I was so excited about this one, maybe to excited. It felt meandering so I'd forget what was happening. There was some very good, creepy imagery though so maybe another time.

This book is serving up folk horror meets crime fiction. There is so much to unpack and a lot of plot that could be mentioned in a spoiler-y way, that I want to limit my review to pros and cons versus a full breakdown.

PROS:
🪰 The botched bank heist/career criminal vibes.
🪰 Anne – she has such an interesting backstory and is a total badass.
🪰 The setting – rural and secluded for the best atmospheric qualities.
🪰 Cult vibes!
🪰 There’s a cat!

CONS:
🪰 Repetitive – there is a lot that I think could have been paired down in this story to make it sleeker and faster paced.
🪰 Confusing at times – I won’t lie, I got a bit lost at points with this one, which I think is because I zoned out.

Returning to her family’s cabin in Colorado’s San Luis Valley-and the horrific memories that surround it-is the last thing that Anne Heller ever wanted to do. But when a bank robbery goes terribly awry and she’s left with an injured accomplice and a police officer hostage, she needs somewhere secluded to lay low.

But Anne soon learns that her former home is not nearly as deserted as she believed it to be.

A Mask Of Flies drew me in with its intriguing premise, its compelling characters-particularly Anne, whose hardened exterior and sometimes-reckless and violent behavior often belie the sympathetic aspects of her demeanor-and an antagonist that is something out of a cosmic horror nightmare.

A Mask Of Flies does not shy away from violence, death and gore-a particular scene in a police station is utterly visceral-and the nigh-unstoppable creature that pursues Anne is a disturbing and incredibly unsettling utilization of body horror. But while the novel is a dark exploration of human behavior influenced by grief, desperation and even fervent religious obsession, there are also heartfelt moments between the characters that make you hope for their survival.

Anne is a resourceful, determined woman and is willing to do what she deems necessary to persevere. The tension throughout A Mask Of Flies continues to mount as Anne’s options become more limited. While the pacing of the novel feels slightly long in certain instances, the conclusion was satisfying and the very end made feel a little emotional.

Thank you to NetGalley and Tor Nightfire for access to this ebook. All opinions expressed are solely my own.

Thanks to the publisher for inviting me to read this early!

This was such a bummer for me. My true rating is probably a 1.5 but the gore during the parts I enjoyed were good enough for me to round up.

The synopsis was SO promising—I really wish the story hadn’t taken the path it did because my interest fell off immediately once they left the creepy cabin. I had thought the entire thing would be about surviving in this isolated cabin while being hunted by a grotesque supernatural threat. It devolving into… all of that makes me feel like I got bamboozled.

I think so much of this should have been cut out, especially the stuff with the remainder of their little gang. Travis and Iris and that whole ordeal wasn’t compelling to me at all and it made the whole story feel sloppy and disjointed.

Unfortunately I skimmed the last maybe 25% because I just wanted to be done. :/ Hopefully others like this more than I did!

Ⓑⓞⓞⓚ Ⓡⓔⓥⓘⓔⓦ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

𝔸 𝕄𝕒𝕤𝕜 𝕠𝕗 𝔽𝕝𝕚𝕖𝕤
𝗠𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘄 𝗟𝘆𝗼𝗻𝘀
Horror
458 pages

Sʜᴏᴿᴛ Sʏɴᴏᴘsɪs
A Mask of Flies begins with a bungled bank robbery and then moves into a horror story.

Anne flees to her childhood home in a secluded area in Colorado, San Luis Valley to be specific. This is a place she said she’d never go back to as such a horrific event happened to her there when she was a child.

Once there, the horror begins with a monstrous figure and a cult of sorts; a cult her mom was part of.
Then, the fight really begins.

Mʸ Tᴴᴼᵁᴳᴴᵀs
The plot is rather unique and definitely grabbed my interest. I felt the story was a bit drawn out though. I wanted to know what happened in the end, yet it seemed to go on and on.
I found the characters to be an unlikable lot. Even Anne was tough to attach myself to. I think that was the point though. She was a tough nut to crack. They all had life issues that led them to the point of life they were in.

The ending brought closure in a mind tingling way. Overall, this is a unique horror/crime story that paints a picture that imprints itself as you read.

