an unreliable narrator, nightmares that become reality, references to local folklore, scarecrows, sleepwalking, cornfields and an asylum: the perfect ingredients for a great horror novel!

The pace was good and it held my interest throughout. There were some really gory scenes that I must warn the more squeamish of you about!

I would have given the book a higher rating if the ending had not been so confusing. There was too much last minute information thrown in and too many characters at the end to keep track of.

Also the big reveal seemed very unlikely and was never explained! I need to know what happened to Devon when he disappeared...

All in all excellent character development and writing style! The concept was very interesting and I hope to read more from this author....

This book was really good which was a surprise because it took me awhile to get into it. I enjoyed the characters and the entire plot. I really enjoyed this one and I world recommend it.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ This year is starting out really well. Another 5 star read. Hard to believe the author hasn’t written horror before. This story was electric and gripping start to finish. I can honestly say I didn’t want to put it down at any point. The horror drive on this was high and hit all the check marks for me to be a must read for 2023. You all have to check this out. Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced copy. I’ve already ordered my physical copy of this. Now if I could just get the author to sign it!!😜

I was extremely excited to read this book and although I found it highly entertaining I did lose a bit of interest toward the end.

This is a story about good against evil; about the Nightmare Man versus Mister Dreams.
If you are a scary cat this is definitely not something you must read otherwise the nightmares might just become too real for you!

What if your nightmares can be written up in a book and in that way you are cured of them? Wouldn't that be wonderful! The problem is what will happen if somebody opens that book? Will the nightmares become real?
If you want to know the answer to this you better read the book.......

"We collect books in the belief that we are preserving them when in fact it is the books that preserve the Collector" philosopher Walter Benjamin

Thank you to Netgalley and Crooked Lane Books for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion

📖 A R C / A L C • R E V I E W 📖
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Title: The Nightmare Man
Author: J. H. Markert
Rating: 4/5 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
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The Nightmare Man is a unique story filled with very interesting concepts, gore galore, a very large cast and a mixture of genres. I was immediately gripped into this story and loved the idea of a serial killer committing murders straight out of a book that was just published (and come on the Netgalley reference was spot on). This one started out with a lot of plot building and character introductions, and I was super intrigued. The pacing was pretty fast, but I do think the story seemed to lose some speed during the middle, the ending picked back up with some great twists, and everything was pieced together. This is one of those stories that you need to be really paying attention to (thank God for both the audio and the eBook) because there was a lot to take in on this one, and there were so many characters that things could get confusing at times. 
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There was such a uniqueness to this story, that I can’t explain unless you read it. I loved were J. H. Markert went with this one, I loved the idea of the Nightmare Man, the books without words and the mystery behind it all. Though, where I felt like there was some filler throughout the book, I wish it was instead filled with even more emphasis on the family history of the Bookman’s and Blackwood Estate. I always love a dual timeline book, so lucky for me this one was told mainly in the present with snippets of the past thrown in there to wrap everything together. While the ending was a bit twisty at times, I thought the major reveal was a bit predictable. With that being said - I still loved how everything came full circle and how it ended.
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As far as the audio goes - if you love audiobooks this one is fantastic! David Brendena really brought this story to life. He did an absolutely phenomenal job with the narration and I really enjoyed what he did with each of the characters. I think without his narration I wouldn't have enjoyed this one as much as I did.
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The Nightmare Man is a mystery/thriller/horror, police procedural, teetering with supernatural elements with a very unique premise. This one is haunting, and I cannot explain how much I really loved the concept of this one. I definitely can see myself thinking about this one for a while. I would absolutely love to see there be a sequel, to give us a bit more information, but if not, I'm happy with the ending. Overall this was a great first read of the year and I am so glad to have enjoyed it. Huge thank you to netgalley JHMarkert and crookedlanebooks for the eARC and dreamscapemedia for the ALC in exchange for my honest review.
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#firstreadof2023 #bookreview #fourstarread #interestingconcept #uniquepremise #mystery #thriller #horror #policeprocedural # supernaturalelements #eARC #ALC #electronicavdancedreaderscopy #advancedlistenerscopy #audiobook #ebook #thenightmareman #thedreamman #thenightmareman #jhmarkert #crookedlanebooks #dreamscapemedia

I think the reason I was let down by this book was because it was advertised wrong. I was really hoping for a horror book to shake things up a little. However, this was more detective book with a few gory scenes. I suppose to some that would be considered horror, but I didn't feel "scared" while reading this.
A few things I did like: characterization, pacing and new author (to me).

