First of all , I Absolutely Loved Patience of a Dead Man Trilogy. They were 5🌟 reads for me. This book is a rewrite of those books all in one. I didn’t feel the story as much like I did in those 3 books and this was just too long. If I would’ve started with this story, I’m sure I would have DNF’d.

I Highly recommend reading the trilogy.. (Patience of a Dead Man, Dead Woman Scorned, & Anger is Acid).

Thank you NetGalley and Brigids Gate Press for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I have mixed feelings about this book. First of all it was way too long with too many different story lines that were confusing to follow. I enjoyed part 1 and felt it would've been better off as a standalone story with perhaps some of part 2 intertwined for Mildred's backstory. The additional parts felt like a slog. They didn't seem necessary and took away from the creepiness of the first part. Mildred as a character was not fleshed out enough and her reasons for being "angry" felt a little lacking. She was no longer scary by about halfway through the book and while I'm glad she got as happy an ending as a character like her could get, it was a bit anticlimactic. Overall, parts were entertaining but it could have been about 250 pages shorter.

The Legend of Mildred Wells has plenty of New England creep and dread and downright spookiness in spots. Michael Clark is evidently talented, writes well, and can put together an interesting plot with many themes and sub plots intertwined. The book is over 600 pages and while I do actually enjoy a long juicy book, the three parts read like their own separate books with different writing styles, mood, and pacing. Based on the description, I expected book one and loved book one. So, when I also got book two and three; these were stories I wasn't expecting. The shifts between them, felt like three distinct reads which is where I began to struggle with reading it. It may benefit readers to include the synopsis for each section in the book's overall description. Part One was excellent. From the first page I was hooked. A haunting atmosphere, good character development and dialogue, a budding romance, mystery, fear, a secret journal, genuine chills, I loved it.

I was a huge fan of The Patience of a Deadman trilogy, which was originally presented as three separate novellas.

However, this expanded edition felt excessively lengthy. The original novellas captured a raw, New England horror atmosphere that was hauntingly effective. This version seems to modernize that eerie vibe, making it feel more polished and accessible, with an edit that gives it a broader appeal. While the updated format makes the story more commercial and likely to reach a wider audience, it's a testament to the author’s talent and their well-deserved success.

First, I absolutely loved The Patience of a Deadman trilogy- which is basically this book separated into 3 novellas.

This revamp was waaaaay too long though.

I liked the original 3 novellas because they had that raw New England eerie horror vibe throughout- the way this was written seemed wanted to update the vibes though. I liked the editing. It felt a bit more commercial (more readable for the masses if that makes sense)- which is good because this is a great story and we all want nothing but success for the author.

Reading this consolidated book felt a bit disjointed. I think because you have Mildred's back story (Gothic-eerie-spooky vibes) in the middle of Tim's story (more thriller suspense with a dash of spooky vibes).


Overall- big fan of his writer and his stories.

Ok, as much as I liked the sound of the book and it started off strong, I’m sorry to say that j really struggled with this.
Part one, as a book on its own? Really good! The storyline and characters were there, the set up was there. If this had been the basis for the whole book, a bit of tweaking overall and it would have been great on its own.
Unfortunately, part two just fell off for me. The pacing was different, somehow the writing style felt different to me also, and I just couldn’t continue. If you’re someone who enjoys a big, lengthy story then this is sure to be a hit for you, for me though I had to DNF during part two.
Thank you for the opportunity to read.

Reading the blur this was a must read for me.....I didn't realise how long this book was and how this was split up into different parts. I think it would appeal to people more if it was separate books. The first part was brilliant I loved it but then I moved onto part 2......it started well and then just went off point fir me so much so it's become a dnf......to be honest it just went a little weird...

I found it hard to rate this book and here's why...

Overall I'm rating The Legend of Mildred Wells a 2.5 Stars BUT the context for my rating is necessary.

First of all this book is waaaay too long. It really didn't need to be and the writing is very average at times, especially in the beginning.

PART ONE
Although the writing almost turned me off initially, I'm glad that I stuck with it because I actually really enjoyed Part One. I love horror and I find that it's difficult to find books that actually feel creepy but I was pleasantly surprised with how creepy this was! I found the story really unique and had a good time reading it. Aspects of it felt a bit rough at times but I happily overlooked it because of the overall storyline.

And this is where I think the book should have ended.

