“Three times you see him. The first night he’s far, far away. And then the next night he’s closer. So close that you can see him, and he can see you. And then, on the third night his big ugly face is at your window. The fourth night is your last one, because then uh-oh.”

My thanks to Head of Zeus/Aries for an eARC via NetGalley of ‘The Creeper’ by A.M. Shine.

Reclusive academic Dr Alec Sparling engages historian Ben French and archeologist Chloe Coogan to undertake the fieldwork for his research project into the society of Tir Mallacht, a remote Irish village that he believes has been cut off from the wider world for two hundred years.

When they arrive at the isolated community they find the villagers unwelcoming. In addition, there seems to be a nameless fear stalking the streets after sundown. No one will talk to the outsiders - except one little girl who relays chilling words: ‘three times you see him’. Thus, they learn of the Creeper. No further details to avoid spoilers.

I felt that ‘The Creeper’ was a good old fashioned horror novel and that Shiner skilfully utilised his atmospheric setting. It really was creepy.

Overall, I found this a chilling yet entertaining read and am now keen to read his previous novel, ‘The Watchers’.

Boy this was scary. Thoroughly excellent October read and one I can imagine on the big screen. Archaeologist Chloe and historian Ben are both cash strapped graduates who are offered a financially lucrative project. Infiltrate an unknown village and interview the occupants l what their mysterious employers doesn’t warn them about is why the villagers are so frightened of The Creeper and nor does he warn them about other students who have gone missing after carrying out similar research. Gripping, frightening, utterly unputdownable! Perfectly paced and plotted.

A very very creepy story! I started reading at night and was so scared I had to stop and wait for daylight.

The plot is fantastic, a historian and archeologist going to visit an isolated town that seems to have not joined with the rest of the modern world. They’re going to talk to the villagers about their history & folklore, specifically “The Creeper” legend, study the village and collate the data into a report for their dubious employer. However there is more afoot; Ben & Chloe’s lives are in danger.

With eerie and surprising twists and turns we follow Chloe and Ben throughout the story.
The story was fairly fast paced and thrilling, & the conclusion was unexpected. I found it slightly unsatisfying.
The characters were fairly well written, although I despised Ben and his decisions. Chloe’s character could’ve been more developed, it was like we were being teased with bits of her background and personality, but I wanted more.

All in all, a decent story by the author. This would be a good one to read in the evenings of the darker seasons, with a cup of tea and making sure the curtains are CLOSED!

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and Head of Zeus for a copy!

Unfortunately this book was not for me, it was a bit slower than I would like and it just didn't hold my attention. I am sure other people will love it!

A middle of the road novel for me. I enjoyed the premise and setup, with some really creepy scenes that kept me reading, however, the characters were lacking for me and the writing was a little too metaphor laden at the beginning for me to really be sucked in. All in all, it’s an okay horror novel and a good choice if you’re looking for an easy read.

Knowledge has always had a price in stories. The Apple that led to expulsion from Eden; the idea of you try to learn too much can be self destructive. Horror has many tales those who try to explain the unexplainable and find it staring right back at them. From the ambitious academics of MR James’ tales to those nights of dangerous experiments in Jackson’s Hill House. It’s the battle of rationality versus supernatural superstition and in Horror that isn’t always going to be an easy battle. In AM Shine’s claustrophobic The Creeper we get a tale of two people who choose to be in the wrong place at the wrong time and find themselves on a nightmarish countdown they must try to escape from.

Ben is a young historian who suffers the indignity of not being able to work in his chosen field and instead is a show salesmen in an office he loathes. Like many he constantly looks for the rare opportunity to get back on the academic ladder in Ireland fighting for so few places and in the meantime struggles for cash to pay the bills and support the child he rarely sees. An opportunity though arises when he and a young archaeologist named Chloe are hired by wealthy eccentric Dr Alec Sparling to investigate the mysterious isolated village of Tir Mallacht which their employer believes has been cut off from modern life for hundreds of years. Ben and Chloe are to head out there; investigate the village buildings and ideally capture villagers’ life stories. He also asks if they can explain the mysterious local horror tale of The Creeper a form of monster who if you see mean you will have three nights of terrible sightings before you die.

