This is the first book I’ve read by the author and enjoyed it for the most part. I really liked how the book started off until about the midway point where the dark fantasy elements really started to take over. I’m a huge Horror fan and there’s a good build up of dread with grotesque imagery but I personally don’t enjoy when the story starts to lean more into fantasy than Horror. This is more of a personal preference though and it gave me major Joe Hill vibes. The writing is excellent but there is a large cast of characters to keep up with and there was too much going on towards the ending that I wasn’t a big fan of. Overall, it’s a good story that I believe readers of Dark Fantasy would enjoy.

This is my second title by this author, and while I really enjoyed it, I think it could have landed better if there was just a bit less going on. Some of the plot (and frankly, some of the punch of the horror) was lost in what (to me anyways) came off as auxiliary information. Overall I really ate this up and just think it could have used a bit more editing. The bones were good and kept me engaged.

Wowza! The author really outdid himself with this spooky thriller. For me it was reminiscent of old school Dean Koonz or Stephen King. It was simply outstanding and high on the creep factor. I wouldn't call it the scariest thing I've ever read - - that honor will forever belong to "It." It was, however, an inventively creative and spooky book that shows the author's imagination ran wild.

The author gives you bits and pieces from different character points of view throughout the story. It was quite interesting to see how everything finally comes together in the end. The story itself focuses on an area that you visit in your dreams known as LaLaLand. It's inhabited by creatures that are unimaginable and people that are often worse than the animals.

The boundary between LaLaLand and our world is wearing thin and if it breaks, horrendous monsters will be freed to prey upon this world. Not only that, but Mister Lullaby will have unchecked free reign. All fo this leaves the residents of Harrod's Reach trying to desperately fight the evil from taking over their small town.

I also listened to the audiobook and it was done quite well. The narration was excellent and kept me immersed in the storyline.

Thank you to NetGalley for both the early listening copy and the ebook. I chose to review both and the opinions contained within are my own.

This book has too many points of views and too many timelines. If you are listening, give it some time for you to sort out what’s what. It took me a chunk of time to realize who was present, who was past and who was in what world. Once you figure it out, you want no part of LaLa Land. No thank you, this book turned out to be soo creepy! I did need more to the ending, I felt like it just ended while still needing another chapter. Despite that, soo creepy and so good. The LaLa Land characters were a head trip.

"Lullabies were full of monsters. Full of dark, disguised by beautiful singsong rhythms. Or was it the sinister disguised by something beautiful?"

This is the second book I've read by this author. Although this is a stand alone it did feel very much like a sequel to the Nightmare Man and it references it frequently.

This is a cool story that is similar in a lot of ways to the author's first. Something is causing the wall between real life and dreams to break down, allowing Mr Lullaby to get closer and closer to our world and wreak havoc on Harrod's Reach.

I enjoyed this and The Nightmare Man and recommend both.

Thank you Netgalley and Crooked Lane Books for giving me an advanced review copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

A young boy, Sully Dupree, is injured in the abandoned tunnel and left in a coma. Gideon is returning home His mother is throwing him a surprise party. When he enters the gym, he draws out his weapon when they all yelled “Surprise!” Meanwhile to everyone’s surprise Sully has awoken from his coma briefly. When he had gone to an old railroad tunnel that had been bricked up due to its bad reputation. The bricks have been breaking down.
In the past, people had died, lost limbs or into comas never waking. What will happen now after hearing Sally’s mysterious message?

The book starts out slow. The “before”and “now” dual narratives are slightly confusing. I became aware of multiple perspectives over those times.The plot started pickin up for me after I realize the multiple perspectives. When the people in comas connected, it was eerie and creepy. The blend of horror and thriller is mixed well so when the horror of the novel creeps up on me, I wondered what I would find out next. The ending that is given makes me think it will have a second book. After all what was Mr. Lullaby driving a bus called Lullaby Express doing by picking up oddballs and killer? My advice is don’t get on that bus!