I think the author would have been better off adding a bit more to this story and just focusing on this period of time. If this had been the whole book I think this would have been 3.5 Stars for me as is. With improved writing I think this would have had the potential of 5 Stars. I really enjoyed the plot.

PART TWO
While I wasn't mad about reading further into the history of the characters it suddenly felt like a completely different book. I enjoyed Part Two but I think this should have been the second book of the series or maybe as an additional novella. For me, it no longer really felt like it fit, it was missing the horror element of Part One.

PART THREE
By this point I lost interest. The book really should have ended after Part Two. I feel like we had gotten enough of a back story, I just didn't care to read about the zombies that had nothing to do with Part One of the story. I had to DNF at 50%, hence the 2.5 Star rating.

So to summarise, there are some really great aspects of this book, but it's definitely not perfect in this form.

Thank you to NetGalley and Brigids Gate Press for the ARC of this novel.

Even the introduction was a bit scary! The first page made me jump! I found the story fascinating and enjoyed the insight into how Mildred Wells grew up most interesting. I even felt sorry for her in places. But mostly terrified!
It's not often I refuse to read a scary book in bed or after dark. But this just really gave me the creeps. I would love to see this made into a movie, where I can watch from behind a pillow of course.

Several years after releasing the three books in the Patience of a Dead Man series, Michael Clark unleashes a lean, mean, streamlined version of a story in the way it was always meant to be experienced. A continuous journey. Each "part" of the book has its own unique character, from propulsive action to intense character work to lingering darkness and pure creeps. Clark takes us through a story so compulsively readable and plumbs its depths without ever allowing the reader to feel lost. This is the kind of book with flashbacks, lore, sideplots, and immersive atmosphere that belongs to the doorstop horror novels of the 1980s.
If you read Clark's original trilogy, strap in and prepare to take the ride the way it was meant to be. If you're new to the author, this is a great place to jump in.

I was thoroughly captivated by 'The Legend of Mildred Wells.' Michael Clark has crafted a well-written and engaging story that kept me hooked from start to finish. The haunting atmosphere and compelling characters made it a memorable read. Highly recommended for horror fans!

Tim, recently divorced, decides to buy an old farmhouse and restore it. Soon he starts seeing a ghost and it doesn't look friendly.
The book has a first part that is a good horror story in the typical haunted house where you must confront the ghost and find out what happened.
In the second part we get to know Mildred's story from the beginning and all the events that led her to the farm.
From there on what could have been a very good novel, starts to go in circles with more characters and situations that only seem to want to make it longer and longer until it loses my attention.
Overall it is a horror novel with interesting parts that would have been much better if it had been shorter.

The Legend of Mildred Wells
By Michael Clark

Thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for an advance copy of this book to review!

I believe I've read the first part of this book before as many scenes seemed familiar. However, part 2 was new to me and just as creepy and bone chilling as part 1.

New England legend, reverent Mildred Wells, causes terror among the new homeowner of her old farm and the residents of the entire town. She is angry and terrifying. This is old school horror at it's best. Michael Clark is a fantastic writer. I enjoyed re-reading part 1 and reading part 2. Very scary novel and well plotted and written .

5 Stars!

I opened this and saw it was 629 pages and my heart sank. The author’s last name is not King, I noticed. Then in the Foreward, the author said this is Mildred Wells “as lean and mean as she’s ever been.” Dear God, how long was this before?

Reasons that I knew I wouldn’t finish this book: there’s a map of the house at the front. The place has maybe four bedrooms, and all these huge downstairs areas and the guy is going to do all these renovations. What he is not going to do is add a bathroom to the one bathroom that exists. He is supposed to be a professional contractor who wants to flip this house and he has two daughters. The man is clearly a moron and I have no time for him.

Also in the forward, this appears to be about the 300th reworking of this book. I believe it’s the first thing the author wrote. His parents told him they liked it (God love him), his friends told him they liked it, so, clearly it’s meant to be a big hit. It appears he just keeps self-publishing it in slightly different forms. Then, on the strength(?) of no one wanting to publish it, he wrote two sequels, and I get the impression all three books are mashed together to make this book.

The man truly believes that it should be made into a movie even though he admits that it’s really a reverse engineered PET SEMATARY (whatever that means.) This whole thing is both sad and annoying.

