Review: Mister Lullaby by J.H. Markert

Mister Lullaby by J.H. Markert
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I was provided both an e-ARC and an Audio arc of this book via Netgalley, all opinions are my own. I appreciated having both formats available as there is alot going on in this book. There are multiple points of view and alot of characters to keep track of. Having the e-book handy to clarify plot points

This book is told from multiple points of view, and the audiobook is narrated by a male and female narrator who switch on an off depending on which POV. I think they both did a good job narrating their different parts and they did justice brining the creepy atmosphere that Markert dreamt up.

I jumped at the opportunity to read this early as I loved The Nightmare Man. This has that same creepy vibe and a balance of horror and thriller that I really like. If you are a fan of Stephen King like I am, I think you will really enjoy the way this novel is put together. While the story isn't a copycat in any way of one of King's novels, the way the book is constructed, the horror elements, the strangeness factor, etc remind me alot of some of my favorite King books. Why did I only give it only 3 stars you ask? The ending...the ending felt a bit rushed to me and unfinished. As we approach what I'll call the final battle, I had check if this was book 1 of a series because there was no way things could wrap up with only a small amount of pages left. While the book does end, I don't feel closure I like to have at the end of a book. Up until the last pages, I was really enjoying this book.

This follows Gideon after returning from a tour on active duty to his home town where strange things happen around the old train tunnel. Many a townsfolk have been maimed in and around the tunnel and no one can explain why. Gideon's own brother has been in a coma for years after entering the tunnel. Beth the local Deputy Sheriff is trying to explain the local uptick in violence in town related to the tunnel. Teddy hears voices that tell him to do bad things and along the way to do those bad things he collects others who do bad things. Teddy, Beth, Gideon and others who are all part of the story that culminates in the town of Herrod's Reach all have a part to play as the tunnel brings nightmares to life in this atmospheric and creepy story.

Overall, I thought the plot was unique and original. I really liked the use of the various creatures from mythology with relation to dreams an nightmares. The worldbuilding was well done and I enjoyed the interaction between characters. This is the type of horror book I enjoy where there is a sense of unease and a creep factor throughout. The only thing that kept me from giving this a higher rating was the ending. Perhaps there is more to this story, perhaps it was left more open ended on purpose for the reader to imagine what happens to the characters. I prefer to leave a novel with a sense of closure and I didn't get that here.

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