Ben and Chloe drive into Ireland’s countryside; then when the roads end they walk through inaccessible fields and find indeed a village cut off from modern life; one where no one ever leaves and families have stayed and intermixed for hundreds of years. Few wish to speak to the interlopers but one young girl tells them the tale in all its glorious spookiness of the The Creeper; realising they won’t get much more from this strange group our academics head back to the car but as night approaches they camp in an abandoned field and realise they are now being watched….

The Creeper is a very very effective nightmare rollercoaster of a horror tale. The first half starts with us witnessing the last night of a young woman who now realised she too has seen The Creeper. Shine absolutely captures a sense of terror and despair without explaining anything and this means we know what could be lying at the end of the ride for our next unlucky entrants into this tale.

The focus is on Ben and while he’s not horrible he is arrogant, self-centred and ambitious. An offer of a lot of money and a chance at some fame are all he needs to sign himself up to this project. Chloe too finds the money and chance to be first on a project too much to turn down. They’re not horrible and as we watch them get closer to the village we get to know these two as a decent pair of young people trying to sort their lives out. But as we know what lies in wait the first half builds that tension and we really get worried about them.

Tir Mallacht is very much a standard isolated country village of folk horror. Unease, mystery and a sense of foreboding mark the rollercoaster hitting the summit and we realise this is where The Creeper legend began and something is wrong here. At this point Shine gives the push he were dreading and Ben and Chloe see The Creeper. This latter half of the book is now rational mind versus fearful one. Ben just thinks this is a prank; Chloe finds it a very disturbing one but if the legend is true they have just three more nights to live. Our lambs are now uncomfortably aware they seem to be watched by a wolf.

Shine has created a wonderfully dark tale and huge part of this is their narration. This is third person but Shone excels at creating atmosphere - the world is always grey and lacking sunlight; there are references to death and tombs when describing people and suburban streets. It’s an intimate tale that you could imagine you and Shine sitting by a dying fire being told about these two young people in far too deep and we get uncomfortably aware how dark the place we hear this tale is getting. The pace is stepping up as we head closer and closer to the final night and a simple sweep of a curtain can really make you afraid to look outside too. This is folk horror designed skilfully to ensnare the reader; where we know that the only way through the nightmare is to just keep on reading and just hoping there can be a way for our innocents to find an escape route . We can’t look away as we like these people even as we feel their blind desire to seek the truth is not probably the best way to deal with this situation.

Surrounding the story - running our rollercoaster of terror is the strange Dr Sparling. Alec knows too much and despite being a quite on the surface dull character obsessed with time, numbers and his privacy we sense knows far more than he lets on. Understanding his role in the tale is another mystery to be unlocked.

The Creeper is not comfortable horror it’s tense, skilfully atmospheric and makes you increasingly worried what lies at the end of the story. Read this at night by a window and you’ll probably not want to turn around too soon to see what is outside waiting for you. A novel that further cements Shine as a horror author to watch. Highly recommended for spooky season!

First off, thank you so much to #Netgalley, the publisher and especially the author for this ARC!

This book was incredibly good…. I had just finished the watchers when I saw this was coming out and. HAD to request it. This book had my literally turning the lights on when I was reading it and I couldn’t put it down once I started it… it was PERFECT for spooky season!

The Watchers by A.M Shine was one of my favourite reads of last year so I jumped at the chance of being able to read and review The Creeper as part of the blog tour.

The Creeper has everything I am looking for in a horror novel; creepy kids, a mysterious village filled with a rag tag group of individuals and an eccentric professor intent on getting to the bottom of a terrifying legend.

Three times you see him. Each night he comes closer...

I mean...that sentence alone is enough to give me the full on shivers!! I always think the scariest monster is the one that you don't see or isn't revealed until the very end of the book/film. This gives your imagination time to cook up the worst images possible and believe me even that won't be enough to prepare you for the horrors that are to come. The prologue gives us a glimpse of how terrifying The Creeper is and I was HOOKED!