This book has so many subplots inside plots and main plots there’s no way I could do it justice by giving a summary there’s a guy named Theodore who has horns coming out of his head and he’s going around killing all the people on his list that are in a coma he has been told to do this by Mr. lullaby and so It’s his job to kill the dead heads. While riding around in his Mr. Lullaby bus every now and then he runs across a random straggler and picks them up because this we find out our serial killers and this includes the love of Teddy’s life Brandy a.k.a. the black widow. Madison on the other hand a stripper who danced to pay her way through South Carolina university was attacked and she was the only one of the horseshoe rapist to live when she wakes up she has an overwhelming urge to go to Herrid’s Reach, Nebraska when she woke up she had the name Solomon Dupree on her lips and for some reason this is who she was supposed to go see. Over in Harrods reach Gideon Dupree Sully‘s older brother in the one most people blame for his accident has come home from war with a Purple Heart something he isn’t proud of nor likes to talk about soon after arriving home the strange things at the town tunnel begin again dock and Gideon‘s childhood best friend Beth‘s adopted father Grover who is also the sheriff had an accident and this is only days after Simple Simon found a woman raped with a horseshoe on her stomach and a man decapitated with his head on his stomach close to the tunnel. As for Grover in doc for some reason it looks like simple Simons favorite toy his chainsaw he calls “the ripper” had something to do with it but when Beth goes to his cabin in the woods she notices strange talismans cut out of trees surrounding his home but when she goes in the house she sees what looks like an orange squirrel but when she looks around she thinks he’s been painting animals bright colors. When she finally finds Simon she sees he is in the tub trying to drown himself but when she takes him out he goes with her willingly and she even allows him to take his book called La La Land that he is drawn and written himself. As far as Beth knows the 6 foot five hulk of a man supposed to have done it Simon has never hurt anyone nor could she imagine him doing it but she locks him up until she investigates. OK these are the three main factors and trust me when I say there’s a lot I haven’t mentioned I mean this book should’ve been a series but either way it was still an awesome awesome read and I can see why they compare him to Stephen King I also get those vibes from the story and trust me there is a lot of story here. I would have given it five stars but I really didn’t love the ending after all that buildup and then Bam but despite that it was still a great story and one that may have you sleeping with the lights on from now on. I want to thank crooked lane books and net galley for my free Ark copy please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review.

This was a propulsive read that stays within the "universe" of the first novel, although only just by a brief mention. I'll be interested to see them hopefully combine in the next book. I love this idea of nightmares haunting people in real life and the veil between the worlds dissipating.

The first thing I noticed about this story was how much it echoed the tropes of a Stephen King novel-a small town, large cast of characters, and elements of a coming of age story combined with strange paranormal happenings that pull all of these components together. This is what pulled me into the story and carried me through the good and unsuccessful moments of this story.

What I struggled with was the structure of the story. We bounce around a lot between the past and present from one point of view to the next. I found myself losing track of what was the present and past because most of it felt like the present moment. I believe there were some great ideas on the paranormal side of the plot, but it did go a bit too far into explaining things away- I think I would have enjoyed more ambiguity to amp up the ominous occurrences and characters.

What I enjoyed about this story was the core cast of characters. I liked their back stories and connections. Gideon and Beth were my favorite characters and I found myself invested in their stories.

If you are intrigued by authors whose style echoes King, I think you should definitely check this story out. If you are not a King fan, I think Markert has a lot to offer in the setting and characters that make up this story and it is worth giving this book a read.

Thank you Crooked Lane Books via NetGalley for giving my the opportunity to respond to this book with my honest opinions.

I really enjoyed The Nightmare Man last year and was looking forward to Mister Lullaby, and let me tell you, it was just as good! I loved the audio as well, it only added to the super creepy atmosphere of this story. I also loved the tie in to childhood lullabies, especially when a young boy in the small town of Harrod’s Reach is injured, and folks have been dying in crazy ways close to the entrance of a decrepit train tunnel.

