I was intrigued by the premise, but I'm afraid this book is not for me. I just didn't enjoy it all, skipped through it, and can't really comment on it. I have read other reviews from people who loved it, so I take them at their word. Unfortunately the style, the 'story' (or what I could make of it) and the characters failed to capture any of my interest.

This was an interesting story. You read a haunted book and suddenly your life becomes a horror story. I love any story that breaks the fourth wall and it was a lot of fun to have the story threaten you. Good writing. It does go on a bit much about the authors previous guilt and drinking problems but it also fits into the plot. I enjoyed this story and would read this author again. Thank you NetGalley for the advanced copy.

Brian Kirk is a man that writes like no other. His horror is psychological, complex, and freaky.
One man's dark secret will come to light, and his life and that of his family will be on the line.
WILL HAUNT YOU is original and mind-bending. Not your typical horror novel, this one will turn your brain upside down and spin you right round, baby.!

4.5 stars!
Recommended.


Review will appear on GoodReads, Amazon, and my blog!

“The only question is how the story ends for you. Because it’s only just begun.”

The ride will begin and into forbidden frontiers, irreversible realms, lies, frighting abominations and tellings, trapped in a vicious cycle of torment and wrongs doings all played before you whilst in the mind of another, a maniac mind, replaying nostalgia painful and regretful, truth or falsehood. 

The main characters escape to safety, to normality, from all the craziness and outrage ensuing, keeps you tied in to this tale with keen interest.

Taking you viscerally to new levels of evocation and sensory overload, with some good choice of words with some bad things, the usual bad words too, and ugliness, through a bent mind ride, taken by the authors hand in first person narration in a nightmarish fever dream brain impregnation that may stir and haunt.

Jesse's band gets together for a final play. They haven't been together to play for years. Jesse gets taken to a location where he is kept captive. He read a book that another band member gave him that describes the same type thing that is happening to him. Jesse keeps warning us that it will now happen to us now that we are reading the book.
A bizarre book.

An Indie Horror about has-been rockers coming together. Our protagonist is over it, and he is trying very hard to overcome the demons that plagued him during his hey-day. The other band members, however, do not feel the same.

I found this book quite convoluted and confusing. A deadly book, dark web, questionable characters led me to believe this would be similar to House of Leaves and it tries, it really tries to be horrifying. But it doesn't quite make it past creepy for me. The plot gets more and more fantastical and the characters less redeeming. It gave me a headache to read and I ploughed through. Until I got to the last few pages and had to call it in - this book is a DNF at 90% for me and I'm the sort of person who has no qualms on reading spoilers.

This book was sent to me by the publisher in exchange for an honest review, thanks to Flame Tree Press, Brian Kirk and NetGalley.

Will Haunt You by Brian Kirk sounded like it had so much potential. The synopsis is really drew me in. I couldn't help but think of a combination of The Ring meets We Sold Our Souls by Grady Hendrix which sounds like a winning combination to me. Unfortunately, the novel didn't quite win me over. At times it's just too outright weird (and that's coming from someone who generally appreciates that quality) and confusing. That said there were some elements I enjoyed, but I think a visual element would really help this story. Personally, I think seeing it adapted to the big screen could be what it needs to really come together. While this novel wasn't a favorite, I still want to try other things from Brian Kirk because of all of the potential here. Thanks again or the opportunity, NetGalley.

Well, that was odd.

WARNING: I read a book much like the one you're holding now. And this is what happened to me. Don't make the same mistake. Please, put it down. Or better yet, throw it away. This is your last warning. Turn the page, and you're on your own. Actually, that's not true. Turn the page and he'll be there, watching you.

I guess I'm being watched now because I ::gasp:: turned the page.

Okay, so I honestly don't know what to say about this story...it's weird, it's confusing, you have no idea how reliable the narrator is, and have I mentioned it's weird? Not surprisingly, it would appear I enjoyed this more than many reviewers, and from what I've read, their complaints are legit. However, Will Haunt You was genuinely creative. That's a rarity these days, so I was personally willing to overlook some minor issues I had if it meant I was able to read a novel with a fresh perspective.

Told from Jesse's first person point of view, the book began when he joined his band mates on stage for the first time in a decade. Seven years sober, he planned to enjoy one last hurrah with his friends, and then head home to his wife and disabled son.

