David Viergutz writes dark fantasy with a good dose of chills but when he dives into full blown horror he does so wholeheartedly.
Cracked Alter: St. Andrews is a perfect example of that. This is a horror novel that was written for the sake of horror alone. I love books that take social issues and spins them into something terrifying, but nothing really beats a good ol' fashioned tale of terror that only means to scare without any subtext.
Our main character is a former homicide detective and he's kind of jaded, kind of pragmatic, and he's seen the worst of human behaviour. But he's also a loving husband and father and would do anything for his family.
Because of an incident, he was let go from his job in a big city and finds himself in a small Texas town. He's having troubles sleeping and he had to take a pay decrease just to get this job as a local deputy.
One night he gets a strange call from dispatch which brings him to an abandoned old church in a field. The place immediately gives him the creeps for some reason and, something goes awry when a paranormal investigator shows up. I won't give anything away but he finds himself as a person of interest in her disappearance and is soon fired and under investigation.
However, he is drawn to this church. Rather, the church is drawn to him and something has him and his family in their crosshairs. He doesn't believe in the supernatural but, eventually, as the legend of this church and town are revealed (and with the help of another paranormal investigator) he's forced to face a horrifying truth. Now it's a matter of survival as time is winding down for evil to prevail.
Since I absolutely love small town horror as well as religious horror, this novel was right up my alley. And David did a fantastic job in creating the world and characters in it. The ending is thrilling and explosive and the horrors that await are truly frightening. Definitely get this one right away!
You can purchase Cracked Alter here.
For my full review, check out my Horror Reads YouTube channel here.
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