This was an enjoyable read. The tension builds steadily and the suspense keeps the reader guessing until the very end.
Many thanks to McCool Mythos Publishing and to Netgalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

This was a fast paced, entertaining read with plenty of twists and turns to keep the reader on their toes! The characters were really well written - I definitely felt for them throughout and the build-up of the plot got under my skin in a few places. I felt calm in some places and almost stressed and scared for the characters in others. This was a horrifying read that is great for anyone who loves the genre.

It didn't start off too bad. Then things got a little over the top and kinda cheesy. It was like a bad horror movie where you know it's blatantly fake. The characters were grating after a while. I could get through the whole novel but it wasn't a satisfying read.

There Came a Knocking tells the story of 2 housemates, one recently splitting with her boyfriend, having a night in with scary movies and pizza. They hear random knocks at the door, window taps, etc. and assume it's the newly ex-boyfriend playing pranks, especially when they see his vehicle parked outside. When the lights mysteriously go out, one of the girls heads to the basement where she not only finds a window open, but the wires all cut in the fuse box. They quickly realize there is something much more sinister at play than some jealous ex-boyfriend. Their cozy night in turns into a complete horror show that will keep you on the edge of your seat.

This book really surprised me. I thought it was going to be your typical pranks or creepy vibes with some "roll your eyes" type of reason at the end of a feel good stor.y. Was I ever wrong. This is twisted, dark and creepy. What is scary about it is the reality of it all - it could very easily happen; imagine sitting at home with a friend and a home invasion happening. While I figured out the "who" pretty quickly, it kept me glued to the book, needing (not wanting) to find out what would happen to these two girls on this fateful night.

I enjoyed this one way more than I thought I would! I liked the writing style and would like to read more from this author!

Thank you to NetGalley, the author and publisher for the chance to read this for free. This was my honest review.

Wow, 'There Came A Knocking' was a heart-stopping thrill ride to me! The fact that it's inspired by the 2016 clown sightings adds an extra layer of chilling authenticity. I love how the story takes a familiar setup - a home invasion - and twists it into a nail-biting adventure. The character building sounds top-notch, with Jessica and Danielle leaping off the page as relatable and endearing protagonists. The pacing and suspense were expertly crafted, keeping you on the edge of your seat and guessing until the very end. And those twists!

.'There Came A Knocking' is a white-knuckle read that'll leave you sleeping with the lights on and reevaluating every creak and groan in the night.


Thank you to NetGalley and McCool Mythos Publishing for the opportunity to read and review an advanced copy of this book♥️

2.5 I enjoyed the overall ending. I thought the first quarter of the book had more inner dialogue than necessary but overall it was not bad. It took a turn I had no idea was coming and it got very dark very quick haha. I don’t usually read gory books and while some might think this is tame, this was about as gory as I can handle books so take that as you will. This was an interesting take on the Clown Craze of 2016. It was a fast read!

Thanks to Netgalley and the author for a copy of this work in exchange for my honest opinion.

I did find this horror story fun to read. From the start, there was an atmosphere that I liked, and I found most of the characters likeable. I did find this scary too. It was scary in an entertaining way, without being over the top. It was a little bit bizarre in places, but I think that was what made it scary, as I imagined myself in the characters' shoes.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for a free copy to review.

Jessica and Danielle, two friends living in a less than stellar city borough, come face-to-face with a vicious murderer.

The first half of the book was engaging. I enjoyed learning more about the girls and their dynamic. I feel like there was more to tell there, but I was drawn in by their relationship and their personalities.

The second half of the book goes off the wall. It's fast paced and violent. I stayed up to finish the story, needing to know how it ended.

While the villain is brutal, he comes off a little odd and almost childish at times. The end, to me, felt like a stretch. I didn't buy into the final series of events. I see where it was going, but I think too much didn't quite add up. It's hard to explain without adding spoilers.

Still, this was a quick and interesting read. I think many will find it enjoyable and I'd definitely try another of McCool's works.

The baddie kind of reminded me of Art the Clown from the Terrifier movies, in that he's kind of a dick. I know that's a funny thing to say about a horror antagonist, but it's like both of them go out of their way to make it hurt. Anyway, that's all to say that I enjoyed this book, although I didn't particularly care for the ending.

Thank you NetGalley for giving me the chance to read this book ahead of time in exchange for a review. It didn't disappoint! Must read!!

Read like a 80’s horror movie, this was a good fun read! The characters were not that smart, but most horror girls aren’t so it was to be expected. Would’ve liked to feel more of a dreadful atmosphere-missed opportunity there to improve upon for the authors next book. Pacing was decent, ended loud like I like.

This started out really slow with a lot of info dumps and I almost put it down. I'm glad I kept with it though because the pace picked up and it was a rave to the satisfying end.

This book was so intense. The people who became victims of this deranged man had done nothing wrong. He was determined to make people suffer for their ‘supposed’ crimes against humanity. He became the judge and jury. The girls were terrified and tried to fight but can one really fight against true evil?
I had many feelings from this book. I felt the girl’s terror when trying to figure out who was toying with them. I felt anger at the whole situation. I felt sorrow for all the victims. This was a tragedy that did not have to happen.