But things went awry.
Very much so.

From that point forward, the book felt a bit like it was on drugs--hallucinating and blacking out, only to wake up in a new place and time, with no concept/memory of how it got there.

Is the writing a bit clunky? Yes.
Does the story leave many unanswered questions? Yes.
Will you be rolling your eyes on one page, yet be totally engrossed on the next? Yes.

Give it a chance...it's good fun.

**Thanks to NetGalley, Flame Tree Press, and Brian Kirk for a digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This book was sent to me by the publisher in exchange for an honest review, thanks to Flame Tree Press, Brian Kirk and NetGalley.

4.5 stars for this one!

I was really excited when I came across this book on NetGalley, it sounded dark, creepy and right up my street!

The story follows the Jesse, an ex guitarist in a heavy metal band, his dreams of becoming a rock star were shattered after drunkenly injuring his baby son leaving him permanently disabled.

One of his friends and former band members gives him a dark and sinister book to read, little does he realize it’s rumored that there is a mysterious figure who prays on those who read the book…

I really enjoyed this book, being narrated in the first person is a plus for me, it gives a real insight into Jesse’s character and thoughts as he is plunged in to a relentless living nightmare that exploits he deepest darkest thoughts, secrets and mistakes and forces him to face them head on.

The beginning of the book was brilliantly creepy, I was hooked from the first page! I felt the story lost a little momentum in the middle of the book and got a little confused for a minute, but things soon came together as the story moved on and the suspense soon picked up again. The creeping feeling of dread was never far away with this book.

I loved the notion of never being 100% sure of what was real and what was fantasy, the raw vulnerability of a person being forced to face the darkness in their own mind, and ultimately how sometimes the mind is in control of the person and not the person in control of the mind.

Psychological horror at its best.

The book raises lots of questions for the reader, I just love ambiguity in a book, Kirk didn’t give me all of the answers which was great!

This is my first Brian Kirk read and it won’t be the last.

I would certainly recommend this book, it was depraved, creepy and mind bending.

I received an ARC of this book thanks to Net Galley and publisher Flame Tree Press in exchange for an honest review.

This book honestly has me so confused. This is one of the hardest books for me to rate because I just don't know what to make of it. Will Haunt You is a horror book about an aging rockstar who has read a book and now weird things are happening to him. The book he has read is the one you are reading right now by picking this up and so there are a lot of meta comments strewn throughout it. I actually felt this part of it was a little underused and there could have been greater potential for creating horror through this. However, that's not the book's biggest problem.

This plot...what plot? I had no idea what was going on half the time. It was like a series of events strewn together that made no cohesive sense and didn't build up to a proper plot. This is definitely not a small problem and I would have rated this book lower if not for the fact I enjoyed reading it so much. Brian Kirk is actually an extremely talented writer to make this absolute mess even remotely work and he definitely deserves props for that. I was never bored and I never switched off, despite not knowing what on earth was actually happening most of the time.

The characters themselves are also pretty decent. Our protagonist remains likeable despite doing a lot of terrible or questionable things. His wife is a strong character once she makes an appearance. I would have liked to learn more about Solomon, the person responsible for giving the main character the book in the first place, but that's an extension of my criticism towards the meta aspects. The female groupie character also could have benefited from a little more expansion, especially as her part is essentially over once the wife appears.

Overall, this is a baffling but enjoyable book. I would love to read more by Brian Kirk as with a more solid plot, he could easily produce a 5 star read for me. As far as horror books go, this has some major flaws but is personally saved for me by strong writing and enough intrigue to keep me reading. It's just such a shame I couldn't rate it higher..

Overall Rating: 3/5

<I>W A R N I N G
I read a book much like the one you’re holding now. And this is what happened to me. Don’t make the same mistake. Please, put it down. Or better yet, throw it away. This is your last warning. Turn the page, and you’re on your own. Actually, that’s not true. Turn the page and he’ll be there, watching you.</i>

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/ \
/ | \
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And that’s how you start a novel!

I enjoyed a lot of this book! The opening scenes were creepy and terrifying, and had me looking over my shoulder anytime I’d read the book.

