Mousetrap had me on the edge of my seat! The Scott family has been plagued by loss and grief for Dakota’s entire life. It’s not until she returns home to Portland, to settle her brother’s affairs, that she realizes just how completely it has devoured her family.
Caryn Larrinaga had my full attention page after page. I couldn’t put it down. The characters are delivered with such clarity, there’s no way you can abandon them in this suspense filled, creative novella. It would be like the power going out in the middle of your favorite horror movie.

Rating: 4.5 stars

I am such an immense fan of horror that explores topics of grief, family trauma, and the guilt that comes with sudden loss - and Caryn Larrinaga's novella "Mouse Trap" examines it in a way that beautifully personifies that feeling of despair that seems to endlessly pull you downward into its shadow. "Grief. Guilt. Shame." It really does seem to haunt you.

I look forward to reading more work from Larrinaga in the future - she is now on my list of authors to watch!

I highly recommend this to fans of horror novels such as "This Thing Between Us" by Gus Moreno and "Crossroads" by Laurel Hightower. If you haven't read these other selections and enjoyed this novella, I highly recommend checking them out!

What to do when your agoraphobic brother dies in your family home, the second death in the house in some twenty years? Well - head on home of course! Cue gut-wrenching grief, dark secrets & general spookiness.
The characters and relationships are well crafted by author Caryn Larrinaga.

It gives off Gothic vibes of Shirley Jackson & Silvia Moreno-Garcia.
This very creepy novella is a fantastic read for any horror fan stuck in a reading slump!

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC of Mouse Trap by Caryn Larrinaga.

This was very well written and generally an excellent haunted house story, i did find the name 'whisper lady' to be a little bit childish (and not very 'scary-sounding') but the characters were kids when they first encountered it. 11/12.

Read this great horror Novella on NetGalley and LOVED IT. I read it in about 2 hours. What’s even better is Mouse Trap is already available!!
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If you are looking for a short creepy book this is it. It gives you those same creepy feelings we all had as kids who were afraid of the dark. I very much enjoyed the foreshadowing in this book as well.
😱
QUOTES I HIGHLIGHTED:
-“The knowledge, the incontestable fact that something foul and malignant hid in the darkness, filled her so quickly that she retched.”
-“I can hear her now. Don’t listen.”
-“One long finger, capped with a pointed nail reached for Dakotas blanketed feet”🦴
I really liked that this Novella wrapped it self up so neatly. It was quick and yet still pretty descriptive while painting a clear image for readers. I think I may check out some more of Caryn Larrinaga’s work. I’ve already convinced my mother to read it as well.
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MINOR SPOILER??: I hope this author makes a second book surrounding Allie when she grows up!

Mouse Trap is a horror novella about grief, both as a family and as an individual. It begins with Lennox, the eldest adopted child of the Scott family, living his last moments in the family home. Soon after his sister Dakota receives the Nad news from her parents. They all go back to Astoria for the funeral.

Unfortunately this isn't the first time the family has suffered a terrible loss. Twenty years ago the youngest child in the family also died by falling down the basement stairs after claiming to hear the Whisper Lady. The family hasn't been the same since. Especially Lennox. He became attracted to the house and would no longer leave it. For the past several years the family home was all his. Coming back home brings back dark memories for Dakota and literal darkness as curtains keep closing and light bulbs burn out. Is the Whisper Lady real after all?

The creepiness builds slowly. We're mostly in Dakota's head and we can see stuff happening that she herself cannot. The grief and trauma the family has been through is depicted well. There is an unbelievably heavy feeling which is very effective for portraying the horror until we finally see it for ourselves.

The relationships in the present day were mostly there for convenience and those characters seemed to swap out as the story needed. Everything that was really important happened in the house.

Mouse Trap is a quick read that is sure to please horror readers.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the chance to read.

This was short and quick, and the way the character's grief crept into the spooky aspects of the story really added depth. It was interesting to see things from her perspective when she was a kid (and she attributed things to ghosts), and when she was an adult (and she attributed things to her emotions from losing her brother).

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC of Mouse Trap by Caryn Larrinaga.

I don't want to give a synopsis to this story, because it's already short, you could easily read it in a day. Also, it's written to spookily and well that my recap won't do it justice, so here's what I'll say.

