You Want It Darker

“Let Him In” sounds like it would have all the makings of a chilling gothic horror novel. There is a grieving widower, Alfie, struggling to raise twin 8-year-old daughters in an apparently haunted house. The girls start bonding with an “invisible friend” who tries to take Alfie’s place with the girls, sometimes appearing as a snake, a black mamba… and sometimes a man, “...a lot like Dad…but his eyes are stranger, and he smiles more.” Is this sinister presence merely a psychological crutch for the girls… or are supernatural forces at play?

Alfie is a decidedly weak character– it has only been nine months since he has lost the love of his life, Pippa, and we want to cut him some slack. His sister-in-law, Julia, was not only Pippa’s twin, but a psychiatrist, seemingly a fortunate ally to have in this situation. Julia resists involvement, however, haunted by guilt and secrets from the past. Both Alfie and Julia want desperately to help the girls– yet both are emotionally immobilized. To this, there is an additional dimension of weirdness– Alfie’s mother-in-law. She is a religious zealot who believes in calling departed souls back across death’s barrier.

The young girls are the best characters in the story. Dealing with the loss of their mother and the appearance of some other-worldly creature, this is a great place to launch creepiness. Alfie and Julia are the ones that slow momentum down once we empathize with their guilt and grief. The finale is better, but it seems a long time in coming and one or two things seem forced to get it there.

Horror? I have seen a number of hard-core horror fans deny there is enough horror in this, and I have to agree. There is often a creepy atmosphere– particularly when the shadowy man / snake is described– but there was potential for things to get much darker.

Apparently, this book was released earlier (in Britain, at least) under the title “The Black Mamba.” That was not going to pass here… there was only one Black Mamba– Kobe Bean Bryant. RIP.

Thank you to Poisoned Pen Press and NetGalley for providing a review copy in exchange for an honest review

How good but creepy!!! This book feels like a fever dream and just when you think you know what's going on it takes another turn. I really enjoyed this book. The supernatural element was fantastic and this book was genuinely scary. The ending was nothing you'll ever see coming.

The cover of this book had me so excited to read it. It looks like it’s going to be so scary…. but it’s not. It is a slow read, and is very disappointing. The characters are not easy to connect with, and the dad is a joke. I felt like the girls were meant to be creepy which I found off putting.

Thank you so much Poisoned Pen Press, William Friend, and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read and honestly review this book.

A tale of grief as a father with twins wife dies . They are uncertain as o keep living until Black Mamba shows up . Dark and creepy with a definite horror aspect to it . This is quite the original novel

I love a creepy imaginary friend story line. The tension that was created here was tangible, so were the grief and the fear of what was happening in this house, to this family. It was pretty good overall, worth a shot!

Thanks to Netgalley, the publisher, and author for the copy of this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Very enjoyable debut read!

Though no fault of this book, I just could not get into it. I am in *another* reading slump and this one just couldn't hook me enough to keep going.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the ARC.
What a creepy supernatural book. I loved the atmosphere of the book and I did not want to put it down. Great cover as well.
This author did a great job and it is well written and holds your interest the entire time. Well done!

I struggled with this book to the point that I could not finish it. There were times I was very interested and other times it felt like a chore, and by the time I put it down I felt like I had no resolution for anything and couldn’t wait to read something else. I was excited and I will try again in the future to pick this up again.

A husband drinks himself into depression.Twin daughters create illusions. A twin sister chooses avoidance. And a Grandmother looks to spirituality. Everyone handles their grief a bit differently but when they all collide together, floors will split and doors will open to let him in.

Well This was a completely pleasant surprise.

Now don't get me wrong this might be a bit of a polarizing read but i absolutely loved every minute of it.

Chalked full of numerous instances of grief from loss of loved ones. Really showcasing how everyone can handle such hard and heavy times differently.

It's dark. It's demented. It's deep. But what I loved most about it was it's ambiguity. For real that ending left me questioning absolutely everything. Reality and illusions blurring together really sets you up with an unknowing that will leave you feeling some sort of uneasiness.

Seriously, was Black Mamba real or not?!? William you gotta tell me, I need to know.

And I absolutely adored the twin bond represented. Being a mother to twin boys myself,some scenes really hit home for me. And after reading this I'm so glad my boys never had imaginary friends.