<b><i>Will Haunt You</i> kind of reminded me of a game called Eternal Darkness: Requiem for Sanity.</b> Anyone familiar? In the game, you watch the MC’s sanity slowly deteriorate. Kirk uses techniques throughout the book, at crucial moments, to illustrate something similar.

<I>I staggered towards the far do0r. Stopped, and shook my head. Not do0r, door. Imposter words invaded my mind, spoken through a mental ventriloquist. Hijacking my helium. I mean, my he4d. Too much was happening t0o fast.</i>

The random misplaced words and letters eventually simmers down, but what’s left behind are <b>choppy, frantic sentences that continue out during Jesse’s mental distress</b>. I’ve read reviews of people finding this sentence structure/flow irritating though. For me, I thought it fit for the story.

<I>And it’s not like Cassie had to settle, either. No, we made our bed together, but she sleeps in it more soundly than I. Grew into this life with its limitations like a rose through a cracked sidewalk, while I grind my teeth and stew with resentment and ponder the what-ifs and fantasize alternate scenarios like I deserve them more than her.</i>

Jesse is a fascinating main character and made <i>Will Haunt You</i> an enjoyable read. He’s <b>a middle-aged man, recovering alcoholic, former guitarist in a band, who has “given up” much of his aspirations and individuality in the name of parenthood</b>. I felt like I know Jesse. I’ve met him in the other parents I interact with, making him both depressing and genuinely believable. But hey, he’s not 100% miserable—Jesse is also hilarious.

<I>“So, what? Just walk in and announce ourselves and put ourselves at their mercy?” “Pretty much. I mean, what’s the alternative? You show off your big stick and demand Rox back or you’ll start bashing heads?”</i>

Sadly, <b>it was the second half of the book that I found less interesting and compelling</b>. I’m not a huge fan of stories within stories, but this happens a number of times in the second half, taking the reader out of the story and shoving them into a past that could’ve been wrapped up in a few sentences rather than a few pages...

The ending itself was also slightly unsatisfying, I think because the second half of the book was pure build-up, so by the time the end happened, it felt <b>anti-climactic</b>. I think Kirk would’ve been better off <spoiler>removing the journal entries near the end and just focusing on Jesse</spoiler>.

Overall though, not a bad book. <b>I think it’s biggest issue is just that it started so strong and scary, but ended like a dud.</b>

Psychological horror is a tricky thing to get right. For some readers, it resonates strongly while for others, it falls flat. For me, it’s not my first choice for reading or viewing material, but Brian Kirk isn’t just any ordinary horror writer. He is a luminous supernova of talent, inventiveness, and originality. All of his fiction delivers resonating gut punches, and he is on another level, setting the bar astonishingly high. His Bram Stoker Award®-nominated novel We Are Monsters was a mind-bending thrill ride of epic proportions, and when I first heard about Will Haunt You, I knew it would be unforgettable. In light of that, I propose that in the same way Stoker Award®-nominated author John F.D. Taff earned the title of the King of Pain, Brian Kirk should be the Architect of Nightmares.

He did a more than thorough job scaring the living daylights out of me and a good chunk of the population with his online prequel story in promotion of this novel. I followed along in terror, enraptured by the enfolding blog posts. Each entry frightened me more. At one point, Josh freakin’ Malerman said he was scared, too, which is not an easy task to accomplish. Kirk is a master builder of stories, suspense, and intrigue. Just when I thought I was done being horrified, Kirk kept stacking the bricks higher and the terror continued to escalate. Rest assured this novel gave me nightmares weeks after I finished it.

Will Haunt You is the story of Jesse Wheeler, a washed-up former rock musician with substance abuse issues. When the novel begins, he is playing a reunion show with his band in a bid to relive his glory days, but it doesn’t take long for the animosity to play out between the erstwhile bandmates. Adding to the tension, Jessie’s resentment of giving up the rockstar lifestyle for a white picket fence bleeds through the pages. He works on advertising jingles so he can provide for his wife and their developmentally disabled son, and divides the blame for his lack of musical success equally on them as much as the band, if not more.

At the show, Jesse encounters a young woman in the crowd and thinks she may have been a former groupie, but not of his. Incidentally, he admits to having had his ruinous streak of one-night stands, but things start to take a turn for the worse as the mystery girl slowly reveals her true nature. The story takes on a more cosmic direction, and ventures into similar territory to the film The Cell.

