Book Review - Blood Harvest by S.J. Bolton

Synopsis:  The Fletchers' beautiful new house is everything they dreamed it would be. Built between two churches in Heptonclough, a small village on the moors that time forgot, it ought to be paradise for this young family of five, but they barely have a chance to settle in before they find that they’re anything but welcome. Someone seems to be trying to drive them away--at first with silly pranks but then with threats that become increasingly dangerous, especially to the oldest child, ten-year-old Tom Fletcher, who begins to believe that someone is always watching him.

The adults in Tom’s life are trying to help, including his parents; the vicar next door, younger and more dashing than you’d expect a vicar to be; and a therapist, Evi Oliver, who believes him more than she wants to.  But there are other clues that something isn’t quite right in Heptonclough, including the mysterious accidental deaths of three toddlers over the last ten years.  It is not until Tom’s siblings, two-year-old Milly and five-year-old Joe Fletcher, go missing in turn that the little village’s evil secret turns the Fletchers’ dreams into a nightmare.

First Line:  "It has happened, then; what only hindsight could have told him he'd been dreading."

Random Quote:  ""Time to kill," whispered the voice.

Oh, for the love of ...

Harry didn't bother with the steps, he swung his legs over the pulpit rail and dropped to the floor.  The voice had been just feet away, he was sure of it.  There was no time for anyone  to disappear.  Except they had.  No one in the choir stalls, no one in the small space behind the organ, no one hiding behind the altar, no on in the ... he stopped.  Could someone be in the old crypt?  Could sound be travelling upwards somehow?"

Review:  Given the title, this book was not at all what I expected.  I went into it expecting a fairly straight horror novel filled with dastardly deeds of blood sacrifice.  What I got was a Ruth Rendell style psychological thriller - well written, subtle, tightly plotted, atmospheric, and scary.

The Pennines - Image via WikipediThe village of Heptonclough is one of those places that sits outside of time.  Located in the Pennine moors near Lancashire, the town surrounds the old church, the new church, and a graveyard (complete with underground crypt).  Straddling the line between the new and old church (and the new and old world) is a house built by the village's newest residents, the Fletchers, and their three children - and so the fun begins.

This village takes its traditions seriously, particularly those centered around the harvest.  There is a harvest festival with all kinds of strange customs (and potential misdeeds), the annual slaughter (where blood literally runs in the streets), and the making of 'bone people' to be destroyed in the annual bonfire.  Throughout it all the Fletcher children feel they are being watched and the long-buried secrets of Heptonclough are (in some cases literally) uncovered.

This was a wonderfully creepy read.  Highly recommended for fans of Ruth Rendell/Barbara Vine.

FTC Disclosure:  San Leandro Public Library

Rating:  Green

Reading Challenges:  RIP V

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