Gratitude and thanks to the Netgalley, the publisher, and Susan Baker for an ARC of this incredible work!

It all begins with Jake meeting Mariko at an Osaka airport, and the two recount their experiences losing loved ones in the eerie manners after a chance encounter with a mysterious woman. From this point, Jake then begins to interview and uncover details from friends and family of the supposed accidental deaths of those who have come in contact with this woman. As the novel weaves through the stories of 7 people throughout different generations and cultures, the reader is tasked to determine the effect meeting this woman has had on their lives. Will this be enough to end the deaths of countless more victims?

This novel was DEEPLY unsettling and I don't think I've been spooked this much reading a book in a while. Baker is so verbose and crafts her language in a way that reflects her skill. This novel checks off all the boxes for me in terms of: character development, plot, syntax, and style. The way she transcends genres shows her mastery of utilizing the aforementioned elements to bring forth a masterpiece. This book is for those who enjoy a slow burn that unravels all the pieces like a puzzle. I can't wait to read more of her works.

“Evil . . . has its ways and means.”
📚
When Jake and Mariko have a chance meeting at an Osaka airport, they realize they have more in common than a missed flight: they live under grief’s shadow, having lost loved ones under similarly strange and horrific circumstances. So begins the winding epic of a strange and enigmatic woman. Seemingly immortal, she’s a bringer of death who has many names. And as Jake embarks on a quest for truth, he must follow sinister breadcrumbs across the world and through time to solve the enigma. Who is this mysterious woman, what has she done, and why? And if Jake finally exposes her secrets, will he be able to stop her?

Unfolding via a series of interconnected stories, Old Soul is an eerie and captivating tale of life, death, and those left behind. Immersive from the first, it exudes tension and dread, pulling the reader into a slow-burning, onion-like narrative gradually unveiling terrifying layers, while the interconnected stories are compelling, forming a frightening, visceral, and twisty puzzle. The Historian (one of this reader’s all-time favorites) is an excellent comp, as Old Soul imparts the same depth and scale of story, history, mystery, evil, and darkness.

It’s a sumptuous and atmospheric tale of choice, manipulation, and lies; perception, morality, and predation; freedom, humanity, and something else entirely — something old, dark, inexplicable, and entirely insidious. A fantastic literary horror work where the truth is terrifying and no one is safe.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Publishing Group/G.P. Putnam's Sons for sending this forthcoming release (which is scheduled for publication in January 2025) for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

I received this book as an ARC from Putnam Books and NetGalley. A truly disturbing tale of a woman determined to live forever and the lives she touches and destroys while serving an otherworldly evil. Excellently written and a page turner to the last. I highly recommend this book!

Susan Barker’s “Old Soul” begins intriguingly enough, with two strangers who’ve missed a flight coming to find out, as they exchange histories while awaiting the next flight, that they both had personal acquaintances who died under mysterious circumstances including, bizarrely, their organs having been reversed. And in both cases, the deaths were preceded or perhaps brought about by the appearance in their lives of a mysterious woman who indeed even later showed up on the doorstep of one of the two delayed fliers as she huddled inside.
A doozy of a premise, in short, Barker’s novel, with a propulsive enough narrative drive to keep a reader reading, though to my mind it loses some of its force as the novel expands its focus to include enough other victims of the mysterious woman that it becomes difficult or even irritating for a reader to try to keep all the characters straight (there’s a reason for the call for unity of action in art).
Or at least that was my reaction to a novel which, to be fair, was not my cup of tea to begin with, with my strong preference for realistic or literary fiction, but its blurb so grabbed me that I couldn't resist. And, as I’ve indicated, even with my quibble with its expansive cast, it wasn’t without considerable appeal for me, especially with how it seemed to hold out promise of having greater literary or artistic ambitions. But in the end it turned out for me to be pretty firmly lodged in the horror genre, which is perfectly fine if that’s a reader’s thing, and indeed the novel is one of the better instances of a genre not usually known for the sort of narrative elaborateness that Barker brings to it.

Another amazing book by Baker. I really enjoyed her first book, but this one absolutely blew me a way. I hope this book ends up getting the deserved recognition it has earned. It's really a great , creepy read.

This was my first read by Susan Barker and I was very impressed. Impressed with the writing style, the storyline, characters and the genre is what drew me in. It seemed so unique and boy was it. I loved that this book felt dark and eerie with some thriller aspect and some secluded wild wild west tones as well…I was taken in by this book by the very first page.

The characters were very well developed and I enjoyed each of them. I loved that this book as written with multiple POV’s and the entirety was very easy to follow. The ending, honestly I could not have asked for a better ending. I will now be on the lookout for more by our author because I need more of her writing! Would highly recommend this to my bookish friends and family.

Pub Date: January 28, 2025

Thank you @netgalley , @penguinpublishing and author for the arc in exchange for my honest review.

“Old Soul” is a story told from several different perspectives, as a man who tragically lost a childhood best friend decades ago chases the woman who caused her demise across continents and centuries. The woman has many aliases, and a dark presence pervades her soul and demands routine sacrifices.

Beautifully and lyrically written, with a refreshingly original plot, rich characters with realistic human flaws, and a pervasive atmosphere of burgeoning dread, this book is unsettling in the best way. Epic, deep, and insightful, this book will linger in your mind long after you finish the last page.

I was completely blown away by this one. This was a phenomenal read. The opening is stunningly frightening, and the story progresses through alternating POVS of MC Jake and the testimonies of those he encounters in the journey to find out the truth of what happened to his best friend Lena. Each chapter is like an excellent meal with a very satisfying conclusion. I’m so happy to have gotten an ARC on NetGalley to review, but now I’m so eager to talk about this with anyone and everyone!

This book is a slowburn into true terror. I didn't want to stop reading==had to know how it was going to end! Very creepy, very scary, and totally thrilling.

There should be way more reviews for this book. This book is brilliant and deserves a wide readership. Though, of course, it won't be to everyone's taste.
For one thing, it's relentlessly, intensely dark. For another, perhaps more important one, it's way, way too smart for an average genre offering. It's even--beautifully!--unconventionally moralistic. Until the very ending, because it seems the moral police must have its pound of flesh.
Anyway, Old Soul is a story of a woman who refuses to die. And why wouldn't she? Who wouldn't want to live forever? Immortality has been largely rendered wrong by the puritanical attitudes equating it with evil, but what is immortality but extreme love of life? 300 years is a long time to be alive, especially when it comes at a terrible cost, but she can't seem to give it up. And now there's a real and present danger on her tail.
Told wonderfully through alternating perspectives, this is a tale of two quests--one man's journey to find and punish the woman responsible for the death of his best friend and one woman's journey to stay alive, no matter what.
Propulsive, magnificently written, literary in the best possible way, this book is a smart reader's dream. Recommended. Thanks Netgalley.

4.5 stars

This is a book you can really get lost in. It reads like a loved classic horror. I felt emotionally invested and did not want to put this book down, while at the same time wanting to savor it and make it last longer.

Holy crap! This book is spectacular. Spectacular in the way that Ghost Story, The Shining, and The Damnation Game are spectacular. I could go back and read this over and over. It’s a story of one man’s search for the ultimate evil. Sound simple? It’s not.