Dr Sparling (a reclusive academic) enlists Ben and Chloe (historian and archaeologist) to travel to Tír Mallacht, a remote Irish village, and investigate what the villagers know about The Creeper. It's obvious the villagers are not willing to speak to either of them and quite rightly so as to even talk about his existence "summons him". It seems Ben and Chloe are getting nowhere with their investigation when a little girl suddenly tells them the tale of The Creeper which ultimately means they become his next targets. As the village locks it's doors to them they are left to hike through the dark and set up camp...it is here that they have their first visit from The Creeper. Ben tries to be logical about the encounter and chooses to believe the villagers are simply playing a prank but Chloe is convinced what they saw and that their days are numbered. If Chloe is right they only have a short time to solve the mystery before they are face to face with the terrifying Creeper!!

It is difficult to say much more about this book apart from be prepared to be shocked, repulsed and horrified.

A.M Shine is definitely a name to be watching and I look forward to reading all his future books!

5 stars

Superstitions only survive if people believe in them...
Renowned academic Dr Sparling seeks help with his project on a remote Irish village. Historical researchers Ben and Chloe are thrilled to be chosen - until they arrive.
The village is isolated and forgotten. There is no record of its history, its stories. There is no friendliness from the locals, only wary looks and whispers. The villagers lock down their homes at sundown.
It seems a nameless fear stalks the streets, but nobody will talk - nobody except one little girl. Her words strike dread into the hearts of the newcomers. Three times you see him. Each night he comes closer..
That night, Ben and Chloe see a sinister figure watching them. He is the Creeper. He is the nameless fear in the night. Stories keep him alive. And nothing will keep him away...

This is a brilliant read.
Wonderful well written plot and story line that had me engaged from the start.
Love the well fleshed out characters and found them believable.
Great suspense and found myself second guessing every thought I had continuously.
Can't wait to read what the author brings out next.
Recommend reading.

I was provided an ARC from NetGalley and the publisher. This is my own honest voluntary review.

Okay, so if I am not sitting down to watch the film of this next Halloween, I will not be impressed!

This is amazing! If you are looking for a book to read for the upcoming spooky season, this is it! And if you are looking for a new horror writer, then @nocturn_al_shine is the one for you.

His writing style really draws you in and you instantly envisage the creepy surroundings and characters (even more so if you have an overactive imagination like me 😂)

I really don’t want to give anything away, but this is the perfect gothic thriller and a absolute must read ( also check out The Watchers, which is also fantastic)

Researchers Ben and Chloe are hired by the eclectic and reclusive Dr. Sparling to travel to an insular village in Ireland, where the people have been isolated from society for over 200 years. They are sent to investigate the truth behind the legend of the Creeper. The Creeper appears three times: on the first night he is far away, the second closer, and the third right outside your window. On the fourth night, you die.
I thought this book was great! The very beginning was a little slow, but I read the second half in one sitting. The pacing was quick and the chapters were not too long, which is always a bonus for me. The book was also a nice length, not too long, although I do feel some of the story could have been expanded upon. I thought the beginning/first half of the book was creepy (haha) enough to be enjoyable and I did not think it was actually scary, but then the ending hit me out of nowhere and I was legitimately terrified. I was actually scared when I had to get up in the middle of the night last night. The image of the creeper that the author painted is horrifying!
The characters of Ben and Chloe could have been developed a little more, but overall this book was very well done.
Many thanks to NetGalley for the ARC of this book.

The Creeper by A.M. Shine.
Renowned academic Dr Sparling seeks help with his project on a remote Irish village. Historical researchers Ben and Chloe are thrilled to be chosen – until they arrive. The village is isolated and forgotten. There is no record of its history, its stories. There is no friendliness from the locals, only wary looks and whispers. The villagers lock down their homes at sundown. It seems a nameless fear stalks the streets, but nobody will talk – nobody except one little girl. Her words strike dread into the hearts of the newcomers. Three times you see him. Each night he comes closer..
Omg. Brilliant read. Creepy and tense. Gave me goosebumps. Definitely recommend. 5*.

The Creeper

This is definitely a good Atmospheric Creepy Read for going into Spooky season I was a little bit disappointed with this one as it had a Slow start didnt pick up till about halfway and i didnt enjoy this as much as The Watchers but it still a good read.