I was gripped from the get go. I LOVED the stage, the characters, the very foreboding shadowing, and especially the rich world that Larrinaga was about to paint in such a tiny package. I don't do scary movies, but I LOVE scary books, and this one absolutely hit the mark.

Caryn Larrinaga’s "Mouse Trap" is a quick, quiet horror read that will leave its audience satisfied and relieved.

Dakota’s family has suffered...a lot. Her parents had dreamed of fostering and adopting many children, but when their youngest of three dies tragically in the family home, those dreams die with him. Years later, Dakota, the middle child, returns to the family home to help bury her agoraphobic older brother, Lennox. Lennox had promised to protect her from the force she was sure killed her little brother. But now that Lennox is dead, who will look out for Dakota? And is it her grief haunting her or something darker, more nefarious?

This was a solid story with a satisfying ending that leaves the reader hopeful. The lightness at the end, however, does not permeate the story throughout, and there is plenty of tension to the otherwise quiet, not-very-gory plot. It’s one of those stories where you’re never quite sure whether the protagonist’s suffering is coming from within or without. Dakota is flawed but likable, though we have more sympathy for her deceased brother. That has to be deliberate on the author’s part.

"Mouse Trap" is a fine read for an afternoon or a weekend for fans of quiet horror that is neither gruesome nor overwrought. I received the ebook from NetGalley, and I look forward to seeing what else Caryn Larrinaga has written.

Dakota gets news that her older brother has passed away unexpectedly. So, with her parents, she heads back to Astoria, Oregon, to the house she grew up in where he had resided for the last several years and where he was found deceased. For the most part, the behemoth Victorian is a mausoleum to their childhood, most of the rooms untouched, exactly as they were while they were growing up. Especially the bedroom of their brother who died young.

"A forgotten feeling rose up in her. The knowledge, the incontestable fact that something foul and malignant hid in the darkness, filled her so quickly that she retched."

This was so intriguing from page one to the very end. I was captivated and fully invested. I loved the ominous writing, the setting of the house, the family history and mysterious characters. This has a great spooky atmosphere that will have you looking at childhood board games much differently.

I had mixed emotions going into Mouse Trap. I am not usually one to read short stories nor am I a big fan of haunted house style horrors. That being said, I do love horror and all things spooky. Mouse Trap was my first Caryn Larrinaga book and it will likely not be my last. Larrinaga's storytelling ability made me devour this book when I finally sat down to read.

At surface level this is just another haunted house story with Dakota returning to her childhood home to deal with the aftermath of the death of her older brother, Lennox. As the reader, you can feel the creeping influence of the house intermingling with the grief that Dakota is trying to tackle. This was a slower burn horror but the rawness of the human emotion tied to the perceived threat lurking in the house was captivating.

Ultimately, I rated this 3.5 stars for the somewhat stilted dialogue and the rushed relationships between characters. Understanding that this is a novella, I think there was ample opportunity for more to be fleshed out and the story to be expanded in order to enrich the characters and the setting.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this work in exchange for my honest review.

Mouse Trap is a really enjoyable read. It’s the perfect scary story, with just enough plot and horror mixed together. The characters were likable and easy to root for. This was also a very quick read and I think that actually added to the story. I couldn’t put it down!

Sometimes I just need a good novella for that quick feeling of accomplishment to get me through reading a bunch of hefty books. This week I turned to #NetGalley and #timberghostpress for Caryn Larrinaga's Mouse Trap. It was the cover that caught my eye and reminded me of old horror covers of the '70s and early '80s when just a wander to that section of the bookstore was terrifying for me.

I enjoyed this creepy sliver of a ghost story about a malevolent entity, nicknamed "The Whisper Lady" living in a family's home for decades. Definitely written to be read all at once as the story propels you along to its creepy climax. Larrinaga's almost cinematic descriptions had me picturing all of it - which is good for a horror book but not good for my night's sleep! I recommend this book to those that love a contemporary ghost story.

While I enjoyed the idea behind this novella, I found the writing itself to be a bit lacking. Without trying to sound insulting, it felt a little too simplistic in both its wording and plot; it was obvious where it's going once you hit the halfway mark. An obvious plot direction can be fine when the writing is more elevated, but that just wasn't the case here. Still, a decent quick read.