What a thoroughly enjoyable read! The author's notes at the end of the book mention that this is his first horror novel- I honestly would never have guessed that. The story itself is a nice blend of the familiar horror tropes and some unique flairs, and some of the revelations towards the end reminded me of Stephen King's work. I found the characters to be well fleshed out and likeable, and I was definitely rooting for them.

I do think this could be suitable for someone who's not into horror that's as hardcore, maybe someone that's just dipping their toes into the genre. The scares are there but they're not quite visceral, more intriguing than anything else. It's not a book that will keep you up at night, but will keep you turning pages to find out what happens next.

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

The Nightmare Man was a great horror novel to add to my collection of spooky reads. It felt both original and familiar, in a way that I really enjoyed.

The plot reminded me in a way of the movie Tenebrae, directed by Dario Argento. And I say that as a compliment because, despite having issues, that's a movie I really enjoy going back to. And I feel the same thing will happen to me with this book.
Perhaps the two things I can complain about are that there were a lot of characters and something it made the story a little harder to follow. But not to the point were it confused me and stop me from enjoying reading it. And the other one is that I felt the story was a bit long. As in, it could have been shorter. And this is an issue that I have often with horror, so it isn't just this book's fault.

However, the ending redeemed everything for me. I really did not see it coming and that's the best compliment this type of book can get from me.
Looking forward to rereading it and to trying to make my non-horror friends give it a try.

Ben Bookman was a bestselling author, and heir to the Blackwood estate. His wife Amanda and their daughter Brianna were with Ben at the book-signing release of his latest book, The Scarecrow, when the unthinkable happened. It was the beginning of a horror run of terrible events - deaths, murders, brutality - that saw Ben himself being arrested.

Detective Mills and his rookie detective police daughter, Samantha Blue, were deeply involved in the investigation of the murders and deaths that were mirroring Ben's book, and they were doing everything they could to stop what they suspected would happen next. But would they have the power over what was occurring, the power to stop the brutality in its tracks?

The Nightmare Man is my first by J.H. Markert and although I don't read horror as a rule, I wouldn't class this so much as horror, more a dark thriller. There were a lot of characters in this book, so many that I ended up just going with the flow as I couldn't remember who the minor characters were. It dragged in places but I finished it. I think fans of the genre - dark, evil, brutal - would enjoy The Nightmare Man, but, unfortunately, it didn't really do much for me.

With thanks to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for my digital ARC to read in exchange for an honest review.

Relatively fast paced but I got confused by some of the time shifts so that pulled me out of the story a little bit. Great concept and very well written, I would read more from this author and recommend this book to anyone who loves a gruesome mystery.

I received an e-copy of The Nightmare Man by J.H. Market from @netgalley.

When brutal murders strike the small town of New Haven, suspicion falls on horror author Ben Bookman. The murders are closely following Bookman's unreleased work featuring a scarecrow killer that butchers victims and bundled them inside giant corn husk cocoons. (Clearly the work of all the Netgalley readers) The story alternates POVs between Ben Bookman and Detective Mills. This book is equal parts detective crime thriller and supernatural mystery.

I was hooked from the start with the opening scene featuring the first crime scene. This book does get gory at times so be aware of that before diving in. However, my attention began to waiver with the continuous flashbacks and list of character names I needed to remember. I kept having to flip back and find out who a certain character was again. And then the flashbacks happened after almost every chapter. While they were short, it would sometimes pull me out of the moment. Especially if a big revelation took place before the chapters end.

I highly recommend this book to anyone looking to read an engaging, well-written, supernatural thriller filled with creepy scarecrows and brutal murders.

