Thank you to the Author, Alex Mura and Netgalley.com
This book, at first. I thought would be boring. But it kicked off after the 5th chapter. Removing fingers and fingernails, anyone?
It was/is the perfect Oct. Read.
While I didn't care for the world "whilst," I did keep mentally replacing the word with while.
Overall, the book has good pacing, dialogue, and character development.

This book started off slow and I was not pulled in right away. I love the kidnapping captive trope but this one didn’t do it for me. None of the characters were especially likable but sometimes they were easy to hate. As I kept reading there was just enough happening to keep me reading but I wasn’t fully entertained at any point in the reading. There are some scenes that did not add anything to the plot and I think took away from the story line. Overall it was an okay read.

Highly recommend to read this one, it will not disappoint you! It’s also a quick read! Beware if you decide to read this one during the night. Will definitely read more from this Author!

I was pleasantly surprised by this. The cannibalistic touch engrossed me and made this not just another abduction book. I could have done without the sex scene and religious aspect though.

Hank Griffen, an over the road truck driver, has been on the road for over 15 hours when he decides to call it a day when he comes across an out of the way motel. Thinking he would get a room for the night instead of sleeping in his truck he rents a room. Suddenly in the middle of the night he is awoken by a couple arguing in the next room over. Being woken, Hank has an urge for a smoke and goes outside where he sees a man leaning against a pole having a beer and smoking a cigarette. The stranger invites Hank to join him and soon they are drinking more beer and having an in-depth conversation. After becoming tipsy the stranger invites Hank into his motel room and proceeds to attack Hank knocking him unconscious. Hank comes to tied to a chair in the motel basement, but he isn’t alone, there is also a young woman chained to the wall. Hank learns that the woman, Sara, has been kept in the basement for months now and that the stranger is actually the motel owner. Hank is about to find out that not only is the motel owner, Mal, a kidnapper but he also has another plan in place. Mal wants them to all become a happy little family and has something hidden in another room that he wants to introduce Hank to.

I liked the sound of this book as someone who likes to read quite gory horror at times and this book very much fulfilled what I would expect from a book with this genre.
I like the connection that Hank and Sara built up through the book, she became his motivation to get through it because he knew he had to save her. I think this book really showed the mental toll a situation like this would have on you and what it could drive you to do.

Silence in the Basement has left me conflicted. I love a good kidnapping/trapped story and in the beginning that's exactly what this one was. However, as I was reading I felt like this story wasn't bringing anything new to the trope and was just, kind of okay. I found I didn't love or hate the characters I didn't love or hate the story but it was entertaining me enough to keep reading.

Remember how I said this story didn't really bring anything new... well, then comes the cannibalism which I thought was a pretty interesting way of shaking things up...but then the antagonist starts spewing these religious reasonings for the cannibalism? And then I lose interest in this story completely. Things get a bit weird from there.. the main character seems to start sympathizing with the antagonist, and then there's a FTB sex scene that I just can't understand why happened at all- it added absolutely nothing to to the plot. I also can't believe for one second that the trapped characters had no idea they were eating human meat...

That being said this is a very quick read with some really awesome gory bits! I liked the claustrophobic setting, and the villain was really fun to hate.

Upon initial engagement, I found myself thoroughly captivated by the narrative at hand, despite a lack of prior knowledge. However, as the plot unfolded, it became increasingly evident and somewhat trite. The protagonist, Hank, initially presents as an amiable figure, but as the story progresses, his actions leave much to be desired. Additionally, the religious undertones within the text remain unresolved, leaving a sense of dissatisfaction. Furthermore, the abrupt inclusion of a sexual encounter was jarring and unexpected. Overall, the work in question can be deemed passable, particularly for those with a penchant for macabre themes. However, I must concede that I do not align with the intended audience for this piece.

This book was sooooo chilling.

When Hank stops for the night while driving his truck, he isn't expecting to be attacked and kidnapped by the owner. He assumes the cannibal is going to kill him but actually, he wants Hank and Sarah, another captive, to play happy families with him instead...


UGHHH Motels are the worst and this book gave me nightmares!! It has a lot of cultish type stoyrlines weaved in and it was bone chilling.

I don't want to give anything away the motel owner literally keeps them in the basement and tries to manipulate them into doing what he wants. It was a really gripping read and the ending OMG!!!!!

I actually want the audio (if there is one) because this would be so good as an audio!

Brilliant book! Scary AF

4 stars

I went in semi blind and loved it until it got kinda predictable. Hank starts off as a likable character but by the end, I was disgusted with him. The religious aspect of the book left questions unanswered. The sex scene came outta nowhere. But overall, this was an okay book. Those who enjoy cannibalism horror will enjoy this but I don’t think I’m the target audience.

Thanks to NetGalley and the author for this ARC copy in exchange for a honest review.

Thank you to Netgalley for the chance to read this horror story. This is not your easy breezy thriller and I was glad for that. It definitely had a lot of blood and gore. I really liked this book. Hank was a great main character and Mal was the perfect psycho. Well done. I hope to see more by this author.

This was a claustrophobic, brutal, and gory story. The main character, Hank, is likeable, but like anyone, he has his flaws. In fact, his flaws lead him into the situation he ends up in but also help him to cope. I feel that this made him more realistic and well-rounded. At first, I found the ending slightly jarring as I was expecting more from Hank's character. However, the more I have sat with it, the more I feel that this was him overcoming his own perceived weakness and reluctance to fight back like at the start of the book. Hank does the unthinkable to prove to himself he can (at least that's my take on it!). 