Read if you don't mind:
•creepy kids
•imaginary friends
•supernatural
•twins
•high creep factor
•grief horror
•domestic horror
•shadows
•things that go bump in the night

A huge thank you to William Friend poisonedpenpress and netgalley for the free copy of Let Him In. I will defenitly be sleeping with one eye open tonight

Definitely enjoyed this, great read. Will be recommending to friends more than students, but overall good.

A creepy gothic type tale of twins, generational family home, and the imaginary.
Alfie and his small family struggle with the grief of an unexpected death of his wife and mother of his twins. Whom was also a twin.
Interesting play on twins sharing the same vision and dominance.
Last quater of the book theories start to unravel.
Well written and captivating.

This book had a great creepy ghost feel but also a bit cheesy..? Black Mamba made me laugh out loud with the name. The cover had me elated with how haunting it looked and I had high hopes on that alone, but sadly this one just didn’t hit for me.

"Let Him In" by William Friend delves into the chilling tale of Alfie, a young widowed father struggling to raise his twin daughters, who have become fixated on an imaginary friend.

Haunted by grief following the unexpected death of their mother, Pippa, Alfie is no stranger to the struggles of single parenthood. When his daughters begin to speak of a shadowy figure in their room, Alfie initially dismisses it as childhood imagination. However, as their obsession with this unseen presence grows, Alfie becomes increasingly alarmed.

Seeking help from Julia, Pippa's sister and a psychiatrist, Alfie hopes to rid his daughters of this malevolent force. But as strange occurrences escalate and Alfie himself is plagued by disturbing visions, he realizes that the situation is far more sinister than he ever imagined.

As the line between reality and imagination blurs, Alfie is forced to confront his own demons and the dark secrets of Hart House, where he and his daughters reside. With tension mounting and dark consequences looming, Alfie must unravel the mystery of the malevolent entity before it's too late.

"Let Him In" is a gripping psychological suspense that delves into themes of grief, family secrets, and the boundaries of reality. William Friend's haunting debut is sure to keep readers on the edge of their seats until the very end.

👻🐍Book Review:
Title: Let Him In
Author: William Friend
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️/3 stars

I really wanted to love this one. I desperately need a terrifying book to read that will keep me up at night! The cover pulled me in, and I was looking forward to having my socks scared off. Alas, that was not the outcome of this book. I think it lost me at "Black Mamba."

Alfie has recently lost his wife, Pippa, the mother to his twin daughters, Sylvie and Cassia. Nine months after her passing, the twins start to have nightmares about a man being in their bedroom. Quickly, the girls begin to treat this invisible man as an imaginary friend and also seem to prefer him over their own father. They say his name is the Black Mamba and describe him as a snake.

Alfie reaches out to his sister-in-law, Julia, who is Pippa's twin. She is a practicing psychologist who seems to have her own past with this imaginary man. Julia and Pippa grew up in the same home, the Hart House. So the question remains: Is Black Mamba really haunting this home and this family?

Published: October 3rd, 2023

Thank you, @netgalley and @poisonedpenpress, for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

This book was creepy! I wasn't sure if this was going to be YA horror or adult. I think it is a good mix of both. You might need a night light but not need to sleep with the lights on, ya know what I mean?
The mom passes away and we don’t know why until later on in the book. That question kept swirling around in my mind. I was thinking maybe if I knew the answer to that question then I’d know why the twin girls were seeing Black Mamba. Now that we’re talking about Black Mamba, y’all he kinda creeped me out. All the different forms he was able to take on for the girls was interesting to me.
All the creepy behaviors from the girls and the creepy events …. I LOVED IT! I liked the ending the best. That last little bit….made me think. Were the girls kidding or…is Black Mamba still around??

Will be on IG ASAP!

Only thing I can say is this book had you guessing all the way up to the end. Spooky vibes and family drama don’t always work, but when it does man oh man its very intriguing and interesting.

Don't read this one at night. This story had an equal amount of spine tingles and shivers to match with a story that you can't quite put down. The characters had some depth to them and the concern for the daughters was great. Unreliable narrators are not always my thing, but I think this story lends its hand to having the narrator make you question things. The ending left me with a few too many questions, but overall a great read for spooky season.

This book was spooky, creepy, and intriguing. Not for those who are easily flustered or scared, but a good read! I was a little let down by the ending, but not enough to hurt my overall enjoyment. I think this was well written and well paced.

I was really looking forward to reading this book and throughout the majority, I was not disappointed. It was spooky, well written and left me wanting more. The storyline was intriguing and had me gripped from the start. Unfortunately, for me, the ending vastly let down the story and I felt cheated and disappointed.