A classic folkhorror tale....isolated village (tick), weird residents (tick), mad professor (tick)....what else could you want. Easy to get into, this entertaining horror will scare you in the right places and make you want to continue reading.

A.M Shine's "The Creeper" is a haunting, bleak, jaw-dropping read. A.M Shine encapsulates your attention almost immediately with a sinister yet compelling plot. At first, I was confused with a slow, drawn-out build with a questionable timeline. Still, as a pages turn, it was a deliberate execution, confirming the confusion of the protagonists, Ben and Chloe. There were moments when I was afraid to close my eyes as the words evoked haunting images. The interactions between Ben and Chloe were well done, exploring their motives, intentions and attitudes and creating well-rounded characters. I didn't know what to expect when it came to the ending, and boy, was it jaw-dropping and intense. A.M Shine's mastery of words with the concise imagery and simile usage was brilliant, making this a gripping read. A 5-star read!

Thank you to NetGalley and Head of Zeus for giving me an ARC. This honest review is left voluntarily.

This novel starts off with a terrified girl hiding from something stalking her. It then jumps forward with academic Alec Sparling acquiring her 999 call and hiring academicians Chloe and Ben to investigate an isolated, rural Irish village, and in particular try to find out about a local legend named the Creeper. This is a truly creepy village where supposedly no one has left in 200 years. The villagers don’t want to talk to them and fearfully close up their homes every evening before nightfall. Only one girl is willing to tell them anything about the “Creeper” – see him three times and you die. Is he real or a hallucination?

This book is a slow burn with the first third setting the scene and laying the groundwork for the creepy tension to come. This is more gothic than straight up horror, and I really enjoyed this atmospheric, spine-chilling tale.

This is the second book I've read by A.M. Shine; this new Irish author really knows their stuff and it is CREEPY. Two academics receive a mysterious and well-paid task out of the blue, to map an ancient and very isolated village in the wilds of Ireland. The residents haven't left the place for 200 years but why? And what interest does the Dr have in the village? And what of the Creeper? Full of old-fashioned gothic horror. Great stuff!

The Creeper is a masterful tale of horror and suspense from one of Ireland's most talented emerging authors. Brilliantly plotted, with a crisp pace and constant surprises. Lures you in until you can’t escape.

I have been eagerly waiting for A.M. Shine’ next novel and was not disappointed in the slightest, definitely one of my whole time favourite authors. After reading and loving The Watchers last year I was so happy to be given the chance of a copy of The Creeper. Shine has the ability to create the atmosphere of such a slow build up but has the feeling whilst reading to look over your shoulder, even in your own home hearing the slightest noise will make you jump and your heart beat a little faster. By god does he deliver in his novels, he has such a talent for writing horrors and will still be on my top list of horror authors.

Starting off with a slow build the pace starts to quickly build up tension. The characters were once again written really well, I always have the feel with his characters I don’t like nor dislike them so by the end of the novel I’m not too wounded by any deaths or demises they bring themselves too.

Set on a remote village, we are introduced to Dr Sparling and historical researchers Chloe and Ben who are looking forward to being there that is till they arrive. The village has been forgotten and is isolated on it’s own, no history is known.. just nothing. The locals are not very keen of newcomers or welcoming and our characters are met with disdain and whispering amongst them. At sundown all villagers lock down their homes.. why is that? Something stalks the streets and nobody will talk about the nameless thing apart from one girl who instantly puts fear into the newcomers. Chloe and Ben come upon the figure who they have heard about aka The Creeper. It is alive like the stories and rumours say it is, the fear of the villagers is real and nothing will keep it away. It will follow them back, will they be able to escape the creeper was my thought.

Such a genuine scary and looking over your shoulder horror story which has a great ending. It will keep you guessing and on the edge of your seat. Twists are in the novel with I loved. Such a terrific read, if you haven’t read A.M. Shine’ novels you must.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for my copy in exchange of an honest review.

AM Shine is a completely new name to me. but I loved that cover and the story sounded interesting.

And by God does it deliver in spades!

This is one of the best horror novels I've read for a few years. A. M. Shine is a major talent.

As far as I can see, this is only his second novel. Within a minute or two of finishing this book, I'd already ordered his debut, The watchers, and it will be very high up on my TBR pile when it arrives.

Back to this book though.

The story opens with a young woman hiding from something following her. The atmosphere is palpable even in the short prologue.

We then jump forward a couple of years and we're introduced to Alec Sparling, a reclusive type living in a secluded mansion who's just paid off a detective to deliver him the recording of the last 999 call made by the terrified girl in the prologue.

He then recruits Benjamin French and Chloe Coogan, a young historian and a newly qualified architecture student respectively, to investigate a hidden village deep in the countryside of Ireland, apparently untouched by the outside world for 200 years. While they're there, he instructs them to ask about a local superstition known as The Creeper.

