Blackstoke by Rob Parker

 

Blackstoke by Rob Parker.

Published 23rd March by Red Dog Press.

From the cover of the book:

WEALTH. 

SECURITY. 

PROSPERITY. 

NONE OF IT MATTERS IN THE DARK.

In a quiet cul-de-sac on the newly-opened, much sought-after Blackstoke housing development, the first handful of families are moving in. 

These neighbours, thrown together for the first time, are looking forward to settling into their bright new lives-with varying degrees of enthusiasm. The estate couldn't be nicer, but it's a big change for everyone.

Then things start to happen. Bad things. As if something doesn't want them there.

As the new residents try to make sense of events, the buried history of the area makes itself suddenly, deeply apparent-with a series of shocking, violent escalations.

Soon, no one is safe, as the original powers of Blackstoke return to reclaim their territory and birth right in a final night of dark revelations, gore and bloodshed.

************************

Welcome to Blackstoke, a new development of executive homes in a gated community, for those who can pay the price for 24-hour security and a swanky postcode.

The first group of residents have moved into their quiet cul-de-sac and are looking forward to settling down in their little corner of, what the glossy brochures assure them will be, rural heaven. Each of them is finding the move a little difficult for reasons of their own.

Meet Quint and Wendy, the retired couple looking for peace and quiet; David and Christian settling into new parenthood with their adopted baby daughter, Olivia; Grace the young, ambitious lawyer, with her Irish wolfhound, Dewey; boorish MP Peter, his long-suffering wife Joyce, and their twin boys; and the latest Blackstoke arrivals, Peter looking to make a impression on his less than impressed wife Pam, and teenage children Alice and Jacob. Each of them have their own trials and tribulations that they would prefer to keep secret behind their brand spanking new front doors, and inevitably the forced familiarity with their new neighbours does lead to tension.

So, a domestic drama set in a refined cul-de-sac, in the leafy countryside you imagine? Well, dear reader, think again... for while we are getting to know our new neighbours and their little ways, we start to get the idea that there might be more than meets the eye about this residential development. Why is there zero work going on in the rest of the sizeable, planned development? Where is the promised 24-hour security, especially when odd things are going on in the middle of the night? And what is that damned awful smell? 

Rob Parker has a few tricks up his sleeve when it comes to where this story takes us, and the direction is a truly shocking one. The odd happenings escalate into something far more dangerous with the advent of mysterious abductions and bloody violence, with an abruptness that sends you completely off balance - almost as if you have been hit with a sharp thwack to the head (pretty pertinent this reference) and off we go into nightmare country!

And, boy, does Parker let his imagination run away with him when his full intentions become clear. Be prepared for some very unsettling scenes, menacing monsters with morbid motives, and our gang of new neighbours fighting for survival as they discover the true nature of Blackstoke and its history - all while the lights have rather inconveniently gone out.

Knowing Parker's penchant for an oldie but goodie when it comes to film and literary gems, there are definite nods to some of the thriller and horror greats to be spotted among the macabre twists and turns of his own creation, all of which kept me entertained all the way through. The pace never lets up once the full-blown grisly action kicks off, and I lapped up the whole lovely lot in a single glorious sitting.

I have many thoughts about where this story leaves off. It's just the kind of unsettling conclusion a bloodbath horror story deserves, but I really want to know what happens next! I would also really enjoy hearing more about Jacob and his unexpected allies, the twins (who reminded me a bit of the Frog brothers from The Lost Boys, bizarrely), as they really needed more of a moment to shine once they had formed their band of brothers outfit - scope for their own spin-off story here Rob?! 

I thoroughly enjoyed this mad-cap ride into the gates of Hell, and even though this something of a departure from Rob Parker's tried and tested broken-hero-with-a-heart or Northern noir story, he pulls it off with style. I am a big fan of Parker's books and think he can now confidently add the title 'horror writer' to the growing CV. I am looking forward to seeing where his imagination takes me next!

Blackstoke is available to buy now from your favourite book retailer, or direct from Red Dog Press  HERE.

Thank you to Meggy Roussel from Red Dog Press for sending me an e-book copy of this book in return for an honest review, and for inviting me to be part of this blog tour. I have also purchased a hardback copy.

About the author:

Rob Parker is a married father of three, who lives in Warrington, UK. The author of the Ben Bracken thrillers, Crook’s Hollow and the #1 Audible bestseller Far From The Tree, he enjoys a rural life, writing horrible things between school runs. Rob writes full time, attends various author events across the UK, and boxes regularly for charity. He spends a lot of time in schools across the North, encouraging literacy, story-telling and creative-writing, and somehow squeezes in time to co-host the For Your Reconsideration film podcast, appear regularly on The Blood Brothers Crime Podcast, and is a member of the Northern Crime Syndicate.