What a surprising, unexpected, bloody delight! I have to admit, after I read the description I didn’t expect too much. I expected something pulpy and maybe some fun scenes and set pieces, but nothing to write home about… And I am so glad to have been proven wrong! Is it pulpy? Yes, but on purpose. It is also filled with interesting and complicated characters, a constantly moving storyline, and intense writing that keeps you in the action, feeling what the characters are feeling and pulling you toward an unforeseeable climax. The story smartly combines a kind of true-crime noir vibe with the paranoia of a fast-paced espionage thriller and the bloody spine-tingling of occult horror, and yet the seams never show. It doesn’t feel like a mash-up, it feels cohesive and like it is doing something exciting and unexpected. It leans into some of the tropes of those various genres while avoiding others, a sense of the familiar while still keeping you on the edge of your seat. Anyone conversant with some of these genres can predict some of what happens, but will still find some skull-crushing surprises along the way.

If I do have any point of criticism it is that I wasn’t too fond of the occasional epistolaric sections—brief bits of highly-classified briefings and so forth that fill in a little of the backstory/mythos here and there. There aren’t too many of them, and really they could have been flashback or memory sequences and I would have enjoyed that more. So much of the action in the other chapters is character-centric, especially as the chapters bounce between the points of view from a handful of different characters, that having these interruptions in the form of black-ops files just felt like giant stop signs to both the story and the action, like cryptic information dumps that were more of a tease than anything that compelled me to commit more deeply to the world. With that said there are not too many of them, they don’t overwhelm the story, and they do have interesting information in them. While I would have preferred that info presented in other ways, they didn’t diminish my overall joy in the book.

This novel is a bit of bloody good fun. It is a quick, great read in its own right, and if the story ends with the last page of this book that is satisfying. That said, it sets itself up as the beginning of a bigger story, and considering the twisting, blood-soaked paths it takes it definitely has me interested in seeing where it might go.

I want to thank the author, the publisher, Random House, and NetGalley, who provided a complimentary eARC for review. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Fever House is suspenseful, gruesome, original, and extremely well-written! This book was like watching a train crash. Despite its inevitable, horrifying conclusion, I could not look away. The author puts you so deep inside the minds of his characters - you understand their fears, their motivations, their next steps - threading each of their individual arcs together into one masterful plot. I’m convinced Fever House, like the remnants, has its own type of subliminal messaging. I was glued to the pages, physically incapable of putting the book down, wondering what was going to happen next. A must read for any lover of noir/horror fiction!

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

What a ride! I'm now a believer in Keith Rosson. Sign me up for anything and everything this guy writes. A mix of several smaller genres while still keeping the heart of horror. Excellent work, my friend. Keep up the good work.

A very good horror book with an intriguing and original plot! I love silicon valley type plots and this added with the vampires is refreshing and a bit amusing.

Fever House: A Noir-ish Tale of Gangsters, Government Agencies, Punk Rock, and Horror

Fever House is an extraordinary book that takes readers on a journey to completely unexpected places. Filled with gangsters, black ops government agencies, a punk rock band, a severed hand, a detached eyeball, and an audio recording with a subliminal message, this novel is a fever dream in book form that still flows and ebbs so well that, when we're reading it, it makes sense.

The way in which the author, name unknown, puts all these elements together is what really makes this book stand out. The characters are absolutely in the spotlight here, and each one is given their due in such a way that it never feels like any of them are disposable. In fact, we learn about some of them and grow attached until the author kills them in some very unexpected ways. The visceral nature of these deaths is such that it feels like a gut punch when they happen.

This is one of those books that you'll be glad to sink back into when you take a break. It begs to be read and experienced, and I think it's better to go in blind. The plot is phenomenal, the story is warped and creepy and intense, and I couldn't put this book down. It's definitely a great horror novel, and I think it's going to be talked about by a lot of people once it releases.

The book's name, Fever House, is fitting for the way in which the author sets the tone and atmosphere. It's dark and eerie, a feeling that is intensified by the author's choice of setting. The characters are intriguing, and each one is unique in their own way. The protagonist, who remains unnamed, is a washed-up musician with a chip on his shoulder, and he becomes embroiled in a mystery involving the strange deaths of his former bandmates.

As the story progresses, we are introduced to a range of other characters, from a detective with a dark past to a gangster with a love of classical music. Each character has their own motivations and secrets, and the way in which they interact with each other is fascinating to watch. The author does an excellent job of slowly building tension throughout the book, and by the time the final act comes around, the reader is on the edge of their seat.