Thank you to Timber Ghost Press and Netgalley for this E-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Initially, I was attracted to this novella because of the cover, so major points right off the bat! It does a great job of encapsulating the vibe of the story.

In terms of plot, this novella follows Dakota, a woman who returns to her childhood home following the unexpected passing of her brother, Lennox. Upon her return, she is forced to reckon with the ghosts (metaphorical and possibly literal) of her childhood.

On the surface, this novella may seem like another iteration of the ever-popular haunted house story. While this may be slightly accurate, this piece primarily examines grief and the way familial dynamics can shift in the face of loss. You won't find jump scares or explicit gore within these pages; Unsettled is an accurate word to describe Mouse Trap. (However, I would still encourage prospective readers to check content warnings. I had to stop reading at one point, because I got a little too existential. LOL)

The opening chapter was brilliant; It immediately captured my interest and began to build my investment in the story. Additionally, I found the ending quite satisfying. Additionally, the prose was clear and concise, making this a quick read.

The story is told in 3rd person, which may dissuade some readers. However, I didn't mind this at all. (I quite enjoyed it.) My main critique is the mousetrap analogy was a bit over-explained at some points; more could have been left to the reader's interpretation.

Overall, I really enjoyed this novella, and I would definitely read more from this author! I will keep an eye out for future releases from Caryn Larrinaga (and Timber Ghost Press!)

A very entertaining quick read. I really enjoyed this.
I wanted more...hope there's #2 somewhere in the near future.
A new author to follow for sure.

Thank you to Netgalley and Caryn Larrinaga for providing me with this ARC.

Happy reading all

Mouse Trap follows Dakota as she travels back to her childhood home in Astoria where her older brother has been found dead. Dakota has to, alongside her parents, arrange her brother’s funeral and find arrangements on what is to happen to her childhood home. While her parents travel back to their city, Dakota stays behind and slowly uncovers deep dark secrets that lurk in the darkness of the home - a home that was once a place of happiness and joy but which turned into a place for grief and sadness when her younger brother died twenty years prior. Now grief and sorrow finds itself in the house again and Dakota has to fight the urge to fall into the grief.

I read Mouse Trap in two days and the only reason I had to spend two days on it was because of adult responsibilities such as a “full time job”. If I had had the ability to sit down and read it all at once, I would’ve done it. This is a book that you do not wanna put down when you first start it. Thankfully, the beauty of Mouse Trap is that this book is exactly short enough for you to do so without it ever feeling too short or that there’s anything left unturned when you reach the last page.

It’s quick paced and manages to snatch your attention from the first page and the author does an exceptional job in describing grief and how it affects you deep down in your bones. Even if you haven’t experienced the grief that the main character, Dakota, has experienced, you will be able to fully immerse yourself in it all thanks to the descriptive and detailed nature of the writing. The book explores grief through the supernatural and I think it’s done it quite well. Mouse Trap is definitely a book worth reading if you like slow creeping horror, trauma and grief, and want a quick read that leaves you stirring in your own feelings afterwards.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher, Timber Ghost Press, for the digital review copy!

This was a shorter story than i expected ( my fault for never checking), but it managed to keep me well engaged to the end. The characters were well enough built and the atmosphere was creepy. Not a hardcore horror but enjoyable all the same. Much recommended.

When I tell you I FLEWWWW through this book… I read it in a day. Could not put it down. Each page left me wanting more. I’m not a huge horror person when it comes to reading it, but I am super impressed. It’s written beautifully too and I just love it so much. I almost never rate books 5 stars, but this one 10000% deserved a high rating.

“And at the edges, the first rays of fond memories rose like the sun to overtake the darkness.”

My review will also be posted to my bookstagram on January 13th @sierraslibrary_

Overall good book. I hoped for a lot more, but did enjoy the build up. love books centered around a house – haunted house, or anything where the location, atmosphere, or setting contributes to the “issue”. I appreciated that aspect of this book. I enjoyed the past and talk about their lives and childhood in the house. As an introvert, the staying home messed with me too.

An all round good read. I received this book from Netgalley to provide an up art review.