Horror? Thriller? Suspense? Does it matter? This book starts off a little slow, building the world and plan of a trio of friends/lovers breaking into an old, abandoned house for various motives.

Read this book if you like:
☠️ twists and turns and deceptions
☠️ revenge stories
☠️ stories about spirits/supernatural possibilities

Thanks to Titan Books, Tim Levon and NetGalley for the ARC. All opinions expressed are my own.

An absolute gem of a book - a page turner for sure! Leaning more towards thriller than pure horror, "Secret Lives of the Dead" blends occult noir with a revenge tale, continuously escalating the tension, both inner and external conflicts growing more and more serious and dangerous - till the violent and dramatically explosive ending! Building on the horror tropes of the "family curse" and the "cursed object," it complicates matters by throwing in two very strong and morally grey characters in conflict, and never really taking sides or prejudging the outcome. Once it becomes clear how the supernatural is involved, the author goes for the strongest impact on his readers, by razor-sharp characterization and dark, heart-breaking story turns, almost like everyone in the book is on their own suicide mission - a fact which makes you care for the characters, especially for the villain of the piece, who's essentially the one holding the reins and creating so much sorrow and sadness for all involved (even himself), it's a miracle he always sounds fresh and engaging. In fact, the protagonists of the book are both survivors and casualties of a victim mentality which fuels their opposition, sweeping up readers along in their grim and violent story whether they like it or not.

Lebbon's character work deserves special praise. The action scenes are very well-done, but this is pretty much expected, on that front Lebbon never disappoints. But if it weren't for the brilliant characters, I doubt the ending or the story on their own would have had such an impact on me: beyond the blood-letting and the bone-crunching, for me it's the terrifying psychological insights supporting the character building that make this book a real achievement.

The book is dark, brutal, and always moving forward, even when the action stops for a bit, and it's time for some necessary flashbacks. Even then, every little detail counts, it's integral to the plot, and if you think some extended reminiscence is just filler or the author giving you a breather, you'll blink and you'll miss something important. That said, this is no detective thriller or police procedural; it has a different focus, heavily invested in family issues, friendship matters, the conflict of selfless dedication to a life-long mission vs the selfishness of evil.

It's also top-notch entertainment, and even if some hearts break, horror lovers will have their fun! An epic journey I unhesitatingly recommend!

Jodi is on a mission. Lem is brutal. Who will make it out alive when there’s a curse looming over them?

The story was well written, and the pacing was good. Things get going right from the start. I enjoyed the shifting POVs because it didn’t feel like I was reading the same thing over and over like some stories do.

I do feel that the ending portion of the final showdown was a little tedious at times with the descriptions. It also felt a little anticlimactic; I was hoping for a bit more of the lore to come through.

Overall, a gripping story that had me holding on until the end.

"Trees and witches, witches and trees.."

Wow! Great story - a little disappointed with the ending though. I was expecting much more but I can't complain. Like I said - great story.
You are plunged straight into the action from page one and there's no let up until the end and to think it all happens in the space of a day.
At first I thought the horror part of it wasn't too gruesome until Jodi's father is revealed in that sinkhole: that really got me. Morbid is a word that comes to mind.
The lead character is well fleshed out but I suspect Lem - the bad guy is the one most folks will remember.

A big thank you to NetGalley and Tim Lebbon for this ARC;

This was an interesting read. To be honest based off the synopsis I thought it was going to be more paranormal but it geared towards folktale horror instead. I think I would have enjoyed it more if I felt a deeper connection with the FMC as I know it was her we as a reader should be rooting for but I found her rather unlikable. The plot was very intriguing and I enjoyed that we got multiple POVs but I found the ending and some of the plot lines along the way rather predictable. the premise of the curse was very original which I really enjoyed and it definitely had some gruesome parts that were valuable to the book otherwise I would have been routing for the villian. The writing style was easy to follow and descriptive.

Three friends, Jodi, BB and Matt, decide to break into the abandoned house on the outskirts of town, looking for the fabled treasure hidden but never recovered. Unbeknownst to the others, Jodi has ulterior motives for the undertaking. The same motives that have Lem, a career criminal who once ruined Jodi's life, also looking to search the house. When all unexpectedly meet in the house, it begins a path of brutal violence follows.
A mixture of violent crime novel with a folk horror element, Tim Lebbon has produced another great story. The book definitely had surprises in the plot and went in directions I never expected.

Tim Lebbin knocks it out of the park with this supernaturally charged horror/thriller. And it features one of the best villains in horror fiction.

Lem is a very dangerous man. He's spent most of his life tracking down relics with which a witch used to put a curse on his family generations ago. His life is dedicated to finding them all as the spirits of his dead relatives haunt him. He's a killer and he's methodical and terrifying.

Jodi's father was brutally murdered by Lem fifteen years previously and she lives for revenge. She knows finding the last relic before him will hurt him more than anything and she enlists her boyfriend and his best friend to break into the abandoned building where the relic is. Unknown to them, they do it for the adventure. But Lem makes an appearance out of the blue and this novel becomes a tense game of cat and mouse filled with dread, violence, and a lot of blood.

Lem is an unforgettable antagonist. He'll stay with you in your nightmares and we'll read about his and Jodi's past and how their lives have been intertwined for fifteen years without ever seeing one another.

This is a story about obsession, revenge, and the price they're willing to pay to fulfill their chosen destinys. I highly recommend it.