One of the most impressive aspects of this book is the way in which the author seamlessly weaves together the different elements of the story. The inclusion of a severed hand, a detached eyeball, and an audio recording with a subliminal message could easily have come across as gimmicky, but in the hands of this author, they feel like essential parts of the story. The use of these elements adds to the overall atmosphere of the book and makes it a truly unique reading experience.

In conclusion, Fever House is a stunning book that will leave readers breathless. The plot is phenomenal, the characters are intriguing, and the atmosphere is dark and eerie. I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys horror or noir fiction, and I believe that it will be talked about for years to come. This book is a true masterpiece, and it deserves a place on every horror fan's bookshelf.

This book was wild. I was hooked from start to finish. Had no idea what was going on (in a good way) and couldn’t wait to see what happened next. Def would recommend if you’re up for a wild ride.

This book is infectious. Literally. Punk rock. Dark government ops. Psychological hijacking. Gangsters. Fresh take on zombie apocolypse.

The story was fantastic, original twist I didn't see coming and I loved every moment of this read. It's told from a split POV and starts with 2 small time thugs and gives you the feel this is going to be a gangster type read, but quickly a black ops agency with the government is introduced and we find they've lost an important asset considered a weapon of mass destruction.

Queue the weapon, a frozen hand, being found in the freezer of someone the two thugs are roughing up. We quickly find out the weapon is supernatural in origins, thought to have belonged to a devil, and with the ability to hijack the minds of those around it. And bring back anyone who dies around it back as the walking dead.

I normally am NOT a zombie fan, but this book does it so well I didn't realize what it was going to be until I was more than halfway through. 10/10 recommend this if you want an interesting story with great pacing and a few fun twists along the way.

I loved the vibe from this book. The cover and synopsis was very intriguing. This book was pretty wild and complex. I was instantly captivated, but it unfortunately became harder for me to follow the story.

Fever House starts out strong and keeps right on going through about 80+% of the book. I found myself even needing to take some breaks so I could savor the book a little while longer.

Really, it was not missing on almost all levels. An interesting story, lots of horror elements, lots of gore, even a tiny bit of a mystery to sort out. The characters feel like very fleshed out individuals with complete backstories and everything and the writing is even good. I couldn’t believe my luck with this advanced reader’s copy.

I was having a good ol’ time enjoying the book when I suddenly noticed there wasn’t a whole lot of book left to go. How are they gonna wrap this all up in these last few pages? Things really have just now hit a climax of sorts.

But, I guess someone shut the power off at the old writing shop. Hey, here’s the little bit of mystery and an answer for you with minimal explanation and no real conclusion either. Is there a sequel coming? There better be.

Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed this whole thing right up to the ending. If you could even call that an ending. Seriously, what’s the deal here?

Either way, I do have to read more of this guy’s writing.

The synopsis for this book really drew me in -- it read like a true horror retelling of Idle Hands, with some government conspiracy bits sprinkled in. While I did end up enjoying the plot overall, it felt like a lot of valuable pages were taken up with unnecessary background for the different characters. Even as I got closer to the end, it seemed like I was taken out of the present happenings to flashback of previous timelines/events. The end felt a bit rushed and I was not anticipating the abruptness of it.
There were also some quirks that the author tends to lean into that I wasn't a huge fan of, style-wise, but nothing that was too distracting overall. (Lots of "three, four" type descriptions, which stuck out to me, but I'm sure that's just a me thing).

Fever House started off really strong. Its character development and intro were all making this look like it could be a great read. It lost a lot though because the middle area started to drag badly, the pacing just wasn’t there and my attention started to drift a bit. Sadly it never really regained itself after that for me, so the promising beginning ended up being the only thing I really enjoyed.

Note: arc provided by the publisher via netgalley in exchange for honest review

This is metal.

Like, I’m not even sure how to describe it. It’s horror and crime and raw, screaming intensity.

It’s definitely gruesome at times and extremely fast paced, yet doesn’t sacrifice character development at all. Our characters (good, bad & indefinable), were so perfectly realized.

The book is an experience – and it’s a good one!

Loved this and want more.