💕Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for providing this ebook for me to read and review.

Thrilling, nonstop action starting with a bang! Just how I like my horror crime novels! For 450 pages this book just flows so quickly and I devoured it in one sitting!
5 stars all the way and I suspect that Author Mathew Lynn’s will find a place in my library as a favourite. Supernatural, creepy, spine chilling read that will draw you in and keep you trapped. If you love 80s horror, love King books then this one has to go on your tbr list.

Thankyou Tor Publishing Group and NetGalley for this eArc

*“A Mask of Flies” by Matthew Lyons is a gripping and intense blend of crime and horror that pulls no punches. The story begins with a bank robbery that spirals out of control, leaving Anne, the main character, on the run not just from the police, but from a sinister supernatural force tied to her past.

The pacing is relentless, particularly in the first half, where the tension is nearly unbearable. Lyons doesn’t shy away from graphic violence and disturbing details, making this a story that’s not for the faint of heart. The visceral depictions of injury and gore are both shocking and effective, underscoring the high stakes and desperate atmosphere.

Despite the chaos, the novel explores themes of found family, and introduces a cultish element that adds depth and complexity to the narrative. Some character decisions may seem questionable, but they serve the progression of the plot and maintain the story’s momentum. Lyons has a talent for creating morally complex characters who, despite their flaws, manage to elicit sympathy—though it’s best not to grow too attached, as the story doesn’t hesitate to deliver brutal, unexpected twists.

“A Mask of Flies” is a violent, supernatural thriller that makes effective use of familiar tropes to create a compelling and chilling experience. It’s a novel that demands a strong stomach, which is just what I look for in a good horror!!

I feel like my expectations are too high for this book. Half of the time, I feel sleepy reading this. Its so boring. The body horror is well described, and I like the premise. It has so much potential, but overall, the story fell flat to me.

I really liked this! The beginning several chapters reminded me a lot of the Evil Dead movies, but the similarities vanished pretty quickly and the story turned more into a cult horror, which I also really liked. Anne was such an interesting character. She's a criminal rather than the typical "final girl" stereotype, and I was so creeped out as she slowly discovered the secrets of her past.

I think that all the elements of this book worked really well in conjunction with one another. The characters were well-realized and compelling, the horror aspects felt really intentional and integrated into the plot--rather than just being there to be creepy, the atmosphere was well curated. Ths book was great, I loved the experience of reading it and also that cover is stunninggg.

This was so creepy and good! It was a perfect summer time horror book and I will definitely be recommending it to my horror loving friends!

A Mask of Flies by Matthew Lyons is an intense read that combines crime thriller with supernatural horror. After a bank heist goes wrong, Anne Heller heads to her family’s isolated cabin in Colorado with her injured partner and a hostage. What starts as a tense wait for help quickly turns into a nightmare when her partner goes missing and returns as something sinister. Lyons builds a chilling atmosphere and a suspenseful plot that keeps you hooked. Lyons is a talented writer who masterfully blends suspense with supernatural horror, creating a story that's both unsettling and gripping. If you’re into psychological thrillers with a dark twist, this book is definitely worth your time

Blog Post goes live August 20th
Amazon review submitted
Youtube review to come

TL;DR: A bit long and drawn out, this read very episodic and fairly disconnected.
Source: Netgalley! Thank you to the publisher!

Plot: Divided into three parts we follow post robbery, with a cult, and running/back to the cult. It felt a little drawn out to be honest.
Characters: I didn’t end up very connected to anyone, and most were fairly unlikable.
Setting: We jumped between a few different settings and they were well drawn and established.
Horror: There is quite a bit of horror, but it’s more seen than creeping so there is little tension.

Thoughts:

I love a good scary book, I do. Unfortunately lately the horror has missed several times, this one being one of those. Mask of Flies follows a bank robber after her latest heist has gone wrong. Not only has it gone wrong but she ends up with an injured friend and cop kidnapped in the trunk. What’s a girl to do but obviously run to the old run down cabin where she watched a monster attack and kill her mother?