Roommates and best friends, Jessica and Danielle will experience the the most terrifying night of their young lives when they begin to hear knocking at their front door and no one is outside when they look out their door to see who it is.

Initially they think it's a prank by the Danielle's newly ex boyfriend or some nearby teens in the neighborhood but as other disturbing occurrences continue they finally realize they are in trouble and since they live in a bad area of town the police won't respond to their call for help until it might be too late since they respond to calls in an order of priority. Maybe their next door neighbors can help them but will they even want to become involved in the girls nightmare drama. No one could have imagined what will happen next!


This book was enjoyable and entertaining as a horror book. The first half moved a little slowly focusing on the girls inner dialogue and personalities so I wasn't quite prepared for the major turnabout at the halfway point. I really didn't feel the tension or fear from the girls the way I hoped although the home invasion and the murderous intruder was a brutal combination but I felt it missed it's mark with some silly dialogue inserted too often.

The last quarter of the story was completely unexpected and was so vicious and diabolical that I was definitely caught off guard by the evil that was portrayed and then carried out. Also the ending was a very good shocker and really redeemed the story. I definitely look forward to reading more books from "John McCool" and I also recommend this book to horror lovers (only) so they can form their own opinions about this story.

I want to thank the publisher "McCool Mythos Publishing" and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this this story and any thoughts or opinions expressed are unbiased and mine alone!

I have given a rating of 3 BRUTAL AND DEVASTATING 🌟🌟🌟 STARS!!

Thank you for the opportunity to preview There came A knocking. Be prepared for a horror fest with this truly terrifying novel by John McCcol. Two young women are enjoying an evening of movies and pizza but a knock on the door changes everything.
Soon they are fighting for their lives and both girls believe their stalker has made a big mistake and they have no idea why someone would try to hurt them. But this is no ordinary stalker and this night is one they will never forget. And that’s if they survive it.
Truly horrific. 4 stars

This was a really short book but it delivered on what it promised. The start is a bit slow but it set up a good base level for the characters before all the drama kicks off. I wouldn't say it was a horror but it's creepy and build the tension well. It's clearly not realistic but it's also a fiction book so it doesn't have to be. I enjoyed it for what it was

There Came A Knocking follows best friends Danielle and Jennifer as their night of pizza and horror movies descends into a terrifying game of survival. After an explosive fight with her now ex-boyfriend, Danielle believes he is harassing the girls. But who, or what, is really lurking in the shadows?

The story is on the shorter side,a round 200 pages, and uses the first quarter to set up a good foundation. We learn a lot about our two main girls as they settle in. Quickly however, some incessant pounding on the door decides to strike terror into the heart of the reader. From there, things simply devolve into a bloody good time. The characters do make some pretty dumb decisions (going out alone in the dark, splitting up, etc) but honestly, that's kind of on brand for some horror. It did take a while for things to get going, but overall I really enjoyed the book. McCool has an easy writing style that draws you in and then next thing you know...BAM...book finished.

Thank you to the author, McCool Mythos Publishing, and NetGalley for this ARC. I am leaving this review voluntarily and all views expressed are my own.

Jessica and Danielle are trying to enjoy their evening when a fight unexpectedly erupts between Danielle and her boyfriend. He leaves in a hurry and the girls settle in for a night of pizza and movies. Without warning, the power cuts out and strange knocks and noises can be heard from outside. Is Danielle’s boyfriend playing tricks on them? Or is something more sinister at work?

I had such high hopes for this novel and was extremely disappointed. This novel is supposed to be a horror novel, yet I did not find any portion of it to be scary or thrilling. There were pages of unnecessary details and character inner thoughts that added absolutely nothing to the plot. The idea behind the novel was strong but was not executed well at all. I also couldn’t take the antagonist seriously because his name was so ridiculous. The ending was also extremely disappointing and would never occur in a real-world scenario which made the story even less believable. Overall, I was not a fan and was pretty disappointed in the novel as a whole.

Danielle and Jessica are roommates in a city with an abnormally high murder rate (maybe they should think about moving?). After a night of horror TV it appears they are being stalked in their home. Is it ex-boyfriend Braeden? Or someone else?

This is pretty standard horror/slasher fare. Don’t be a good neighbor, is what you’ll pick up from this! There are a fair number of grammatical errors that I hope are fixed prior to publication. If you like this sort of thing you’ll like this.

2.5 stars
It started ok, and it stayed that way. Just ok. The two main characters were the least interesting ones, as much as Danielle was somehow likable, Jessica was just annoying. And i guess we were supposed to feel sympathy for her as this spiritual[?] true to herself person, but i feel like Danielle boyfriend [ex] was quite right about her. Someone who in the end doomed her best friend. My fav characters were...the old couple, i actually felt for them ;(. The worst thing about this book was lack of any information about Jizzy. I hoped that at the end we at least gonna get some insights into who he was, why did he do all this. There was none, just some random rambling. From a horror point of view i guess it did it's job, it was spooky enough. At least it was short.