• ARC via Publisher

Ahh where to start with this one? I want to preface this by saying this isn’t my normal type of book, & that I went in almost blind, which lead to a very interesting reading experience, & being a bit surprised, which was fun. This is one of those books that reads like an action movie (& probably would make a good one!)- it is brutal, intense, and has some of the most gruesome body gore/horror I’ve ever read. The characters are all fully fleshed out- although John Bonner remained a bit of a mystery and didn’t feel quite as complete as the rest of the characters in my opinion. And the writing is truly beautiful at times, full of emotion and vividly captured feeling. I absolutely loved the characters of Katherine Moriarty, Nick Coffin, and Hutch Holtz. The relationship between Katherine and her son was so well-done, all of the love and tenderness captured right there along with that ever-present sense of duty and obligation a child might feel about a parent experiencing mental health issues or trauma, both of them aware that Katherine was once, and possibly could be again, so much more than she has become now that she’s a recluse suffering from intense agoraphobia. Some of the sections relating to their relationship & who she had been in her younger days actually made me tear up which was wholly unexpected. The setting of the city was vivid and impactful, especially once the Fever House began. That being said, I did at times feel like the story was dragging & that there were some pacing issues. The character of Rachmann seemed almost like he was just thrown in out of nowhere, & I found it hard to believe/understand why Nick was blithely boarding planes in his quest to find his mother, instead of maybe taking more decisive action? Nick’s journey kind of messed up the pacing for me- I felt like Katherine’s timeline was so intense and then we would be dropped back into low gear when we got to Nick’s perspective. Obviously he had a sense of urgency to find his mother- but I don’t know that it was expressed in the most believable way. And the ending also left something to be desired… I felt like the author did a whole bunch of amazing work to get us to that point, and then just kind of left us hanging right when the action really got good.

Overall, I did enjoy this novel! Some of the pacing issues took me out of being fully immersed in the story, but I still loved the writing style and most of the character development. Before I got to the end, it was sitting around 4 stars out of 5 for me, but by the end, I decided it was more of a 3.5 star read for me. Rounding up to 4 for Goodreads! Thank you so much to NetGalley, the publisher and author for a free ebook in exchange for a honest review!

Firstly things first… the book cover — incredible and so fitting for this book and genre! Secondly, I ate this entire book up! This entire book had me shook by the end. This book was a wild ride and I literally did not want to set it down.

Page after page we follow characters through this creepy, twisted and dark plot/story that is so detailed and so well written it makes you feel like you’re immersed right along with it all. I loved the perfect mix of horror and mystery!

The book made me question everything I had thought up until the very last page. I will absolutely be anticipating the release of this book to own the physical copy and will forever be recommending this to all my horror fanatic friends. Perfection is what I would call this book.

This devil-fueled, black-ops, rock 'n' roll zombie apocalypse is propelled by Rosson's deft prose and an emphasis on character development. Fever House is elevated horror without the pretension. Some readers might be a little put off by the cliffhanger ending, but getting there is a journey worth taking. Highly recommended.

Thank you net galley for this early read.

However it wasn't for me. I loved the 1st half of the book, I couldn't put it down. The 2nd half however took me 3 weeks to push through it. It completely changed pace and story line in my opinion. In the beginning it is set in the present time of the back during the main story. Then chapter after chapter was characters back stories and very drawn out and boring. Upon getting to the end I still felt most of the character back stories were very irrelevant. As well as the end left so many questions unanswered I would've rather had a longer ending placed in the present time of the story. Explaining more about the actually story line. I still have so many questions and while I loved the idea of the book and story did not love the mid change in trajectory and quick vague ending.

Wow! Such an interesting book…starts off Sopranos-esque and turns paranormal horror very quickly! Loved it! Great pace and amazing characters! Very well written, will definitely follow this author for future stories!!

I read this book in two days because I kept turning the page to discover what happens next. It is a real page-turner with twists, turns, and well-written characters that I was actively rooting for. It was a little grotesque in some parts, but overall I really enjoy this and look forward to reading more from this author.

Fever House is a great new addition to zombie apocalypse lit. Author Rosson manages to weave character arcs across and under and within one another, a dazzling show that all comes together at the very end (where I have to admit, I wanted less of an opening for a sequel, but I know authors are pushed for sequels to everything nowadays). Read this and revel in the gutters, the government cars, the cheap diners, the once-posh apartment, and, most of all, the brains of the characters and the brilliance of the idea of the remnants and their powers.

Such a smart, badass story. Incredible writing all around. Everyone should keep an eye out for this book.