Don’t talk to strangers.
Faced with his parents’s divorce, eleven-year-old Lucas runs away from his house with the hope that his family will get back together to find him. On his way walking through the empty streets, he is picked up by a mysterious woman who offers to take care of him and provide him with a loving family.
The boy then wakes up in shackles, confined to a bed in a decrepit house in the middle of nowhere and will have to face his deepest fears in order to survive in his new home.
Join Lucas in a desperate attempt to get back to his family in Madhouse, the first published book from horror-thriller author Miguel Estrada.
My Review:
Lucas is upset to hear that his parents Mary and Tom are splitting up and he is determined to stop it from happening. Using the logic of a child, he believes that if he was to temporarily go missing, they would be so worried about him and relieved to have him home safe that they will decide to stay together. When he sneaks out of the house that night he meets Bella in her car and she offers him a new home with her. The next thing Lucas knows is that he is chained up in a bedroom of a strange house and told that he has a new family now.
Bella and Martin are husband and wife who remind me a bit of the twisted brother and sister from the film The People Under The Stairs. In fact the book reminds me of the film in several ways. They have lost their own kids so are now out snatching new kids to add to their household. However, one difference with this book is that when the kids displease Bella and Martin, they are murdered and replaced rather than being kept alive and disfigured as in the film. The house has a similar vibe to that film as Lucas discovers when he escapes his room. It is a confusing house with secure locked doors and as he tries to find a way out, Bella and Martin are hunting him down as they are unhappy with his rebellion.
This is a short novella of about 58 pages so I can't really say any more than that without giving everything away but it was a nice creepy horror thriller, and my first try of the author. I would certainly consider reading him again if the chance arises.
Read June 2018.
3 stars.
I enjoy shorter stories sometimes because you get a quick read to see if you enjoy the author. This sounds creepy.
ReplyDeleteYeah it can be a useful way to check out a new author and get an idea of their writing style and how they put a story together.
DeleteSometimes novellas can be so hard to review. It's so easy to give things away. Great review and I'm LOVING this cover!
ReplyDeleteI find them the most difficult to review especially with just a few characters in them!
DeleteSounds good and creepy! :)
ReplyDeleteIt was a nice little read and I got it free on Amazon which was good.
DeleteGlad you semi enjoyed it. I like short books here and there. Sometimes I get intimidated with the 500+ books. Like, I just know it will take forever to read it. Instead of a nice 200-300 one. I like the sound of this one tho. I will have to check it out.
ReplyDeleteMary
Yes I liked it. I'm not the biggest fan of the short story compared to a full novel but they are a good way to try new authors!
DeleteI love the cover and I read the book too. Sometimes a novella hits the spot and Miguel did a great job with this.
ReplyDeletesherry @ fundinmental
Yeah it was a good short read!
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