 Alex North’s third novel is another superb blend of dark thriller and horror The Half Burnt House by Alex North ASIN : B0B4CCHMWD Publisher : Penguin (16 Mar. 2023) Language : English File size : 2491 KB A Horror Book Review by Tony Jones Alex North caught my eye back in 2019 with his terrific debut The Whisper Man, which he followed a year later with another beauty, The Shadow Friend. I previously reviewed both novels for Ginger Nuts of Horror and was delighted to see them become sizable hits. Although both books are more thriller than horror, they feature a convincing whiff of the undiagnosed supernatural, which is maintained in his third offering The Half-Burnt House. These are excellent page-turners which should have both traditional thriller and horror fans purring and solidify North’s reputation as an author going from strength to strength and with readers in both horror and thriller areas. Should you be a fan of this blend of horror and have already read all of John Connolly’s Charlie Parker novels I highly recommend the Earl Marcus Mystery trilogy by Hank Early which begins with Heaven’s Crooked Finger and is the absolute gold standard for this type of fiction. It is worth paying close attention to the plot of The Half-Burnt House as it jumps backwards and forwards in time, which includes multiple points of view. Due to the convoluted plot it takes some time for the various dots to link together and although confusing is ultimately a very well structured and thoughtful thriller. The various story strands feature a long dead local serial killer, stalkers, a bizarre cult, family secrets and a spiralling series of events kicked off by a seemingly random act of violence on a teenage boy. The latter is shocking and packs a psychological wallop on the devastated family involved. The Half-Burnt House kicks off with teenager Katie mulling over whether she wants to have sex for the first time with her boyfriend. Very normal average teenage stuff. She usually walked home from school with her younger brother Chris, however, on the rare afternoon she ditches her brother for her boyfriend he is moved down on the street by a complete stranger, who then attacks him and tries to cut off his face. The story then jumps forward a decade, where Katie is now married with a young daughter, but her brother is now estranged from the family after drifting into homelessness, petty crime and drug addiction. I do not want to reveal too much about the plot or spoilers about how they might connect together, but the main thrust involves Katie being contacted by two police detectives after Chris is spotted on CCTV belonging to a retired Philosophy professor. Alan Hobbes was viciously murdered, almost decapitated, and as the police investigate they realise Hobbes was very, very wealthy and had some very dark and hidden obsessions. But how did this connect to Chris? As the police investigation flounders, a very jumpy Katie, fearing for the life of her brother, begins her own search which takes her into a very dark and sinister world. Some readers might find The Half-Burnt House a tad slow, but I found the complex exploration into trauma, family secrets and brainwashing akin to a gigantic jigsaw puzzle which was a very entertaining read. Some fascinating philosophical ideas are woken into the plot and similar to his other two novels not quite everything can be explained away by science. However, even though there was a lot going on the family dynamics at the centre of the novel were very convincing and how the ripple effect of the original knife attack on Chris had impacted the family over a number of years. This included the guilt felt by Katie and how she overcompensated by being overprotective of her own daughter, whilst triggering her husband, and having a complex relationship with her own mother. Alex North can spin a great story and this third novel keeps up the high standard set by his two previous offerings. Solid characterisation, a complex plot which comes together deliciously slowly, and flashbacks to the mind of a madman are all great highlights. However, Katie was the real star, The Half-Burnt House pulls a woman who already has personal problems and dumps her in a world which is a million miles away from her normal suburban life. The Half-Burnt House is released in the USA as The Angel Maker. Tony Jones The Half Burnt House |
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