This was a crazy wild ride, complete with paranormal elements and a crazy ending. I do wish I had the book to follow along with as it was hard to keep straight with only audio in the beginning, but once I got going it was fine. I definitely recommend this one for horror fans and there that love the paranormal mixed into their stories. It is creepy and I did have to listen in the daytime lol, but that is how I like these types of stories to read.

Thank you to Crooked Lane Books and PRH Audio for the copies to review.

Mister Lullaby is a fabulously creative and entertaining horror read. The world building is impeccable and the terror level throughout is stellar.
The cover grabbed my attention and immediately brought to mind IT by Stephen King. The story is also reminiscent of King’s writing in books like Sleeping Beauties and Lisey’s Storey, bringing paranormal & supernatural into the horror seamlessly.
Mister Lullaby is a terrifying and fast paced read that reaches beyond imagination and will leave you scared to fall asleep.

I have posted this review on Instagram.

https://www.instagram.com/p/C0HCS5BLWE4/?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

Goodreads

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5963217873

And Amazon

Mister Lullaby by J. H. Markert is the first book I've read by this author. I was thrilled to find out that I have his previous book - The Nightmare Man - in my TBR pile. Why? This book was BLOODY AWESOME! I don't know why it made me think of Stephen King's IT, because the story is totally different, but the creepy feelings this book caused reminded me of that tome. I'm not sure why I stopped reading horror; luckily I've dipped my toes back into that pool or else I would have missed this frightful book!

Harrod’s Reach, Nebraska has long been a spot where creepy things occurred. The town was built around a decrepit old train tunnel, where a horrifying train accident took place a long time ago. Sully Dupree, a young boy, was seriously injured in the tunnel and is now in a coma, and most of the town's residents think the tunnel should be sealed off. Deputy sheriff Beth Gardner, a pragmatic person, doesn't want to believe in the superstitions of the area, until she finds two corpses at the tunnel's entrance, left in macabre poses with calling cards inscribed with old lullabies. Sully briefly wakes from his coma, screams out a message then falls back under. Since the accident, Sully's mind has been trapped on the other side of the tunnel in Lalaland, a frightening place inhabited by mythical creates of sleep. He is trapped there with hundreds of other coma patients who are fighting to keep the evil in Lalaland from crossing over into the waking world. Meanwhile, Teddy Lomax, a man troubled by a painful childhood, has been hearing a voice in his head that he calls Mr. Lullaby, and he's started to do what the voice tells him to do quickly: kill a list of coma patients. Something in the tunnel is trying to get through...and Mr. Lullaby is on his way.

This is one of those books that grabbed me by the throat and would not let go until I raced through to the end. Whew, what a gory, disturbing ride! And it WAS truly disturbing. (Funny story: I was in the middle of the book and my husband was about to have surgery. He said he was heading toward Lalaland. I about freaked out! Do I let this man go under anesthesia?! A cooler head finally prevailed, but it did feel absolutely creepy!) I don't really want to get into the story, because you need to read each foreboding chapter and be surprised by events like I was. But let me point out a few things that really scared the bejesus out of me. Apparently human evil is just as scary as supernatural evil. (Yeah, wait until you get on board Teddy Lomax's bus, the Lullaby Express, and find out about the passengers he picks up on his way to Harrod's Reach!) Part of the story takes place "before", while Teddy was on his trip to reach the tunnel. The rest of the action takes place "now". It's not confusing going back and forth. Another frightening aspect were the words of the lullabies mothers actually sang to their children throughout history. They are dark. They contain evil. And they make me wonder how on earth would someone tell their children these things?! ***Shudders*** There were some fantastic characters! Of course we had Teddy, who goes through a frightening transformation as he works his way around the country killing coma patients. Gideon Dupree, Sully's older brother, returns home from the military with a Purple Heart, PTSD and secrets. He's been afraid of most things during his life; can he be strong for his friends and family? Sheriff deputy Beth has lived her whole life in this town. When her dear friend the Sheriff receives a chain saw wound to his gut (I told you it was gory!), she must protect the town as more death and destruction come through. Simple Simon is considered a slow man and spends most of his time sleeping, but don't ever mistake him for being stupid. My favorite character is Maddy Boyle, who was in a coma, has now awakened and she makes her way to Harrod's Reach when she begins to put the clues all together of what is really transpiring. This book is absolutely thrilling; you'll want to clear your calendar so nothing disturbs your journey to Lalaland. You will never view deer, fish, seashells and vines the same again. Bloody awesome, I say!