Thank you to Netgalley, Head of Zeus and A M Shine for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest Review

Sadly, this is a book that I just did not vibe with. The Creeper was a book that I was looking forward to reading this year.

The writing style was good, I enjoyed the characters for the most part. It just ended up not being for me.

I would like to thank Head of Zeus, A. M. Shine and NetGalley very much for allowing me to read this ARC free for an honest review. I’ve always loved horror stories and have read a lot of them over the years. It’s been a very long time since I read a story that gave me shivers like this one did. It made me feel haunted. It was so scary to me that I couldn’t read it once the sun went down because I knew I’d never get to sleep and I’m not even superstitious. I enjoyed this book immensely. Ben French is a historian and Chloe Coogan is an archaeologist, who are hired by Alec Sparling, a man they’ve never heard of, to investigate superstitions in a backward and remote Irish village, Tίr Mallacht. The town is hours from anywhere and there’s a lot of hiking, as there are no roads leading into the town. The town is set in its own ways with no contact at all with outside civilization. During their visit, Ben and Chloe find the place and the inhabitants to be totally bizarre. They are there to study superstitions, but what they find is much worse. This was a great horror story. I loved it. To me it was what all horror stories should be – scary as the devil.

This is a difficult review to write as I loved The Creeper but did not like the ending.

******SPOILERS *******

I could not get over the fact that we are supposed to believe that the ‘creeper’ spent every single night outside the mansion for many many years, able to get Dr Sparling’s Mum and Dad when they randomly, on nights separated by years, decided to go outside.

I did however love the rest of the book and read it solidly over 2 nights.

The Creeper follows a graduate historian Ben and archaeologist Chloe who are hired by a strange retired professor named Dr Sparling, who sends them to a remote and isolated Irish village to find out about “The Creeper” and the superstitions and legends connected to it. The village isn’t what they were expecting the villagers are living as they did over 200 years ago the weirdest thing is there is no record of the village or the villagers.

This was a really good read, but boy was it slow to start and I really struggled to get into the story. It isn’t until about the 40% point that the story takes off. this was when I couldn’t stop reading. This is also when I started to enjoy the author’s writing style and when the book becomes atmospheric. I also enjoyed the detailed descriptions, they brought the book to life and allowed me to feel like I was there.

Now although I enjoyed the plot of this book, I was left with some unanswered questions. For instance, how can a whole village go unnoticed for so many years? Surely someone would have noticed it, especially when flying over it.

As for the characters well I have some mixed feelings about them. I didn’t particularly like them, as I found them quite annoying but I did like the relationships they built between them. Especially the friendship between Ben and Chloe. And although we get some of the backstories of the characters, I do feel they could have been developed a little more.

Although this was a slow burn by the end it turned out to be a great creepy read, and if you are prepared to persevere then this is the perfect book to pick up and give a go during the spooky season. Oh but before you pick it up beware that if you easily get spooked out don’t pick it up before bed!! You’ve been warned!!

I would like to thank NetGalley and the publisher’s Head of Zeus for my eARC in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.

Really fantastic until 90% then its just slasher gore-porn with no point, pitty because the rest of it was brilliant but DNF

As soon as I started reading this, I was getting major The Blair Witch project/The Wicker Man vibes. Great. I love those movies (the originals of course!) this has all the ingredients for a truly terrifying horror story. Creepy villagers, spooky forests, creatures from ancient folklore…..I was engrossed in the eerie atmosphere building up and the author did a superb job with that. The spectral, supernatural mystery element, preying on our most primal of fears was definitely the strong point of this book. When it’s switched to a more corporeal style horror that was a let down for me. I felt as if I was being spoon fed. I do wish the last part of the story and ending had been more cryptic and was as chilling as the rest of the tale. However, I think it’s a frighteningly fun book to read for spooky season. I was just a little disappointed at the end because it didn’t take me where I wanted it to!

Thank you to NetGalley and Head of Zeus for the digital ARC.

Super creepy story that was just what I needed as Halloween approaches. At times the suspense was palpable and I love books like this where there is an unease that keeps you completely riveted to the story. Just great and I recommend it to anyone looking for a scary read that has some good old Irish folklore as an added bonus.