If an action packed bloodbath that reads like it could be the love child of Quentin Tarantino and Stephen King sounds like your thing, you’re going to want to add A Mask of Flies by Matthew Lyons to your TBR list right now.

I kind of wish I hadn’t hastily added it to mine, though.

I did not dislike A Mask of Flies, but it doesn’t have me chasing after Lyons’ previous novels either. I don’t avoid gore at all costs, but I prefer not to encounter too much of it. If I find a story deeply engaging, it’s easier to tolerate the bloody violence. Unfortunately, I didn’t enjoy this one enough to give it a pass. I can see, however, how this complicated horror will hit the right notes for many other readers.

Before I express my other gripes, let me first applaud the author for making his morally gray main character female. How often do we see bank heists with multiple women flexing their criminal muscles? Anne was tough and sometimes challenging to like, but we are shown some nuance. She cared deeply about some of the people in her life. Plus, she loved her cat, and that, in my opinion, is a very important quality in a character. There was a whole Ripley and Jonesy vibe going on with the way she protected that cat. I liked it a lot.

Lyons created a very busy tale here, and that might be completely engrossing for some, but I’m going to argue that he tackled too much at once. Consequently, certain aspects were poorly developed. The thing I found particularly frustrating was the storyline surrounding the cop Anne takes hostage. This is part of the synopsis’s setup, and I expected great tension between the two of them as they tried to survive the pursuit of supernatural terror. Instead, the author took the easy way out with this, and it seemed highly implausible. This hostage situation was an unnecessary addition to the story. It did nothing for it, other than disappoint.

I also found it extremely difficult to believe in certain sacrifices made on Anne’s behalf, as well as the willingness of certain characters to keep quiet about this criminal in their presence. An explanation one individual presented for the latter behavior near the end of the book sounded completely ludicrous to me.

And I wondered - why add a love story? Sure, it’s just a spark here and there, but it felt weirdly out of place, especially in a story that already had so much going on. The only positive I can add regarding this is that I did like the way the author concluded things, and I suppose he couldn’t have done it so favorably without a pinch of romance.

I am immensely grateful to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for my copy. All opinions are my own.

I enjoyed this one and I think the horror elements were really successful and unsettling. Flies? Gross. But I do think it was too long overall, and the non-horror bits (dialogue, character backstory, plot building) started to become a bit of a drag. I think maybe just trying to do too much in the span of a single book? Either way, I think it was very well written and I'll be looking for more from Matthew Lyons.

⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

To start I REALLY liked the audio for this. This narrator is fantastic and her cadence and tone are perfect for this type of book. I was hooked right away. The first 20-25% was an ultimate banger.

My only criticism of this book is that it felt there were a LOT of plots - and sometimes it took the focus away from the main storyline. You've got a heist/bank robbery, running and hiding from the cops, a... cult? Flies? Dead people coming back? I think maybe cutting out some of the side stories would have kept me more engaged. This is a very long book for what it is, so I think some of that could have been chopped.

There were a few extra creepy and ick moments perfect for horror lovers, but this is more of a suspense book than horror. I loved the writing style and definitely will read more by this author, because I think this is a one-off for me.

My dearest Horror readers, I present to you the horror book that will deliver the essence that we so do crave from our genera!!

A Mask of Flies was a very highly anticipated read for me when the tagline promised elements of The Outsider, It Follows, and (my most prized flavor) The Evil Dead and it did in fact succeed! I loved every minute of this journey! Moderate to fast paced read that has you viscerally anchored the whole time. The author wonderfully executes the story with devouring descriptive passages and language appreciated by avid readers. The main character is smart, even in the horror genera, the trope of a naïve and overly curious mc to keep the story moving forward is not the driver and it's so appreciated. The supporting characters are wonderfully scripted, even the cat! Everything that happens has an actual purpose whether it's revealed immediately or when you almost forgot. The gore is not for the light hearted and the story is brutally unforgiving. The story has a smooth transition through the entirety and the ending comes together nicely. The epilogue is worth the read also. I have this nominated for my vote in Horror or Haven, so please come by and vote and get ready to have a wonderfully horrifying experience!

I've been waiting for this type of story! Finally, and enjoyably fulfilling. A full hearted thank you to Matthew Lyons for this creation.

Thank you to MacMillan Audio and NetGalley for the audio file, my thoughts are my own.

We start this story with a flash back then real time as Anne is involved in a bank robbery that goes south. She escapes with one of the other men in the group and an injured cop. They go to hide in her childhood cabin where her mother died in a car crash after trying to run over a ghost. Missing, dead, come back from dead, we hit supernatural.

I was really excited for this one reading the summary but it just fell short. I found the actual writing to be very choppy and the writing is so literal. I think the narrator did a good job.

Happy pub week to A Mask of Flies! In the wake of a bank robbery gone wrong, Anne Heller and the cop she has taken as a hostage must find their way to safety, but they’re not just being hunted by humans. There’s a being in the forest that seems to hunger for Anne. A blend of gritty crime thriller and cosmic/body horror, this book will keep you entertained.