I received an ARC of this book courtesy of the publisher and NetGalley. I received no compensation for my review, and all thoughts and opinions expressed are entirely my own.

Mister Lullaby was a fun follow-up to The Nightmare Man. I enjoyed how it wasn’t a direct sequel but more of a spin-off in the same reality. The characters are so easy to fall in love with, and the bad guys are just so easy to hate. This story is your classic, spooky, boogie-man tale. It was giving Darkness Falls, but instead of the tooth fairy, every sleep monster you can think of. I really hope the author writes a third installment where we get to meet Mister Dream!

We've all had those scary dreams where you wake up, sit straight up in bed, your heart pounding but can't remember what the dream was about, just that you don't want to go there again. This is how I view MISTER LULLABY, except the entire town of Harrod's Reach is having the dream and some can't wake up. These sleepers are the soldiers in a battle to keep the "monsters under the bed" from entering the waking world. JH MARKERT has taken bits and pieces of the worst collective memories and woven them into a story designed to make sure you stay awake at night. The story seemed to jump around somewhat but I'm not sure if that was design to keep the story edgy. It definitely made an impression on me. I'm hoping I don't meet Mr Lullaby in my dreams tonight.

Blown away be another book by J.H. Markert. This book moves at a quick pace and the tension slowly builds. The longer you read the harder it is to stop. There’s a lot going on and POV changes throughout. Great small town creep factor going on. I highly recommend this book for anyone you likes horror books (even if they don’t scare you anymore) because the story telling and buildup is worth the read.

Harrod’s Reach is home to a spooky-ass abandoned train tunnel that has fascinated the townspeople for decades. When the town’s most beloved little boy, Sully, is found unconscious in the tunnel and slips into a coma, the tunnel gets closed up. But then two people are found murdered right outside the tunnel and Sully briefly wakes up and yells “run!” We find out that Sully and other coma patients around the world are trapped in LaLaLand, which is not a fun place to be and Mister Lullaby (also not fun) is trying to break through to the real world. Sully and the others are trying to keep the borders firm, but everything is about to fall apart and they need help from those left behind in Harrod’s Reach.

The Nightmare Man was so good. And this is a solid follow-up. Both are super creepy and the dream and lullaby lore from different cultures is fun to learn about. There were a lot of characters and dueling past/present timelines which were at times hard to parse and the ending felt abrupt and rushed, but don’t let that put you off. Everything came together at the end and Markert is clearly a very talented storyteller.

Thank you @netgalley and @crookedlanebooks for the ARC! This book is out now.

I had a really hard time with this one. I’m not sure what was. Maybe the pacing and how many characters. I just couldn’t get invested. DNF at 66% The writing was great and the plot was interesting! I still plan to check out more from this author.

Unfortunately I was not able to finish reading this book, as the pdf version that I received on my kindle had a lot of formatting issues that made it hard to follow along with and took away from the flow of the writing. The first letter to start a new chapter would be on a separate line, some pages randomly had the author's name in all caps in the middle of the page, and other issues. I had the same issue with this author's other book The Nightmare Man last year, and tried to plod through the formatting issues but felt that it took away from my enjoyment of the book, so I didn't want my rating of this book to suffer for the same reasons.
I am very appreciative of the publisher for sending me a widget to read this book, but will have to read a finished copy post-publication to enjoy the story how it's meant to be read. Since these were formatting issues and not a problem with the story (for the few parts I did read), I will not be posting this review online.