Jesse goes into an inexplicable fugue state. He’s not sure what’s real and what’s not. His maladies stem from reading a book, Obsideo, that one of his bandmates, Solomon, gave him. This aspect of the novel strongly brought to mind Benjamin Kane Ethridge’s stunning tale of psychological horror, Dungeon Brain. As with that novel, Kirk does a masterful job making the reader question what’s the truth, whether Jesse is telling it, and if any character Jesse sees is real or an apparition. Readers soon wonder if Jesse can see the difference in the increasingly blurred lines between reality and fantasy.

In spite of his faults, I sympathized with Jesse — not an easy task to pull off for any author — but I felt Kirk accomplished this successfully and made it look effortless, which is a testament to his gifts as an author. One aspect I think helped with that is the ordeals Jessie and his wife, Cassie, went through, which I found memorable, harrowing, and fraught with raw emotions.

I thought the author also made excellent use of text messages and social media elements to enhance the overall narrative. One incident in particular stood out for me in which Jesse confronted photographic evidence of a misdeed that could decimate his already rocky marriage. Further, the device of the unreliable narrator running so deeply in this novel packed this sequence with pulse-pounding tension.

Will Haunt You is a surrealist novel that toys with the reader’s mind, and even though the protagonist asks ‘why me?’, and ‘what do these people want from me?’ multiple times, there are no easy answers. At times, I will admit I found this frustrating, and some aspects did confuse me. However, for the most part, it all came together in the end. I appreciated that this was not a straightforward, easy-to-follow plot in which the characters had to race against time to put X book back into Y library. This is not the kind of novel in which the characters have to banish demons, find the amulets, or recite the right incantations to make the ‘big evil’ vanish. It’s infinitely smarter than any of that, and pushes the reader, challenging them to connect a checkerboard of dots that jump across the pages.

Equal parts Saw mixed with panoptical terror, Will Haunt You resoundingly proves that Brian Kirk is one of the foremost writers of mind-bending psychological horror today. Pick up a copy of his latest novel, but don’t say I didn’t warn you.

WILL HAUNT YOU is griity horror noir about a band which proves impossible to leave. Or maybe it's not the band, so much as it's the other members. Though not obvious on the surface, the lives and destinies of these musicians are inextricably twined, more so than they are with their spouses, girlfriends, or children. When one proffers a book--"the book that should not be read"--the consequences (and ugly they are) spread faster than pond ripples from a skipped stone.

I couldn’t do it. I tried really hard to like this book because the cover was so creepy and I’d been in a mood to read a creepy book for a while. But if there’s one big pet peeve that I have in books, it’s grammatical errors. Now I’m giving the benefit of the doubt to the author because this was an advanced copy I read and maybe there is still chance to correct some of the mistakes which for the sake of future readers, I really hope so!

Will Haunt You has a great concept, but you will either love this book or hate it. I had a hard time with the choppy sentence structure and lost interest. I wanted so much to love this book.

An insane trip down a rabbit hole you might be too exhausted to climb out of. Author Brian Kirk has no intention of easing you down the road as he sets the reader into the groove of a pitch black metal record spinning backwards. A shocking, original tale, that while it may be too hallucinatory for some, showcases an author who doesn’t want to show you things you’ve seen before and isn’t afraid to show you things you may never want to see again.

Let me start off this review by saying that this book is creepy. But not creepy in the slow burn atmospheric way that The Exorcism of Emily Rose was (or A Head full of Ghosts at its best before the dismal downfall of an ending), but rather it’s creepy in the way that only Rob Zombie and Eli Roth movies know how to be. Meaning, we’re creeped out because we can envision these horrors happening to us, and we squirm and wish that we could do something to save the protagonist. And yet, we’re also kinda worried for our well being, after all the book is about a cursed book, and the cursed book in question is the one you’re holding in your hands right now. Don’t have chills yet?

Now, if you’re not a fan of Rob Zombie films, I can see how this may not be the kind of horror book for you. This book was very much reminiscent of Zombie’s newest film, 31, with its bizarro villains, and the location of being enclosed in one of the creepiest mansions known to man.

