Book Review: Where Stars Won't Shine by Patrick Lacey

January 10, 2020

I'm back on my never-ending horror spree! Here are some thoughts on Patrick Lacey's Where Stars Won't Shine. He's also written Dream Woods which I reviewed last year.

Where Stars Won't Shine by Patrick Lacey

Released January 2019

Dark Fiction | Goodreads | Amazon

Source: Received for Review Consideration

I'll be seeing you.

That's the note left behind for Ivy Longwood when infamous killer Tucker Ashton murders her boyfriend. Several years later, after Tucker vanishes from his jail cell, Ivy travels to Ashton's hometown of Marlowe, Massachusetts. Not for closure or therapy. She's being called there. Steered by forces beyond her control. What she'll find is not the quiet suburban town Marlowe once was. It's something new. Something dark. Something that answers the question: Where did Tucker Ashton go?

My 2 Cents For Free!

An author is haunted by the serial killer he spent years researching. And he’s not the only one!

Tucker Ashton went on a killing spree that took the lives of many (most) of the people residing in Marlowe, MA and he’s been locked up until now . . .

Three people feel compelled to travel to Marlowe for reasons of their own despite the fact that Ashton may or may not be on the loose. Call them crazy, if you will, but their reasons make a lot of sense once you get to know them and the author takes care creating their motivation for putting themselves in peril. Ivy needs closure because the love of her life was one of Tucker’s victims, Zeke is a collector of serial killer memorabilia and is obsessed in a bad way with Tucker and Ethan is a man desperate for a little cash no matter the cost. They all hole up in the decrepit Marlowe hotel which seems the perfect place for a little murder, lol.

There is something strange going on in Marlowe but there’s no way I’m going to spoil it. The fun of this book is discovering exactly what the heck is going on and it surprised me at many turns. Especially the final reveal. Wow, I can’t express how much I loved it! So fitting, so perfect, SO DARK. Yes! He went there and I couldn’t be happier about it.

Anyhow, this is a creepy book that builds a unique little world for itself while also crafting interesting, imperfect and haunted characters which I always appreciate. It also keeps you off kilter. I had no clue what was happening or why until the author chose to reveal it to me. That’s good writing in my book. I enjoyed the excerpts from the serial killer book which were placed throughout the story giving you a bit of background on the killer who was fascinating in his horribleness. The build is slow and I appreciated that and when the action starts it doesn’t stop until the very end.

A definite recommend for any horror fan.