Thank you to the author J. H. Markert, publishers Crooked Lane Books, and also to NetGalley for a widget of MISTER LULLABY. All views are mine.

This book is like NIGHTMARE MAN got a little older and tightened up its wardrobe. I like the progression in Markert's style, too. He's developed his narrative voice, this charry whisper, urgent and dire, lifting off the page in curling words. I'm eager to see what more he creates under this pen name.

Three (or more) things I loved:

1. I love Beth's character and story trajectories. The book cares about her and gives her grace and respects her autonomy, even when, perhaps especially when she's not on page. It's some really good writing on Markert's part. She easily foils the absolute absurdity of the antagonist.

2. A noticeable improvement of mental illness rep. I can tell Markert put in the work to avoid stigmatizing in this book.

3. The horns are freaking great.😆

4. Okay Teddy and Brandy are my favorite power couple in a while!

5. In Teddy's sections, the subtle shifts in narrative voice, the tendency toward overconfidence and self-delusion, really makes his sections unique to him. Not to mention, a pleasure to read.

Three (or less) things I didn't love:

This section isn't only for criticisms. It's merely for items that I felt something for other than "love" or some interpretation thereof.

1. This writer seems to favor scenes in which a character thinks while they are driving. These scenes are slow in pace and feel disconnected from the rest of the story, even if the information is plot relevant. I remember the same issue taking place in NIGHTMARE MAN.

3. I don't love everything about the midpoint turn, but I love Alu. Like the demon version of sleep apnea! Hey, that stuff's evil 😈

4. The last 20% gets convoluted, but I liked the ending. It wraps things up but leaves a possibility for more story.

Rating: 💤💤💤💤 bad nights of sleep
Recommend? Yes!
Finished: Nov 20 23
Format: Digital arc, Kindle, NetGalley
Read this book if you like:
⌛️ nonlinear timeline
🚇 haunted tunnels
💞 unlikely friends
🔪 serial killer stories
🛌 stories about nightmares

Do I have a complaint about this book? Yes, yes I do. I absolutely loved this book when I had a the chance to read an eARC of it over the summer. I loved it even more having just gotten a chance to listen to an advanced audio version. But I was struck with the same thought both times, I wanted more. There is so much going on in this book, so many wonderfully twisted things I would have loved for Markert to have expanded upon. I suppose he must ascribe to the old adage of ‘always leave them wanting more’! Either that or he just enjoys torturing his fans, lol.

So what is Mister Lullaby all about? Well, it’s classic small town horror…with wide reaching implications. I must admit I was not and am still not familiar with James Market’s novels. I keep meaning to check them out. I only discovered him when he first published The Nightmare Man back in January 2023 under the J.H. Market pen name. Mister Lullaby feels like Market has taken bit and pieces from some of the masters like King, Koontz, McCammon, and Hill and crafted them into his own special brand of horror. Evil from ‘the other side’ (known as Lala Land) is influencing some over here and also trying to find a way to come over as well. We have a busload of truly demented serial killers. ‘Special’ children in comatose states and simple/childlike adults acting as a defense against the rising evil, with their loved ones doing their best to defend them. As I said, I only wished he’d explored/expanded some areas/characters more. I would have loved to know more of the backstory to some of those twisted passengers we only passingly met from the Lullaby Express. Based on The Nightmare Man and Mister Lullaby I’m thrilled by the prospect of future adventures into Market’s wonderful imagination. I’d like to thank Crooked Lane Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review an eARC of Mister Lullaby and Dreamscape Media for the chance to listen to the advanced audio version of the book. There is no wrong way to experience this novel.

https://www.amazon.com/review/R2FOV69DT1F9VW/ref=pe_1098610_137716200_cm_rv_eml_rv0_rv