I really enjoyed A Mask of Flies. It has all the elements I love blended into one gripping story. Gun fights with hardened criminals, yep! Betrayal and deceit, yep! A cult, yep! A horrifying, shape shifting monster person prowling through the Colorado forest, yep!

Thank you to @macmillan.audio for my review copy. I could not stop listening! I binged this book. The narrator does a good job of becoming Anne and making you care about her. The book does switch POVs occasionally, and it’s a bit hard to follow the changes if you’re not paying attention because they’re not announced.

This story is also an examination of grief, and the toll it takes. You’ll grieve with Anne, over old wounds and new. I love when a horror book isn’t just horror and brings in deep emotion. A Mask of Flies does this so well!

This one is out now, and I highly recommend you pick it up if you’re a horror fan!

This was a gruesome, very detailed, very descriptive story in the beginning. It leveled off in the middle. The second half was a lot slower. I wasn’t a fan of the paranormal, but is well written for someone who is. I listened to the audiobook and enjoyed the narrator.

Happy pub day to A Mask of Flies! 🪰

A Mask of Flies is a crime horror following our MC, Anne Heller, after a bank robbery gone wrong leads her down a path to her past where she discovers monsters lurking. 👀

I listened to the audio version and the narrator was spot on, exactly how I would imagine the character sounding and speaking! This book is so good; I rated it 4.75 🌟🌟🌟🌟✨!

Read this book if you like:
• cults
• heists gone wrong
• non-traditional FMC
• LGBTQIA+ rep
• repressed memories

This book releases today! Thank you so much to @netgalley, @macmillan.audio, @tornightfire for an ALC! 🖤

So many amazing genres mixed into one. We have crime, thriller, genre, supernatural, and mystery all wrapped up into one story.

This book starts off with a bang when a bank robbery goes wrong. We’re thrown into the story while one of the characters has to get into touch with the other “team” members to see what went wrong. She’s on the run with a cop that she took hostage and something grotesque keeps popping up as if she doesn’t have enough going on. On top of that storyline, she is trying to figure out what happened with her mother long ago all while on the run.

I’ll start by saying this is my first book by this author and I am fairly new to the horror genre. The combination of thriller, crime, and horror sounded really interesting since I’m very familiar with the first two and I had high hopes for what this would be. The writing absolutely delivered! I was captivated from chapter one as far as the mystery, crime, and thriller labels go but the gore and horror just elevated this so much more for me. The setting was immersive and dark and I could feel the stress and grief these characters were going through. I had a genuine interest as to what the answers were going to be in the end. I did feel the slower pacing between 60-80% and was having to rewind a few times in order to make sure I hadn’t missed anything because the pacing was losing me a bit, but overall I really enjoyed this story and these characters!

This audiobook was narrated by Saskia Maarleveld who did a great job. I was hooked from the beginning and enjoyed how the story was performed.

Thank you so much to Netgalley, Matthew Lyons, and Macmillan Audio for providing this free ARC. This is my honest review! This publishes on August 6th!

I have posted my review on Goodreads, my Facebook book club, and will make a TikTok to post before the pub date raving about this book!

Title: Mask of Flies by Matthew Lyons
Publication Date- 08/06/24
Publisher- MacMillan
Overall Rating- 3 out of 5 stars

Review: Review copy given to me by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Audio Review: The audio production is very good and a good way to intake the story. The voice of the narrator really matches the tone and grittiness of the story. Would recommend it.

Review: This is going to be a tough one to review. Mask of Flies is a gritty story of a band of outlaws and bank robbers trying to make their way in the world. It reminded me of a mash up of a lot of different things like; The Walking Dead, Mistborn and Mad Max.

To be honest the overall plot of the story is not very clear. If you are good at going into books for vibes and atmosphere, this is a good one for that. I am okay with books like that sometimes, this one did not work for me. For the first bit of the book, I was really into the grittiness and really enjoyed the main character. However, overtime, I really wanted more from the story and wanted a clearer understanding of what was actually happening. It became hard to care when I wasn’t really sure what was happening.

There are several characters interacting with the main character, this band of outlaws, however, it was hard to keep track of who was who and why they mattered. Part of me is frustrated that this story didn’t work for me because there were things that I liked about it, and liked a lot. There just wasn’t enough of those things and not enough plot for me to really feel satisfied.

This review has been pretty vague, because the story is. I would recommend if you like any of the things I’ve described, you at least give it a try. There are some horror elements, some cult elements and a few interesting characters. That alone makes me want to read a book, I am so sad I ended up not liking this. Maybe it’s something I will try again in the future.

Thank you to the publisher and author for this ARC! The author of this incredibly well-written story is undoubtedly a talented writer. I felt a sense of unease immediately beginning the story (in the best water) but found I struggled to connect with this story for the duration of the back and also with the characters. I found my mind wandering often, only because the sheer amount of content made it troublesome for me to stay focused.
That being said, this was wonderfully complex and creepy. I think a lot of horror readers will enjoy this!

Matthew Lyons is good and A Mask of Flies really fires on all cylinders. There's quite a bit going on and as events escalate the storyline spirals into new directions. Very well done and highly recommended. 4+ Stars!