You see the Creeper three times, first time, from a distance, the second time he's closer, the third night, he's at your window, after that you won't see much else.

From this fairly simple premise, Shine has created a paranoid and deeply scary thriller. Ben and Chloe are likeable and sympathetic protagonists. Their mounting terror as they come to believe the superstition is superbly realised, with Ben's skepticism steadily eroding.

Shine proves he can handle gory detail just as well as he can build atmosphere using shadows and suggestion. His prose is a pleasure to read, lucid and intelligent, and creepy as hell.

he's a name to look out for. If he's this good on book 2, who knows what heights he'll reach.

I've been patiently waiting for the next A M Shine novel since adoring The Watchers last year. Shine writes an almost tangible atmosphere that makes you want to check over your own shoulder whilst reading in the safety of your home. I was looking forward to more of this upon reading the synopsis for The Creeper.

It may come across hypocritical now for me to say, but I felt this novel was perhaps too similar to The Watchers. The premise is very much the same; someone or something constantly stalking the characters. If you've seen the movie It Follows, that's the kind of vibe- a relentless entity of impending evil without cause. Once again the darkness is it's realm, a temporary safety is alluded to during the daylight, a feature used in both Shine novels.
Regardless, the writing itself is excellent, the perfect balance of action, dialogue and description that kept a consistent pace and held my interest throughout.

We're back in Ireland, of course, and the setting whilst not as beautiful is still remote (a favourite horror trope of mine), this time following two characters on an excursion to identify the folklore of an unknown incestuous tribe, hidden for over 200 years and frozen in time.
Written in third, we switch between an archaeologist, a historian and the strange, wealthy intellectual that hired them.

I wanted a lot more from The Creeper. There were many intriguing aspects mentioned but never expanded on. Not a purposeful ambiguity, more as though pieces of plot had been chopped out. The ending was abrupt and unfulfilling leaving me disappointed overall.

I wish I could recommend this book, instead I suggest you pick up The Watchers for which i gave full marks. I still look forward to the next Shine novel with the hope that The Creeper was just a blip for me. If I were to approach this with no prior knowledge of Shine I'd score it average.

This is probably the best horror I've read this year so far!
I love it, the slow build up or events, the characters that got you even more invested in the story, and the highly suspenseful scenes.
I know it starts slow, but trust me, it is worth it!

I absolutely adored The Watchers by this author and was very excited to hear that another book was on the way.
The Creeper keeps in style with being a horror story that is full of unease and palpable tension. This is much more of a slow burner in comparison to the other book which readers will either love or hate. I enjoyed the idea behind the book and the power of myths and urban legends and how they're kept alive generation after generation. The Creeper is a great example of this and frighteningly he seems to be very real as out unfortunate protagonists find out.
I really enjoyed the concept behind this book but it did leave me with a few unresolved questions with the logistics of a few points.
This is unquestionably another brilliant book by A.M Shine who has created another unique and unpredictable story that kept me up reading until the small hours. This book didn't quite pip The Watchers but still definitely up there in my top reads. Looking forward to the next one!

Thanks to Netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoy a creepy read but often times I'm let down because the writing just doesn't feel all that atmospheric, but this was did not disappoint. I love the authors writing style, there were moments when I genuinely felt creeped out and it made the reading experience all the more enjoyable!

I really loved the Irish folklore Influence of this story and the idea of a mysterious, forgotten village in rural reland.

I do wish there was a little more character development with two main characters, but all in all an enjoyable read and I'll definitely be Keeping my eye out for future work from this author because that ending!! 👌🏻

I read alot of horror but this one genuinely scared me! Loved the character development and the mystery around the Dr character. Each chapter written from his perspective left me feeling uneasy. The descriptions of the people of the village was eerie and I'd love to read a prequel style book based on life in the village. Really excellent horror writing and would love to read more from this author!

One of my surprise reads from 2021 was A.M. Sine's debut The Watchers – A spine-chilling horror adventure set in the remote and sinister forests of Ireland.

So – when the chance to read follow up The Creeper arose I jumped at the chance!

Right from the start you’re on edge – with the protagonist being hunted down by something that, at this point, we don’t know is real or a figment of an imagination gone wild.

Enter mysterious, wealthy, lonely Doctor Alec Sparling garnering information from a detective – in his pocket – and the hiring of History and Archaeology graduates Ben and Chloe to carry out an expedition to Irish village, Tir Mallacht, whose inhabitants haven’t left their confines for 200 years. Apparently.

It’s their job to find out more about the villagers’ lives and, if the opportunity arises, about a particular superstition called “The Creeper”. And as the tale progresses you’ll find out why Dr Sparling takes a particular interest in this bit of Irish folklore.