I’m not sure why I have a penchant for has-been rock star stories (of any genre), but when it’s combined with a cursed book, it just amps up the interest level for me. This book has you questioning everything and everybody, but mostly it will leave you wondering who are the real monsters, the others? Or yourself?

Must read for those who love strange, gory tales with a writing style of an enraged demon on speed.

There's an episode of the podcast 'The Black Tapes' about the Unsound. It's a sound that eventually leads to death. There's more to it, but that's the gist.

This is kind of like that. You read a book and you suffer the consequences. Jesse, former guitarist/former addict/current dad, reads this book and quickly finds himself as a new chapter in this book. Car chase, mysterious voices, a ditch, video screens - it's all the makings of a horror story/film.

As many have mentioned, the writing is choppy. And on purpose. Because it adds tension. To the story. (OR, it's just a really clever plot device that puts the reader into the brain of Jesse as he spirals out of control and his confusion increase as time goes by.)

Still - I think in my head, I think that much like the first Blair Witch, this could have been scarier. In the age of social media, this could have been hyped a particular way - maybe that's the marketing side of me.

Either way- Will Haunt You is a scary book, but I would rather listen to the "Unsound" a few more times.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.

"OBSIDEO. [...] ALWAYS WATCHING"

Friends, this was... a weird book. I finished reading it almost 2 weeks ago and honestly I don't know if I will ever shake the "WTF did I read?" from my brain. This book definitely delivered on the horror, but it is also a strange read.

"WARNING I read a book much like the one you're holding now. And this is what happened to me. Don't make the same mistake. Please, put it down. Or better yet, throw it away. This is your last warning. Turn the page, and you're on your own. Actually, that's not true. Turn the page and he'll be there, watching you."

The premise of this story is instantly gripping: a book that somehow puts you on the radar of some evil entity? Yes please. I read those opening lines the warning as I was curled up in bed, and legit noped out for something a little less creepy for my nighttime reading - which is always a good sign!

The book is told in the point of view of our main character Jesse, whose hindsight and sense of foreboding oozes off of the page. I am a sucker for stories that are kind of told in the past tense, "don't make the same mistakes as I did" perspective. Jesse and his friends are playing a reunion gig for their band in a bar as the book opens up, the first time in ten years that the band has played. We learn that while Jesse cleaned up his alcoholic rockstar life, his friends Solomon and Caspian are still living it up. The clean, married life he has lived as atonement for a dark secret from the days when he got blackout drunk is in stark contrast to the life of his friends, and a cause of tension between he and Caspian.

The narrative voice quickly descended into a gross, sexist, and misogynistic place. All of the characters are kind of horrible. From "friends" goading a recovering alcoholic into drinking to talking about his friend screwing "anything with a hole" in the parking lot, I quickly found myself wondering if this interesting story would be for me. Because of my disliking essentially everyone, even the narrator, I struggled quite a bit for the first three and a half chapters of the book. But then the horror started, things got spooky... and very weird.

"'This is no joke. And you're the one who made a mistake, not us. You're the one who asked for this. Now you have it. Now it's here. The only question is how the story ends for you. Because it's only just begun."

There's no real way to write this review without spoiling the book. Jesse's secret is the key to the personalized horror that he experiences during the course of this book, and I definitely appreciated the journey and character development that Jesse undergoes through the course of this night, and by the end I was rooting for him.

"Bury who I used to be."

Unfortunately I found the narrative a bit difficult to follow after the accident (when the spooky stuff starts to happen). I have so many notes on my eARC that are some iteration of "WTF am I reading?!" that looking back now makes me laugh. The story that Kirk has crafted is very complex and it is obvious that he is trying to make a statement about humanity and redemption, but it wasn't executed very well in my opinion. It's possible that the book is going through so additional edits before final publication, so perhaps the plotting will be tighter and easier to follow

Overall this was an interesting and eclectic horror read, if not incredibly bizarre. I am actually really interested in the overarching story of OBSIDEO and actually found myself most engaged with that mystery. This is a fast paced and action-packed read that delivers on the horror, but I found it difficult to follow the overall story. While I am still not sure what precisely happened at the end of the book, I really liked the redemption of the unlikable (to me) main character and the underlying conversations on the philosophy of being. I just wish I had a sense of understanding when I read the final pages.

