Charlie Remick is known as The Man with the Magic Ear for the Sony BMG label, signing bands who have both talent and selling potential. He's launching his latest find (in need of a band name change; who's going to buy an album from The Mightier Ducks?) when the bad word comes in from his sisters: his father is dead, found hanging from a tree in the back yard. Can he come home for the services? His twin Eleanor and older sister Susan are making all the preparations, and though there was plenty of bad blood between himself and his father, Charlie agrees. His travels will take him much farther than New York to Seattle. His inheritance will include a much more piece of his dead father's legacy than his vinyl records store. He will inherit a box of discs his father found, physical artifacts tied to an old ghost story about a song that could open the door between the living and the dead.

That story is one Raymond Remick told all three of his children: Long ago, an old, infamous composer named Ivan Schrader longed to speak once more with his dead wife. He discovered that a certain set of notes could do the trick. Apparently, Raymond got some kind of funding to globetrot and seek out the music. His search yielded four one-sided albums of a very special nature that might contain the infamous song.

However, something is after them.

At first, this appears to be Louis Godwin, a desperate, apparently dying man who needs the records for unspoken purpose. He is plagued by the dead, ghostly visions of his dead but still acerbic wife as well as a host of strangers. Only by obtaining the records can he hope to … accomplish something. His presence and passion puts Charlie in danger.

And while he wrestles with this part of his inheritance, Charlie must also contend with the fate of that record store and its employees: British ex-pat Dale Cernin and rock enthusiast Ana Cortez. His kneejerk response is just to sell the place, shut it down and move on with his life. But at the behest of the lawyer executive of the estate, Charlie reconsiders. After meeting Mis Cortez and falling for her, he's put in a very unfortunate position indeed.

Everything comes to a head when Charlie, Ana, Dale, and Eleanor Remick decide to listen to the albums. They must be played on four record players simultaneously, and what they hear will forever change all of their lives. The old ghost story has kernels of truth, the dead are made visible, and one of them has a vendetta against those who hear Schrader's infamous chord. With their lives on the line and their sanities at stake, Charlie and his companions must solve an old mystery and find a way to close what should never have been open.

Scott Leeds weaves together threads focusing on the living, the dead, and the power of music with the rocking dark fantasy novel, Schrader's Chord.

Leeds' novel is being billed as a horror novel, and it certainly has its shares of blood and darkness. At heart, however, it's much more aligned with the kinds of things Gemma Files and Clive Barker have penned, a tale of the fantastique where worlds begin to overlap, revelations lead to nigh-impossible choices over life-and-death matters, and powerful beings (seen only to a few) vie for control of very special artistic creations. There are shades of Barker's The Great and Secret Show and Sacrament here. There are nods to Files' Experimental Film. But Leeds does everything possible to take the material to a very personal place, leaving a stamp upon it.

Leeds' prose is good, propulsive. The characterizations are solid. The author indulges in few too many pop culture and horror flick references for my own preference (everything from Ducktales to Stanley Kubrick gets invoked here; far fewer musical mentions than one might expect), but those are part of the author's voice and the book's charm. There are several well developed suspense scenes and a villain whose motivations are appropriately mysterious and sinister. There is one sequence where it really shines brightest, however.

Although the author has split the narrative into four portions, the novel divides into two large sections. The first half brings Charlie back into his family's domain, introduces the set of Schrader's records, introduces the threat, and culminates with revelations about the album's power. The second half deals with the ramifications of the first part, as barriers collapse, Charlie discovers the real supernatural threat, and undertakes a mission to find a way to save himself and his loved ones. There's a transition point in that first section which allows the supernatural world leaks into the mundane one that also happens to be one of the most thrilling portions of the book, a lengthy sequence recounting what happens when those albums are played as the composer intended.

The author's craft is exceptional in this specific sequence, in the slow accrual of information, the building of a creepy atmosphere, and the attentiveness to all the eerie potential. That piece is exquisite, moody and tense, nightmarish. I actually had gooseflesh while reading it (in the middle of a thunderstorm, I might add), and suffered a related nightmare that evening. Win.

The book that leads up to this sequence is good, the remaining novel following it is also good, particularly when it veers into road story territory and we get the feeling that anything can happen. Neither of those sections quite hits the brilliant highs of that transitional sequence, unfortunately. Still, there are several quality suspense and emotionally honest moments to be found. What plays out while these characters participate in that strange ritual, however, has some unquantifiable dark magic. It's the lightning in a bottle moment for the book. To employ the author's own penchant for relating things to pop culture: This is akin to the Christopher Walken and Dennis Hopper sequence of True Romance. Everything else about that movie is enjoyable, but that scene is brilliant, happens early, and achieves heights the rest (entertaining, slick, and downright cool as we could hope for) never gets close to.

I suppose that makes Leeds' book the True Romance of Tor Nightfire's horror line: Clever, well-crafted, and as terrific an example of all the cooler aspects of its genre of choice as we might wish for.

Pop culture references aside, Schrader's Chord is a solid page turner of supernatural suspense and dark fantasy with one mind meltingly great moment, a lot of good ones, and no bad ones.
#
A special thank you to NetGalley and Tor Nightfire for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Heart-Shaped Box meets The Haunting of Hill House? I don’t think I could’ve requested this faster. And oh my goodness, was it a great read! I was completely invested by page one and the character development was unreal (something that’s hit or miss in the genre). I loved the sprinkle of Final Destination this book had, too. Leeds, thank you for this rock-n-roll journey! I found the book to have engrossing writing and horror scenes, it was sufficiently scary, and the ending wrapped up in a satisfying way. I also love books that look at difficult family relationships, and we definitely got that with Charlie and his dad, Raymond. Overall, highly, highly recommend to all horror fans. I’ll be spending my Fall begging everyone to pick this one up.