As if the Foreward, telling you how great the book is (and his parents think so! Don’t forget!) wasn’t enough, then there’s an Introduction about how great the book is by some guy named Jeffery. I have never heard of him, but so was slightly amused to see that he lumps CUJO in with something called NIGHT OF THE CRABS.

So, then, the book. It’s about as poorly written as you might have guessed. Nearly every sentence is a little painful to read, because they are all so awkward. The main character is in a house haunted by a number of ghosts that can move stuff around and physically hurt him, but he still finds time to get a girlfriend, refuse to leave the house/burn it down for the insurance money (it’s 1971) and HE BRINGS HIS SMALL CHILDREN THERE! Father of the year!

I did make it longer than I thought, to what I believe might be the end of the first book before I gave up. It’s just bad. I’m t shouldn’t be a movie. It shouldn’t even be a book. It should have been the author’s first go at it before he stuffed it in a drawer, never to be seen again. Then he could go off and take some writing and English classes before trying again. It’s important not to rely too heavily on the praise of those who love you with something like this, my friend. Just honest advice.

This was a solid 3.5 read for me. What started with a ghost story quickly had my head spinning. I was riveted by the different turns this book took. The different dates in the novel definitely confused me (I spent a good 40% of the book thinking the current events were taking place in the 2000s, not 1970s) I did love all the background Clark provided for our antagonist. I did not expect the way the ending went and it fell a bit flat for me. Overall, this spooky book will definitely stay in the back of my head next time I hear some flies or step into the woods.

Whoa! This was a tome. I mean, geez! If you're going to read this, prepare yourself as it's no easy feat. The first part was enthralling. It starts in the action. Ghosts and haunting abound. A heart-pounding horror. Parts two and three could gave been condensed, and should have been dispersed throughout part one to break it up as flashbacks. Part four was utterly boring. So, this book is quite the toss up, and still needs a lot of work.

A stunningly engrossing Horror novel of Cult, Sorcery, Revenants, Family Dysfunction, Acrimonious Divorce, stacked against Patriotism, Conscience, Family Devotion, Romance, Love, Dedication, THE LEGEND OF MILDRED WELLS weaves from contemporary New England back to New Hampshire and Massachusetts in the 19th century, seamlessly interweaving time periods as author Michael Clark delivers implacable and hair-raising Horror that chills bones and leaves readers stunned and breathless. Not a short read, but not one moment or one page did I lose interest: the story was part of my life for the duration, and I am still pondering it (and still chilled!)

First of all, thank you to NetGalley and Brigids Gate Press for the opportunity to read this ARC.

What I didn't realize when I first chose this book, was the massive size of it. Still, excited to get my very first ARC, I dove in.

Part One was a delightful read, and I absolutely devoured it in one night of binge-reading. The characters don't waste time arguing whether or not ghosts are real, and the haunting starts immediately. The scares were really good at first - especially the staircase scene in the beginning, that gave me chills! Part One is a fun, eerie horror novel with a interesting story, likeable characters, and well-written horror.

Part Two and Three was a different story entirely, though still interesting. We go back in time to relive Mildred's history, and find out just why she is the way she is. Though not as enthralling, I still enjoyed it. We get a good cult story with some new characters, though it definitely could've been shorter imo.

Part Four.... I'm sad to say you lost me about halfway through. The horror aspects of this have all but disappeared, though I'm sure they pick up again later, I found myself skimming and then eventually skipping whole pages before realizing this one was going to be a DNF. I'm only 66% through this book, and I've been reading for endless hours for the last few days already.

This feels like a story that doesn't know when to end.

((Tiny spoiler: Especially since we know at the end of Part One that Mildred is, of course, not gone, I found myself just waiting for the story to come full circle. I also really disliked Simmons, and not in the fun way.))

The intro to this book states that the story used to be even LONGER, which I can hardly believe. It was also apparently published as a trilogy originally, but was lumped into one genre-hopping tome because "sequels don't sell as well". Don't get me wrong, I LOVE how the author knows this story and his characters inside and out, but you could tell this story in much fewer words.

TLDR: Part One is an excellent horror novel, but the story lost its way and lost my interest. If the 'books' were ever separated again, I'd probably pick up the first part as a fun Halloween re-read.

The house itself is very creepy and Mildred makes for a compelling and complex haunting but the book feels a little disjointed and overlong. Some of the best and scariest moments happen at the very beginning of the book. Overall, I’m glad I read it but I don’t know if it’s a trip I’d recommend to anyone but diehard haunted house fans.