The Owlmen

by S. E. England

[kimbacaffeinate]

After suffering a mental breakdown, Ellie and her psychiatrist husband purchase Tanners Dell at auction. It's an old water-mill in the moorland village of Bridesmoor, close to her ancestral roots. While he works in the nearby village, she deals with the contractors as they renovate their new home.

The tale is atmospheric and full of creeptastic suspense that sent shivers down my spine. While, admittedly I didn't warm up to the characters, I did quickly slip into the tale with its secrets and ominous tones. Tanners Dell has a strange and disturbing history.  Ellie spends long hours at home alone and as the renovations continue, some macabre events occur. The house, mill and lands have a demonic history that will have the hairs on the back of your neck standing on end.  To gain control, Ellie soon dabbles in witchcraft and for the first time feels a sense of rightness. Changes in her husband's behavior compounded the situation and ramped up the fear factor.

The author spun a clever tale with twists, truths and chills that kept me listening into the wee hours.  In the end, I came to care for Ellie and some secondary characters. Tanners Dell and the neighboring woods became a living, breathing personality and is a place I am quite content never to lay eyes upon! I really enjoyed the author's ability to conjure fear without the use of blood or gore. Throughout the story she wove in a mystery and treated us to other POVs. All worked brilliantly to create a plausible, yet terrifying tale. I cannot mention more for fear of spoilers, but know this is a tightly woven well-constructed plot that has me adding England to my must read list.

This was my first listen to Henrietta Meire and her tone, accent and grasp of Ellie were superb. Her narration only heightened the already macabre tale.

I later discovered, that while this is a standalone, it takes place in the same area as the Father of Lies trilogy and in fact some figures appear from those books. I for one will go back to read/listen. Horror at its finest, The Owlmen is one I would happily recommend to fans who enjoy an atmospheric tale. This review was originally posted at Caffeinated Reviewer