The perpetrator is a complex character who is not just inherently evil, and I liked this aspect of the characters development. It would have been fun to get his perspective.

Because the book is mostly set in one room, it feels very tense, and as the reader, you are holding your breath, waiting for the next horrifying thing to happen. The author does not hold back on the violence. Due to the perpetrator's motivation being skewed, it is even more frightening as it is like walking in eggshells waiting for something bad to happen.

I thought this was a nicely paced book, and it held my attention fully despite the setting being so limited. I will definitely look out for more books by this author!

With thanks to Netgalley and the author for providing a copy of this book. This is my honest review, which I'm leaving voluntarily.

The author was a great writer but the book was a little dark for my taste. For those who like the darkness, it would be an excellent book for you!!

I enjoyed the first 3/4 of this book, but that is where it went downhill for me. The first part really got to know the characters, and there was a twist I just couldn't get behind and changed the character's values. Overall, I enjoyed the book. The horror and gore was good (just the right amount).

Silence In The Basement, written by Alex Mura, is my first book by this author. This is Alex's debut book. I love finding new horror authors to explore, and I look forward to reading more by him.

The book follows a long-haul truck driver who decides to stay the night in a motel only to get knocked out. He woke up to find himself in a basement, tied to a chair with another person. The kidnapper is a psycho cannibal looking for more for his family. The story is told from Hank’s POV, in first person, and you really dive into his noggin to really understand his perspective and what he is willing to do to get his freedom.

I am a fan of splatterpunk, so I love me some blood and gore. This one did not disappoint. It was well-written and detailed. I loved that the book took place in a claustrophobic basement. The ending was a little abrupt, but I enjoyed the ride. A second book would be excellent if Hank follows the same dark path! I enjoyed this quick page-turning read. It may be a bit too much for some folks.

Thank you to NetGalley and Alex Mura for gifting me an eARC of Silence In The Basement. I am leaving this review voluntarily. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

4/5✨

If you are looking for a detailed “captured, no way out” splatter punk read, this is it. The detailed gore was disturbingly wonderful, ha. The characters were all well developed and I liked that it wasn’t a cut and dry (pun intended) psychopath story.

What a fantastic story by Alex Mura!!! Well written and had what I thought was an unexpected little twist at the end.

We meet Hank, a widowed truck driver, on his way to deliver a load to California. He is heading down Highway 50 and decides to stay a night at an out-of the way motel. He has heard of the several disappearances along the highway, but doesn't worry himself about it.

He meets Mal...a stranger at the motel...but is he?

I'm not gonna spoil the rest but let me say this....we will go on a depraved and twisted ride with Hank and Mal and an another unfortunate victim, Sara.

I definitely recommend!!!

"Silence in the Basement" is the gripping debut novel of author Alex Mura. In it, we follow Hank, a man reeling from a family tragedy. The only solace he has left is his car and the road in front of him. While driving on the highway one night, Hank decides to stop and spend the night at a local motel, ignoring disturbing warnings about people going missing along the highway. This proves to be a fateful decision for him, as he is quickly attacked, subdued, and kidnapped by the motel owner, who turns out to be serial killer with cannibalistic tendencies. Waking up in a basement, Hank meets Sara, a fellow kidnappee who happens to be our other main character. Realizing the danger they're in, they connect with each other as they await their imminent deaths. Little do they know, their captor has other plans for them. Bloodier, nastier plans. What follows is a desperate fight for survival, with gore and twists aplenty and a climax as disgusting as it is shocking.

I felt that the characters were especially strong in this story. In extreme horror novels like this one, the characters tend to suffer from being one-note--bland meat-sacks just waiting for the killer to splatter them across the floor. Hank and Sara were a refreshing break from that unfortunate trope. Both had their own stories, their own motivations, and their own personalities. Mura successfully made characters you really felt for and liked--ones your genuinely wanted to see survive. The villains were effectively scary, brutal, and easy to hate. I usually have a strong stomach for violence and gore, but there were parts in this story that made me gag from the details on the page. Finally, despite its short length, the story is well-thought-out and well-executed. I can happily say that Mura made full use of the story he wanted to tell. All-in-all, "Silence in the Basement" is a hell of a ride--a deliciously depraved monster that grabs you by the throat, punches you in the gut, and drags you along the viscera-soaked floor all the way to the very end, bloody fingernails and all. If you're an extreme horror fan, don't miss out on this one. Trust me. You'll regret it.

Rating: 4/5 Stars

I honestly didn’t think this story was going to get as detailed as gory as it did. Also, the fact that this is the authors debut novel is shocking!!! Hank is a truck driver who is driving from Texas to California to drop off a delivery. He ends up getting a room at a motel during his route to get some sleep. What he didn’t expect was to get kidnapped and fight for his life. I have read some pretty wild things but I have never had to stop in the middle of reading a book because I got grossed out, so if you are squeamish this is not the book for you!! This is definitely under the horror genre and it did not disappoint! I look forward to seeing what else this author writes in the future!

The story kept me engaged and intrigued, with wonderfully disgusting moments. It was a quick, maddeningly terrifying read about cannibalism. "Silence in the Basement" exposed vulnerability in morality and ethics, forcing me to finish by sheer will. It ended well, revealing sickening truths. It's not for everyone, but it can help break fear of extreme horror. The main character, Hank Griffin, is a solitary truck driver who gets caught up in a terrible decision at a hotel. There are extremely gruesome parts, so it's not for the faint of heart. I would love to see a part two to find out what happens next.