Unlike The Watchers, the author doesn’t confine us to one space for the majority of the book but there are times where it certainly feels claustrophobic. It’s also pretty tense in places, with more jump scares than a book should legally be allowed to have. As the superstition of The Creeper emerges – “I’m not allowed to talk about him. That’s how he finds you.” – Ben and Chloe are told exactly what to expect. They’ll see him three times before a fourth appearance that will render them lifeless. But of course, they don’t believe any of it – until…

To unwrap more of the plot would reveal the secrets and surprises that are locked within, and that’s unfair – you need to go in blind. Suffice to say A.M. Shine has created a piece of folklore here that’s suitably creepy with some absolutely nerve-shredding scenes that will stretch your threshold of horror to the limit – Ben’s Aunt Patricia, in particular, deserves a novel of her own – AND there’s a smashing ending.

With vibes of The Wicker Man, Midsomer and even M. Night Shyamalan’s The Village – The Creeper will mess with your head and creep you out. Just keep your windows closed and your blinds shut while reading. And don’t mention the Creeper man…

Dark, creepy and chillingly haunting. It was gripping and unpredictable, I couldn't put it down, a really great read.

This is the first book I've read by this author. And to be honest I struggled through the start of this. But I was intrigued enough to push through and I feel I was rewarded for that. This is a weird but good read. As a picky horror reader this one was worth the picking up.
The mythology in this was interesting. The characters were ok. But for this book the story itself was good enough to hold your attention.

This is the second book that I’ve read from this author and this one gripped me a lot more than the first. The creeper was a combination of the village meets slender man and I enjoyed it! It was a bit of a slow start but it did help to build the tension, there were some quite tense moments but I would say this book was more creepy (ironic I know!) than out and out horror. I found there were a couple of unexplained questions which I won’t post here as I don’t want to spoil the ending but it was a little frustrating..

Overall I would be down to read more from this author, I can see each book published just getting better and better.

'The Creeper' left me not wanting to look out my windows. 😅

My initial response to the main characters wasn't positive and, to be honest, I still didn't like any of them much by the end but, unlike with most stories, my dislike of them didn't affect my enjoyment of the story.

I was quickly hooked by the plot and the story held my interest so strongly that I ended up reading the entire book in one sitting.

The story is a nice mix of gothic horror and folk horror that touches on the power of stories and the danger of belief.

I need to vaguely discuss the ending as it is the only aspect of the story that I have a slight issue with. When initially reading it, I enjoyed how everything played out. However, as soon as I stopped to think on it I realised just how improbable and unrealistic it was. The logistics alone make absolutely no sense.

That said, I'm willing to 'just go with it' in this situation as I enjoyed the book too much to care about whether the climax/twist actually makes practical sense or not.

Thank you to NetGalley, Head of Zeus, and A. M. Shine for giving me a free digital copy of this book to read in exchange for an honest review.

Don't give up half way! It's such a slow start and everything is sooooo drawn out that most reviews I've read have all said the start is pants but then it gets really good! Whoch is the only reason I didn't give up and I'm so glad I didn't. Apparently its the writers sign style of writing but luckily the end is worth the very long boring start. The ending is suffiemcetly creepy and leaves you a little bit scared to open your binds after dark!! Really good read..... once you get through the incredibly dull start

A.M Shine is an absolutely amazing author when it comes to horror books. Never before has an author managed to create such an atmosphere where I am genuinely having feelings of Terror.

I've read Many a Horror book and A.M Shine is the only author that is truly managed to terrify me with how his stories are written.

As with his first novel The Watchers, I found that the first 40% of the book was very dull, as it was very much setup for the eeriness to come.
I do feel as though this is something the author does that I'm just not a big fan of because I read this book with a friend and both of us contemplated DNFing the book at this point but the only reason we continued is because we knew that this happened in The Watchers as well and it got really good around 40%.

This author is absolutely amazing when it comes to writing scary atmospheric stories definitely what I want from a horror writer however the build-up is just too long and not entertaining enough to make his books perfect for me.

A.M Shine is such a talented horror writer, his ability to be spooky and creepy is truly unmatched and something I want from every horror book I read. Much like when I read the Watchers, I found myself very bored in the first half. I feel there are moments that are overexplained or just downright unnecessary. I was a little confused too because we were introduced to quite a few characters so quickly.

However, the story of the Creeper was much like it's name, creepy. I was really frightened and I definitely felt disturbed during my read. I enjoyed reading about Chloe and Ben although sometimes Chloe definitely suffered with the 'men writing women' issue.

I suspected the ending after reading The Watchers but I was still shocked and I loved the way it played out, I can't imagine it any other way!

I definitely enjoyed this book and would recommend it but I'm sticking with the Watchers as my favourite A.M Shine book for now.