String Them Up – William Sterling

4/5 stars

Sinclair lost everything in Charlotte: his wife, his son, his job…everything. In an effort to put the trauma behind him, he moves to Hollow Hills to work in the sheriff’s department with his former partner. But this small town is hiding a big secret, and Sinclair just might be in over his head when the dolls start coming alive.

String Them Up is one of the most solid horror books I’ve read. I’ve found mannequins to be deeply unsettling since the Autons (iykyk), and William did a fantastic job of bringing all that creep factor back to me. The addition of the peacocks brought something fresh to the story, and also added a layer of mild childhood trauma as a peacock terrified the life out of me at the zoo when I was a kid. Their role in this story was really unique and a fun way to introduce some levity and surprise to heavy parts of the book.

Sinclair’s backstory was a little vague for me, and I’m still not 100% sure about the events of his past, but I really liked him as a character. His growth from a traumatized man running from his past to a man facing it head-on and doing what needed to be done was very well written. While I wasn’t sure of him at the start, I was very much so in his corner by the end. And what a bittersweet ending, it was!

Crystal Lake Publishing is fast becoming an instant buy for me! I have yet to find a bad book that they’ve published. String Them Up is a great addition to an already impressive catalogue!