Kit (Christopher) comes back home after he finds out he missed his mom’s funeral. He ran out of town as soon as he could and has been trying to make it in the music industry. He had an incident as a kid riding his bike home at night of being touched and chased by this spongy darkness and it’s been haunting him since. That incident seems related to other eerie coincidences he’s noticed since coming back to town when he gets caught up in a murder investigation and has to extend his visit. 

Kit is a relatable character. Kit was just existing with no plan and no idea how to get one. He’s a 40 yr old man who wants to get his life straightened out and break the bad habits he developed from the all-night partying with his band. He’s had enough of the near-misses and squandered opportunities. 

The 9-5 routine never was for him and this has caused tension between Kit and his dad. He would take playing guitar on stage over any regular job any time. His dad worked at the factory in town his whole life and was part of a union. Kit’s career choice isn’t as reliable and he’s not at the same benchmarks that others are at his age. His father feels like he hasn’t amounted to anything and that kind of disappointment from a parent can have a devastating effect and has made it increasingly harder to kick his bad habits. 

I didn’t like the conflict or resolution at the end of the story. It’s not how I pictured things would go and it all seemed a bit rushed and cheesy. The ending could set this up for a sequel but I feel like it should stay as a stand alone. This was definitely creepy and I think a good pick for non-horror readers or for someone who’s new to the genre and looking for a horror book to get into the Halloween spirit.

Thank you to BHT Press and Netgalley for this arc in exchange for a honest review.