This is a great story about a serial killer and how he copies an author's book with how he chooses and kills his victims. The policeman and his daughter, a policewoman, have to solve these murders and catch the killer This is no ordinary killer and this is no ordinary case!.
Reading the acknowledgement at the end of this book, I read that this is an established author, (James Markert), writing a new genre with a different pen name. I knew that this was no first novel but I didn't realise it was a first attempt at this genre!. Please can you write more!. I thoroughly enjoyed this and can't wait to read more!. The gorier the better!!.
I received a free ARC book for an honest review.
#Netgalley, #jamesmarkert74 #crookedlanebooks.

This book was a little difficult for me to understand in terms of how the story progressed. I had to reread a few sections to figure out where things fit within the timeline. The writing style took me a little while to get used to as well so the first 50 pages or so went by very slowly. I enjoyed the story once things got going and the last little bit really worked for me. Overall it was a good story but I wished it was a little easier to follow.

The Nightmare Man is a fast-paced, entertaining novel featuring folktales and possessions all told through nightmare imagery. There are a lot of winks to well known horror tropes and properties, as well as, pop culture references that give the story an underlining humor that helps propel it at the beginning. While the reader is presented with many mysteries, the story/mythology is mapped out and explained in the final third of the book. It really amps it up the last 30 pages. All the reader’s questions get answered in a flurry of activity. I couldn’t put it down. It is a chilling, exciting, and gripping read.

I was provided a print and audio arc of this book via Netgalley. Thank you to Crooked Lane Books and Dreamscape Media for the opportunity to review this book early. All opinions expressed in my review are my own.

This was a nice balance of horror and thriller. I don't want to give too much away as it would spoil the story. I didn't find the horror elements overly gory, but this does have a nice creepy factor to go along with the police investigation that takes place as the story comes together. There are some additional horror elements to the plotline but to describe them would spoil the fun.

This follows Detectives Winchester Mills and Samantha Blue, Mills' daughter as they investigate a grisly murder scene in their small town. The murder appears to be directly copied from a recently released novel from local bestselling author Ben Bookman. The Bookman family is no stranger to tragedy or the strange, but when more murders occur mirroring things Ben has written in his books the detectives are determined to figure out if Ben is the killer or figure out what he's hiding and how he is linked. Ben is missing time from when he wrote the book that is being copied, and he knows it has something to do with his grandfather's strange atrium where the books with no works are kept. Slowly as Ben and the detectives unravel the clues and piece together the puzzle the strange tale of the Scarecrow, the Screamer, and the books all comes together in a terrifying nightmare.

I loved this! I mainly stuck with the audiobook for this one as the narrator, David Bendena, did a great job with this. I had a hard time pressing pause on this one. I was on the edge of my seat as the story unfolded. This is my first book from the author, but it will not be my last! I look forward to reading more from Markert in the future!

Benjamin Bookman inherits Blackwood mansion along with his sister, Emily, from their psychiatrist grandfather who specialized in sleep disorders. Ben spends a weekend at the mansion writing the ending to his newest novel. Soon there are murders. Strangely, the murders match the murders in the book that Ben has written. He becomes the prime suspect. He doesn't remember writing the ending of the novel but he does remember that he wrote it in the the forbidden room at the mansion, the atruim.

.Very good and scary book. What I was expecting, no, but I loved what I read. I didn't want to stop reading. This is a horror novel that will stay with you long after reading it.

