Reaping the Dark is the first work by Gary McMahon that I have read, and I am very favorably impressed. The story about a freelance getaway driver has elements of both a suspense thriller and a supernatural horror story. Clarke, or Driver Z as he is professionally known, is hired as the getaway driver for a huge heist that goes terribly wrong. Only he survives with the money, and he makes a plan with his pregnant girlfriend to flee the area a start live anew. Unfortunately, the master criminal behind the robbery figures out where Clarke is hiding and kidnaps his girlfriend – with the instructions to join him (and the girl) in a rundown area of town later that night. What originally starts out as a fast-paced adventure thriller turns into a white-knuckle horror story as the three individuals find themselves hiding within the deserted, run-down building while a demonic creature stalks them outside. The reason? The group who was robbed just happens to be a secret order of satanic cultists.

McMahon has a fine ear for dialogue and characterizations. Clarke and his girlfriend, while borderline sociopaths with brutal pasts, have a humanness that is quite believable. Their concern for their unborn child is remarkably normal. When the “bad guys” are talking, there is nothing forced or over the top. The dialogue rings true – in a manner that you would think a group of people with antisocial personality disorder would speak. I actually found myself caring for safety of all of the characters – McMahon is that good in generating empathy.

The pace of this novella is quite swift, and the author has you turning the pages wondering about the outcome. As the supernatural elements take over, the sense of danger escalates and you are at the mercy of the author’s narrative ability. And the ending – well, it had a nifty surprise twist. Overall, a great tale.

Ash and Bone by Lisa Von Biela is a spooky little tale published by Darkfuse. This novella starts nicely, with Eileen Maroni escaping her criminal past and looking to start life anew. With money that she hid away after a drug deal went bad, she finds herself in a rundown coastal town where she impulsively purchases a small motel. There is a problem with room #8, however. She feels uneasy when cleaning the room, guests have strange experiences, and her dog is so terrified that it will not step foot into the room. So far, so good. The author has set the stage for a nifty ghost story. Unfortunately, the last portion of the tale does not deliver as well. The author shifts perspectives to a second, and then briefly a third, character who are not as interesting or fleshed out as Eileen. While the reader learns about room #8, there is no drama in the tale, and I did not feel an emotional connection to the characters as they learned the backstory. I also felt the author was padding what could have been tight short story in order to make it a novella. For instance, there are numerous trips to and from a diner, complete with multiple descriptions of the same greasy laminated menu and the attitude of the waitresses. The result was a watering down of the story. Overall, an okay ghost story and a quick read.