Joseph Griffin, notorious outlaw, has been laying low & hiding out, but when he gets the news that bounty hunters are on his trail, he packs up his two children & sets off for the remote Missouri Plaza (aka Misery Plaza). Now going by the name, William Potter, he hopes that he's run far enough for now, but when something odd is found buried on the land he is now living on, he realises that bounty hunters are not the only thing after him.

I agree with other reviewers that this isn't really a horror book, it's a western crossed with sci-fi: Men In Black meets Bonanza! I've never been a fan of westerns either on the page or onscreen, but it's definitely an interesting take. Although the first 30% or so was really slow & I was wondering when the action was going to kick in. once it did there was a lot happening at once. I also wasn't a fan of the ending but I could see what the author was going for. Finally, there was also a whole lot of 'smirking' going on - nearly every character was smirking at least once & it became odd.

It was an entertaining read once it got going but overall the pace was slow until nearly halfway through, & the ending was a bit lacklustre after all that had happened before. The Roswell nod was well-worked in. 3.75 stars (rounded up)

TWs: gun violence, racial slurs, drug use, animal death.

Thanks to NetGalley & publisher, SNE Horror Llc/IBPA, for the opportunity to read an ARC.

I love when a book weaves together multiple storylines that converge seamlessly, and Misery Plaza absolutely nails it. When I saw how many pages it was I was a little intimidated but once I started reading I flew through this book! The story takes its time to establish the characters and setting up everything that’s going to take place, so the payoff is well worth it. The characters feel genuine and relatable so it’s super easy to get attached to them. Once things in this book start going you will not want to do anything else but read this book. The ending is incredibly satisfying, and the subtle callbacks to the first book in the series tied everything together beautifully.

Misery Plaza by J.J. Alo completely threw me—in the best way. I went in thinking I was getting a gritty, urban thriller, and while it absolutely has that edge, it’s also far more psychological, more twisted, and—at times—strangely poetic than I expected.

The atmosphere is thick from the jump. The city in this book isn’t just a backdrop—it’s a presence, a pressure, something that seeps into every crack of the characters' lives. There’s this constant hum of dread, a kind of emotional static that made me feel on edge the entire time. And yet, I couldn’t stop reading. It’s like the book dares you to look away—but you can’t.

What really stuck with me was the narrator. He's fractured, unreliable, but painfully self-aware. You get the sense he’s circling something—trauma, guilt, maybe the truth—but the path there is anything but straight. I found myself questioning everything, flipping back to try and catch what I might’ve missed. That disorientation? It feels intentional. Like you’re meant to be just as lost in the maze as he is.

The writing has this rhythmic, almost hypnotic quality at times—like you're being pulled under water. There were entire passages that made me pause, not because they were flashy or dramatic, but because they hit a nerve. This isn’t a story that screams. It whispers, then bites.

I absolutely loved the last Alo book I read and was thrilled to see there was another up for grabs. I loved the multiple story lines and the thrilling ride this book brings to the table. I loved the characters and they felt so real.

I really enjoyed this book. My only issue is that it’s not really a horror book. It IS a nice large sci-fi world you can get lost in that has some dark elements to it. I’m not a big fan of westerns or Wild West tales but this was a great story overall. You won’t be disappointed.

Misery Plaza is what I would imagine the end result to look like if Alien, Jeepers Creepers, and Red Dead Redemption had a baby.

And I know what you’re probably thinking, how do you make a book about aliens in the Wild West anything but cheesy? But somehow J.J. Alo did it!

This was a wild ride from start to finish. An epic western sci fi horror, the world and character building in the first half of the book is rich and expansive. Then, the action kicks in and it just doesn’t stop. This was so different to anything I’ve ever read before, and I’m sure anything I will ever read again.

Misery plaza is first and foremost NOT a southern New England horror novel. It’s a western with heavy sci-fi elements in the later parts of the book.

It’s sprawling and emissive and if you like loosing your self in a book this is a good one to get lost in.

The word is heavily populated and the characters seem pretty tangible even if we only see them for a brief time.

The book strikes a fairly balance of being written “of its time” ie full of hate speech but with especially race issues it tries to at least condemn some of the racist ideology of the time. It’s not perfect or comfortable but I appreciated the attempt.

It’s long, and tbh the real first time we really get to the interest of the book is around 40% in.

I picked this book up because of its horror classification but honestly while it dabbles in horror it’s far more western and sci-fi. If I had known that going in I probably would have enjoyed it more

The horror aspect is a little lack luster and honestly at this length I’m simply not sure the payoff was worth this.

There’s a child murder sub plot and it is interesting but in competes with the main plot in an unsatisfying way. It honestly could have been a fun main plot in its own but was just one to many ideas as it was.

I think if this pool had been about 150 pages shorter it would have worked a lot better for me.

Also there are some INTERESTING comments about the main characters dead wife. Truly some choices there

I did find out conversation hearts are like supper old and that’s FUN