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catsluvcoffee 's review for:
The Patience of a Dead Man
by Michael Clark
The Patience of a Dead Man is a chilling debut novel. The blurb tells you what to expect—ghosts. However, just acknowledging that there are ghosts doesn't prepare you for what's about to happen. Part mystery, part ghost story, this well-crafted read isn't your typical haunted house fare. Michael Clark is a phenomenal storyteller, ramping up the tension as the story builds. Like Charon on the River Styx, Clark steers the reader through each white-knuckled spectral encounter. Each spine-chilling situation is detailed in such a way that envisioning each and every creak of the house is effortless.
Tim is a likable enough guy, though unmistakably flawed. Though the relationship between him and Holly—the real estate agent turned confidant—develops a bit too rapidly, they make a good team. There were some inconsistencies along the way though. You would think if the diary written by the previous owner and her own experience with the ghosts was so significant, they would have made an effort to read it immediately. Not so much. Clark's protagonists are like the people in horror movies that run up the stairs to avoid the killer, leading to that off-kilter feeling of frustration and the reader attempting to manage the characters through the pages.
The fast pace of the novel meant little or no downtime without the spooks. What moments weren't spent with the disturbing presence were permeated with hunched shoulder anticipation of their reappearance. There's a feeling of wrongness from the very start and it only becomes more expansive as the story continues. While the storyline does jump from present-day 1970s to the time of the previous owner and the life of the haunts, the transitions are easy to follow without confusion. There is a bit of overexplaining at times, specifically where the diary is concerned that could have been trimmed without squandering the plot.
Clark takes the typical haunted house trope and transforms it. Well-plotted and devised, the ebb and flow of dread pulls the reader into the story very quickly and doesn't let go. This is not a book that you will be able to pace yourself contentedly through. Once committed to the story, it will seize you and not let go. My only regret in reading The Patience of a Dead Man was that I didn't read it sooner.
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Tim is a likable enough guy, though unmistakably flawed. Though the relationship between him and Holly—the real estate agent turned confidant—develops a bit too rapidly, they make a good team. There were some inconsistencies along the way though. You would think if the diary written by the previous owner and her own experience with the ghosts was so significant, they would have made an effort to read it immediately. Not so much. Clark's protagonists are like the people in horror movies that run up the stairs to avoid the killer, leading to that off-kilter feeling of frustration and the reader attempting to manage the characters through the pages.
The fast pace of the novel meant little or no downtime without the spooks. What moments weren't spent with the disturbing presence were permeated with hunched shoulder anticipation of their reappearance. There's a feeling of wrongness from the very start and it only becomes more expansive as the story continues. While the storyline does jump from present-day 1970s to the time of the previous owner and the life of the haunts, the transitions are easy to follow without confusion. There is a bit of overexplaining at times, specifically where the diary is concerned that could have been trimmed without squandering the plot.
Clark takes the typical haunted house trope and transforms it. Well-plotted and devised, the ebb and flow of dread pulls the reader into the story very quickly and doesn't let go. This is not a book that you will be able to pace yourself contentedly through. Once committed to the story, it will seize you and not let go. My only regret in reading The Patience of a Dead Man was that I didn't read it sooner.
Website | Twitter | Pinterest