This… was something. I liked a lot of the parts of this, a lot of them. But then things would happen that would lead me with very real questions, either missing information or stupid decisions that pulled me so far out it was jarring. The story also felt very episodic. Perhaps if this had been broken into novellas? That could have worked for sure, but in one large book I wasn’t a fan. Our horror starts fast and by the end feels very ‘Oh there goes the monster again, what a gal’ and the cult twists were very clear and obvious to me early.

Overall not one for me. I can definitely see this working for others though, truly. I just was not the audience for this. I like for there to be more tension, fewer plot holes, and more character to the characters.

2.5 (rounded up) to 3 flies swarms out of 5

Holy moly. This was a wild ride. I think I picked up this book around 15 times trying to read it. It definitely isn’t the books fault, I’ve just been in a huge eyeball reading slump. So when I saw the audio on Everand, I jumped on it and finished this one in a day. This was soo well written. The eeriness of paranormal entity followed you throughout the whole book. Anne, our FMC, was a certified badass and I couldn’t wait to see what she did next. Going back to the place where someone you loved died would be hard; running from the cops after a bank robbery gone wrong and ending up there…I don’t even wanna think about it. We piece together more of what happened the night of an accident that changed Anne’s life, why she hasn’t been back to the cabin, and her life before the cabin and wooo it’s a freaking doozy. So glad I ended up listening to it because the narrator was amazing. Definitely suggest this one to anyone who needs some paranormal horror in their life

Yikes. This was a tough one. The gorgeous dark mysterious liminal space of the San Luis Valley is captured beautifully. The plot is dark and keeps you on your toes. The pacing is good. I never knew there were so many ways to describe blood coming out of a gunshot to the skull. Overall though this book was A LOT. A lot of gore. A lot of disgusting descriptions that, while they never actually got repetitive, got a bit old as you just got so desensitized to them. And a personal pet peeve of mine (pretty impossible to miss in books like this) is when the characters get hurt constantly and continuously with wounds that either seem to be forgotten or no big deal a few pages later when in reality they would have been dead chapters ago. I just have a hard time continuing to stay mentally in a book when my brain checks out due to the wounds the characters sustain consistently being awful and then even worse every second after. But again, my pet peeve and not necessarily everyone’s.

Heyyyy spooky season is coming up and if anyone out there is looking for a new crime horror to add to there reading list next month, this is the one for you with an actual criminal protagonist. Or would it be antagonist then, who knows? Following a criminal and the cop she’s taken hostage as they must find their way to safety- perused by threats both human and supernatural. One of the big selling points for me is it mentions the story having a pinch of evil dead which I can now say with certainty is true. Definitely a lot more gore and suspense then I expected!

I'm not a very good writer so bare with me. I really enjoy this book. The storyline was very creepy and I love the twists. Also it a haunted cover to it which I like. It was very detailed and maybe can read it again down the road. A lot of stuff happens at once in this book to process. Thank so much for the review copy and let me read it.

I think this book was well written and other people are going to love it. For me, though, it felt like it took too many turns to get to its point. Where we ended up was not where I thought we were going. I would have liked if there had been more foreshadowing regarding the protagonist's past but ultimately, I think my review is just a reflection of my own taste and that Matthew Lyons has done a good book that many others are going to enjoy.

I think Mask Of Flies is perfect for fans of horror and action both. Supernatural elements with a bank heist gone wrong. The cover is absolutely wicked! I love it. If supernatural horror is your jam, definitely check it out!

Thanks to Matthew Lyons, Tor Nightfire and NetGalley for the opportunity

Thank you to Tor Nightfire for the e-ARC of A Mask of Flies!

DNF @ 58%

This was an unfortunate DNF 🙃. I made it about 60% into A Mask of Flies< before throwing in the towel; a very sad moment in my life because a cult was introduced & cults are one of my favorite things in horror.

A Mask of Flies is a bank robbery gone wrong situation— that leads into our main characters being threatened by both human & supernatural enemies.
•
This was a struggle — I couldn’t get into the plot nor could I find myself caring for any of the characters. There were a couple of moments that grabbed my attention, but they were few & far between. At some point, I even purchased the audiobook in hopes that it’d help me get more into the story, but alas, it did not.
•
There’s a point in the story (est about 40% in) where the story changed vibes & it all felt very disconnected.
•
This just didn’t work for me & I don’t feel any regrets DNF’ing this one.