Many thanks to the publisher for sending me an eARC via NetGalley for review. Quotations are taken from an uncorrected proof and may change upon publication.

Aging rocker, Jesse, has a bit of a problem. A mysterious radio broadcast fills his ears moments before his car crashes, and he finds himself fleeing into the nearby woods, chased by identical twins and strange creatures. It’s a lousy way to end a night that should have been spent celebrating the final performance of his band, Rising Dead. A recovering alcoholic, he should have been sipping seltzer and getting home early to his wife and son. Instead, he finds himself ensnared in a conspiracy far beyond his understanding, targeted for reasons he’ll never know. All because he read a stupid book.

Brian Kirk’s Will Haunt You is told entirely from Jesse’s first-person point-of-view, and readers will no doubt find themselves just as mystified and confused by the perilous, bizarre situations Jesse is confronted with. Jesse, of course, has no idea what the hell is happening, or why, but we’re in this together, our knowledge equally, and frustratingly, limited.

Once things kick off and we’re plunged into the thick of things, Will Haunt You is positively terrifying, and Kirk delivers what may be some of the best horror writing of the year thus far. The atmosphere induces an instinctual dread, coupled with the sheer craziness of the situation we’re launched into. It’s a chaotic and confounding assault on the senses. We don’t know what is happening, let alone what could happen next. Just like Jesse, readers are denied any sort of information or hints as to why these things are occurring or who is responsible, and it’s legitimately scary stuff. The total denial of information is wholly unsteadying. Almost immediately, the rug is pulled out from under us and we’re forced to run headlong into the dark, completely ignorant of what’s out there. Kirk’s writing is highly effective and he makes Jesse’s nightmare ours, whether we want it or not.

I can’t help but compare Will Haunt You to the David Fincher film, The Game, with Michael Douglas. There’s a measure of alternate reality gaming-cum-plot, although Will Haunt You is far more conspiracy driven. It also breaks the fourth wall on occasion. Jesse is fully aware that we are reading his story and that Will Haunt You is, literally, his story. He’s written this book as a warning, but the fact that you’re reading it at all means it’s already too late. They’re watching you, and you’re next!

How well these disruptions in the narrative work will vary by reader. It’s simply a matter of how willing you are to suspend your disbelief and play along, as it were. Personally, I found these moments of direct communication to be a bit clunky, and when they first occurred I found them to be the equivalent of an ineffective jump scare. It just didn’t work for me, and I’m not really a fan of this technique to begin with. I’m also not able to suspend my levels of disbelief long enough to take Jesse at his word. Rather than taking me deeper into the story and its alternate reality, it did the opposite, reminding me that I am just reading a book. Granted, it’s at least a book that is otherwise skillfully told and highly engaging. I would have much preferred to know more about the book Jesse read that dragged him into this whole affair, but instead that particular text is a barely discussed MacGuffin. We don’t get to know much about the book Jesse read, other than it’s a commercially, widely available read that anybody could purchase. Will Haunt You, itself, physically, takes on the role of plot device, becoming both object and subject, with frequent warnings aimed at the reader. It’s an interesting experiment, and I have to applaud Kirk for attempting something different, even if these ultimately minor elements didn’t fully work for me.

I also have to give Kirk credit for making Jesse a tragically flawed monster in his own right. Jesse is an alcoholic, a liar, and a cheater, but he’s also trying to redeem himself, even if he doesn’t particularly want or value that redemption. Readers who need a likable protagonist will find that Jesse falls well short of the mark, often and repeatedly. Reading Jesse’s story is a study in conflict, vacillating between wanting to see him punished for his various misdeeds, but also rooting for him to find some degree of answers just so you know what the hell is going on. Those answers, though, don’t come cheaply or easily…for anybody.

Will Haunt You is a consistently engaging meta narrative, even if its experimental form does take a few minor stumbles on those rare occasions when the story’s artificiality attempts to assert itself upon our own reality. This is ultimately a minor quibble. Taken on the whole, Kirk’s story is brutally, oftentimes maddeningly, engaging and presents some of the best, and most sustained, WTF?! sequences in recent memory.