I'll admit I didn't know exactly what to expect from this book, but I loved the cover and I'd been meaning to read a book by this author for quite some time.
A MASK OF FLIES, at first, didn't pull me in with all the bank-robbery-goes-wrong initial arc. But soon the story moves places to an old cabin in the middle of the woods and things starts to get weird and creepy (and gross), that's when I most enjoyed this book. This all happens during "part 1".
Unfortunately, from "part 2" on I didn't enjoy the story anymore. To be honest, I never truly connected or cared for the characters. I was curious about the whole mystery around the protagonist's old life, back when her mother died under suspicious and weird events at that old cabin. I was intrigued by the horror elements of this story and all, but I never really liked the characters. And the fact that this book is, in my opinion, way too long, didn't help my case.
I listened to the audiobook and it was the audio that truly helped me go through this book. Otherwise I'd have DNFed it.
Thank you, NetGalley and Macmillan Audio, for allowing me to listen to a free audiobook copy of this novel in exchange for my honest opinion.

A heist is only the beginning of this novel. Anne is hiding from a job gone wrong, and there’s nowhere else to go but to her childhood home. If being shot at, backstabbed and pursued by the law is not enough, there is something much worse standing between her and freedom. I was surprised at how the author subverts all expectations (mild spoiler, don’t get too attached to any character). The plot is not for the easily impressed, it is bloody, gory and very twisted. The action never stops, and Anne goes from one thing to another. Saskia Maarleveld’s audiobook narration humanizes her and makes her likable and vulnerable. She also gets the rest of the characters’ voices right, so that it’s easy to understand who is saying what. My one big problem was with the political content. The action gets interrupted to insert speeches about social justice and how every single police officer is evil. I assume bank robbers would not be very sympathetic to law enforcement, but the argument feels forced and will aggravate half of the potential readership (I am Hispanic and half my friends are cops so it distracted me from the action every single time). Other than that, I was invested in the story and the characters. I loved the ending. Without the gratuitous political posturing I’d have given it 4 stars.
I chose to listen to this audiobook and all opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased. Thank you, NetGalley/Macmillan Audio.

This book is such a wild ride. Every time I thought our characters had gotten out of one truly awful situation, something worse was waiting around the corner. It’s equal parts crime heist gone wrong, folk horror, cult horror, religious trauma, and kick ass.

A Mask of Flies effortlessly intertwines supernatural creatures, thrilling bank heists, a mysterious cult in the woods, and a formidable female protagonist. These elements alone create a captivating story, but Lyons further enhances it with a sapphic love interest, adding depth and emotional richness to the narrative.

The audiobook was phenomenal. The narrator truly brought Anne's character to life, capturing her personality and making her even more enjoyable.

The action scenes, especially the jail scene, are vividly gory, immersing you in the chaos. The protagonist is a powerhouse—strong, resourceful, and unapologetically herself. Anne's journey is gripping, and her relationship adds an unexpected and touching layer to the story.

A Mask of Flies is an engaging and multifaceted read that seamlessly blends supernatural horror with action and heartfelt moments. It’s a must-read for fans who enjoyed *Fever House* and *The Troop*.

I really enjoyed my time with this story. Crime, supernatural and culty vibes. Just my thing. There is some repetition but overall a great read. Also, the cover artwork is amazing. I recommend the audiobook.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher.

This review is really about the narrator, not the book, so I want to be clear on that. I know this narrator is used a lot for audio books, but I have a very hard time listening to her baby like lisp. If I had noticed she was the narrator, I wouldn’t have downloaded the title. I will try to find a copy of this book to read so I can give a fair review of it

Imagine for a moment an S.A. Cosby book joining forces with King’s The Outsider. Got it? Great. Now sprinkle in a little pinch of Dilouie's The Children of Red Peak and now you are ready for A Mask of Flies; full of crime and violence and grit and supernatural terror.

This novel is insanely well thought out and the prose is that which comes from someone who is clearly a very talented writer. The story is so devilishly creepy, gritty, and grisly; complexly layered with intense, dark scenes and flawed, dynamic characters driving it all forward. My attention waned some throughout as we followed Anne around—the plot started to feel scattered about. I think I would have liked a little more of the supernatural and a little less running around (literally and figuratively). By the last quarter, I had ratcheted my listening speed up to get to the end because I felt myself thinking “get to it already”, which speaks to the length of the book which felt larger than necessary.

When all is said and done, A Mask of Flies is an incredibly imaginative story with wicked good writing but suffers at times from a bloated narrative and trying to take on too much.

Excellent narration by Saskia Maarleveld who I felt really fit Anne’s character well and who brought the story to life through proper tone and inflection.

Thank you Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for the audiobook in exchange for an honest review. Available 08/06/2024

This was an amazing story that was full of action, a cult, a being/creature, and childhood trauma. I absolutely devoured this book and did not want it to end. Ann begins this story by robbing a bank and is double crossed. She hides in her childhood cabin in Colorado as it cannot be easily traced back to her. Throughout this book there are constant issues that occur, and Ann is an amazing FMC who is a force to be reckoned with! I will be looking for more works by Matthew Lyons. Definitely a 5 star read!