I was engrossed with this book from page one. I love horror/spooky books that have great character development, and this one is stellar in that department. I felt connected to these characters and was fully locked into their journey. Leeds takes time to let the story gradually reveal itself, giving the reader enough crumbs to munch on before the party starts. I loved the world the author created, with rules and boundaries that made sense and allowed the narrative to swing into emotional territory to enhance the high stakes. I read this in one day and highly recommend it.

I found this to be a bit slow at first & someone of the interactions between characters to be corny, but I enjoyed this book. The horror was done well & some of the relationships between characters were great. I do wish we got to know Dale better & that Gloria showed up again. Also, it's kind of weird that we didn't hear from Susan again. The "rules" of being a ghost were interesting. I liked the climax/conclusion.

While I loved the premise, the prose didn't reel me in and I felt bogged down with characters and connections by page 35. I haven't been able to bring myself to pick it up again.

I love novels with a strong musical theme and Schrader’s Chord, the impressive debut of Scott Leeds, crackles along nicely with the best of them. Many of the scenes are set in the Cuckoo’s Nest, this independent record shop is so vividly and colourfully described I felt like I had just dropped 100USD shopping there! This nostalgic spending spree took me back to the late eighties, when the teenage version of myself scoured the shelves of ‘1Up’, a record shop in Aberdeen, Scotland very similar to the equivalent in the novel. I remember the folks who worked there being incredibly knowledgeable about music and were generous with their recommendations and this is exactly what happens in the Cuckoo’s Nest, with the customers and staff hanging out in this wonderful Seattle institution. The musical references (and tips) come thick and fast and music lovers are going to have a lot of fun with this highly entertaining book. I could not help think of John Cusack’s shop in High Fidelity, based on the Nick Hornby, where the staff lived and breathed music and took the piss out of mainstream fans. It’s exactly the same here, customers looking for a copy of The Eagles Greatest Hits beware!

Even before the intense supernatural story kicks off I was lost in music and the genuine love all the characters show for it. The first half of Schrader’s Chord was outstanding, but once the cat was out of the bag in the second section, it did lose some of its steam and could have done with being slightly shorter, especially in the final third where it took too long to wind up. However, the closing section was definitely worth hanging around for. Even if ghosts were introduced into the plot in the early stages, it was fascinating discovering how a story of cursed vinyl records played out.

The action opens with music talent scout Charlie Remick finding out about the suicide of his estranged father Raymond, the owner of the Cuckoo’s Nest. As Charlie has many very bad memories of his father, his first instinct is to sell the shop and cut ties. However, after meeting one of the record shop employees Ana, he has a temporary change of heart. The young woman is an obsessive music fan and whilst working in the shop has spent the last five years helping Raymond fix the old place up. She adored Raymond like a father, but Charlie cannot understand why. He does, however, think Ana is both gorgeous and charming. She is worried about the future of her job, but also feels a kinship with Charlie and they hang out with Ellie (Charlie’s sister) and fellow record-shop worker Dale. The dynamics of the characters, both before and after the supernatural events, were one of the highlights of the story and were totally charming.

Ultimately there would be relatively few horror novels or films without truly dumb decisions are the heroes of Shrader’s Chord commit a cracker. A stone-cold equivalent of “whatever happens, DO NOT go in the basement” and you know the rest…. Charlie is left four very rare vinyl 12-inch singles in the family will and later discovers there might be sort of curse if they are played simultaneously, which he laughs off. The friends get drunk one night and guess what they do? When I was a kid there was a rumour playing Led Zeppelin’s Stairway to Heaven backwards would call the Devil and something much worse happens here. The scene when it all kicks off was truly outstanding, as were many of what followed with atrocities from other dimensions jumping into our world. Suddenly the group are wishing they stuck with the local pub jukebox and the novel changes speed and hurtles full throttle into supernatural horror, ghosts and much worse.

Along the way there is a lot of intricate family dynamics added into the mix in which Charlies complicated relationship with his father is explored and this does slow the book down slightly. I loved the way in which the ghosts could interact with the living, even remembering the details of their past lives. Overall this was an impressive horror thriller and the best with such a strong musical theme since (two of my favourites) David Peake’s masterpiece Corpsepaint and Leo Darke’s hilarious Lucifer Sam. For those about to rock (or read about it) we salute you!

I requested this one because it might be an upcoming title I would like to review on my Youtube Channel. However, after reading the first several chapters I have determined that this book does not suit my tastes. So I decided to DNF this one.

Schrader's Chord by Scott Leads is a chilling debut novel that will keep you on the edge of your seat. The story is about cursed vinyl records that can open a portal to the land of the dead, and the horrors that follow when a group of friends plays them.

Charlie Remick returns to Seattle after his estranged father's death and finds himself in possession of the keys to the family record store and a black case containing four ancient records. When Charlie and his friends play the records, they unleash an unspeakable horror that haunts them and the dead seem to be everywhere. The only person who can help them is Charlie's resurrected father, who knows the power of the records.

Leeds masterfully weaves together horror and mystery in this spine-tingling tale. The tension builds with each chapter, and the characters' fear is palpable. The story is well-written, and the pacing is perfect, making it difficult to put down.

Schrader's Chord is a modern horror masterpiece that will delight fans of Heart-Shaped Box and The Haunting of Hill House. The book is a must-read for anyone who enjoys a good scare and a well-crafted horror story. I highly recommend it.