Main Characters:
-- Benjamin Bookman – New York Times bestselling author of horror novels; he and his sister inherited Blackwood mansion in Crooked Tree from their grandfather Robert, a child psychiatrist specializing in sleep studies and nightmares at the Oswald Asylum
-- Amanda Bookman – Ben’s wife; a reporter, currently seven months pregnant with their second child
-- Brianna Bookman – Ben and Amanda’s nine-year-old daughter
-- Emily Sanders – Ben’s older sister, also a psychiatrist
-- Devon Bookman – Ben and Emily’s younger brother who disappeared and was presumed dead at 10 years old; Ben has always felt that Devon was still alive
-- Winchester Mills – 66-year-old detective in Crooked Tree who originally investigated Devon’s disappearance
-- Samantha Blue – Mills’ daughter, known as “Blue”; also a detective; married to Mills’ former partner’s son who is a defense attorney, which created animosity between her and her father

Trigger Warning: Suicide, Self-Harm

"The Nightmare Man" is J.H. Markert’s first foray into horror fiction, having previously published historical fiction as James Markert. Based on other reviews, I definitely hold a minority opinion on this one because I did not enjoy it as much as I hoped.

The novel begins with Detectives Mills and Blue beginning an investigation of a gruesome murder in a barn—four victims and only one (the youngest) left alive. In the next chapter, we meet Ben Bookman promoting his newest novel at a book signing when a man approaches the table, accuses Ben of stealing his nightmare, and then commits suicide in front of everyone in the store. What eventually comes to light is that the initial murder being investigated, and new murders discovered as the story progresses, follow the murders in Ben’s newly released book.

Ben’s grandfather Robert taught his grandchildren the folklore of “mares,” evil spirits that ride on people’s chests at night bestowing bad dreams upon them, and “baku,” benevolent spirits that eat bad dreams. Robert based his entire career on curing children of their nightmares, and over the course of the story, we learn how he cured them. We also learn how Ben’s book becomes reality.

This story relies heavily on the folklore of mares and baku and the Nightmare Man and Mr. Dreams. There are a number of “Before” chapters that offer some back story, but they’re not in any particular order. As a reader, you have to try to figure out the timing. Some of them are before Devon disappears. Some of them are before Brianna is born. Some of them are when Brianna is young. One of them is eight months before when Mills’ wife dies unexpectedly. None of them are sequential.

Flashbacks used effectively do a great job of advancing a story, of creating suspense, of throwing a reader in the wrong direction so they don’t figure things out too soon. But non-sequential flashbacks, for me, are especially not effective when I’m not provided with a timeframe. They pull me out of the story every single time because I have to figure out how long ago the action takes place.

I want to get lost in a story, get caught up in the suspense. I don’t want to work at figuring out the timeline because then the suspense is gone. Each time that build-up starts over, the author loses me a little bit more. I couldn’t get lost in this story at all.

There are also so many characters and so many villains that keep being added to the story that they are difficult to keep straight. It feels like the author would just randomly decide…oh, it’s time for another villain to add to the chaos. And for a town of 6,000 people with more crime than most towns of 6,000 people, it’s hard to believe they have such a small police force and the FBI wouldn’t have been brought in at some point. Literally dozens of children have vanished, multiple murders and cold cases, and it’s still just the local police force?

This story has a ton of potential, but it is a definite miss for me.

Terrifying novel that is literally one of the scariest books I have ever read. As a fan of horror books and movies this book had me obsessed from the first page. A horrific murder occurs that mirrors the book of a best selling novelist, a book that has not yet been released. The author wrote the book at the home of his deceased grandfather and has no memory of writing the book. The authors grandfather ran an asylum and tried to help people with nightmares with various terrifying results. The method of choice for helping the patients was trapping the nightmares in a manor that would relieve the person suffering from them. This book had so many facets that it’s hard to write a review without giving away too much but if you like being scared and shocked by a book this one is for you.

This ended up being my last book of 2022, only because I literally couldn’t stop reading! It was one of the scarier books I read this year and I couldn’t get enough, except when I was home alone one night, I had to put it down I was so creeped out! We have all had nightmares at some point, imagine those coming to life?? This one is focused on a horror author’s books coming to life and I was so in on that fresh idea! I loved the way the author used dual POVs to bring the detectives mindsets in along with the main character, Ben. Ben is an interesting character, with so many layers! I enjoyed reading about him and everything that made him who he was. The story also had flashbacks that included the main detective and Ben, which brought so much to light! It was just such a well done book and I was so pleased to end the year with a 5 star horror novel! I am really hoping to get more of these characters in a future novel!!